There had once been a period in Philippe’s life where he considered himself quite content to be alone. Like most young men who were committed to the life of being a soldier, there wasn’t the same societal pressure for him to take a bride as there was for his older brother. And all of that changed the first moment he saw her; Amelia.

It didn’t matter how many times her saw her, every time was just as thrilling as the first. Even after a day of training and seeing one another often, it was a whole other thing entirely to see her sitting at the table, waiting for his arrival and sipping on a glass of wine. He had gotten a bit delayed with his last group, but with Amelia being the type to plan ahead, she had already had him a suit to change into; so he simply changed and cleaned himself up a bit before heading on his way.

He stood just through the doorway for a moment, admiring the way her dark complimented her fair complexion, the way she caught sight of him and smiled, giving an elegant wave of her hand. As if he had spotted her the second he stepped through the door. He couldn’t help but smile broadly back at her as he approached the table. “Of course, I’m up for anything with you, my dear.” Such sweet swords from such a serious voice. He leaned forward and kissed her, nothing too flashy as they were in public, but more than enough to make him grin as he took his seat across from her.

“You look breathtaking.” He said, hazel eyes drifting from the glass of wine he was pouring, back to her.

Although they had been married for six years now, she still got butterflies in her stomach when she saw Philippe. They had one of these rare love stories. They had been paired in the witch-paired program, and had soon fallen in love. Her parents had never been very involved in her life, so they hadn't had any objections. Of course the fact that Philippe was noble as well had definitely helped. They wouldn't have been as accepting if he had been a commoner.

Her dark eyes were focused on him, and the waiter had left the table, thinking he had confused her kindness with flirtiness, given the fact she had a husband. Amelia paid him no mind, her eyes were solely on Philippe now.

His words made him smile, a smile that remained on her lips as he kissed her. Just a small kiss, suitable for the public eye.

"Thank you", she replied with a soft and somewhat flirty, low voice. "So do you. A man in a military suit is one thing, but a suit like that..." Amelia chuckled and took a sip of her wine. Then she sighed, a pleased and relaxed sigh. "I need this. It's been so hectic lately with all these soldiers on tour. But I won't talk about work too much." She smiled at him. "I've heard the game meat is delicious here."

Philippe's eyes twinkled as he looked at Amelia, feeling a familiar warmth spread through him at her words. Even after six years of marriage, he still felt a rush of affection whenever she looked at him with such adoration. He took her hand in his, feeling the smoothness of her skin and the gentle strength in her fingers.

"Amelia, you always know how to make me feel like the most important man in the room," He said, his voice filled with genuine appreciation. He leaned back slightly, allowing himself a moment to simply enjoy her presence. "I think we both needed this. A chance to unwind and just be together without the pressures of our duties hanging over us. And yes, I've heard great things about the game meat here as well. I'm looking forward to seeing if it lives up to the hype."

Philippe squeezed her hand gently, his gaze softening. "But most of all, I'm just happy to be here with you." There weren’t many things that got the battle worn lieutenant to smile and soften the way he did with Amelia.

A playful look appeared in her eyes at the mention of making him feel like the most important man. She played with a strand of her hair while looking at him. If she had been a cartoon character, she would have heart eyes right about now.

She agreed that they both needed this. It was important to have a solid and good balance. She was already glad they had the same rank in the military, otherwise there could have been tension between them, something she definitely didn't want. The game meat sounded promising and she was excited to try it.

She stroked his hand with her thumb, enjoying the soft squeeze. Nobody could make her feel as loved as Philippe. "So am I", Amelia said with a soft smile. The servant approached them again, and Amelia glanced briefly at him before looking at Philippe. "Should we get an appetizer first, or go straight for that game meat?"

Whatever Philippe said, they would do. The waiter returned to the bar/kitchen to give their order to the cook. "What's the right amount of tipsy for an evening such as this one?" she asked, playful once more.

The way she played with a bit of her hair, and that playful look in her eyes made the man unable to contain a broad grin for her. He was so fortunate to have married for love and not position or title. Amelia was perfection in his eyes.

While his military career wasn’t near as impressive as her or her sister’s; Philippe had made enough of a name for himself that he had reached the same rank as his lovely wife. It definitely helped in some of the more tense moments to know they stood on level footing, though Philippe had the utmost respect for her skill in battle. There was no one he’d trust more in a difficult situation than Amelia.

“Of course, anything your heart desires my love.” He said with a gentle nod, looking up to the man he gave instructions for their desired food preferences as well as asking for an appetizer.

Philippe’s chuckled and tapped his chin thoughtfully for a moment. “I suppose that might depend on if you would prefer to walk or be carried from here later.” He teased, taking a sip of his own wine glass. Philippe liked seeing Amelia letting loose and enjoying herself, so he would never suggest she hold back in that regard.

'Anything your heart desires' had been words that Philippe had said to her on multiple occasions, in different situations. It had led her to cut her hair short once, it had caused her to buy two dresses instead of one, but it had also opened up their marriage. It was something she enjoyed, but she still wasn't sure what Philippe thought of it. She didn't really share a lot of stories, but neither did he. Amelia mostly used their open marriage as a way to experiment with women, and not necessarily men because she was happy with Philippe, but it often seemed like he had agreed to it only because it was something her heart desired.

The woman tried to push away the thought, her eyes tracking the waiter's movement absent-mindedly as he walked away from the table. She then asked her husband what the right amount of tipsy would be. His response made her chuckle, which created small dimples around her mouth. "Perhaps carrying is something that's best done under private circumstances", she responded, hinting to being carried to the bedroom. "I'll be a nice and decent woman for you and the people around us tonight."

Philippe knew that when it came down to it; he would do absolutely anything to keep Amelia happy. He loved to see her smile, and found himself in support of her doing a variety of things. Including opening up their marriage. While it wasn’t exactly something he actively exercised on his end, he tried to be encouraging when she was looking for some other company. But, he also didn’t try to pry much on the matter, as he didn’t quite enjoy the thought of his wife being with someone else. Sure, the idea of her enjoying fun with a woman was actually something he found quite arousing. But if he was completely honest, he hadn’t made any more to exercise the ‘open’ aspect of their marriage for himself. He couldn’t help it, when he thought about wanting someone, it was Amelia every time.

He tried not to pay attention to her eyes tracking the waiter’s movements, and instead enjoyed the way her chuckles revealed the dimples around her mouth. She was absolutely a vision! “I do believe you are right there. We can save the carrying for later.” He teased with a rakishly charming grin. “If that’s what you’d like, just don’t stifle yourself too much, my Love.” He gave a soft squeeze to her hand, then took any other drink from his glass of wine.