The next morning, Lilah woke up and discovered she was alone on the bed.
She touched the side Kael slept on and noticed it had gone cold.
He must've been gone long.
He was so busy thanks to the festival that she couldn't even whine and complain that she missed waking up to his warm kisses and hugs.
A soft sigh escaped her lips as she also decided to do her part.
She slowly reached for the bell sitting on the bedside table. Once her finger tip had tapped the handle, she knew she had reached it and confidently picked it up.
With a single bell ring, her maids came in to help her prepare.
The day passed in a haze of festivity.
Though not marked by any grand spectacle, the palace grounds were alive with foreign laughter, unfamiliar music, and the scents of strange spices carried on the breeze.
Lilah spent most of it indoors, hearing the faint echoes of the celebrations from her windows, her world half-still while the palace moved like a tide beyond her reach.
