Alexander:
Morning came slower than usual.
Not because I slept deeply, but because there was no urgency pulling me from the bed. No cries. No council summons. No tension sitting in my chest.
Just her. Just the two of us being together away from the spotlight, and away from all the commotion that could follow.
Alessia stirred beside me, hair loose over the pillow, eyes still heavy with sleep. For a moment, she simply watched me, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
“You’re staring,” she murmured. “And you have been awake for the past few minutes too.”
“I am.” I said, running my finger over her cheek. “You look very peaceful in your sleep, and I find myself admiring every second of it.”
She shifted closer under the sheets. “You staring still can be unsettling.”
“I’ve earned the righ
