The only bright side of this long day is that I can finally retreat to my rooms with the excuse that I'm tired. I dismiss the maids as soon as they finish taking my clothes off, and I sit in front of the mirror to clean off the makeup.
I haven't ever dreamed that I would, one day, pretend to be tired after a shabby tea party. Me: the Queen that never sleeps.
The moment the door is closed, though, I hear a knock.
«Come in,» I say out loud, without even turning. This late, it can only be one of the maids that forgot something.
To my surprise, the one that crosses the door is not a maid, but the Duke. After a whole week, he remembered that he has a wife. He's wearing heavy clothes as if he just arrived from outside the Palace. His hair is ruffled, probably because of the wind. His dark eyes are as dynamic as always. I turn my eyes away and look at the mirror.
