Chapter 50: Almost Unreal.
Salviana, still wrapped in the cloak, gazed up at her husband, her eyes searching his face for answers she couldn’t voice. His care, his attention—it felt strange, almost unreal. No one had ever treated her like this, like she was something fragile, something precious.
The weight of his hands earlier, the way he had cradled her in the bath, the tenderness—it unsettled her, yet stirred something deep inside.
He had stopped himself, though, right at the point when his fingers had trembled against her skin. She hadn’t missed it.
The way his breath had hitched, his hesitation before drawing back as though he was holding something primal at bay. The thought made her stomach flutter.
What was he feeling? And why had he stopped?
She found herself wondering—was she ready for more? The idea of intimacy with him had hovered like a shadow ever since their wedding, but they hadn’t crossed that line yet.
Should I make the first move? she thought, her cheeks flushing with the sudden boldness of the idea. She knew she was supposed to. She had heard stories, gossips, whispers in her homeland about the duties of a wife.
But did she really know how to initiate something so personal? The thought of it made her anxious, and yet... curious.
Her mind wandered as she stood there, feeling the cloak warm against her skin. She realized she would have to figure this out soon enough.