Chapter 378 - 377. Huge Screw Up (2)
The next morning arrived quietly, ushered in by the gentle chorus of birdsong and the warm kiss of sunlight against my back. It should’ve been peaceful.
Instead, I groaned, shifting under the weight of tangled sheets and a very insistent tug at my hair.
"Stop it, Nox," I mumbled, half-asleep, trying to wave him away. But he didn’t stop. The large owl’s feathers flapped against my ear, his sharp beak tugging at the strands near my temple like a particularly nagging conscience.
"Master?" Lyall’s voice drifted in, calm and steady as always.
I sighed and burrowed deeper into the sheets like a coward hiding from the world.
"Master, the preparations are all done. We can move tomorrow."
I hummed in acknowledgment, but the weight of his words didn’t hit me until a few seconds later.
Tomorrow.
I sat up abruptly, making Nox flap his wings in alarm and nearly topple off my shoulder. My hair was an absolute disaster, and I could feel black feathers entangled in it. I pulled a couple free, rubbing my temples as the haze of sleep cleared, replaced by the suffocating reminder of the issue still unresolved.
"Good morning, Master." Lyall bowed as I sat cross-legged on the bed, realizing that someone—likely him—had taken off my cloak and shoes while I slept. I didn’t even remember collapsing into bed last night.
"You seemed truly exhausted," he added gently.