“Collin.”

Crow startled at the sound of a voice and the feeling of a hand on his arm, opening his eyes to see who was in his bedchamber. He couldn’t remember when he’d fallen asleep, but the open book on his chest indicated that he must have nodded off sometime after he’d started reading. For a second, he felt a sharp wave of fear that Udolf had come back to check on him and had caught him sleeping instead of working. However, his worries were quickly laid to rest when he recognized Preston standing at his bedside. The attendant was watching him with a look that he found difficult to read, but it almost seemed like he was relieved about something.

“Supper is ready,” the boy said softly. He paused for a moment before adding: “But… if you want to keep resting, I can wake you up again later.”

“No,” Crow yawned broadly, stretching his slightly stiff limbs. “I’ll get up.”

“Alright,” Preston dipped his head and stepped away from his bedside to give him room.

Crow set his book aside and sat up on the mattress, blearily rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palm. He supposed that, even though he’d tried hard not to let his exhaustion get the best of him, he must have been too tired to keep fighting. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. On one hand, he was worried that he was going to start getting into a habit of passing out during the day when he needed to stay awake. On the other hand, this was the most well-rested he’d felt in days. He might not have slept for long, but without any nightmares to torment him during his nap, he finally had a bit of energy again. He’d nearly forgotten how good it felt to wake up so refreshed.

Climbing down from his bed, the viceroy bent over to put on his boots in preparation to leave for the Great Hall. In addition to feeling more energetic than usual, his appetite was returning to its normal strength as well. His stomach growled in anticipation of the delicious food the castle servants had cooked today, and he swallowed as his mouth began to water at the thought of spiced venison, vegetables, and whatever else Preston could fit on his plate.

Crow was so caught up in his imaginings that he didn’t realize the attendant was still watching him until he stood upright again. He casted the boy an estranged look, “What is it this time?”

“Well,” Preston hurriedly averted his gaze, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. “I noticed this morning… It seems you’ve told Penelope about what’s going on with you lately. At least, that’s what it sounded like when she was talking to you…”

Crow hesitated for a moment and then shrugged, “If you’re trying to say I should tell you too, it’s not going to work. I did tell her, but only after she pestered me about it for a whole day.”

“I could do that too,” the attendant said bluntly.

“You’d better not,” the viceroy snorted.

“I don’t understand why you’re being so secretive about this,” Preston sighed, folding his arms over his chest with a frown. “I only want to be part of it so I can help you. If you’d just tell me, I wouldn’t have to spend each morning wondering what kind of state I’m going to find you in when I get to your room.”

Crow paused again at that, pursing his lips in thought. He despised the idea of telling anyone else why he was having nightmares, but he supposed the boy did have a point. Whether he liked it or not, it was Preston’s job to tend to him throughout the day. The servant had to be feeling stressed when his master was facing some sort of trouble that he didn’t understand.

“I’ll think about it,” he muttered, slipping his book into his tunic pocket and turning toward the door. Noticing the attendant perk up, he rolled his eyes. “Don’t get your hopes up, kid. That wasn’t a yes.”

“But it wasn’t a no either,” Preston pointed out, tagging along at his heel. “I promise, if you’re willing to share it with me, I won’t let you down.”

“I know,” Crow exhaled. “It’s just not something that’s easy for me to talk about in the first place.”

“I understand,” the attendant nodded. “For now, you just think about what you want for supper, so I can bring it to you. We can talk about it later.”

“I still haven’t said yes,” Crow reminded him, although he couldn’t help the amused smirk that tugged at his lip. Though the boy was nosy, there was something about his persistence that the viceroy found droll.

Preston just shrugged in response as they headed into the corridor, making their way to the Great Hall for dinner.