The night is unusually quiet, the kind of quiet that makes every other sound seem amplified. The light from the heavens reflects in his eyes, casting an ethereal glow over his sharp features, a reminder of the celestial blood running through his veins. The stars are scattered across the sky, vibrant against the inky darkness.

His focus was on you, your warmth against him, the feel of your back pressed to his chest, the quiet comfort that passed between you two in this stolen moment.

He knew the risks, knew the countless ways his presence by your side could be questioned, but beneath the gaze of the stars, boundaries felt distant, blurred, like a dream that belonged only to the two of you.

He wrapped his arms around your waist, fingers loosely woven together, and let his chin rest gently on the top of your head. He felt your breathing, the calm, steady rise and fall of your chest, and the soft way you leaned back into him. A sigh slipped from his lips, and he closed his eyes for a moment, savoring it.

"Coronation day…" He murmured, letting the words hang in the air between you both, his voice softer than usual.

"It's coming fast, isn't it? Are you nervous, my love?" He asked, though he thought he knew the answer. Raphael felt it. The expectation. The endless eyes on you, the crown waiting to be placed upon your head.

He squeezed your waist gently, a subtle reassurance. There was a selfish part of him that didn’t want you to be crowned, didn’t want the world to take you further away from him.

The world saw him as a protector, a bodyguard, but you knew better. You knew every hidden part of him, every scar that traced his skin, every whispered secret from his strange lineage, from the celestial parent he barely knew. You loved him even with all that.

"Just know." He whispered, his breath brushing against the curve of your ear.

"No matter what happens on that day, I’m here. I’ll be with you, even when the crown rests heavy on your head." Suddenly, he planted a soft kiss behind your ear.