A Beast's Tale

Chapter 32

At eight o'clock on the dot, Ivetta was back in my room with her usual morning greeting. It took me a moment to realize that her voice was real. She had filled my dreams during the four or five hours of sleep I'd gotten, and I was still exhausted, but the prospect of seeing the real thing was enough to drag me to consciousness.

"How can you possibly be so cheerful with so little sleep?" I grumbled, half tempted to grab her and pull her into bed with me. Not that I'd get any more sleep if I did.

"You're just not a morning person, Prince Chevalier. The other princes are already having breakfast. Shouldn't you join them?"

I pushed the blankets back and yawned, stretching. "How much?" I asked.

"An hour, maybe two," she answered as she pulled my clothes out of the bureau.

I sat up and stared at her, stunned. An hour of sleep? When she was already perpetually exhausted? I'd checked the clock after she left and calculated she'd get three or four hours, depending on what she had to do for her mother. Either I'd seriously underestimated the level of care she was providing, or she had to catch up on a lot that was missed from her extended absence the day before. Or both.

"But there's plenty of coffee courtesy of Benitoite, and I'll get off work on time tonight, and I'll be much more rested tomorrow morning," she continued. She turned to put the clothes on the bench and met my eyes. "So you don't need to worry about me, your highness."

"You're pushing yourself too hard," I said, standing up and walking over to her. The thought of taking her back to bed with me was more and more tempting. For her own good, of course.

"It's not forever, your highness."

I ignored the clothes and stopped in front of her. She'd never said anything like that before. She knew her mother was dying, but she steadfastly refused to talk about it. That simple statement brought home how poor her mother's health had become.

"How is she?"

She sighed and looked away, but not before I saw the pain in her green eyes. "Not great. But there were no problems yesterday while I was gone."

I sighed, too, and poked her in the forehead to make her look back up at me. "How long do you need me to keep them occupied?"

She was a lot easier to read when she was this tired. Her relief at the topic change was plainly evident. "Allowing for extra time in case somebody made a big mess, two hours should do it."

"Start in Gilbert's room. I'll make sure he doesn't bother you. Go straight to my library when you're done, and stay there. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "Will I be allowed to leave for lunch, Prince Chevalier? Or are you planning on sliding that under the door?" she asked teasingly, managing a small smile.

I smirked. "We'll see."

She was so tired. I could see it in her eyes, in her posture, in the words she normally chose so carefully, in the tone she usually regulated so well. There was no way she'd be able to handle my brothers in this state, let alone the foreign princes. I didn't take too long to get ready, and then I left the bathroom and headed for the door.

"I'll stop by the library if I can," I said, and then I left.

Just to check in on her, I reminded myself. I could manage to hold back until after the gala.

The round table was not full this morning, although the room was loud from all the varied conversations. I took my seat, annoyed by the empty chairs. Silvio, Jin, and Nokto were missing. Hopefully, Silvio would wake up and join the rest of us before she got to his room. The last thing she needed was that little brat talking down to her. Although, tired as she was, she would probably snap right back at him. That would be amusing.