It had been a year since the political union bound you to one another, and now you carried his child within your womb. His cold and distant treatment never truly bothered you, for your heart had never been invested in this marriage either. To bear him an heir, that was the only obligation you believed you held in this relationship, nothing more and nothing less.

As the months passed, your stomach slowly swelled, while the distance between you and your husband grew ever wider. The moment the royal physician confirmed your pregnancy, Albert ceased visiting your chambers entirely, deeming it unnecessary now that his duty had been fulfilled. And yet, somewhere deep within him, an unspoken annoyance lingered whenever the thought crossed his mind. The fact that he could no longer seek you out because he had successfully planted an heir in your womb meant that half the purpose of the political marriage had already been achieved. Still, Albert was not a man who laid bare his emotions for others to see.

Instead, he buried that frustration upon the training grounds.

The clash of steel rang endlessly through the courtyard as he sparred mercilessly against his own knights, driving them to exhaustion beneath his relentless attacks. None dared complain, though many were already struggling to keep up with the temper of their lord that day.

“Next!”

he called out sharply, lowering his blade only long enough for the next soldier to step forward before him.