As Julius felt her face on his shoulder, her warm breath a centimetre from his cheeks, and her long hair tickled his hands on her firm back, another chunk of the anxiety haunting him faded.
'Was this why big brother told me he wanted to see me marry and be happy in the future? Does one contribute to the other? But he also said no romance before eighteen...'
The questions echoed in his mind for a second before he relaxed. It wasn't unusual for commoners to marry young. The reason was simple: incertitudes. Who knew when one would die when poverty, beasts, or illness could take them away at any time? And their situation was damned uncertain for sure.
Even as Duke and Marquis' heirs, Arun's and Asha's marriage had long been planned for their sixteenth birthday.
'We have time to figure out our emotions. I hope it'll work.' He pulled back, subtly looking at her missing right arm. 'It's not the first time she suffers because of me. I owe her a lot.'
