[color=#b97703]“Very funny,”[/color] Cas drawled when Iris went on about his title. Despite his tone, though, a smile played on his lips. Her sense of humor was one of the things that had endeared him to her when they’d first gotten to know each other. Plus, he couldn’t really complain about hearing her make jokes in her current situation. It was better than answering the phone to a voice that sounded depressed. He wanted her to be happy even though he knew she had every reason to be upset with him and with the fact that she was basically isolated against her will.

[color=#b97703]“I know I can’t, but I’m still sorry you aren’t sleeping well,”[/color] he insisted with a frown when she corrected him about the apology. [color=#b97703]“I wish I could go over there and sleep with you… In the literal sense.”[/color] He amended quickly, realizing how his words could have come across. [color=#b97703]“Not that I don’t want to [i]sleep[/i] with you too. It was fun when we did… but I also miss having you next to me when I’m actually sleeping.”[/color] Absently, he brushed a hand over the empty sheets beside him in the oversized bed and sighed. [color=#b97703]“Hopefully I can bring you here soon, so we don’t have to be apart like this for too much longer.”[/color]

Appreciative of Iris’s reassurance, Cas felt his smile return, and he nodded to himself. She was right. Everything had a learning curve, and just because this one was steeper than most didn’t mean it was impossible to overcome. He was still only halfway through his twenties. He had plenty of time left to learn how to lead the country and leave a positive mark on it as the next king. He would just have to try not to be too hard on himself in the beginning, when he knew he was going to make the most mistakes. Hopefully he wouldn’t mess anything up that had a lasting effect on Aspiria or her relationship with the surrounding nations.

[color=#b97703]“I’m sure you’re right, but I still want you here to listen to me vent when things don’t work out,”[/color] he joked. [color=#b97703]“It’s either you or a bottle of whiskey, and I’d rather avoid the hangover.”[/color] Not to mention the latter didn’t actually solve anything. The most it could do was take the edge off his stress until he sobered up and had to go back to square one. By contrast, he appreciated Iris’s input and trusted her to give him good advice when he was drowning in his own insecurities. Alcohol could never do that.

He laughed when she said that he’d eaten like a king. [color=#b97703]“I think it’s safe to say that was the point,”[/color] he quipped in return. His dietician was going to have her work cut out for her when the kitchen seemed to insist on stuffing him with the richest foods they could offer. He was pretty sure his father had only stayed thin because of his illness. As a healthy adult, he would have a harder time balancing the hearty meals with the limited time he had available to exercise. His physical wellbeing was yet another thing he would have to juggle amongst all the other responsibilities that had been thrust upon his shoulders.

Iris’s idea of a long distance date night piqued his interest though. [color=#b97703]“I don’t think it’ll be much of a surprise, but that sounds like fun,”[/color] he brightened. [color=#b97703]“I’ll try to special order some food to your room tomorrow around the time you call me, and I’ll have the cooks here whip up something for me to eat. Maybe we can even find a movie to watch on TV while we have dinner. I’ll have to check the broadcasting schedule and see if there’s anything good playing.”[/color]