The next morning arrived not with gentle sunlight or the luxury of time, but with Edward's voice—firm, precise, and too loud for the hour.
"Your Grace," he announced, standing at the foot of the bed like a judgment, "you are scheduled to be dressed, polished, and mentally prepared in under forty minutes."
Gabriel groaned from under the blankets, one arm flung across his face. "For what crime?"
Edward did not blink. "The engagement ceremony rehearsal."
There was a pause. Then a muffled, incredulous noise from Gabriel's side of the bed that sounded very much like, "Today?"
Edward simply pulled back the thick blackout curtains in one dramatic sweep. Morning light flooded the room like divine retribution. "Yes. Today. As it has always been. As it has been written. As it was personally confirmed by you last week while you were eating sugared plums and pretending not to listen."
