When they are finished, Joana rests her cheek gently against his bare chest, savoring the warmth of his skin and the closeness of his body. These are the fleeting, tender moments she cherishes the most—when the world outside feels far away, and there's nothing but the sound of his breathing and the rhythm of his heart beneath her ear. His skin is still warm with lingering desire, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on his chest. One of his hands remains on her shoulder.
"What has kept my lord so occupied that he cannot stay the night?" she murmured, her voice soft and tinged with quiet curiosity. As she spoke, her fingers drifted over the fine silver strands scattered across his chest, tracing their pattern with tender affection."What? An hour of pleasure isn't enough for you?" he teased, a low chuckle rumbling from his throat. Joana didn't respond with words. Instead, in a flicker of frustration, she pinched his chest lightly.
"Ow—what's this? Pinching your emperor now?" His tone was playful, but then, as if seized by impulse, his hand slipped silently between her thighs, delivering a gentle pinch to her lower lips which were wet due to a special and thick whitish liquid.
"Mmm~" Joana gasped, her body twitching as though a jolt of electricity had coursed through her.
When the sensation faded and she steadied herself, she looked at him, her eyes softening with concern. "Tell me," she said quietly. "I'm truly worried about you."
Aegon chuckles, the sound low in his throat, and shakes his head slightly. "It's nothing for you to worry about," he replies simply. "Just the usual issues that come with family. And the consequences that follow when they choose to disobey me."
Joana lifts her head and twists her neck slightly to look at him, her eyes narrowing with interest.
"Is it about the marriage of Princess Rhaenys?" she asks softly.
He nods, his fingers moving up to stroke the back of her head with slow, rhythmic motions, comforting in their repetition.
"Yes," he confirms. "My mother had been arranging a marriage with House Velmont when Rhaenys decided to act on her own. Her impatience cost her dearly—it damaged her reputation, and in doing so, it harmed my standing with the West." He sighs, the sound tired and heavy. "Perhaps, if she had not acted so recklessly, I could have dismissed Lady Myrcella from the harem and raised you from the rank of a consort."
"Perhaps," Joana echoes, her tone thoughtful. "But that is all in the past now. It doesn't serve us to dwell on what might have been." She smiles softly, her eyes kind. "Princess Rhaenys was in love. Should we really punish those who act out of love?"
"We ought to," Aegon says firmly. "If we do not, we invite others to behave in the same way. Tell me, what would you think if your own daughter married without your consent, the way Rhaenys has?"
Joana doesn't hesitate. "I would be happy if she were matched with someone as high-ranking and well-respected as Prince Quentyn," she answers. "Her children will never inherit the throne, and given her imperial blood, she still holds seniority in a way, even over her husband. Yes, the alliance with the Velmont may have been weakened, but surely the marriage of your sister has only strengthened the bond between Dorne and the crown, has it not?"
Aegon shrugs, not fully convinced but not dismissive either. "In a certain way," he admits, his voice less firm now.
"The Velmonts can be satisfied through other means," she continues gently. "But Princess Rhaenys is your blood—she is the daughter of your mother and father. You are not just her Emperor, you are her brother. Should you truly be so harsh with her when she only followed her heart? Why punish her for offending someone outside your family? Why punish her for something as human, as noble, as love? The kind of love that dares to fight against the entire world just to survive."
Aegon looks at her closely, his expression unreadable for a moment. Then he swallows, the motion of his throat visible as he murmurs, "You seem to know a great deal about love."
"It was love that brought me here," Joana says, her voice quiet but unwavering. "The love of my father. The love of the Gracious Mother. And your love—your love, which I never deserved, has made me the mother of a prince. How could I not know what love is, after all of this?"
Aegon's expression softens as he listens, and a smile spreads across his face. His eyes gleam, warm and bright like stars catching light in the dark. He reaches up and cups her face in his hand, his touch as gentle as his gaze.
"I'll think about it," he promises, his tone sincere. "Rhaenys didn't just disobey me as her ruler—she lied to me as her brother. We were close once. Why should I simply forget that betrayal?"
"There is no need to forget," Joana says softly, her eyes locked on his. "Only to forgive."
Aegon holds her gaze for a long moment, then strokes her face lovingly with his thumb.
"You," he begins, his voice full of warmth, "...are the kindest and most loving woman in this harem."
"I try to be worthy of my place here," she replies. "I don't come from a rich or noble family like your other Ladies. There's no other life waiting for me beyond these walls. Without you, I am nothing."
He smiles again, deeper this time, and Joana can feel it—he doesn't say a word, but she knows. She knows he liked what she said. That it reached something deep within him.
She lays her head back on his chest, letting herself sink into the comfort of his embrace. His arm wraps tightly around her shoulders, pulling her close again, and she closes her eyes, listening to the steady, reassuring beat of his heart beneath her cheek.
"Will you stay?" she whispers, her voice barely audible. "Just until I'm asleep. I do not wish to close my eyes without you here."
"Yes," he says simply, without hesitation. "I will stay for as long as you want me to."