Lucas lay sprawled across the large bed in his chamber, the heavy silk sheets tangled around his legs, his body sinking into the soft mattress as he drifted in the haze of a deep, peaceful sleep.
He barely registered the soft patter of footsteps sounding somewhere in the distance, assuming it was just the servants scurrying through the halls, running late-night errands for Lady Cecilia. The sound was faint, blending into the rhythm of his slow breaths, and he let it slip from his thoughts, his body too relaxed to care.
But then the footsteps grew louder, stopping abruptly at the door of his chamber. A soft knock followed, barely audible but sharp enough to pull him from the edge of sleep. His eyes flickered open, his senses sharpening as he stared at the ceiling, the carved wooden beams barely visible in the low light.
