—Nathaniel—

The shrilling of my alarm clock dragged me out of sleep. I slammed a hand over the timepiece, silencing it, before rolling onto my back.

Something about today felt different. Why? Then it clicked.

Today was my twenty-fifth birthday.

I slipped out of bed and into the hallway of Sunrise Mansion, where sunlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Good morning, sir,” my domestic staff greeted.

I offered them a curt bow and headed to the dining room. One of them even ...