Sorry
The guards thankfully arrived that night to remove the courtiers from the front of my room, promising to take extra care not to let anyone slip through again. Had these harbingers of bad news not come to me in the middle of the night, I would have still slept soundly with the knowledge of Kairo coming getting to me on the next day. That would have been much more preferable.
But instead, I had troubles sleeping again. Apparently, Kairo's letter arrived as the clock stroke midnight hence their choice of timing. Bad timing.
After the courtiers disappeared, I had immediately headed for my parents' private quarters. I could not even talk to them. I wasn't allowed to. And if I had been allowed, I still wouldn't get to have a word with them. Not a chance. They had to set to work because the Crown Prince's letter said that he would come tomorrow.