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AS Sara felt the morning sun streaming through the curtains, she stirred in bed before opening her eyes.
I’ve been able to fall asleep really well lately.
It wasn’t as if she were typically prone to insomnia, but lately she’d been going to sleep almost immediately at night and then waking up the next morning feeling completely refreshed. She was sure this was a result of the fruit tea Claire had been making her before bed recently.
The tea was packed with juicy fruits native to Ferrier that Sara was unfamiliar with. It was the perfect balance of sweet, sour, and refreshing. She loved it because even if she drank it right before bed, it didn’t make her stomach feel heavy or leave any excessive lingering sweetness in her mouth.
I wonder if the prince is still asleep this morning…
She didn’t hear a peep from the next room. Maybe he had gone out with Daniel again last night.
Recently, it seemed Richard had been going out for walks at night more frequently, and he only woke up before lunchtime around once every three days. Sara, however, decided not to pry into his business, so she never probed him about it. She simply tried to wish him “good morning” the first time they met during the day, and “good night” before she herself went to sleep.
I wonder if he’s getting enough rest…
Maybe it was Richard who needed the fruit tea, not Sara.
She brought this up with Claire when the maid was helping Sara change clothes. Claire grinned and ran a comb through Sara’s hair.
“Perhaps so. His Highness has always been a night owl and absolutely awful at getting up in the morning.”
“The fruit tea probably won’t help him sleep if he drinks it during the day, will it?”
“That’s right. It only works if you drink one cup right before bed. If he had it too early in the day, he’d just get sleepy during his work, and it’s not particularly good to drink a lot of it.”
“I think it would be nice to have an evening teatime with the prince someday, but that would probably be difficult…,” Sara murmured.
She heard a gasp from behind her.
She turned and saw Claire looking down at her, her expression calm but her eyes widened slightly.
“No… I’m sure you’ll be able to one day! Even though His Highness is very busy right now…he might even invite you to his bedchamber someday.”
Sara laughed at Claire’s unexpected comedic side. “That will never happen!” she replied, smiling back at her.
Compared with their first day as an officially married couple, Sara and Richard had gotten much closer, but she could still only have a proper conversation with him once a day over tea. They hadn’t even shared a meal together.
Even then, their teatime conversation was heavily one-sided, with Richard often only interjecting short phrases like “Really?” and “I see.” If in the future he ever did introduce a topic of his own accord, Sara’s predominant emotion would likely be not happiness but shock.
The door connecting their bedrooms had remained resolutely closed. Sara would probably never see that door open for as long as she lived in this room.
The prince hated being bothered and unnecessary interactions with other people, so he would never invite Sara into his private space, a place where he could feel at ease… Definitely not.
“Anyway… I wanted to wish His Highness good morning, so could you tell me when he wakes up? I’ll just be reading until then.”
“Understood, ma’am. Daniel should be reporting for work soon, so I’ll let him know, too.”
Sara felt relieved and glanced once more at the white door.