Their shared quarters had been prepared with care.
Soft cushions covered the floor, while candles provided warm light that flickered across the silk curtains.
The room felt intimate without being overwhelming, a perfect balance between luxury and comfort.
Grim closed the door behind them, the sound marking their first moment of true privacy as a married couple.
The weight of the evening's events—the ceremony, the spiritual contact, the celebration—seemed to settle around them like a heavy cloak.
"Nervous?" Ruxi asked, settling onto the edge of the large bed that was in the center of the room.
"Should I be?" Grim replied, moving to sit beside her.
"I don't know," she admitted with a small smile. "I've never been married before either."
The honesty broke through some of the tension that had been building between them. Despite months of courtship and political maneuvering, this was uncharted territory for both of them.
