章 203: Showcase, Part Twenty-One

{Aria}

Aria's eyes fluttered open as the first rays of sunlight filtered through her silk curtains. 

[Another day,] she thought, her small hands clutching her blankets. [Please let him still be...]

She practically leaped out of bed, her white nightgown swishing around her petite frame as she hurried through the palace corridors. Her bare feet made no sound on the polished marble floors - she'd gotten rather good at moving silently over the years.

The guards posted outside her father's chambers gave her knowing looks as she approached. They'd gotten used to her morning routine by now.

"He's awake, Your Highness," one of them said softly. "Had his morning tea already."

Relief flooded through her body, making her knees weak.

[Still here. Still alive. Still with me.]

She knocked gently before entering.