I couldn't imagine that the maiden bathing in my room was a whole other person. The woman from my dreams was a winning Queen; the one in my reach was only a girl that thought of herself as a war prisoner.
And the worst part of all: it was my fault. I had killed my Queen when I decided to conquer Polis and bring her to the capital.
I didn't know that yet; I needed time to understand it. I wasn't ready to face my mistakes, not when Thea was so close to me.
So, I just read that book... Or I pretended to read for as long as it took my wife to finish her bath.
She got out of the tub and started drying herself. I couldn't turn yet, as I had to continue reading. I had to keep my thoughts wandering. If I tried to focus on anything, it would have been my wife.
And my wife was standing naked a few steps from me.
«Open the wardrobe, the right panel,» I informed her when she stopped moving and supposedly started gazing around in search of clothes.
