𝖖𝖚𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖓𝖈𝖎𝖆

⁰⁴. 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭-𝐚𝐧𝐲-𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬-𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫

''  ᵃ ʳᵉˢᵗˡᵉˢˢ ⁿᶦᵍʰᵗ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉ ⁿᵒᵗ⁻ᵃⁿʸ⁻ˡᵉˢˢ⁻ʳᵉˢᵗˡᵉˢˢ ᵐᵒʳⁿᶦⁿᵍ ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ''

Yuri couldn't sleep. She had never been good at adjusting to new environments, and the vibe of her new bedroom really wasn't helping her to relax. There was far too much green around her, and it seemed to be closing in on her from all sides as though it was determined to suffocate her while she rested. She feared that if she closed her eyes for even just a brief moment, it would swallow her whole. 

Her eyes darted around the darkness several times, hoping to find something that would ease her mind. Unfortunately, her gaze always fell to rest on the ghostly white roses that seemed to glow in the dark and mock her from their place on the vanity table. Pure. Innocent. Silent. Devoted. Never forget.

She let out a sigh and discarded the thought of visiting Mr Cassano as soon as it entered her mind. Yuri didn't wish to inconvenience him at this hour even despite knowing that seeing him would remind her that she wasn't alone in this castle of ice, and that would most likely soothe her. She had already made two mistakes that evening—she wouldn't dare to make a third. 

Silent, she reminded herself as her gaze glided over the ghastly white petals once again. A wife must be silent, just like a white rose. Keep your thoughts and worries to yourself, and don't make any trouble for your husband. You can work things out between you that way, so remember to stay silent.

After tossing and turning under the covers for quite some time, Yuri could stand the suffocating darkness no longer. She made her bed and hurriedly escaped the stuffy bedroom, closing the door behind her gently so as to not make too much noise and alert Mr Cassano. She then tip-toed down the corridor, cringing at every creaky floorboard and praying with all of her heart that her movements wouldn't disturb the rest of the man that she had wedded that day. 

With some difficulty, she finally made it down the stairs and onto the landing. A strip of golden light seeping out onto the carpet from the crack beneath the study door caught her attention, and curiosity led her over to inspect it.

Mr Cassano must still be awake, Yuri concluded upon listening to the shuffling of pages and quiet sighs of annoyance coming from inside the study. 

With hesitant steps, Yuri made her way into the living room as quietly as she could and settled herself down on the sofa across from the unlit fireplace. She accepted the comfort of the fabric beneath her body and snuggled her face into the arm rest, closing her eyes as she curled up into a ball.