Rael turned his head toward her, and the moonlight slipping through the curtains caught the edge of his eyes, making them look colder than they really were.
"Because even if you're not first," he said quietly, "you're not nothing. You matter to me, Artaigne. You're not some princess being pushed into my arms like a political gift, and you're not a burden I'm forced to carry. You're the person who stayed beside me for three years, who walked through the same roads, ate the same meals, bled through the same battles, and if you truly believe I don't care about you… then I've failed you in a way I never even realized."
Artaigne's breathing turned uneven, her shoulders trembling as she stared at him as if she wanted to deny his words but couldn't.
