Even as the other lords settled into their "men's hour," the Emperor remained anchored to his wife. He was flirting shamelessly, his hand resting with a heavy, possessive warmth on her waist.
He leaned into her space, whispering something into her ear that made her wine-flushed face tilt back in a genuine, melodic laugh. She pushed him away playfully, her fingers lingering on his chest for a second too long for propriety, and the interaction sent a ripple of quiet gossip through the men below.
"The Emperor is utterly besotted," Duke Konstantin murmured, pausing his story to watch the pair.
"I've never seen him like this," another noble added, shaking his head. "He's like a different man. The ice has finally cracked."
