When morning came, the palace had already begun to stir with life. Servants moved briskly through the halls, attending to their duties and the soft hum of early activity filled the corridors. Among them, Evan stood patiently outside the grand double doors of Zalyric's chamber with his formal posture yet steady as he knocked twice. When no response came, he hesitated for a moment before knocking again and this time, a low groan came from within.
"Ugh… damn it, my head…" Zalyric muttered, voice rough from sleep. Slowly, he sat upright as the silk blanket pooling around his waist. One hand went to his temple as he tried to ease the dull throb behind his eyes. His golden hair, tousled and messy, fell over his face as his golden eyes flicked toward the door.
"Come in…" he said, his tone low and unhurried.
Evan entered, bowing slightly before moving toward the window then pulled the heavy curtains aside, allowing sunlight to spill into the room.
