Emilia opened her eyes slowly, still half-asleep, and took a moment to get her bearings. She was in Mark's room, just like every morning for the past seven months.
Ever since he'd disappeared, that bedroom had stopped being simply his room and, without anyone proposing it or needing to say it out loud, had ended up becoming a space nearly all his wives shared.
It was as if none of them wanted to stray too far from the last traces Mark had left behind.
His scent, his belongings, the small memories scattered around the room... all of it gave them a warmth they couldn't find anywhere else in the palace.
It was their way of feeling him close, even though he wasn't.
The only one who never joined in that habit was Alice, for reasons everyone understood and respected.
Emilia sat up with some difficulty, resting a hand on her swollen belly as she looked around the room.
Only Cali and herself were there. Rose, Aria, and Zilu were nowhere to be seen.
