Astria leaned toward the bed. She nudged Len's shoulder with the utmost gentleness with her fingers. A slight rustle stirred within the velvet sheets.
Len's thick lashes slowly fluttered open. Rubbing his sleep-laden eyes, he looked up to find Astria's face hovering directly above him. The dim light of the room cast soft shadows across her features. Len let out a deep yawn and, stretching his arms, looked into Astria's eyes with sheer innocence and murmured, "What is it... are you still angry?"
His voice carried the drowsiness of sleep and that same old indifference. Astria offered no direct reply. She simply repeated his name once more in a voice that was very quiet and profound, "Len..."
Her tone was no longer as harsh as before; instead, it held a strange sense of stillness. Astria took a step back from the bed and spoke in a measured tone, "If you are awake now, then lie down properly on your back."
Len offered no reply. He pressed his palms into the soft, plush mattress and, crawling on his knees, moved toward the pillow at the other end of the bed. After a brief glance at Astria, he flopped back onto his stomach, burying his head deep within the fabric of the pillow once more.
Len acted as though he had heard nothing. Astria stepped forward and neatly adjusted the empty pillow where Len had been sleeping just moments before. She then moved around to the other side of the bed and stood right beside him. Reaching out, she touched his shoulder lightly and gave him a gentle nudge, attempting to turn his body over.
But Len did not yield. He had locked both arms around the pillow in a tight embrace, burying his face even deeper into the cotton. Astria tried to straighten him, but Len's stubbornness was anchored within his small frame like a solid stone.
Once more, she nudged him, but this time her voice carried that familiar edge of authority. "Len, sleep on your back right now!"
As the resonance of her voice struck Len's ears, he finally allowed his grip to loosen. He took a long breath and shifted onto his side, turning his body halfway. His face remained turned toward Astria, and one of his hands still clung tightly to the edge of the pillow.
Astria watched his sleeping form for a few heartbeats. Then, without another word, she stepped away from the bed and began walking toward the main door of the chamber with quiet, measured strides.
Astria pulled the heavy wooden doors of the chamber toward her, opening them inward. She stepped out of the room and into the dim light of the corridor. Her measured footsteps created a rhythmic echo against the marble floor. She moved toward the grand staircase and began to descend, each step taken with regal dignity.
Upon reaching the hall, she walked directly to the velvet sofa and seated herself with calm composure. As she sat, the silken rustle of her attire echoed through the silence of the hall. Fixing her gaze forward, she issued a precise call, "Come here."
The maid standing in the distance, already alert and awaiting her command, reached Astria's side rapidly the moment she heard the voice. Bowing deeply and with profound respect, she asked, "My Queen... do you have need of something?"
Without looking at her, Astria delivered a brief command. "Go upstairs and bring my soaked garments from my chamber."
The maid bowed once more. "Yes, My Queen." She turned instantly and headed toward the stairs with nimble agility.
Astria leaned back against the sofa. The vastness and silence of the hall began to pull her back into the very perplexities she had left behind in the room upstairs.
Astria looked at the second maid standing nearby and said in a brief tone, "Bring me some tea." The maid immediately bowed, "Yes, My Queen. I shall bring it at once." She turned swiftly and headed toward the corridor where the imperial kitchen was located. Upon entering, she informed the third maid, "The Queen requires tea." Receiving the order, the third maid began the preparations.
In the silence of the hall, Astria sat upon the velvet sofa with regal dignity. She relaxed her frame against the plush backrest and lifted her gaze toward the ceiling, where the massive chandelier cast its shimmering glow.
Upstairs in the chamber, the first maid was gathering the heavy, soaked garments near the wardrobe. Her gaze fell upon Len, sleeping unaware on the bed, and she lingered for a moment. As she turned to leave, her foot struck a heavy stool with force. A sharp cry of pain escaped her lips, cutting through the silence of the room.
That faint sound startled Len from his sleep. He opened his eyes and looked directly at the maid. Sitting up in bed, a look of confusion crossed his face. "What happened?" he asked in a low voice.
The maid, who had been doubled over in pain, scrambled to stand straight and apologized in a trembling voice, "Please forgive me! I have disturbed your sleep through my own clumsiness."
Len watched her closely and asked, "What happened? Are you hurt?"
The maid replied, hiding her embarrassment, "No... I simply collided with the furniture by mistake. I am not injured."
A slight frown appeared on Len's brow. "Then why did you cry out?"
The maid lowered her eyes, "I just... I struck the table by accident, that is why the sound occurred."
"Does it hurt?" Len asked again, a natural concern in his voice.
"No, I am fine," the maid said quickly. She gathered the soaked clothes and hurried out of the room, as if she couldn't summon the courage to remain there for a single second longer.
Len watched the maid leave, then turned his gaze toward the window in front of him. Outside, the sun was slowly vanishing beyond the horizon, and the fading orange light of evening cast long shadows across the chamber walls. He took a deep breath and rested his head back on the pillow. As soon as his lids closed, he drifted once again into the deep valleys of sleep.
Down in the hall, the second maid arrived with a tray, her steps measured. She carefully placed the tea service on the table. The faint clink of porcelain echoed through the silence. She poured the hot tea into a cup and presented it to Astria with profound respect. Thin wisps of steam curled above the rim.
Meanwhile, submerged in the depths of sleep, Len's world had completely shifted. He stood in a place of absolute, pitch-black darkness. He couldn't even see his own hands. Suddenly, two silhouettes emerged from the ink-black silence. They were two small children. Without a word, they took hold of Len's hands. Len tried to see them, but their faces were hidden behind a mist, as if a heavy veil draped over their existence.
The children were speaking, their lips moving, but only silence reached Len's ears. He strained with all his might to hear them, but the words dissolved into the air. Suddenly, the children released his hands and began to vanish back into that darkness.
"Wait!" Len lunged forward, reaching out to catch them again.
As his hand struck the empty air, Len's eyes snapped open with a jolt. He sat up in bed, his breathing ragged and beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. He looked intently at both his hands—there was only emptiness. The dream had felt so real that he could still feel the cold touch of those hands upon his palms.