The next day, Albert woke early from a deep sleep. Turning his head to watch the sky outside gradually brighten, he reached for the pocket watch on the bedside table. After glancing at the hour hand, he closed his eyes again, intending to get some second sleep.
For some reason, though, Albert could not fall asleep again. He carefully climbed out of bed, glanced at Isobel, who was still sound asleep, and quietly made his way to the hall.
The house-elves had already dutifully risen to prepare breakfast. When they noticed Albert was up, they quickly brought him a freshly made meal: milk, fried eggs, tender chicken cutlets, and a large serving of Chinese leek pancakes.
"How rare. I haven't seen you get up early in ages."
Katrina, who was preparing to head into the courtyard for her morning exercises, noticed the lights on in the hall as she passed through the corridor and deliberately detoured over to take a look.
"Yeah, it has been a long time."
Albert remembered that he had once lived a very regular life. When had he started enjoying sleeping in? Well, probably not long after getting married.
Once his nightlife had become more active, getting up so early had become difficult.
"Even though you're still young, you should exercise more. Otherwise, your stamina will decline quickly." Katrina affectionately kissed Albert on the cheek, then leaned close to whisper in his ear, "You might have to deal with girls other than my sister and me in the future. Poor stamina won't do."
Katrina felt that Isobel had been right. The two sisters really had no need to worry; one person's energy and stamina were limited, after all.
"You've really changed a lot."
Albert looked at his sister-in-law with slight surprise.
"If you want something, you