Kallias' eyes snapped open the second the birds started chirping.

He hadn't slept all through the night. He had heard the faint rustling of the bed as Adriana turned

restlessly.

He had felt her restlessness in every core of his body like it was his, and he couldn't sleep.

It was only in the early hours of the morning that the rustling stopped and the restlessness

began fading away.

Kallias got up slowly. His body was sore, and his eyes were heavy, but he could already hear

the distant footsteps of his attendant and maids coming to start the daily routine.

He was already on his feet the moment their...