ALIANA

Daylight comes in, maybe sensing yesterday dragged on too long.

That sound cuts through the morning quiet just as I pour water into the machine. The steam hisses softly while my hands steady on the counter. A creak comes from the hallway - slow, deliberate. Light shifts under the doorframe like someone paused there. My breath catches before I even turn around.

A tiny giggle.

Laughter spills out of king, sudden and wide, as if magic startled him awake, dressed head to toe in pink sleepwear.

Inside the living room, I take a look.

Perched on the floor, the king keeps his back straight, hands resting on knees. Across...