"Your Highness, wakey wakey!"

Florian's eyes flew open.

His whole body jolted as if someone had poured cold water over him.

His heart slammed hard against his ribs as he sucked in a sharp breath and turned his head—

Only to find Cindy hovering directly above him.

Too close.

Way too close.

She was smiling. Wide. Unblinking. Almost… enthusiastic in a way that made his skin prickle.

"Cindy—" Florian gasped as he pushed himself upright. "You frightened me."

She tilted her head slightly, as if genuinely confused. "Did I? I didn't mean to, Your Highness."

"Well, you suddenly shouted at me to wake up," Florian said, still catching his breath, "and you're a little too—"

"Ooh." Cindy suddenly leaned in even closer, her face inches from his. "When I heard your eyes were emeralds and really beautiful, I didn't think it was true. But wow."

"…close," Florian finished weakly.

He stared at her, blinking.

His brain was still foggy from sleep, his body still heavy under the blankets, and Cindy's energy was doing absolutely nothing to help.

'Is this real?' he wondered tiredly. 'Or am I still dreaming?'

Cindy just kept staring at him.

Not blinking.

Not moving.

Just… staring.

Florian shifted uncomfortably. "So… I'm assuming you woke me up because it's time for lunch?"

Silence.

"…Cindy?"

Nothing.

She didn't answer. She didn't move. Her gaze stayed locked onto his eyes, almost fascinated.

'Okay,' Florian thought uneasily. 'This is getting weird.'

"Cindy?" he called again, this time gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

She jumped back with a sharp gasp.

"Wah!"

Florian flinched as well, pulling his hand back immediately. "Oh—m-my apologies, did I—"

"Forgive me, Your Highness," Cindy said quickly, her tone suddenly serious. "I don't like being touched."

"I'm sorry," Florian replied at once. "I was just confused since you weren't responding."

Her expression shifted again, seriousness melting away as she scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

"Ah… sorry about that." She laughed softly. "I get distracted a lot. Miss Juno scolds me for it all the time."

She looked back at him, smiling again. "Your eyes were just really nice, so I forgot myself. What was your question, Your Highness?"

Florian paused, then sighed quietly.

"Did you wake me up for lunch?"

Cindy's eyes widened dramatically.

"Oh! Yes! Right!" She lightly tapped her own head. "Everyone's already waiting for you in the dining room. I almost forgot."

'You almost forgot the entire reason you came in here,' Florian thought, equal parts amused and concerned.

He rubbed his temple lightly, the earlier headache still lingering faintly.

'She doesn't seem dangerous,' he admitted to himself. 'But she really is… strange.'

Cindy clasped her hands together. "Do you need time to get ready, Your Highness? Or should we go now?"

Florian glanced down at himself, then back up at her.

"I should probably get ready," he said with a small, tired smile. "Just give me a moment."

"Of course!" Cindy beamed. "I'll wait right outside."

As she turned toward the door, practically skipping, Florian leaned back against the headboard and let out a slow breath.

'No matter how exhausted you are. Remember why you're here.' he reminded himself quietly. 'Gather whatever information you can during lunch.'

And maybe on the way as well, considering Cindy did seem to be talkative.

Florian might be able to make use of that.

✧→ ⏱︎ ←✧

'Ah.'

The moment Florian stepped out of the room, Cindy immediately led the way toward the dining hall.

And as she did—

She talked.

And talked.

And talked.

"Oh! Did you know the snow here melts faster near the east wing?" she said cheerfully, walking a little too fast before suddenly slowing down.

"But only in the mornings. Or was it afternoons? No, mornings. I think. Anyway, Miss Juno hates it because the floors get slippery and then—oh! Do you like pastries, Your Highness?"

Florian blinked. "I—"

"Because lunch today has bread, but not the sweet kind," Cindy continued without pausing, turning a corner sharply. "Though sometimes they add honey, but only when Lord Eldrick's in a good mood. Oh! Speaking of moods, the garden statues were cleaned again this morning. They weren't dirty, but they felt dirty, you know?"

'…I don't think I do,' Florian thought, keeping his polite smile in place.

He tried again. "Cindy, may I ask—"

"And the dining hall is warmer than the rest of the manor," she said suddenly, clasping her hands behind her back as she walked backward for a few steps.

"Which is good because last winter someone fainted. Or maybe it was two winters ago. Or maybe it was just because she was pregnant. Hard to tell!"

Florian opened his mouth, then closed it.

'Okay. So this is how it's going to be.'

He nodded instead, offering a soft sound of acknowledgment. Cindy didn't seem to notice either way.

She stopped abruptly, then immediately started again.

"Oh! And the rugs here are new. Well, not new-new. New compared to the old ones. The old ones were red. I liked the red ones, but these are nice too. Less dust. Dust makes me sneeze. Do you sneeze a lot, Your Highness?"

"I—"

"And sometimes the chandeliers creak at night," she went on, spinning once in place before continuing forward. "Miss Juno says it's just the cold, but I think they're whispering."

Florian smiled.

Nodded.

Smiled again.

'At least she's not whispering,' he thought faintly.

He made one last attempt. "Cindy, about Lord Eldrick—"

"Oh! We're almost there," Cindy announced brightly, completely cutting him off as she pointed ahead. "Lunch smells really good today. I hope you're hungry. I get hungry a lot. Like, all the time."

Florian let the question die on his tongue.

'Right,' he thought. 'No information is coming out of this.'

He adjusted his pace to match hers, letting the sound of her voice wash over him without trying to follow every word.

It jumped from topic to topic, light and scattered, like she was chasing thoughts faster than she could hold them.

He stopped trying to interrupt.

Instead, he listened.

Watched. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Memorized small details. The way she fidgeted with her sleeves.

How she forgot what she was saying halfway through, then laughed and moved on.

How she never stayed on one subject long enough for him to respond.

'She's not hiding anything,' Florian realized. 'If anything… she's just like this.'

So he stayed quiet.

Smiling when she looked at him.

Nodding when it seemed appropriate.

Letting her talk.

And for now, that was enough.

The moment Florian stopped trying to speak, Cindy halted so suddenly that he almost walked straight into her.

He stopped just in time.

'Why are we stopping?' Florian wondered, glancing around the quiet hallway before looking back at her.

Cindy stood there, staring at the floor for a second longer than usual, fingers twisting the hem of her sleeve.

The nonstop chatter that had followed them from the room had vanished completely.

The silence felt strange on her.

"Before I forget, Your Highness," she said, voice softer now, less bouncy. "I have a question."

Florian blinked.

That alone caught him off guard.

'That's… new,' he thought.

She didn't continue right away, though.

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, eyes darting briefly to the side as if she were deciding whether to say it at all.

The pause stretched.

So Florian filled it.

"Yes?" he said gently.

Cindy turned her head away from him, gaze fixed on the wall.

"When I brought you tea earlier," she began, slower than before, "and realized you were asleep… I was about to leave."

Her fingers tightened.

"But you were mumbling," she continued. "And it sounded like you were… distressed."

Florian felt his chest tighten.

Oh.

Cindy glanced back at him briefly, then away again. "So I just wanted to ask," she said quietly, "if you had a nightmare."

Well...

It wasn't a nightmare.

But Florian vaguely recalls, he did have an...odd dream.