"But it was only a title," he tells her, again, in case she has not heard. Has she not heard? Or perhaps she is confused? His accent, it does confuse people, sometimes, or else they fall to admiring it so well that they hardly heed his words. This is probably not her problem. Then again, appearances, they can be so deceiving.

At the word library, all protest in him stills. And so does all else. Pale, he stares at the books.

"I-- can't."