Aqua had never truly liked the night.
It wasn't that she feared the darkness or the quiet; quite the opposite.
As a child, she had adored the stars that blanketed the sky and the gentle silver glow of the moon.
She would spend hours cutting paper stars to decorate her room, and even as an adult she still wore subtle star-shaped embroidery on her gowns and nightwear—an endearing habit everyone in the palace found impossibly cute.
But the night always carried a deep, aching loneliness for her.
This was because in the daytime, the world was alive.
She could chase Joy through the palace gardens, tease the maids until they scolded her with fond smiles, play pranks on the guards, or curl up in her aunt the Empress's lap for stories.
Her mother, though endlessly busy as the Empress's closest aide, would always steal moments to brush her hair or kiss her forehead.
There were endless possibilities, endless voices and laughter to fill the hours.
But at night, everyone slept.
