When Emilia came to her senses the next morning, the first thing she felt was warmth. It pressed gently against her back, steady, deep, and breathing.
Her lashes fluttered open, and for a moment, she stared at the richly embroidered canopy above her.
The scent of sandalwood and something distinctly masculine surrounds her, warm and grounding, and the sheets beneath her feel very soft… different from what she had been using since she got here.
Her heart stuttered as she realized where she was.
This isn't the side chamber.
Emilia held her head, still sleepy, to remember the events of last night, and she was sure she hadn't gotten out of the bath.
Then she must have fallen asleep while in the bath, but right now, she is not in it.
Emilia stiffens for a second and, very slowly, she turns her head and freezes with a gasp escaping her mouth.
Lucas.
He lies beside her, still asleep, his face partially hidden by a lock of dark hair that's fallen across his forehead.
One arm rested behind her head, the other loosely draped across his side, just inches from touching her.
He looked peaceful. Too peaceful for a man who was stabbed by her a few weeks ago and also furious at her just last night.
How can he fall asleep?
Emilia continues to stare at him, her head tilting backward a little to capture his face fully.
His long lashes cast delicate shadows on his sharp cheekbones.
The cold cruelty she often saw in him was nowhere to be found in his sleep.
Instead, there's something almost boyish about the way his lips part slightly, the faintest breath rising and falling from his chest.
Emilia lies still, afraid to breathe.
Her fingers twitch beneath the covers.
Did he… touch me?
Her eyes dart down. She is still putting on clothes, but the towel from last night is nowhere to be seen, replaced by a clean sleeping gown she doesn't remember putting on.
Her cheeks burnt to the implication, but the truth pressed gently against her skin like the sunlight filtering through the curtains as she examined her body.
She's still untouched.
Emilia heaves deeply, partly relieved, but that doesn't calm the riot in her chest.
Her heart thundered as she gently began to shift, trying to slide away without waking him.
But the second she moved, his arm lifted instinctively and wrapped around her waist.
Emilia froze again.
He pulled her closer, his voice rough from sleep, low and unintentionally intimate.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Her breath caught, startled.
"I—I didn't mean to fall asleep in your bed," she stammered, trying to push it against his chest,
"I will go back to my own chambers now," she told him, but he didn't let go of her. Instead, his lips curve slightly.
"You didn't. I bought you here," he said.
Emilia's eyes widened, flustered by how calm he seemed.
"You did? Why would you..." she hesitated, then narrowed her eyes.
"You fell asleep in the bath" he stressed, his voice sounding lazy and Emilia was stunned by his judging tone.
"I fell asleep in the water because I was forced to soak like a sacrificial lamb," she retorted.
Lucas's eyes open fully now, and there's amusement glinting in them. It's intense, and without remorse.
"You looked like a sleeping nymph when I found you," he murmured.
"The water was clinging to your skin like it's going to devour you if no one gets you out of it."
Emilia's throat went dry and she swallowed a lump.
"What on earth are you talking about?" she mumbled and tried to sit up, but his eyes followed her movement, leaning on one elbow now, his gaze never leaving her body.
"You should have woken me up then," she told him.
"I didn't want to." he replied sharply,
His words strangely softened something in her, just slightly, but Emilia buried it quickly beneath her scowl.
"You shouldn't have carried me into your bed," she voiced.
Lucas raised a brow.
"We are husband and wife," he reminded her.
"Would you have preferred I left you in the water all night?" he questioned.
His countenance returned gradually to the usual distant, cold, and he pulled the sheet away from his body.
Emilia furrowed, finding his response strange. Since when does he care about her?
"You could have let the servants help me then," she retorted.
"I didn't want them to see you," Lucas let out causally again and her hands stiffened as she sat with her legs touching the floor.
Emilia tried to stand up and leave, but Lucas's arm suddenly wrapped around her body, stopping her and pulling her into his embrace.
Her heart began pounding in her chest like a jackhammer, and she forgot to breathe again. Her nose inhaled his scent, lingering on her seductively.
His fingers reached out and brushed a damp curl from her cheek.
"Are you afraid of me?" he whispered in her ears.
Emilia's breath still. His touch stirred something unfamiliar and dangerously warm inside her.
"I'm not afraid." She managed to reply in a whisper.
" Let go," she added more firmly, hating the butterflies dancing in her stomach.
"If you insist…"
Lucas pushed her shoulder gently onto the bed, then came onto her, bracing himself on his elbow so he didn't crush her, just enough to make her feel the weight of his presence.
Emilia's breath hitched, and her hands gripped his shoulders.
"What are you trying to do?" Emilia asked with bated breath.
"You're my wife, I can do whatever I want to do," he said quietly.
Lucas leaned in, and Emilia's attempt to stop him was fruitless.
His lips hovered just over hers.
"But I'm not a man who takes what isn't given willingly." he muttered, his thumb brushing the corner of her mouth with maddening slowness,
"You can rest assured, Emilia. When the time came for me to truly claim you..."
He leaned closer, his voice lowering into a whisper.
"It would be because you beg me to."
"I would never beg you," Emilia snapped, and turned her head, only for his fingers to catch her jaw and guide her face back.
His touch softened as he trailed his hand down her neck, over her collarbone, and then back up to cup her cheek.
"You're so fierce when you're angry," he teased.
Emilia glared at him, but Lucas felt her resistance waning.
The way her body molded beneath his, the way her lips part just slightly when his thumb brushes across them again.
He dips his head, his voice barely a breath against her ear.
"Tell me to stop… and I would."
Silence stretched between them, heavy and electric. She doesn't speak.
He smiled against her skin.
"Didn't think so," he told her and pulled away.
Emilia exhaled, shoving him off completely and scrambling out of bed.
Her bare feet touched the cold marble as she glared at him from across the room, her cheeks blazing.
"You..."
"Shh"
Lucas motioned with a hand to his lips and Emilia stared towards the door to see two servants standing outside.
Her eyes widened in shock, and she turned to Lucas, embarrassed.
A knock at the door interrupted them.
"Your Majesties," Nathan called,
"The council will be here in a few minutes, you will need to prepare."
" Come in," Lucas instructed.
The servants giggle as they step in, glancing at Emilia and also bowing in greetings.
Emilia can immediately tell that the news of her spending the night with Lucas had spread across the palace.
She felt the heat return to her cheeks like fire and hurried out of the room.