THE night draw nigh. Queen stirred awake, her body heavy and sluggish, as if she had been trapped in a deep abyss of sleep. Her eyes fluttered open, and she squinted at the dim light filtering through the curtains of her lavish bedroom. The sleek design of her room, a blend of muted grays and golds, greeted her as she groggily reached for her phone on the bedside table.

The screen illuminated her face as she tapped it on. Her heart sank and her eyes widened.

"Evening?" she gasped, seeing the time. "It is already this late?" She asked rhetorically.

Queen shot upright, her silk nightgown crumpled from hours of...