I heard a cart roll over the carpet, smelling a hearty taste that hung in the air, approaching us, but my thoughts had drowned my senses out.
Katherine tapped me on my shoulder.
"Tjer, Albert is here."
She woke me up from my thoughts.
I saw Albert come in with four plates.
He gave each of us a plate, which we put on the floor, and he brought the final one to the table in the corner of her room.
After which Albert walked out of the room, Edward stopping him as he said,
"You can stay with us."
"My apologies, but I believe that you four should just be together now," he said, continuing his walk.
A silence had taken over the room once again, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of the metal forks scraping against the plate, followed by the chewing of food.
Even with the next bite no words came, the silence kept going until the plate had emptied.
We brought them to the cart Albert had left just outside the room, and we went back inside and sat down at the still warm spot.
There had been nothing to say anymore—a conclusion had already been reached, knowing that we had nothing we could do until Ryan had another look.
"Why can't we call for a seer right now...?" I gave up trying to cover my mouth after I said my thought out loud.
"The seer is a banned existence... even when it's outside of your power—just your mere existence is enough to be executed." Edward said.
"...Why?"
"Honestly—no one knows, it has been a law since the start of this country."
"The only one who might know more about it—is his majesty himself."
"Is it not going to be impossible to find one...?"
"Do you truly think the law is enough to stop people?"
"No—I know that it's not enough."
"But how do you want to find one then..."
"That is the issue..." He started rubbing his forehead as he said so.
"But I will find one no matter what—it's not something you should worry about."
"I will contact his majesty tomorrow if possible—he should be able to do it..." He let out a small sigh as he said so.
"Thank you..." My sight was getting blurred—one thing was left clear.
The expressions they held—one unfit for being thanked.
Just silence was left, my words had announced the end of the night.
"I think you should go to sleep... we will stay awake with her," Katherine said to me, hearing me yawn as midnight had already passed.
"...I'll stay awake with you... I can't leave her..." I said, forcing my face to stay together as I looked at them.
"You can just sleep here, right?" Edward said as we sat in a circle on the floor.
"True... I didn't think of that..."
I stood up and walked to the other side of the bed, and lay next to Mim—who had shown no signs of waking up since the afternoon.
The moment my head got surrounded by the soft pillow that swallowed me—making me close my eyes as my consciousness drifted away.
But as soon as it left me, it came back again.
"Do the two of you not have to sleep...?" I asked.
"We will be fine, just go to sleep now," Edward said.
I thought back on Albert and the guards who were able to travel for days straight making me fall back into the soft embrace from before.
But even that embrace wasn't enough to bring me to sleep, the darkness I saw wasn't as comfortable as it always was.
I continued lying down, my eyes simply closed.
I was unable to hear anything, not the ruffling of the sheets, nor the words being exchanged—unsure whether there even was noise around me.
Until the moment I heard the ruffling of the sheets next to me, followed by the rumbling of a stomach.
I couldn't move, nor respond.
I had realized it—I was already asleep.
But as soon as that sound came, it left again, leaving just a giggle behind.
The scorching sunrays reached my eyelids, lighting all in front of me up.
The next morning had finally arrived.
As I got up no sounds were in the room besides the ruffling of my sheets, and the steps I took as I got up.
I walked over to the other side,
"Go—" I saw them both asleep facing the bed as they leaned on each other.
But the thing that truly caught my attention was Mim.
Mim lay there, facing them as well—instead of lying on her back.
A smile could be seen on her face, her eyes open as she looked at Edward and Katherine.
The bed creaked as I jumped towards her, pulling her into my embrace.
I even woke Katherine and Edward up.
Both of them joined the embrace, showing strength that dwarfed mine.
"LET GO!!!" We all let go as she screamed loud enough for Albert to rush into the room.
His normally plain face was once again filled as he looked down at the bed in front of him.
"Mim tell me, how are you feeling!?" Katherine asked her.
"I'm feeling well rested... I think?"
The utmost corners of Katherine's lips moved softly upward, eyes reflecting the sun as she said,
"I am glad to hear that..."
"I believe that it's time to eat—right Mim?" Albert said from the doorway.
"YES!! I'M SOO HUNGRY~!"
She had woken up more energetic than I had ever seen her before—even more so than ever in Kage.
Is it because no one woke her up, or because of what Ryan did...?
It was a question that I couldn't answer—all I could do was just smile and enjoy this fleeting moment.
One I know would last for no longer than a fraction of time, but that was enough.
We talked during the entire meal as if nothing had happened, and nothing was going to happen.
It was clear underneath all of our smiles—a simple lie, one we allowed to last for this morning.
We were given crêpes with fruits and honey, which made us change our list once again, this became another one of our favorites—it tasted different from all others we had eaten before.
But the moment this meal ended we knew what we had to do.
Edward sent Ryan towards us as he continued onwards to the royal palace.