He had two wives now and spent his nights with each to consummate his weddings. Despite not being in love, he knew his way around women and proved an especially satisfying lover. The pressure to produce an heir would be high, but it would take time. Part of the reason they always teetered on the brink of extinction was the low frequency of births.
None of that crossed his mind then, his thoughts elsewhere. His new wife was still asleep in the grand bed a few feet away while he found comfort in his solitude. Just like with Thalisa, he would do his due diligence to be present as King and husband, and perhaps eventually father.
After he blew out another cloud of smoke, he wondered if he and Ilyan had more in common than they would admit. Was anyone really here by choice and love? Did duty ever turn into desire or did it always remain strictly a compromise and debts to pay? Would she even be his wife if not for Ashani’s insolence? Did Ilyan also have someone else she loved and longed for? Did she pretend Azar was them while they spent the night together?