Several days later
“What do you think? I’ll wear this on the way there,” pointing at the simple red dress embroidered with some gold flakes and strings that Tiana is holding in her hands, “then I’ll change into the black one for the wedding and the dinner,” caressing the beautiful black silk of the dress, “and then I’ll put on the white one for the day after the wedding, when only the family is in the Palace.”
I walk between the entirety of the collection of dresses currently displayed in the fitting room, while Cerolus is sitting on a chair in a corner barely paying any attention. “Hey!” Cerolus finally digs his head out of the stack of papers he is holding and looks over what I’m presenting.
“I’m sure you’ll look amazing whatever you decide to wear, so there’s no need to worry. I’ll have these dresses packed and ready in the carriage. Also,” he makes a simple hand gesture at one of the Demons in the room, at which she brings out a small wooden box, “I think these will go well with the black dress.”
The Demon opens the box, which reveals a pair of long, black gloves with a small gem on one side of the hand. I put a single glove on that ends up covering my hand almost to my elbow with the red gem sitting comfortably on the back of my palm.
Cerolus continues his speech while I appraise the gemstone on my hand. “I had it made with a fire magic crystal, which should allow you some greater power should you need it. The glove is made from Pyre Spider silk, making it extremely durable to fire magic, so you don’t need to worry about gloves getting damaged in the process.” Cerolus’ wide smile makes me wonder what he actually prepared for, a wedding or a duel.
“What are you going to wear, Cerolus?” Please don’t let it be armour and a sword. He looks horrifying. Mysterious, enchanting and strong, yes, but still horrifying.
“I was thinking about a nice coat. Armours are usually worn to weddings, but I get the feeling your family won’t appreciate it much this time.” He walks out of the fitting room, only to quickly reappear holding two coats, one dim grey and the other sanguine, in his hands. “So, which one do you think looks better?”
Is he asking me for my opinion? Why would he do that? I know next to nothing about what he likes to wear and how he likes to look. I even like the daily coat he wears because he looks good in… everything.
“The grey one.” How in the World did he consider red to go well with his skin? It would probably look amazing on him regardless, but let’s not try it out now. We’ll end up with similar colours, but that doesn’t sound so bad. On the contrary, maybe it’ll look well even.
“Well, that deals with that issue. I’ve taken care of the town administration,” he takes a quill and scribbles across one of the papers in the pile, “made the arrangements for transport,” another scribble on the paper, “sent a letter to your Palace confirming our presence at the wedding,” now he is starting to walk around the room counting things on his fingers rambling about the things he did or should do for the trip.
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I really should be listening more to what he’s saying, and maybe start to take a more active approach to leading this place at least. I feel absolutely useless as is.
“Oh right, the wedding present, I almost forgot about it,” Cerolus puts a paper in the air. A hand reaches out of the shadow on the wall and grasps the paper, Rikkir’s face appearing out of the wall shortly. “Give this to the apothecary. He’ll know what to do with it.”
What does this wedding present entail? Shouldn’t I be more worried about my husband giving presents to my brother? He never tried to harm me that I’m sure of, but I don’t know what he thinks of Renald.
“Don’t worry, Sophia, it’s completely harmless. That doesn’t mean I’ll tell you what it is, though.” Cerolus flashes a grin at me, his teeth making it more vicious than anything.
“I guess that settles everything.
We’re leaving the day after tomorrow, so we get at Frital the day before the wedding.
Now, I believe you still have magical training to do.”
I’ll pray for you brother. I somehow think you’ll need it.
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“Renald, why did you invite that blasted Demon in our home again?” Father looks at me with a completely stern look. Does he not remember that Sophia is married to “the blasted Demon”, as he likes to call him?
“How else am I supposed to invite Sophia to the wedding?”
“Alone! I never want to see his face again after that day.” He is already fuming like he did every day for the past week after I sent those messengers Sophia’s way.
“You really think he’d let her come without coming himself? Last time he was here, he never let her out of his sight.”
“I’ll find a way to get her out of that marriage, believe me on that! I never should’ve accepted that treaty, it’s the cause of all this!” The smell of wine already radiating all around my Father, I try to stay calm and not worry about the upcoming event.
I recall the last time I saw Elena, the day I asked her father for her hand, her sweet smell around my neck as we spent the entire day in the Gardens. It always helps me relax and lose all my worries.
I won’t let a Demon ruin my wedding. That is for sure.
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A few days earlier
“Miss Ophelia, we should be arriving at the Leonian coast shortly.” The captain of the ship has taken quite an interest in me over these past weeks of sailing, constantly trying to entertain me with stories of monsters, beautiful voyages and various adventures he had encountered over the years.
Taller than average, his bright blonde hair and clear blue eyes would never make me consider him a ship’s captain or any kind of warrior for that matter. Someone looking like he does would most fit in a college or a study.
His skin and attire, however, tells a different story. Various cuts and bruises show on the exposed skin, and his unwillingness to wear anything more dignified do tell of someone who is used to this kind of life. It’s strangely attractive, to be honest, but a noblewoman like myself should never be caught mingling with someone like him.
Perhaps it would’ve been easier if I were not of noble birth. My talent in spellcasting had already got me so far with barely any need of support of my family, at this point, I think that all the imposed rules are holding me back.
I look at the coast of Lesthoria, too far to spot anything of relevance. How Humans came to inhabit such huge swaths of land is surprising. They barely even held in that Great War, as they’re calling it. It took a lot of our best casters, as well as Kriosine etchers to allow them to hold the line properly. Humans even started the war in the first place, if our accounts of their history are correct.
And now when everything has gone to peace, my family ‘proposes’ that I go to a Royal Wedding. At least it will give me some freedom from being constantly watched and controlled by them.
Who knows, maybe I get to see something interesting in this place, Frital, as it’s called.