Emma was startled when she noticed Aldric standing at her side.
"Missing Elias already?" he teased, his grin bright as always. Usually, Emma would blush and sputter an indignant denial, which Aldric found endlessly amusing. But this time she only blinked at him, silent, her face unreadable.
The grin softened into something gentler. He lowered himself onto the bench beside her, his voice coaxing now, like a father trying to cheer a troubled child. "What's wrong, little bird? You've been elsewhere all morning, ever since the Prince drove you out of the princess's chambers."
Emma fiddled with her fingers, gaze downcast.
Aldric tilted his head, weighing her mood. So, it could be innocence after all. He thought perhaps he'd have to explain the mysteries of husband and wife, but was she even listening?
"It's something married men and women do," he began lightly, testing. "The prince wasn't hurting the princess~"
