The majority of breakfast passed in a bleary haze to Caspian. He had never been a morning person, but with both his father and Iris sleeping in, he was even less motivated than usual to rouse himself enough to follow a conversation. The kitchen staff didn’t try to ask him how he’d slept or how he was feeling that morning either. They had worked for the royal family long enough to know that when the prince was this tired, the safest play was to keep refilling his coffee until he was coherent for his lesson. That was what they did today. By the end of his meal, he was still a bit physically tired, but he was alert mentally, stimulated by the three cups of espresso they had given him to wake up.

It was just the pick-me-up he needed to endure the three-hour lecture with his tutor. Since his father hadn’t been up to reprimand him about his unkempt appearance, he showed up to the study exactly as he’d rolled out of bed earlier. He could tell his instructor was displeased, although the older man restricted his irritation to lingering stares and pursed lips. Like the rest of Cas’s teachers, he was a high-ranking member of his father’s court. Also like the rest, he believed the royal family ought to look their best any time they stood before the eyes of their citizens. It was a matter of public appearance, the court claimed, since God forbid any royal be seen in the clothes of a mortal.

The prince preferred to be comfortable within the walls of his own home, even if it meant sacrificing slacks for sweatpants.

When the lesson was finally over, he parted ways with his disgruntled tutor and went back to his bedroom to get ready for the day. He hadn’t been enthusiastic about his mandatory class, but he [i]was[/i] excited to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening with Iris. Seeing her again was enough to warrant a shower, at the very least. As he washed and fixed up his appearance, he noticed idly that he was putting in the same amount of effort as he normally would have for a date. The thought brought a hint of color to his cheeks, and he tried to will it away while he studied his freshly shaved face in the mirror.

[color=#b97703][i]It’s not a date,[/i][/color] he reminded himself silently, turning away from his reflection and ambling over to his closet to choose his clothes. [i][color=#b97703]She might have a boyfriend.[/color][/i] But wouldn’t a boyfriend have noticed her absence by now? The thought gave him pause. It had been four days since he’d found her in the woods. If he had a girlfriend, he was sure he would have realized something was wrong by now. After a day or two of not receiving any texts or calls back, his first impulse would have been to visit her in person to make sure she was all right. That no one seemed to have done so for her was suspicious.

[color=#b97703][i]It still hasn’t been that long though,[/i][/color] he argued with himself. [color=#b97703][i]Don’t jump to any conclusions.[/i][/color] Tossing his damp towel aside, he replaced it with khaki trousers and a black button-down shirt, which he left untucked so he wouldn’t look too dressed up. After checking himself once more in the mirror and combing his fingers through his hair in a vain attempt to straighten it a little more, he headed back down to the kitchen, where he assumed Iris would be waiting to eat lunch.