Early in the morning, Sienna Johnson woke up to the sound of birdsong and the scent of lotus flowers resting on the windowsill, filling the room with a gentle fragrance.
A few small birds with black and yellow feathers perched on the window, chirping away. When they noticed Sienna looking at them, they tilted their heads curiously, unafraid of humans.
Adrian Desmond, who shared her bed, had woken up long before and was out exercising, as he did every day—either jogging or boxing with Brett Jacobs. On days when he felt particularly good or bad, he would spar with Aaron Faber, who often ended up worse for wear.
Sienna guessed he had picked the lotus flowers in the vase after finishing his exercises.
As she sat up and stretched, Adrian happened to walk in.
They exchanged glances, and Sienna smiled at him. Adrian ca over and bent down to kiss her, but Sienna dodged him. "I haven’t brushed my teeth yet!"
"I don’t mind," he replied confidently, planting a kiss on her lips before lifting her and heading towards the bathroom.
Sienna lazily clung to him like a sloth, prompting Adrian to playfully pat her bottom. "Why are you getting lazier and lazier?" he asked.
"Why don’t you try carrying a ball in your stomach?" she retorted.
Ever since that night when they had a heart-to-heart talk, Adrian had stopped needling her at every opportunity, and their relationship had improved.
Marriage is like that—one must learn to be tolerant, patient, and forgiving.
In the bathroom, Adrian set Sienna down on the washbasin counter, squeezed toothpaste onto her toothbrush, and handed her a cup filled with warm water to rinse her mouth.
Since arriving in Abyanabad, Sienna had embraced a less hectic life. As a result, she felt increasingly languid, as if all the fatigue accumulated over the years had caught up with her at once, slowing her down in everything she did.
"You don’t expect to brush your teeth for you, do you?" Adrian frowned as he watched Sienna’s languid pace. She was getting lazier and lazier; he really didn’t know what to say.
In Abyanabad, it was customary for won to tend to their husbands. While Adrian had accepted this role reversal in their marriage, her current sluggishness still baffled him, especially since he had already squeezed the toothpaste for her and she still seed reluctant.
Sienna brushed her teeth slowly, taking her ti. Adrian had no doubt that if he didn’t hurry her, she could easily spend the entire day just brushing her teeth.
What had happened to the efficient woman who used to manage her ti ticulously, even during als?
"Mrs. Desmond, can you hurry up?" Adrian asked impatiently.
"Where are we going today?" Sienna mumbled through the foam in her mouth.
"We’re not going out for fun today. We’re visiting my parents’ grave. My sister is here too, waiting for you downstairs."
Sienna’s eyes widened in shock, foam nearly spilling from her mouth as she mumbled, "Why didn’t you tell earlier?"
"Who would’ve thought you’d be this slow just brushing your teeth?" he remarked.
Sienna imdiately switched to the efficiency she once displayed as a CEO in Sileria City. She quickly brushed her teeth, washed her face, and applied light makeup—it would be impolite to et the Princess Consort barefaced, after all.
"How long has your sister been here?" Sienna asked.
"About an hour."
Sienna glared at him. "Why didn’t you wake up?"
"Because you were asleep!"
"Adrian, you..." Sienna was at a loss for words. "You’ve completely ruined my image in front of my sister-in-law."
"It’s fine. She said not to wake you. Besides, my sister is a lovely person. You two will get along just fine."
"That’s just a polite phrase used in social etiquette. Can’t you decipher that? She told you not to wake , so you really didn’t? Adrian, when did you beco so oblivious to social cues?"
"My sister and I are never polite with each other."
It seed Adrian and his sister had an exceptional relationship.
Sienna hurriedly did her makeup. She didn’t usually wear much; back ho, she sotis dared to go out to throw away trash without even washing her face. Foundation and blush were easy, but the most difficult part was her eyes...
Adrian leaned against the doorfra, watching her skillfully apply makeup to her beautiful face. Her eyebrows and eyes were accentuated gracefully, and he marveled at the transformation.
"Oh, right," Sienna suddenly rembered. "Why is your sister visiting all of a sudden?"
"She heard I was taking you to visit my parents’ grave, so she ca too."
Actually, Adrian had wanted Sienna to et his beloved sister and thought it would be nice for the whole family to visit his parents’ grave together. That was why he hadn’t gone imdiately after arriving in Abyanabad.
Sienna was applying porcelain honey glaze lip gloss, which made her lips look like exquisite glazed porcelain—bright, smooth, and layered with delicate color.
"Are we visiting your parents’ grave today?" she asked, her hand jerking, ruining the flawless lip shape she had just created.
"Yes," Adrian confird.
"Why didn’t you say so earlier?"
"It’s not too late to tell you now," he replied, puzzled.
Sienna looked at her overly bright makeup and furrowed her brows. This look was suitable for a wedding or a party, but it was entirely inappropriate for visiting her parents-in-law’s grave.
"You’ll be the death of ," she grumbled.
Sienna lowered her head and used makeup remover to wash off the vibrant makeup. Adrian watched, puzzled. "You looked beautiful just now. Why did you wash it off?"
"That makeup was for eting your sister. Now that you say we’re visiting your parents’ grave today, how could I wear that?"
"My mother always liked beautiful girls. You looked lovely just now; my mother would have liked it."
Despite his words, Sienna didn’t want to be criticized and opted for a more subdued makeup look suitable for the solemn occasion.
All this took half an hour. Sienna felt sowhat apprehensive, and Adrian teased her relentlessly, which only annoyed her more.
As they went downstairs, Sienna saw an elegant woman sitting upright with a gentle expression. She resembled Adrian around the eyes and eyebrows.
"...Aunt, are there carriages in the Imperial Palace? The kind that princesses ride, pulled by several white horses?"
"..."
"Is the Imperial Palace very, very big? Aunt, do you have a room full of beautiful clothes, a room full of beautiful shoes, and a room full of beautiful jewelry?"
Curly sat beside Paige Desmond, bombarding her with questions. Paige patiently answered each one, her smile never wavering, showing no sign of impatience. She appeared to be a kind-hearted, gentle woman who loved children.
She was wearing a black off-shoulder ruffled top, a gray pleated skirt, silver pointed heels, and carried a white lace clutch. A diamond necklace adorned her neck, lending her an air of nobility and elegance.
Perhaps it was because of her affection for Adrian, but Sienna imdiately had a very good first impression of Paige.
"Huh, the prince isn’t as handso as my dad..." Curly said, disappointed.
"In this world, no man is as handso as your father," Paige said gently with a smile.
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