"Come back to bed, your grace,” Cassandra says as she walks up to me on the balcony in her nightgown. “I always feel lonely when you get up in the middle of the night,” she adds, embracing me from behind and resting her head on my back. Expecting a response but receiving none, she lets go and moves to my side, only to find me intensely looking at something in the far end of the garden. Following my gaze, she notices a girl in a white gown – it’s Elara.

Filled with anger and jealousy, Cassandra snaps, “So it is true that she gets possessed in the night, especially when the moon is out,” each word glossed with spiteful venom.

As soon as Cassandra finishes speaking, I turn sharply in her direction, the aggressive movement startling her. “What did you just say?” I demand, my face filled with anger. Not expecting this reaction, Cassandra struggles to find her voice. “I said out with it, Cassandra, what did you just say?” I growl.

Trying to keep her composure, Cassandra says, “There is a rumor among the guards and the maids that some nights the girl wakes up screaming.”

I hate that Cassandra calls Elara “the girl,” even though we don’t know her social status, Cassandra’s disrespect is evident and deliberate. Despite my anger, I need to hear the rest of what she has to say and so I decide to address her attitude later.

Cassandra continues, “She locks her door at night as if she’s trying to hide something. Lately, she has also been sleepwalking. I think that’s what Lady Miriam calls it. It started with her just walking to the beginning of the staircase. When Lila told Lady Miriam, she warned the maids and guards not to wake her. She must have a few screws loose…” Before she can finish her statement, I look down to where Elara was, and she’s no longer there.

“Sleepwalking,” I say to myself as I frantically look around and find her walking away from the garden. Noticing she is heading towards the pond, I spring into action and run out of my room. “Your grace!” I can faintly hear Cassandra shout.

The guards follow right behind as I run out of the castle and towards the pond. As I approach Elara, I notice the guards I appointed to watch over her just silently observing her from the shadows, reminding me of Miriam's warning not to wake her. But afraid she might fall into the water, I approach her quietly and gently reach for her hand to guide her away from the pond. However, her response isn’t what I expect. She turns and looks at me, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Please save them,” she whimpers before collapsing into my arms.

The guards, seeing this, start approaching us, but I gesture for them to stop. I crouch down, placing one arm under her thighs to carry her. As I carry her back into the castle, I wonder who she wants to save.

When I reach the second floor, I see Cassandra by my door, visibly filled with anger and jealousy. Ignoring her, I enter Elara’s room, which I have never been in since appointing it to her. The room smells like flowers, likely due to the numerous blossoms adorning it. “She must love flowers,” I think to myself as I lay her on the bed and cover her up.

I pause for a moment and touch her lower lip. “Her lip is cut. Does she have a tendency to bite her lips?” I wonder aloud. “What a bad habit.”

Watching this moment from the door, Cassandra walks away, mumbling profanities under her breath. Blinded by anger, she bumps into Gareth, nearly knocking him over. Shocked, Gareth stops and watches her storm off, wondering, “What’s gotten into her?”

“Gareth,” I call, snapping Gareth out of his thoughts.

“Yes, your grace,” Gareth replies.

“Summon Miriam this instant,” I command.

"As you wish, your Grace. " Gareth replies.

***

"How long have you known about this, Gareth?" I asked.

"It has been several days, your grace," Gareth responded calmly, though he knew I was displeased with the secrecy surrounding Elara's sleepwalking and nighttime screams.

"And no one thought to tell me?" I asked angrily.

"Your grace..." Before Gareth could respond, there was a knock at the door.

"It is Miriam, your grace," Miriam called out.

"You may enter," I replied.

As soon as Miriam entered the chamber, she could already feel the intense pressure in the air and saw Gareth’s face silently crying for help.

"You called, your grace?" Miriam said, trying to keep her composure.

"Yes, Miriam, you may sit," I replied, gesturing to the seat across from me.

No sooner had Miriam sat down than I began bombarding her with questions. "What is this about Elara's sleepwalking and screaming in the middle of the night? Is she ill? What is the root cause?"

"I wouldn’t say she is ill," Miriam responded.

"Then what is it?" I asked impatiently.

"The screaming seems to be from night terrors, and the sleepwalking too. My analysis is that trauma and not being able to remember anything are the root causes of what is happening to Lady Elara," Miriam answered as best she could.

"Mmmmh... So you are saying that until she can remember anything about herself, we won't be able to understand her trauma, and only then will we be able to treat her. In short, this is psychological?" I summarized.

"Yes," Miriam replied.

"Is there a way we can help her regain her memory?" I asked.

"So far, I have had her do some exercises, like keeping a journal where she can write what she remembers about her night terrors. She has also decided to research different places within our kingdom, hoping something will sound familiar," Miriam replied.

I remembered the book she was trying to get off the top shelf the other day. "But why only within our borders?"

"Well, because she speaks our language with our kingdom's dialect. We know our language is her mother tongue, which could only mean her clan is from within our borders," Miriam responded.

"True. So how soon do we expect results?" I asked.

"It is best we take our time with this, your grace. Rushing her might result in the opposite outcome, which could impact her negatively," Miriam warned.

I nodded in understanding. "I will continue to leave her in your care. But let this be the last time you keep something like this from me. Are we clear?" I said firmly.

"Yes, your grace," Gareth and Miriam responded in unison.

"You are dismissed."

Gareth and Miriam left the chambers, closing the door behind them.

"The Duke seems to care a lot about Lady Elara," Miriam observed.

"I have never seen him like this," Gareth replied