"I'll take them off for you."

Lucian took his time changing, hoping she would have been asleep by the time he was done. But unfortunately, she wasn't. His wife lay there staring up at the ceiling, and then as if sensing his presence, she turned to him with a smile that momentarily stopped his heart. He smiled back at her and slowly crawled up on the bed to lie next to her. The moment he lay down, she moved to him and laid her head on his chest.

They lay there in silence for some time before she broke the silence. "What did you discuss in the courtroom?" she asked conversationally to break the silence, even though it was a comfortable one that made her hear the rhythm of his heartbeat against her ear.

"We discussed fixing everything the Empress had destroyed and replacing many of the ministers and court members who had stood for Elara. The coronation day has also been picked," he told her as he gently stroked her back and hair with his large hand.

"When is it?"