A pang of pure tenderness catches Lan Wangji by surprise and strikes him through. It isn't that he expected Claudius to forget, it's only that it becomes clear to him, in this quiet moment, how wrong he had been when he believed he needed no friends. The response he should be making, which is thank you, sticks in his throat, and he has to hope that his expression, soft and grateful in the subtle way of most of his expressions, speaks for itself, and that Claudius doesn't think him impolite for not responding aloud.

Once Lan Wangji has mastered himself, which takes longer than it ought to, he says, because he is stubborn, "Your time under the truth spell. Tell me."