"Is it wrong to cherish her when her husband fails to appreciate the treasure he holds within his grasp?"
⋆ Claude De Alger Obelia x Navier Ellie Trovi
➳ 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞...
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After the Agriches had graciously taken their leave, she understood with quiet certainty that it was time to return home. The rhythmic click of her heels echoed gently across the ground as she made her way back toward the heart of the capital, a wide-brimmed sunhat poised delicately atop her head, casting a graceful shadow over her serene expression.
Though she could feel the lingering gazes of passersby trailing after her like whispers in the breeze, Navier remained composed and unshaken.
A subtle sense of guarded awareness lingered within her, for an Obelian knight-draped in solemn duty-followed a respectful distance behind. She tilted her gaze upward for a fleeting moment, observing the sky above. It was an unblemished expanse of azure, and the warmth of the sun graced the day with gentle radiance.
A quiet sigh escaped her lips. 'All my belongings were already packed and transported yesterday to the estate where Claude now resides... there is truly nothing left for me to concern myself with.'
And yet, despite her outward tranquility, her thoughts began to drift-unbidden-toward the events of the previous night. Fleeting images flared across her mind's eye: a night imbued with intensity and tenderness, the first time she had shared such intimacy with him. The recollection sent a delicate tremor down the length of her spine, and her gaze lowered, half-lidded and thoughtful, as a faint flush of rose warmed her cheeks.
The memory briefly ensnared her attention, slowing her steps as she became immersed in her reverie. 'That experience with him felt so utterly different from those nights I once endured with Sovieshu,' she mused inwardly.
She remembered all too well the mechanical indifference with which her former husband would approach her-foreplay barely present, the act perfunctory, fleeting. He would finish quickly then eventually drift into slumber after a while. It had left her hollow, unsatisfied, yearning.
But with Claude... there was something else. Something fuller. Since the break of dawn, she had felt an unfamiliar yet fulfilling sense of serenity, as though her heart had been quietly, gently cradled in his presence.
'Why has the lady suddenly slowed down her pace?' the knight mused inwardly, perplexed and momentarily at a loss. Still, he voiced no complaint and simply adjusted his stride to match hers.
Navier's contemplative thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a voice she recognized all too well-one that made her instantly regret her brief hesitation.
Silky, raven-black hair, usually combed back meticulously with only a few rebellious strands escaping, and sorrow-laden silver-grey eyes came into view.
"Navier...!"
Their eyes met, and her breath caught in her throat. His expression was steeped in longing and quiet desperation. "Navier, please... let me speak with you," he implored, his voice cracking slightly, oblivious to the watching eyes of their people-the emperor now publicly seeking forgiveness from the very empress he had so callously cast aside months before.
