Aleksandra pressed her lips together and sighed through her nose, keeping her gaze trained anywhere except for on Aulfr. "I did say that," she quietly confirmed. She continued making her slow movements, forcing herself to keep calm and keep steady. This wasn't anything he didn't already know or hadn't guessed. She loved him. Of course she did, or she wouldn't have even entertained the thought of putting his hands on her the way she had.

"I do love you. I, Aleksandra Belikova, am in love with Aulfr Volsung. You're everything I've wanted for over ten years. Safety, comfort, someone strong enough to carry me when my fear threatens to overwhelm me. You've never underestimated me and you treat me like an equal, even knowing all that you do about me. You see me as I am. Terrified and angry, and filled with a deep enough darkness that just looking into my eyes has made weaker men piss themselves."

"You've seen me drunk, seen me naked, seen me crying as if everything and everyone I love has been destroyed. You've seen me laughing and smiling. You have always tried to respect my many, many physical boundaries. And I've let you touch me in a way no other man has before."

She couldn't keep swinging the stupid sword around anymore. She went still and let the tip sink to the floor, finally lifting her eyes to meet his. She kept her expression carefully neutral. Waiting to see his reaction. "I trust you with all of me. My life, my possessions. I trust you with my body. Which is something I've never been comfortable letting anyone touch. Not even other women."

She set the sword down and approached him again, leaning into his chest with a soft sigh. She took his hands and set them on her back, and did the same to him. Only she let her hands trail up and down his back, very lightly running her nails over the warm skin on either side of his spine. "I'm sure this is a great inconvenience for you, O Future Oberjarl. Having one of your pawns pining after you. You needn't reciprocate my feelings. I'm not looking for that. I just needed you to really know how I feel. And one day, I'm sure your ambitious self will want to marry some princess from some distant land that you conquer and I'll be let go, free to maim and kill to my heart's desire. Until then, I'll enjoy you."