Iliana was sleeping soundly when a knock at the door disturbed her rest. Rubbing her eyes, she slowly sat up, still drowsy, only to hear another knock a moment later.
She reached for the lamp burning beside her bed and climbed out from beneath the covers. Holding the lamp in one hand, she made her way to the door, but before opening it, she leaned toward the window to check who was outside.
The moment she recognized the familiar figure standing beyond the door, her sleepiness vanished.
She hurried to open it.
"Prince Sylvian," she whispered in surprise.
Without wasting a second, she caught his arm and pulled him inside before closing the door and securing the latch from within.
"Did you travel all the way here in this rain?" she asked, looking at him in disbelief.
"I was supposed to arrive earlier, but something happened to the carriage along the way," Sylvian explained.
He shrugged off his overcoat, which was damp from the rain, and glanced at her.
