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Maud wakes up warm, for the first time in her life.

The farm is cold, and the palace is cold. This entire kingdom is cold, up in the north, built out of stone. The wind howls and snow falls from early fall to early spring. Even though it's not currently winter, the cold follows long into the other seasons. There is not a single moment of true warmth up in the north, and that is something Maud has learned to accept and adapt to. Despite being buried under a mountain of blankets, despite a fireplace burning in the corner of the room, she knows that she will be cold when waking up in the morning. So cold that her breathing fogs up and the floor is almost impossible to stand on without freezing to death.

And yet today, she wakes up feeling warm. Trying to blink away her drowsiness, Maud tries to remember what happened the day before. It's always a struggle to remember things in the morning, but how could she forget such an important event? It's only when she attempts to move around in the bed, that she realizes what is going on. Right behind her, wrapping his arms around her chest, sleeps a much taller person than herself. His signature scent finally reaches her nose, and Maud quickly remembers the events of the night before. Her heart starts beating faster, and her cheeks blush. The way that his arms are still wrapped around her, does nothing to tame her frail, blushing heart.

Adelio, the prince who was so cold and intimidating up until the wedding yesterday, suddenly turned passionate and warm, just like the color of his kingdom. Before he had resembled the cold blue of Maud's own kingdom, by never smiling and never talking. But now Maud can see the red in him. And still, it's just a little awkward, and quite foreign, to wake up in his arms. It feels more exposed this way, as the darkness no longer provides any cover for them. Instead there is only light, shining from her own bedroom window. It's a light that also feels unfamiliar. She was given this room only a week ago, her first bedroom with a window in it. Hearing the birds singing in the morning really does make wonders for her mood.

Maud freezes up when she notices that Adelio is waking up. He shifts in his sleep, first taking a firmer grip around her, and then loosening it a bit. Maud stays completely still, not sure what will happen if she moves and he is startled by it. She lays there, pressed up against his body, which is a constant reminder of the activities of the night before. Eventually Adelio stills, Maud taking it as a sign of him waking up. He lays still for quite a while. Maud imagines that he is assessing the situation just like she did a few minutes ago. And because she is laying so quietly and without moving, he must think that she is still asleep.

After a few seconds the prince removes his arms from around her chest, and slowly unwraps himself from their close touch. Neither of them can remember exactly what got them into that position. Although they weren't drunk, Adelio had certainly had at least two glasses of wine and Maud didn't stay away from the alcohol either. The tipsiness and drowsiness from yesterday caused them to piece together the memories of last night into a vague set of happenings. Maud continued to lay still, not knowing when the right moment would be to wake up.

A part of her is scared. Scared that Adelio will be back to his usual, cold and hateful self after this. That once she wakes up he won't talk to her, and will only look at her with that cold gaze of his. It's a terrifying thought, because they are now married. Maud doesn't want to be married to a person who resembles a rock more than a human. She can't stand it for another day. And yet she knows that she has no choice, because ultimately he is now her husband, he is now the man who controls her and she has no say. Will this man become her worst nightmare? The man she has to share a bed with for the rest of her life? Maud only has a few minutes to stall, a few minutes left to pretend that everything is fine. That he is a good husband and a warm person. But eventually she'll have to open her eyes and face the truth. Or perhaps what she hopes isn't the truth.

"F*ck"

Maud is startled by a sudden swear coming from the prince. She fights the urge to turn around and see why he swore, instead listening in to what he has to say. Adelio sits up in the bed and turns around, leaving the warm covers behind. Once he opens the covers Maud gets a taste of the cold air outside of her bed, and she is thankful that she can still lay snuggled in her bed for a few more minutes. Adelio rustles around in the bedroom, picking up some of his clothes from the night before, and taking a suspiciously long time at putting them on. Maud has no idea what kind of obsession he has with his clothes, but she knows it's something. Last night he never took off his clothes completely, and even now he's taking a long time dressing himself again. Despite being curious, Maud decides to stay still, up until the moment he is finished. She won't dare to expose whatever secret he has going on, not on their first day as a married couple.

Eventually Adelio is finished, and Maud won't make him wait any longer. What if he leaves the room, thinking that she's asleep anyway? Scared of that too, Maud slowly shifts around and eventually sits up, knowing that Adelio has already noticed that she's awake from the smallest of sounds. He's a warrior after all. They might not be capable of everything, but they are surely capable of such things as this. Maud, already having processed the situation and the night before, decides to pretend to be calm and collected to make an impression on her husband. The fact that she is still naked won't hinder her, Maud knows that she has nothing to hide from the man who saw her this way just the night before. But she is quick to locate her nightgown and gets dressed, thankful that it's not a suspiciously difficult garment like Adelio's clothes seem to be.

Adelio doesn't speak, she doesn't speak. Maud doesn't even turn to look at him. She's too scared to see his expression, not knowing what it will be like. But eventually she has to turn around, knowing that she can't just leave the bed unmade for the maid. That something a normal princess would do which Maud can never get used to. Obviously she'll make her own bed, no matter who slept in it the night before. Once she turns around, Maud is forced to meet his face.

Adelio looks at her with a similar expression from the night before. His eyes are suddenly filled with lust, as they rake over her body. Maud freezes in her tracks, suddenly blushing much more than before. She had not expected this. She had honestly expected him to just act cold and look away, but this? When he looks at her with those eyes, it's hard for her to tell what he really feels. Adelio doesn't hold that expression for long. Once he realizes that she can see him, he turns around without saying a word and continues buttoning his suit jacket. Maud doesn't know what to make of that, so she doesn't think about it. Instead she bends down over the bed and starts folding the covers correctly, looking for the bedspread while she does it.

Once Adelio sees what she's doing, he's surprised.

"What are you doing?"

Maud is surprised to hear a question from him at all. She drops the covers with surprise, staring at him like a deer caught by hunters. She looks back down at the covers, suddenly realizing that her behavior might be seen as odd by a prince. A man who has been a royal for his entire life. It's probably odd that she, a princess who's supposed to have lived this life forever, a princess that is supposed to be perfect, is suddenly making the covers of her bed. But Maud isn't dumb. She can still play this off as nothing is wrong. She has the culture card on her side.

"I'm making the bed. Don't people make their beds in Red Lion?"

She asks, innocently and curiously, while going back to finally fixing the bed. She finishes quickly, even before he can answer. Adelio stares down at her with calculating eyes, probably deciding whether or not he'll be suspicious because of this. Maud already knows which answer he'll eventually come to. Just like she expected, the prince decides to shrug his shoulders and turn around again, coming to the conclusion that princesses make their own beds in the Blue Knight kingdom. After making the bed, Maud stands still, not really knowing what to do. She can't call on her maid to help her get dressed because Adelio is still here, and without her maid she can't access her closet nor can she even leave this room, let alone get dressed into whatever complicated piece they have decided to put her in this morning. So she stays still, indirectly watching Adelio finish his suit.

It's quiet for a while, and Maud is worried that it'll be this awkward between them for the rest of her life. Until suddenly, Adelio startles her by speaking.

"We're leaving as fast as possible"

Maud turns around to face him, just in time to watch him approach her from the other side of the room. Maud stays still until he is right in front of her, towering over her like a foreign beast. His eyes are cold and stern, but Maud feels like the hate has somewhat disappeared from within him. The same hate that he used to have when looking at Makai, was always directed at her too. But now it's gone, and that gives her a peace of mind. At least her husband doesn't hate her?

"Now that you're my wife, you have to remember some things"

Maud nods. She will be a dutiful wife, and she won't disappoint him nor will she expose herself for what she really is. He can trust her to do as he says, for she has no other influence or force behind her actions. In this world, she only feels lucky to be alive and with a roof over her head, there is no secret ambition inside of her like there is in other royals. So Maud meets his gaze with a convincing expression, wanting him to speak more. She'll stay quiet for the rest of her life if she has to, as long as he speaks. If he goes silent again, she'll die of misery.

"I don't care about whatever ties you have with this family. From now on you're my wife and nothing else, don't even think of yourself as their sister. I hate this kingdom and I hate your brothers, so in order for this marriage to work you'll be mine and not one of them. Do you understand that?"

Maud nods hesitantly. It feels odd to constantly change the person that you're affiliated with, just a few weeks after belonging to someone for twenty years. She used to have such a simple life, being the daughter of a farmer and his wife. Living at a small farm and knowing that she'll do nothing but that for the rest of her life. But now? Suddenly she had three brothers instead of two parents, and a house as big as a thousand farms, and a future more complicated than anything she could've imagined before. And just as she had gotten somewhat used to this life and these people, she is told to forget everything about it and just focus on her new family. Her husband, and whatever family she will, hopefully for her sake, create with him.

But knowing that Adelio is her husband now, Maud won't hesitate to do as he says anymore. If he's the one who controls her life, then she'll make him like her. That way her life will be so much easier. Adelio is completely serious in what he is saying, and Maud knows that this is something much bigger than just a small feud between a prince and a king. The wars and horrors between these two kingdoms go far back. In fact, the wars started when these two kingdoms were nothing but small fortresses controlled by one blue knight and one red knight. Adelio hates her brother for a good reason, and Maud knows that her life will be much easier if she just forgets about this kingdom upon reaching her new one. Everybody there hates Blue Knight, and they'll definitely hate her too. It's best to play it safe, keep Adelio in her favor and never mention her family or her kingdom ever again.

"I understand"

Adelio looks somewhat satisfied at that. He nods.

"I gathered my men and told your maid to pack your things yesterday, so don't bother to say any unnecessary goodbyes. We're leaving now"

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