The morning sun filtered through gauzy curtains as Lucien and Alexander stirred in their shared bedchamber. Their private wing—an entire suite of rooms reserved just for them—had become a haven of tranquility. Last night's soft music from the chapel still seemed to echo in Lucien's ears, and Alexander's gentle warmth at his side made rising feel like a tender promise.
"Good morning," Alexander murmured, brushing a kiss against Lucien's forehead.
Lucien smiled, stretching luxuriously beneath crisp white linens. "Good morning," he replied, voice still thick with sleep. "What shall we do today, my love?"
Alexander slipped from the bed and retrieved a pair of robes from a carved mahogany armoire. "I thought we'd spend the day here in Valtoria," he said, slipping Lucien's robe around his shoulders. "No remote palaces, no distant tours—just us, and the city we both know so well."
