Chapter 25. Change

PEONY CRIMSON’S POV

The unexpected sunlight that flooded the room stings my eyelids. Like an animal that had just startled out of hibernation too soon, I hissed. My eyelids fluttered open as I gathered consciousness.

Someone stood next to the bed with an innocent smile, welcoming me. I blinked.

"Fey?"

The girl pulled back the blanket, revealing my bare thighs and messy nightgown. I had been sleeping like a log since yesterday afternoon because I was swept in my own panic. I didn’t even know whether Xavier slept next to me last night—the other side of the bed was empty.

"Good morning, Miss. I came to help you get ready." Fey greeted her in a friendly, lilting voice. Her smile was also so formal that I cringed at it. "The bathtub is already filled with warm water. Is there a special fragrance you prefer?"

"Huh?" My brain was still processing her presence and everything she said.