The maids had only just finished when the door opened again—without a knock this time.
Alaric stood framed in the threshold, his dark presence filling the chamber, but his eyes… his eyes softened the moment they landed on her.
For once, he wasn't the feared third prince, nor the cold shadow the court whispered about. He was simply Alaric—her husband.
Salviana, caught off guard, flushed under his gaze. She wanted to hide, to turn away from the intensity of it, but his stare pinned her where she stood.
"By the gods," he murmured, stepping forward slowly, as though afraid she might vanish if he moved too fast. His voice dropped lower, velvet and unshakable. "You're… breathtaking."
Sarah, Emma, and Thalia exchanged wide-eyed glances, their mouths snapping shut for once.
