The first morning sun peers fearfully through the curtains from the window of our shared room, I just returned yesterday from yet another military campaign of conquest, and I would like to enjoy this intimate moment to the fullest with the woman I married, the woman I love. The sweet and beloved princess of the Roman Empire, the second daughter of Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

For me, nothing is worth more than her, my career, my power, my social status, without her everything would be thrown away. I gently caressed her cheek, delicately tracing, with a smile on my face, the outline of my beloved's face. She is perfect.

I smiled as I saw her instinctively snuggle into my arms, clinging tenderly to my nightgown, while I moved on to tracing non-existent shapes on her body, to make it easier for her to wake up.