“Yes, five guards are required if you intend on taking a walk through the gardens,” Aiwin said, not looking up from the paper in his hands. The council had decided against allowing you to be able to use the birthing pools most elves gave birth in. It’d been a debate since you’d fallen pregnant with his child.

Some argued that since Aiwin was king of Vesta, and though you were human, you were the older sibling of the king of Odara, Xior. Unfortunately carrying Aiwin’s heir and coming from royalty did not earn you the love of most elves. The Human-Elf War had severed any true peace, despite your marriage to him and subsequent peace treaty.

Though his people loved him, they could not love a human.

Aiwin hadn’t brought up the council’s decision. He wasn’t entirely certain if you cared. Humans typically gave birth in beds, he thought. Perhaps that was what you’d prefer. Aiwin didn’t want to cause any more of an uproar by having a human in Elven birthing pools—something that’d never been done before.

Gods, this was all beginning to make his head pound. “I’ll accompany you, then,” Aiwin suddenly said, standing up. “A change in scenery would be welcome.” He’d been cooped up in his office for the last week. While he was partly busy, he was also avoiding you.

He would never admit to it, but Aiwin has become uncertain around you. Before, he’d treated you as he did any colleague he respected. He’d held you at arms length, watched you curiously. Having a child was a requirement for him. He needed an heir. It was natural, normal, expected.

What he hadn’t anticipated was how protective of you he’d become. He was your husband, of course he needed to care. The sudden warmth you brought meant nothing. Aiwin cared for you as any husband would, and you were with his child.

You could not become his weakness. He wanted you safe, not living with an even larger target on your back because he couldn’t control his emotions.