She had never understood the religion, but damn, there was no denying that she truly admired the opulent designs it had inspired in Andervale.
Every flower seemed to be blooming in the Midsummer Gardens at the centre of town. Jodie loved exploring the gardens as a child when her family would visit Andervale. She had a fondness for picking flowers of as many different colours and types as possible and seemed to always be amazed at the sheer variety the natural world had to offer her.
She missed that curiosity, the innocence of youth.
The streets were bustling with every sort of person. Peasants, whores, farmers, lords and ladies, merchants, drunkards, children.
Kites with long silver and red streamers flew high above the terracotta tiles and lime-mortared buildings. Some were the shape of the crescent moon, others in the shape of House Seynard’s spear sigil.
Paper confetti floated through the air on the gentle sea breeze, thousands of pieces, like falling snow.
Bands played through the street parades as taverns on every corner sold their stocks of wines and ales. Street vendors took their carts along, full to the brim with sweet fruits, smoked meats, and seafood delicacies.
They look as small as ants from up here! It was truly a sight to behold- a magical celebration of colours, smells, and sounds.
Jodie could not help but smile at the joyous morning before her. The jousting would begin soon, followed by the ever-popular melee.
Jodie must have overslept, she realised. But she wasn’t tough on herself for it- it had been a rough night with Wesley.
There was a knock on her door.
“Come in,” Jodie said as she put on a long, maroon dress, tight around the stomach to highlight her slim figure.
Ciana, her sister-by-law, entered Jodie’s quarters, looking stunning as ever.
It was hard not to feel intimidated by Ciana’s beauty when in her presence. She wore Caldaea’s colours, yellow and white with her dark hair plaited in three strands and coiled around her head. Her cut hand from the ceremony the night before had been bandaged with a white linen cloth.
“Morning, sister,” Ciana said, shutting the door behind her.
Jodie kissed Ciana on the cheek, embracing her warmly. “How’s the hand?”
Ciana shrugged. “Still aching. These damn westerners and their moon blasphemies. They’re an archaic bunch.”
“Shhh,” Jodie said, pulling her sister-by-law away from the door. “None of that, now. We aren’t at home anymore, who knows who could be listening on the other side of that door.”
Ciana turned back, looking the door she had stepped through up and down for a second before brushing the thought off. “And, how are you? Did you sleep well?”
“I never sleep well in Caldaea. The air is too humid, and the nights are too loud.”
Ciana smiled.
I’d kill for those thick red lips, Jodie thought to herself. “I overslept. The tourney will be starting soon,” she said as she cleaned her face with a damp washcloth.
“Oh, how exciting,” Ciana said with an eyeroll and grouchy expression.
“Now, now. King Tobius has dedicated a lot of time and resources to today. The whole city is celebrating for you. You must remember to maintain your composure, like I taught you.”
Ciana did not alter her expression.
“Try to look happy!” Jodie said with a smirk. “You’re married now! To a prince!”
“If you can call him that. You saw the way people treated him last night. His own father practically emasculated him!”
“Ciana, you need to maintain your composure.”
Ciana forced a fake smile on her face, squinting her eyes and waving her hand gracefully in the air as if to appease a crowd of onlookers.
Jodie chuckled. “Much better.”
“If I’m being honest, I almost feel bad for the Seynards,” Ciana said, taking a seat in a opulent cushioned armchair that had probably been crafted in Dawnhill. “The kingdom is rejoicing. Knights and nobles have arrived from across the continent. All this money and effort for a sham wedding.”
“It’s too late to regret anything now.”
“I regret nothing.”
“Good. Look at it this way- Wesley is the first-born prince. A huge wedding with every luxury is to be expected from such a rich kingdom. King Tobius has wanted Wesley to find a wife for as long as I can remember. Just play their games, for now.”
Jodie could remember, even as children, when Wesley’s father had poured every effort into constructing strong diplomatic relations in order to find Wesley the most suitable bride. Betrothal to a powerful family was all that mattered when it came to his son. He was a man who wanted his son to have a glorious rule at any expense.
“If it wasn’t for that man’s greed, the whole border conflict would never have begun in the first place,” Ciana complained. Jodie could detect the resent in her voice. “Thousands of our men dead, years of turmoil and instability. And for what?” She callously raised her arms in the air. “For this?”
“You know there’s more to it than that. As the other half of the marriage family, we are expected to attend and engage with the festivities. No more complaining.”
Ciana picked up a red apple from a fruit platter left on the table from the previous night. She crunched into it. “Ah-huh.”
Jodie stepped up to Ciana and took her hand. “For all this to work, we need to continue how we have been. That means going about your wifely duties as I trained you, attending your wedding celebrations. Dance the dance, sister. Until the prince breaks, and then you will be free of him.”
And I will be free as well.
Ciana nodded. “You’re right.”
“I know this is not an ideal marriage for you. But it is only the first. You will have another
