The incessant chirping of the birds managed to wake me up from the deep slumber I fell into last night, in his arms. I sat up yawning as I stretched my arms. Again, he wasn't there. I pulled my knees up to my chest and placed my chin on them. Surely he couldn't have gone far.

"Miss me already?" His voice rang throughout the room.

His hair was wet. Drops fell and landed on his brow, which then slowly slid and dripped off his chiseled chin. His torso was still bandaged, but these appeared to be new. I gasped, realizing that I overslept.

"What time is it?" I asked, looking around for cues.

"A little past 11:30." He stated.

I threw the covers off and swung my legs off the bed.

"Woah, where are you going in such a rush?"

"I overslept! I usually meet with your mother at 9:00 for breakfast and discuss the day's schedule, and then at 11:00 I overlook the meeting of the gentry, and then—"

He placed either hand on my shoulders, "Easy there. It's our day off, alright? You can think about your duties after I recover."

I gave him a stern look, "If you're off and I'm off, then who's going to look after the kingdom?"

"My mother is perfectly capable of managing on her own."

"Ash!" I complained.

He suddenly winced, "Ah, it hurts!"

"Oh no! Here, sit down, quick!" I exclaimed, helping him onto the bed.

He managed to pull me in with him and shot me a sly smile, "Now this is much better."

I groaned, "You'll never change."

He propped himself up with his elbow so he could look at me, "We never had a proper honeymoon. How about we take this time to make up for it?"

I could feel the blush tingeing my cheeks as I looked away, "Someone attempted to assassinate you and that's all you can think of?"

"Well there's nothing we can do now, is there? That arrow came out of nowhere from a large crowd of people. I suspect it'll take the Royal Guard quite a while to investigate."

"Do you think this could be connected to your father?" I asked in a quiet voice.

He scrunched his nose, "Not at all, that man is locked up."

"He could be connected to a larger group. Or perhaps there is someone who cares enough for him to exact revenge?"

He ran his fingers through my hair, "Love, I really don't care for this conversation at the moment."

I rolled my eyes, "Then what is it that you care for?"

He leaned in, "If I told you, you'd blend in with these satin red covers."

I scoffed, "You men only think with two things, the latter of which you use more often than your brain."

"Well unfortunately for me, the latter hasn't actually ever been used, so that's an invalid statement, your highness."

His voice sounded so dangerously deep I had to take a moment to process what he said. My eyes went wide with amusement.

"Not a chance." I whispered.

He raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"You're a virgin?"

He shrugged, "As are you, I suspect."

"Well I didn't have the image of an obnoxious flirt since adolescence, unlike someone."

"How scandalous would it have been for the prince to have an illegitimate child? The risk was too high."

"So you didn't do it simply because it was too risky?"

"That and, to be genuinely honest, I have never been attracted to someone enough."

For some reason, that piece of information made me extremely happy. I could feel the smile creeping up on my face, knowing that I was the first woman he ever felt so attracted to.

I cleared my throat, "Well, I'd better go through my morning routine."

"But you'll be back?"

I looked at him, "There's nothing more that I can do than you can, so I might as well help you recover quickly so the kingdom can get back on its feet again."

He beamed up at me, "Can you bring lunch on your way back? I'm starving!"

I rolled my eyes for what seemed like the millionth time with this man. They might just fall out one day.

"You know you can just summon your lunch right now with that bell?"

He nodded, "But I want to eat with you. Actually, it would be even better if you could feed me!"

I couldn't help but smile, "Fine."

His childlike glee at my agreement made me laugh. He emitted such warmth when he wanted to, I felt myself growing more attracted to him everyday, and I relished in that feeling.

Soon enough, Ash was peacefully sleeping in the bed. After lunch, the physician administered his medicine, which inevitably made him drowsy. His mother and sister visited earlier and he dozed off as soon as they left. I took this as my opportunity to meet the Royal Guard and inquire about the progress of their investigations.

"Oh, Sir William!" I exclaimed at the sight of a familiar face.

He gave me a wide smile and a bow, "Your Highness! The last time we met you were still a princess."

I nodded, laughing at the embarrassing memory of running away from the honeymoon, "I suppose a lot has changed in little time."

He nodded, "For the best, I hope! What brings you to these parts?"

"It's regarding the assassination attempt actually. I heard your men were investigating it."

He nodded with understanding and pointed to the table, clad with tea and biscuits, "Please."

I took my seat and examined his expression. His eyebrows knit together in frustration.

"We still haven't been able to pinpoint the culprit. There were so many people in the area at the time, everyone has a different story of what they saw that day. Not a single detail is matching up. There are still about thirty or so individuals left so perhaps there is still something yet to be uncovered. For the time being though, I suggest that the king should stay within the castle walls."

I nodded, "I see."

He sighed, "I apologize, I know you were expecting something more conclusive."

I shook my head, "I appreciate your efforts. Our first priority is keeping the King and this kingdom safe, so the fact that Ash is still alive is due to your quick response and valiant efforts to help him evacuate the scene."

He gave me a warm smile, "Your majesty certainly lives up to the former Queen."

I smiled back, "That is the most flattering comment I have received about my reign thus far."

He continued flipping through the pages of the accounts collected by his men, "Ah! But there is one thing."

I leaned forward in anticipation, "About ten or so people have mentioned seeing a man in a green cloak. There's nothing more detailed than that yet, but the only overlap we have so far."

I nodded, "I see. Thank you for that. One more thing..."

He looked up at me.

"Could you look into the people that might have motive to hurt my husband specifically? Perhaps a servant who was fired recently or maybe someone from his past? We all know how rudimentary his behavior can be."

An amused smile crept up onto his face, "Of course. I will keep you updated."

"Thank you again, for everything!"

With that, I took my leave.