The silence that followed their last exchange lingered softly, like the hush after rain. The fire in the hearth burned low, casting warm light over the polished stone floor. Valerian sat relaxed, his long fingers resting on the arm of his chair, watching the flames dance. Aurelia sat across from him, thoughtful, her veil glimmering faintly in the firelight.
She broke the silence first.
"May I ask you something?"
He turned to her. "You may."
"Why did your son ask you to marry me?" Her tone was calm, curious rather than accusing. "I doubt we ever met before Caelmont, and I can't imagine what reason he would have. Surely it wasn't out of pity… or because Neris and his mother tried to humiliate me that day."
Valerian's expression didn't change, though his eyes darkened slightly. "I asked him the same thing," he said. "Why you? Why not any of the noble daughters his grandmother had paraded before him as potential mother's?"
"And what did he say?"
