Vladislav’s first instinct at the small figure rushing to wrap her arms around his person was to stiffen immediately. He had never been one for physical touch. The only ones who had ever dared to breach that invisible wall of familiarity were his siblings, and even then, it was not common. So, he found himself at a loss when Allegra’s embrace was all he could feel upon delivering the good news to her.
That, in itself, was also a rare occurrence. How often did he actually have anything good to bring to someone else? The most recent incident happened to be when he told his younger brother he would have to marry the same delicate little thing that was currently trying to suffocate him with her sturdy grip. That had been received so poorly that Niklaus had refused to speak to him for weeks
