It got really late the next morning when I awoke from a comfortable, long sleep. There was nobody else but Mary in my chamber, engaged in making me my morning coffee, which I used to usually take with Kai in the dining hall along with my breakfast, and hence I found it strange to have the handmaid fetch it for me there instead. While mixing the beans with the hot water, she seemed to be humming, which indicated she was in great spirits, which could only happen when there was something for me to distress about.
Alarmed by the very thought of what could’ve happened to prompt her to join me so early in the morning, I pulled myself out of bed and moved towards the table upon which my coffee was receiving milk. In a half-drowsy state which was to be expected from someone who had just roused f
