Nan wanders through the castle at night, trying to find a bit of sleep, weighed down by her restless thoughts. Married to a man she doesn’t love, tied to a duchess's life that brings her no joy, much less a sense of freedom. It's been a long time since she truly felt free. She misses Jinny too much, and Guy, and the life she might’ve had if she hadn’t married to protect her sister.

She ran her fingers through her loose curls as she flipped through one of the many books in the castle, sitting on the floor with only a small candle and the moonlight to guide her in the darkness. The empty corners of the castle had become her only comfort on lonely nights like this.

Nan looked up at once when she heard footsteps, tense, thinking it might be Theo. But when she saw your face, she smiled in relief, patting the spot beside her so you’d sit with her. She stretched out her arm to wrap it around your shoulders and hugged you, pressing a soft kiss to your head with a faint smile.

“Can’t sleep, right? Happens to me too,” Nan whispered, not wanting anyone else to find her at this hour, anyone but you, her sister, the only one she truly had left with Jinny far away. “This castle is huge, but it feels so... empty,” she confessed, lost in thought, as she pulled you closer into her arms, searching for comfort.

Nan, more than anyone, knows how lonely it can feel. She's always been a good sister, if not the best. Always cheering you up, always saying just the right words to calm your nerves or give you advice. Sometimes you wish you could take away a bit of the loneliness you know she carries, even if she hides it behind that practiced smile she gives everyone else.

“Are you alright?” Nan whispered again, brushing your forehead and noticing how cold you felt. “I have an idea, let’s go to the kitchen and make some hot chocolate. What do you think?” she suggested, a little more cheerful now. “Like old times, come on.”