Chapter 173

• Tristan caught Roth gazing at him and smiled. Roth smiled back, but he also noticed Tristan's hands trembling slightly as he accidentally spilled some tea on the counter. Roth chuckled inwardly, realizing that some things about Tristan had not changed.
• He approached Tristan and offered to take the kettle from his hands. Tristan handed it over, causing their hands to briefly touch. In that moment, a rush of past memories flooded their minds as they looked into each other's eyes. The golden-green eyes met the gray-black eyes, conveying a profound message. Tristan was the first to break the gaze, stepping back and hastily settling into a seat at the kitchen island.
• Roth observed him with a melancholic smile, then poured his own tea and retrieved an extra stool from beneath the kitchen island. Several moments of silence passed between them before Roth spoke, absentmindedly tracing the rim of his cup with his finger. "Does he know?" he asked, leaving the inquiry intentionally ambiguous, yet Tristan understood perfectly who and what Roth was referring to. He nodded quietly, his gaze fixated on Roth's finger tracing the cup's edge, while a melancholy smile played on his lips.