"Maybe it's because you're pale, but your cheeks were so red last night. I never would've pegged you for a drunkard."
The constant face-touching and chuckling forced Aurelia's eyes to pry open six hours later.
Half the maids' quarter was empty, and the few remaining couldn't bring themselves to leave—their eyes filled with curiosity as they gazed at the duo in disbelief.
"Alpha… Nyxara?" Aurelia called out in surprise as her blurred vision cleared.
Nyxara hummed, poking her cheeks with a finger, "You're finally awake. Do you always sleep so deep? I've been touching your face for at least an hour."
Aurelia was dumbfounded. "You've been… watching me for an hour?"
Nyxara paused and glanced outside the window.
A moment later, she shook her head in refusal, "I don't think it's precisely an hour. Maybe an hour and twenty minutes?"
Aurelia sat up in shock.
"Forgive me."
