Looking around Yarani’s room, I couldn’t help asking myself if I should move her. It was pretty close to my rooms, certainly indicating a favored position. Maybe even intended as a home for a less close spouse to a member of the Imperial family. Then again, it probably didn’t matter. I’d only met Kajare briefly since our arrival, but neither he nor anyone else from his side had seemed to notice or care that I already had someone.

It’s getting easier to think like a princess. Not sure if I like that or not. Shaking my head, I returned my attention to my lover, who had just finished rearranging the decoration on the table.

“I feel a little bad that I didn’t ask you before agreeing to this marriage,” I admitted. “It would have been the obvious thing to do where I’m from, though polyamorous relationships were rare, anyway.”

She smiled slightly. “I still find the thought of this different life you remember a little strange. But you don’t need to feel bad. I’m aware that this is something you’re doing for your Mother and the Empire. I expected something like it sooner or later. I’m aware of my position, and I won’t make trouble for Lord Kajare or you.”

I nodded. “I hope no one has given you trouble because of your ‘lesser status’?”

She snorted. “No. I may be technically a commoner but none of those nobles would try to disparage the Imperial Princess’ favorite. They’re not stupid.”

That made sense. If things go well, then maybe in a few years, or decades, I might marry Yarani as well. Not like it will change much for me. If I can marry someone I don’t really know, why not someone I actually like? I nodded to myself. I’ll see how things go. Though I’d better keep that thought to myself.

“You know, you could do worse,” she said, smiling at me. “Kajare seems nice enough. With this, some of the people advocating for you to marry and give the clan heirs are going to back off a bit.”

I leaned back in my chair, crossing my hands behind my head. “Yeah. That’s something, I guess. By the way … well, did you ever want to have children?”

She looked down. “Inaris, you know I only like women. That is a pretty clear answer to the matter of children.”

I shifted in my chair and leaned forward a bit. “I know. But in general? Say, with adoption, magic, younger relatives, whatever.”

She looked thoughtful. “I suppose. It might be nice at some point. What about you?”

“I’m pretty much going to have to. Everyone expects it, and we need to have more heirs.” I shrugged. “Especially since Al isn’t likely to have children. I guess I don’t really mind. I want kids eventually, just not any time soon. Just wanted to hear what you thought about the topic.”

With this marriage and its assorted implications, especially the impressions I’d gotten from some people, I’d given the whole matter some thought, and come to a few conclusions. One of which was that while I didn’t know how close Kajare and I might be, I’d prefer to have them with someone I liked and trusted, like Yarani, if it came to that.

Yarani frowned. “That sounds like something you should talk to your betrothed about instead of me. Or — you mean your shapeshifting …?”

I shrugged. “I’m certainly not there yet, but I see no reason why I wouldn’t be able to manage producing the needed cells.”

Yarani shook her head. “That’s a little odd to think about. Let’s talk about it if and when it becomes relevant.”

“Of course.” I hadn’t really wanted to spell it out like this to her, though I did like having some foundation for planning things like this, for the future. But for now, I shelved that line of thought.

I took out a chessboard and the corresponding pieces, and we quickly turned our minds to the game. Yarani was pretty good, probably better than Xiaodan. At this point, we’d played chess often enough that she’d started to get the hang of it, and I really had to work for a win.

I’d just managed to take her last tower and was trying to figure out how to checkmate her without letting her turn it into a draw, when I sensed people approaching. I paused and looked to the door. After a few seconds, a guard knocked and, after acknowledgment from Yarani, quickly came inside.

He bowed quickly. “Your Highness, my lady, Prince Kajare intends to visit Lady Tia. Should we tell him you are occupying her time and turn him away?”

I shifted in my seat so I faced the door and glanced at Yarani. “No need to tell him anything, just let him in.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

A few moments later, my intended stepped through the door. He paused as he saw the two of us, who were politely rising to meet him. One of his eyebrows climbed a little before he controlled his expression and gave a polite bow. “Imperial Princess. I wasn’t aware of your presence. Please excuse my interruption, my ladies. I will not bother you any further.”

“No need.” I smiled at him and gestured to a chair. “Please, take a seat.”

“It is a pleasure to talk to you again, my lord,” Yarani added, as Kajare sat down on the indicated chair.

“Oh? You’ve met before?” I looked from one to the other. It was a good sign that he wanted to talk to Yarani, as far as I was concerned. It showed he was at least a little proactive about this.

“Lady Yarani took the initiative to graciously welcome me to the Empire and the palace,” Kajare said, with a nod to her. “She gave me what I’m sure will be valuable advice, as well. Since we both came in some sense as outsiders.”

“That’s good to hear.”

I wished I could have heard that conversation. Maybe I could get Yarani to tell me more of what they’d talked about, later. Hey, maybe one tip was to get a haircut? I think I mentioned I don’t like long hair on men to her once.

“His Highness is too kind.” Yarani smiled brightly.

I leaned back and took a closer look at them. Yarani’s living room had large windows that let in a lot of light, which caught in a few pearls in her hair. She looked relaxed with a polite and attentive expression. I knew she came from a merchant family, so social niceties weren’t something alien to her, but I still found it impressive how she managed to fit in here at the palace.

Kajare wore a set of robes today. Their dark blue color complimented his now-short black hair nicely and the silver embroidery looked intricate and graceful. He cut a nice figure. And wore the Leri clan’s colours. As my official betrothed who will be joining the clan. It’s a nice gesture.

“My lady,” Yarani turned to me, still smiling. “There is that soiree I mentioned, with a distinguished group of musicians including the new flutist everyone is excited about. They will start soon, and I would not want to be late. If you would excuse me?”

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I was surprised, although I hopefully managed not to show it. Knowing Yarani, this event probably existed, although she hadn’t mentioned it before. But I appreciated how she must have picked up on my wish to talk to Kajare and was leaving the two of us to it. I nodded. “Of course. Enjoy yourself. If they are truly that good, perhaps we could go to the next event together.”

“I will be sure to give you my opinion.” She stood and smiled at me before she bowed her way out of the room.

Kajare shifted in his seat, looking around the room. “I suppose I should go. Thank you for receiving me.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “If you’re worried about propriety, there are guards outside the door. It’s not like this will endanger the marriage or something, either. Of course, if you really want to leave, I won’t mind.”

He stilled and looked at me with a piercing gaze. I practically saw him weighing things in his mind. Then he smiled, and the moment passed. “Of course, my lady. I would be glad to provide my company if you want it.”

I nodded and took a moment to check our surroundings. There were two guards outside the door and two further down the hallway, one to the side of us in another corridor. I also sensed three unfamiliar signatures that felt similar, who had to be guards of Kajare. They took up alternating positions with my own. A few servants lurked around, as well, though I doubted they could hear us through the thick walls. I was tempted to put up a barrier to give us more privacy, but I didn’t want to spook my betrothed.

“I thought it would be nice to talk to each other in a more informal setting,” I said. “Before we’re married. I’d like to get to know you, and I’d like you to be at ease around me.”

He nodded, and tension visibly seeped from his posture. “Of course, lady Inaris. That sounds like a good idea.”

I smiled. “Good. As you’ll probably soon learn, I don’t like stuffy formality or rigid, hierarchical thinking. While I try my best to be the princess the Empire needs, I spend much of my time working on technological and formation research. Many of the people I work with are older and more experienced, and I like how we can share our ideas freely.”

Kajare looked interested and a little surprised, probably wondering why I was telling him this now. But like I’d said, I wanted him to feel more comfortable around me, and sharing personal information had a way of helping with that. I’d share a secret if I had one that I felt I could risk like this.

“I can understand that,” he answered. “There are often strict expectations for princes, in Terbekteri, as well. I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t have some confidants I could talk to.”

“Did you bring them with you when you traveled here?”

His expression darkened. “Some of them. Of course, my brothers and cousins stayed.”

I rested my head on my hand. “It must be quite a change, going from your home to here, leaving almost everything you know behind.”

He shrugged. “That’s how things go, isn’t it?”

I hummed thoughtfully. “It’s still quite a sacrifice for you to come here and marry me. I just wanted to note I can appreciate that.”

His expression stayed closed off. “If you’ll forgive me for being blunt, Princess Inaris, where are you going with this line of questioning?”

I sighed. “I apologize if I’m being pushy. I’d just like to understand how you see this marriage, so we can deal with each other more easily.”

He frowned. “Not what one might expect from your prior behavior. From what I’ve heard, your family was rather resolute in refusing this match and didn’t agree until my side insisted on it.”

I straightened up a little, meeting his gaze firmly. He’s showing some teeth. Cute. “You’re right. As you’ve probably heard from your sources, I didn’t want this at first. But now that it’s happening, things have changed and I’m coming to accept it.”

“I see.”

“It was nothing personal, against your kingdom or you.” I shrugged. “I simply didn’t like the idea of marrying. Especially right now, so soon. I didn’t expect to have to manage something like this.”

To be fair, I was only nineteen, quite a young age to get married among cultivators. Perhaps also because, for many people, it would be hard to know what their future held, how strong they’d turn out to be.

His frown eased a little and he nodded. “Of course. I understand that. Thank you for explaining, lady Inaris.”

I stayed quiet for a moment, then shook my head softly. “You don’t have to answer this if you don’t want, my prince. But I would like to know why you agreed to this. Surely it can’t just be my bloodline?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Now that you mention it, I never did get a straight answer regarding your bloodline, although Father seemed quite convinced the rumors were true.”

I laughed. “Yes, it’s true. Rijoko is my father.” I shrugged. “Of course, I never even talked to him, although spirits have treated me differently since awakening my bloodline, and there are a few perks.” I hesitated and hardened my expression as I looked at him. “It’s not all fun and games, though. I have enemies because of this bloodline. Powerful people have tried to kill me already. This may affect you, too.”

“Ah. Not quite what I was expecting to hear, to be honest.” He smiled wryly. “I understand. I’ve been told there might be assassins here. You possess a powerful bloodline and will have even more strength, that sort of thing is sadly to be expected.”

Thoughtfully, I glanced out the window. The sun was just setting, and I could see the faint outline of the moon hanging in the sky, a white crescent adding its light to the last rays of the sun. I’d found I almost always knew if the moon was up or how it would look, even without looking at memories of calendars or reasoning it out from the last time. Of course, I spent most of my nights cultivating, sometimes outside, so I’d become familiar with the night sky.

“To be honest, I was never targeted like that, back home,” Kajare said, shrugging. “I suppose I was too unimportant. With nine older brothers, plus two younger ones, and twenty sisters, my loss wouldn’t have mattered much on a political level.”

Mentally, I whistled at the numbers. Well, his father is over three hundred. They wouldn’t have to worry about death in childbirth, and have very long life expectancies. This is actually on the low side compared to what it could be.

“I can hardly imagine that,” I said. “I feel like the Leri clan is a very large family, although there are many bigger ones, and my immediate family is rather small. I’ve been sheltered but I’ve never been one of many, and I’m used to being the oldest.”

“Then you might not understand why I felt like the Kingdom didn’t hold much of a future for me,” he continued, a faint frown on his face at the topic. “There wasn’t much I could really aspire to. Perhaps being a minor general in the army or the governor of a far-flung province, if I did well. But I would never have been in real danger or mattered all that much, at least to most of my family or the nation in general. It would have been hard to really prove myself or rise above.”

I nodded slowly. “That’s fair. That’s very fair. I can understand the desire to aspire to something greater, to want to walk new paths.”

“Exactly.” He smiled softly.

“But if you’d focused on cultivating and managed to reach a high stage, wouldn’t your position have improved?”

“Probably, but I already have two older brothers who might well make it to the eighth stage.” He shrugged. “And even if I managed to rise high without ever really encountering adversity, which seems unlikely, it wouldn’t have given me the skills and knowledge I needed to really make something of it. So I took the chance to come here, and hoped that you wanted a partner and not a stallion.”

I laughed. I knew that this was pretty much the best match he could have made. He would probably have a higher station and more power as the Prince Consort here than as Tenth Prince in Terbekteri. But I didn’t think he was lying about wanting to challenge himself and grow stronger. Personal growth, really. And he was already in the middle part of the fourth stage at the age of twenty-three, though of course he looked barely twenty.

“That’s good,” I answered. “Not that you aren’t handsome, but I would certainly prefer a smart and driven partner. And if there’s one thing I can promise you, it’s that there are interesting times ahead.”

He smiled, his expression lighting up a bit. “I can certainly believe that. Especially with what troubles may be coming with this marriage.”

I frowned. “What specifically are you talking about?”

He hesitated, eyes darting around quickly. “Right, your Mother must not have had time to tell you yet. Father told me to only talk about it with Her Majesty and people specializing in these sorts of things. But I suppose as my future wife and partner I should tell you.”

I sat up straighter. This doesn’t sound good. What is it now? “I’m listening.”

“The Dominion is not pleased with this alliance.” His expression darkened, and the veil on his aura slipped a little, letting some of his strength shine through. “Father told me that their representative made trouble about it. I don’t know how they found out, but it hardly matters. The Zarian actually stated that they would see this marriage and alliance as a provocation and slight and react accordingly. There were some not so veiled threats regarding the strength of their army.”

I swallowed hard. This does not sound good at all. Crap. Of course the Zarian would feel threatened, but surely they wouldn’t go to war over this?

I clenched my fingers into my chair’s armrests. If Jideia pushes them and if they’re afraid of our advances, they just might. I don’t know.