As I am walking with Cassius to the huge banquet hall in the palace where the ceremonial dinner will be held, a concern comes to my mind. I stopped and turned to look into his eyes. “Will it hurt to be marked?”

He gently cups my face in his right hand, “A temporary mark carries with it a fleeting pain, but a permanent one only brings ecstasy.” Captivated by his tenderness, I rose to my tip-toes and gave him a kiss. He smiled into it as his freehand pulled me closer. Breathlessly, we ...