The light that filtered through the high, arched windows of the Imperial bedchamber was weak, a pale, sickly silver that signaled the true beginning of the Long Dark. There was no sun to greet the morning, only the oppressive weight of a sky that had forgotten how to be blue.
Inside the room, the world was reduced to the space beneath the heavy velvet furs. Eris woke slowly, her body anchored by a familiar, radiating heat. Soren was still deep in sleep, his face buried in the crook of her neck, his breath a steady, warm puff against her skin. For a heartbeat, she allowed herself to simply exist in the quiet. No war, no magic, no ex-husbands. Just the solid weight of a man who refused to let go.
Then, the clock in the corner chimed, and reality hit her like a physical blow.
Today. First day in office. First public appearance. First imperial council.
Fuck.
She tried to slip out of the cocoon, but the moment she shifted, the arms around her tightened with instinctive precision.
