Conquering His Cold Heart

Her eyes fell on Caspian’s sleeping face. ‘When did he come here?’ she wondered. Since she couldn’t remember Caspian getting on the bed, she thought that he must have come to the room when she was in her deep sleep.

She slowly lifted her hand with the intention to touch her husband’s beautiful face. But she stopped herself when the tips of her fingers were hovering over Caspian’s sharp jawline.

‘He must be really tired. I should let him get enough sleep,’ she thought to herself and carefully pulled her hand away from Caspian’s face.

However, she was startled when Caspian suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand towards him. He softly kissed her palm and then placed it on his cheek.

Then he mumbled in his deep morning voice, “Mmm… Your hand is so warm that it can melt my heart just from a single touch.”

Anastasia smiled and wriggled to shift closer to her husband. Her head fit perfectly in the curve between Caspian’s chin and his chest.

“Were you already awake?” she asked in her soft voice.

Caspian wrapped his leg over Anastasia’s thigh and shifted even closer to get more of his wife’s warmth. He put his arm around her waist and then whispered, “I wasn’t until I felt someone gawking at me and trying to touch my face.”

.....

Anastasia giggled and asked, “No, you were closing your eyes. How could you tell that I was gawking at you?”

“So you were gawking!” Caspian said as if he had caught Anastasia red-handed.

Anastasia looked up to see Caspian’s face and then pinched his cheek. “And you were lying to me!”

“Well, what I said wasn’t a lie. You were indeed looking at your husband’s unbearably handsome face.” He looked down at his wife to find her staring at him. He smirked and added, “And she is still staring.”

Anastasia smiled and buried her face into Caspian’s neck again.

Caspian, on the other hand, proudly smiled and further teased his wife, “I didn’t ask you to look away. I can understand your need to keep on staring at me since I am that endearing.”

“Mhmm… You are,” Anastasia said in a muffled voice.

Caspian’s teasing and proud smile suddenly turned into a genuine one, the one that was filled with affection towards his wife. He slowly caressed his wife’s back with his hand and then planted a soft and long kiss on her head.

He rested his chin on her head and then thought to himself, ‘Whatever Alexander is hiding from me, I have to find it. I’m sure I am just overthinking it. But no matter what I will uncover later, I shouldn’t blame Alexander. I am sure he was simply trying not to make both of us too worried.’

Caspian tightened his hold on his lovely wife and then promised her in his heart, ‘And no matter how fragile you are, I will make sure to take good care of you.’

While Caspian was making promises in his heart, Anastasia was oblivious about it. She was simply happy to be in her husband’s arms. His tight hug had successfully made her forget about all the problems and all the results of her over-imagination that were cluttering her mind.

After cuddling for quite a few minutes, Caspian tapped his wife’s back and then asked, “Oh, I almost forgot. Your brother was saying that he wanted to take a tour of the castle before having breakfast.”

“Ah!” Anastasia suddenly pulled away from Caspian’s hold and then said while looking at him, “Yes, I had to give him a tour before he left for Orsenia. We both should get ready.”

“Yes,” Caspian finally let go of his wife and sat up on the bed. He pulled Anastasia up as well and then said, “I will also join the two of you on the tour. And you two can enjoy the breakfast while I have his carriages and guards prepared.”

Anastasia quickly slid out of the bed and then went to grab a warmer robe that Tilla had prepared for her yesterday.

Caspian, on the other hand, headed outside so that he could send Tilla inside to get the Queen ready for the day.

He found Tilla waiting in the corridor and asked, “Oh, you were already here! Why didn’t you come to wake us up?”

Tilla bowed to the King and replied, “I thought that both of you must have been really tired from the journey. But I was only going to wait for a few more minutes.”

Caspian liked how Tilla was getting more and more considerate. He gave a nod and then asked her, “Anna is waiting for you. Make sure that she also eats something light yet energizing. Although we can’t see any symptoms on the outside, she might not have fully recovered yet. So, take care of her diet.”

Tilla gave a subtle bow and agreed to the King’s reasonable request. “I will make sure to take proper care of her.” Before Caspian disappeared from there like a passing gust of wind, she further added, not as a maid but as a friend of Anastasia, “And thank you for worrying so much about her.”

Caspian smiled and replied, “I am her husband. If I don’t worry about her then I don’t know who will.”

Tilla entered the chamber with a wide smile on her face. She went inside to find Anastasia staring at herself in the mirror. She gave a bow and then greeted the Queen, “Good morning, Your Majesty.”

“Good morning, Tilla,” Anastasia smiled at Tilla’s reflection in the mirror and then turned around to directly look at her.

Tilla was still smiling, so she asked, “You look happy.” She thought that the reason behind Tilla’s smile had something to do with what was in her heart. So, she teasingly asked, “May I know the reason behind that smile?”

Unlike what she had expected to hear, Tilla smiled further and replied, “I am just happy to see how much the King worries about you. Never had I expected a man like him to be so soft at heart.”

“Soft at heart...” Anastasia also smiled ear to ear and nodded in agreement, “That he is.”