Astrid
The night was quieter than usual.
After everything that had happened, the coronation, the execution, the political unrest, the silence between Sebastian and me felt oddly comforting. We had barely spoken the night before. But now, in our chamber lit by soft candlelight and warmed by the hearth, I felt safe in a way I hadn’t for days.
He wrapped his arms around me as we lay on the warm bed. I curled into his warmth, allowing his steady heartbeat to ease my mind. My hand drifted to my stomach, where new life had begun to grow. He didn’t know yet. I wanted to tell him. I really did. But something in me hesitated. Was it fear? Guilt? I didn’t know. Only that, at that moment, I wanted to enjoy him—us, without the weight of duty pressing in.
We made love that night. It wasn't rushed
