Ale quickly composed herself.
She pulled a Knight novel from her bag, sat by the bed, and began to read aloud.
From what he could hear, the Knight novels of this world were quite archaic. The various writing tropes hadn't yet taken shape, and the content felt almost like a fairy tale.
Ale also kept her voice very soft, as if she were afraid of disturbing someone.
At first, Colin listened intently.
Before long, his eyes slid shut and he drifted off to sleep.
When he woke again, it was already evening.
Ale was still sitting by the window, this time with her head lowered, looking at the book in her hands.
"Uh, sorry. I think I fell asleep," Colin said.
Ale closed her book and looked over with a smile. "It's all right. Sleeping will help you recover faster."
"You should smile more often. I think you look prettier when you smile," Colin teased.
