The next morning, Viviana was startled awake not by a bell, but by the unfamiliar sound of cheerful humming coming from Lilliana's side of their adjoining chambers. She sat up, her body still aching with a deep weariness. It was barely dawn, the sky outside a pale, misty grey.
"Up so early, Lily?" Viviana called out, her voice a little rough. "The sun has barely touched the towers."
Lilliana, already dressed in a simple but elegant day gown of pale green, popped her head through the connecting doorway. She was beaming. "I just felt like an early morning stroll in the garden, Vi! The air is so fresh and clean after the cool breeze last night. Don't wait for me for breakfast!"
And with that, she was gone, leaving Viviana staring after her, a slight, knowing frown on her face. Lilliana was a notoriously late sleeper. This sudden burst of early-morning energy could only mean one thing: she's about to do something stupid.
