Chapter 244: Losing Patience
In the depths of her slumber, Samantha stirred on the bed, her body subconsciously turning to her right to seek warmth where it is available on the big, cold mattress, her dainty hands reaching for her blanket and pulling it properly over her body. Her face, which had been weighed with fatigue from yesterday’s hassle, eased as a sign that she had slept well, but before she could drift deeper into her sweet slumber, a sudden, peculiar sensation washed over her.
Choosing to ignore it as she already agreed with her mind that it meant nothing, she mysteriously felt the rising heat of something– of someone; it was an unnatural, searing cold, like a fire that burned without warmth, and it mysteriously enveloped her in a blanketed embrace, subtly entrapping her. Sensing the physical presence of whatever produced this heat, her eyes fluttered open, and she was met with the light of day, whilst it seeped in through the transparent cloud-white curtains.
As if timed, she heard a knock on the door, and the abrupt sound had forced her body to push themselves up into a sitting position. Fully awake, with her green eyes wide and alert, she scanned the entire premises within her chamber, but there was no one there. The tiny hairs on her skin were standing at attention, and she knew, without a doubt that she sensed someone in her chamber... and that heat... was that someone’s body heat???
*Knock! Knock! Knock!*
The sound on her door nearly sent her jumping out of her skin, and to her relief, she heard the butler speak from outside.
"Is Milady awake?"
"Y– yes, I... just... need a... moment." With her mind still in the process of rebooting, Samantha’s response was garbled, as if she was struggling to form them into a sentence, and that made her run a frustrating finger into her hair.
"The Queen requests you join her at the dinner table for breakfast." Gareth let her know, and it dawned on Samantha for the second time that morning that it was already daytime. She looked out the window to see the sun was fully out... it made her wonder for how long she truly slept? Convinced she had merely imagined the sensation due to her deep sleep, Samantha got a hold of herself as she answered.
"I will be there in a few minutes."