Finally, they were all done eating, and the dishes had been cleared. The room was filled with the soft hum of servants cleaning up, and Stella was already making her way toward Lumina when Ashen blocked her path.
He moved quietly, stopping just beside Lumina. His voice was gentle but firm as he declared,
"Henceforth, I shall be the one to guide her every single step from the dining chamber to her room, and from her room back here."
Lumina blinked up at him, lips hinging low in surprise. "Then I won't come to the dining anymore!" she said with a playful pout, clearly annoyed but not truly serious.
Ashen only chuckled under his breath and knelt before her, the heavy silk of his royal cloak pooling slightly on the floor.
He reached up, brushing a loose strand of hair from her neck and gently dabbing a spot of sauce that had touched the edge of her silk.
