Ophelia woke up with her head throbbing, a persistent echo of the previous night's stress, and the emotional crescendo of the piano's melody.
The soft morning light filtering through the curtains revealed a room that seemed both familiar and distant.
As Ophelia gingerly sat up, she realized that the throbbing headache was accompanied by a sense of disorientation.
Recollections of the late-night piano interlude and the calming effects of the wine flickered in her mind.
She considered the juxtaposition of those moments against the demands of being the head of the household. As she rubbed her temples, Ophelia weighed the emotional residue of the night before and the responsibilities that awaited her in the waking world.
She looked at the huge window in her room in a daze, the sunlight streaming through the glass panes casting a warm glow on her face.
