The intruder was, in fact, Melody—his wife.
She lay in the bathtub, fast asleep, her head resting against the porcelain edge. The water had long gone still, faint ripples clinging to the soap foam floating on the surface.
Orionn stared at her in complete bewilderment.
"Why are you sleeping here?" he murmured, bending down and gently touching her shoulder to wake her.
She was unclothed in the bathtub, filled with water and soap—the foam mercifully hiding everything from view.
"Little princess," he called softly.
No response.
His tone sharpened. "Princess."
"What?" she groaned, slowly surfacing from sleep as her eyes fluttered open.
"What?" he echoed, clearly baffled.
"Leave me alone," she muttered, closing her eyes again and sinking slightly deeper into the water.
"I certainly would," he replied dryly, "but it would be troublesome explaining to the people how and why my newly wedded wife drowned in a bathtub."
The realization hit Melody all at once.
Horrified, she tried to sit up.
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," Orionn said, clearly amused.
Her breath caught as understanding slammed into her—she was completely naked. Her face burned as she immediately ducked back under the water, cheeks flaming.
"Get out!" she screamed. "Now!"
Orionn chuckled to himself, turning away as he straightened.
"Five minutes," he said calmly before walking out.
He left the bathroom—not because she had screamed at him, but because he was struck by something far worse.
He had laughed.
He couldn't remember the last time he had done that. Laughter had been a stranger to him for years, buried beneath guilt, discipline, and emotions he kept locked away. Yet there he was, standing alone, having laughed at his own foolishness.
He froze.
This isn't you, he told himself sharply, forcing his expression back into its usual mask. He gathered his emotions, shoved them back where they belonged.
Hopefully, she hadn't noticed.
Melody had been far too busy drowning in embarrassment to sense anything else.
Hopefully.
Because the last thing he needed was Melody realizing she could feel his emotions just as clearly as he felt hers.
He left the room to give her space, knowing she'd need it once she finally dared to leave the bathroom.
Inside the tub, Melody remained frozen, replaying the scene over and over in her head like a nightmare she couldn't wake from. Her heart pounded violently as she interrogated her own memory.
Did he see anything? Anything at all?
The answer refused to be clear, and somehow, that made it worse.
She let out a muffled scream as the embarrassment fully settled in.
After several minutes of gathering courage—and what remained of her dignity—she climbed out of the tub. Cracking the bathroom door open, she peeked into the room, eyes scanning cautiously.
Empty.
Relief flooded her.
She slipped out and hurried into his closet, grabbing the first set of clothes she could find, not caring whose they were.
"Please don't come back tonight," she muttered as she dressed.
Exhaustion claimed her before he returned, and for that, she was deeply grateful.
That evening, Orionn wandered the castle grounds, unable to shake the fact that he had laughed.
He shouldn't have laughed.
He didn't deserve to laugh.
Not after what he had done.
"Couldn't sleep?" a voice asked behind him.
He turned to find his father standing there, arms crossed, amusement dancing in his eyes.
"No, Father. I'm not sleepy," Orionn replied flatly.
"Well," his father said lightly, "if I had a wife as pretty as yours, I wouldn't be wandering the grounds either."
Orionn groaned, turning toward his father with warning eyes.
"Relax," his father chuckled. "I'm not aiming for your wife."
"You know better," Orionn muttered.
His father smiled knowingly.
"Do I?"