“Silvia, just calm down for now.”

“I am perfectly calm right now.”

Of course, my hands, which I had neatly placed on my lap, had lifted slightly, about 3 mm off the surface. Just before they could slap my forehead, I managed to calm them down and put them back on my knees, but judging by how Alice’s gaze momentarily fell downward, I couldn’t claim I had completely hidden it.

Honestly, I was not calm at all.

“I don’t see you as being calm at all.”

Alice’s eyes were as sharp as ever, just as they had been throughout this …