Noah woke with a groan, the pounding in his skull loud enough to drown out every sound around him.
His body felt heavy, sluggish, like every joint had been stuffed with hot sand.
He shifted, grit scratching against his cheek, and only then realized he was still lying in the training hall, sprawled in the same patch of sand he'd collapsed on.
But he wasn't alone.
Across from him, sitting cross-legged like she had been waiting for hours, was Princess Ines. Her golden eyes were steady, fixed on him in silence.
Noah blinked, groaned again, and sat up.
His head throbbed with the effort, and he pressed a palm to his temple. "Why the hell are you here?"
"You missed class," Ines said simply.
Her voice carried no malice, no pride, only a calm matter-of-fact tone.
"It's the fourth day of the week. I heard you no longer attend Alchemy class, but you missed the afternoon Practical Magic class."
"I hadn't seen you, so I went looking. I found you here."
