Bruno and Nicholas were practically in a contest to see who could get more intoxicated as they sat on a perch above the gardens below, sheltered from the elements, gazing upon their two children, both of whom were silently casting a gaze toward one another at the exact moment the other looked away.
It was an infuriating prospect, because it was clear there was something between the two young nobles—one a prince who would inherit an empire, and one a countess who, in a few months' time, would be a princess in her own right. The perfect match for the future Tsar of Russia. But both were reserved by their very nature and couldn't be compelled to act in a way that felt daunting to them.
