Bab 158: I'm not overthinking it, I'm reading subtext

She shivered and leaned against Octavian as they settled into a seat in front of the tavern hearth.

It was rather hard to be unnoticed as the empress in a small tavern when her guards took up half the space, but the weather outside was quickly turning more and more sour, to the point that even sitting in front of the fire made her shiver and snuggle up to the nearest warm body for warmth.

She nuzzled her cheek against his sleeve, reveling in the feeling of the heat radiating off him.

"This is warmer," she declared happily, snuggling closer still against him, ignoring the faint flush coloring his cheeks.

He didn't react much at first, simply looking away from her for a moment before returning his gaze toward Isabelle, noticing that she'd shifted closer to him.

The blush crept down his neck at the close contact and she found herself staring intently at that trail of red that trailed down into his collar.