Chapter 43: First Time Ache.

Morning crept into the room slowly, the soft, golden light spilling in through the edges of the heavy curtains. Salviana's eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she saw was Alaric. He was standing by the window, the faint rays of dawn catching in his dark hair, casting a sharp silhouette against the backdrop of the morning sky. For a moment, it felt like a dream—the prince, the vampire, the man she'd been married off to, standing so calmly in the same room as her.

This was the first morning she'd woken up with him still in the room. He had always been elsewhere, either gone before dawn or never having entered the bedroom in the first place. It had made her feel like she'd been sleeping alone since her very first night here, despite the grand titles and ceremony that tied them together.