The warmth of the sun filtered through the heavy drapes of Irina's room, casting soft golden hues over the sprawling expanse of her bed. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, the haze of sleep lingering in her mind. For a moment, she simply lay there, her body sinking into the plush mattress, her senses attuned to the unfamiliar stillness of the morning.
'The sun's up,' she thought, blinking slowly as she turned her head toward the window. The soft light streaming in confirmed what her drowsy mind had already noted. It was late—far later than she usually allowed herself to wake, especially here, at the Emberheart Mansion.
