Marcellus awoke in the morning, to the feeling of a wet kiss on his lips. This had become his custom since he had married Placidia. The young woman had always ensured that she woke up prior to her husband, just so that she could awake the man with a pleasant kiss.
After opening his eyes, Marcellus saw the woman he loved. By now her belly was visibly round, as she had been pregnant for several months. As a man who would soon be a father, Marcellus felt a deep sense of pride every time he gazed upon his wife's pregnant belly.
However, it was not just Placidia who was pregnant, Sigefrida also carried his child. The icy beauty lied asleep next to the husband and wife. Though she was the leader of the Frumentarii, she liked to get her beauty sleep, and did not rise in the dawn like her lover.
