Morning light filtered through the palace windows, pale and cold. The morning here felt colder unlike the warm golden mornings of Ravenmoor.
Alina stood beside the bed, staring at the blue dress laid out on it, holding the blue pin in her palm. Her stomach had been tight since she woke, a knot of fear and determination twisting inside her.
Through the open connecting door, she could hear Austin moving in the next room. He was getting ready. She walked to the doorway and stood there, watching him.
He stood in front of the mirror fastening the buttons of his coat. He looked calm and composed but she knew him too well now. His shoulders were tense, and his fingers were trembling a little.
She walked towards him and stopped in front of him.
"Your collar is uneven," she murmured.
Austin looked at her through the mirror. The tension in his face softened at just the sight of her. Alina reached up and fixed his collar, smoothing the fabric under her fingers gently.
