Alaric's POV
I told myself I will sleep it off. That's what I'd been telling myself for weeks now, and it hadn't worked yet, but stubbornness has a way of outlasting evidence when you're desperate enough.
I made it through the next morning on sheer will, forced myself through another council session, through a meeting with the border scouts about the movement Corwin still hadn't confirmed as Vaelor. By the time I retreated to my study that afternoon, my whole body felt like it belonged to someone else, borrowed and failing.
I sat down at my desk to review the wedding preparations, papers Ophelia's people had sent over about seating arrangements and guest lists and formalities I couldn't bring myself to care about right now. The words blurred together on the page, refusing to hold still
