Chapter 13
Meanwhile, there was another person who had not slept a wink the previous night.
Asteria lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to stop replaying the sound of cannon fire. No matter how she tried, sleep would not come.
She willed herself not to think of it, yet the memory of kissing Lucian, of holding his c**k in her mouth and sucking him only grew sharper.
‘No. I mustn’t think of it anymore.’
She repeated the thought again and again, but she could not erase what had happened that day.
And yet Lucian had taken a wife that day. Surely their improper relationship had ended then and there.
‘Nothing will happen from now on.’
Asteria vividly remembered the way his eyes had gazed at her. Those jewel-blue eyes had brimmed with desire. His gaze alone had made her feel as though her body might scorch.
‘He has already taken a wife.’
Lucian would forget his momentary diversion and be faithful to his new wife. He would do as the other men of the imperial house had done: sire an heir and carry on his reign.
‘I was so certain I hoped it would never happen again, and yet…!’
That feeling persisted even now. The improper relationship with Lucian weighed on Asteria heavily. But separate from that, the mere fact of his marriage nagged at her in a way she could not explain.
‘No. I have no right to feel this way.’
She had been raised solely to be Lucian’s Saintess. All she needed to do was read the stars and follow the dreams for him alone.
Whether he had a wife or not was of no importance to her, nor was it something she had any right to concern herself with.
“My lady Saintess, you’re up early.”
Lost in her thoughts as dawn broke, Clarisse entered and greeted her. Asteria had not slept at all, but she simply nodded.
“The imperial wedding… I suppose it went without incident?”
“I would imagine so.”
Life in the White Tower had always carried on with little connection to the palace. What mattered here was the Saintess’s well-being and the Emperor, nothing more.
“Did you dream last night?”
“…No.”
Asteria could not bring herself to admit she had not slept a wink.
“Well, since the imperial wedding has taken place, His Majesty likely won’t be visiting here for a while.”
“Right.”
She had not seen Lucian once since that day. Perhaps that was why these emotions churned so restlessly inside her.
* * *
In the Orbien Empire, after an imperial wedding, it was customary to burn the consummation sheet atop the roof, sending up smoke as a rite wishing the couple a lifetime of devotion.
But by midday, no sheet had been burned.
“Is it true the Emperor didn’t even set foot in the Empress’s Palace?”
“Yes, Empress Dowager.”
Sophia’s answer darkened Isadora’s expression.
“What on earth happened?”
“From what I’ve gathered, His Majesty drank far too much at the reception, and Sir Ezra had to practically carry him back to his own quarters. That was around dawn, so…”
What followed was obvious without hearing more. Emperor Lucian, the root cause of this entire debacle, was no doubt sprawled out in a dead sleep at this very moment.
Isadora couldn’t help but sigh at the situation.
“What is the mood at the Empress’s Palace?”
“It is exactly as you would imagine.”
No matter how much wine one drank at a reception, there was no precedent for failing to consummate the wedding night. Even if he were drunk past all reason, Lucian should have gone to the Empress’s Palace. He had neglected that duty entirely.
“I’m told Her Majesty the Empress is deeply saddened and has been weeping inconsolably.”
At Sophia’s additional report, Isadora sighed once more.
“There is no precedent for this. What can the Emperor possibly be thinking?”
She clicked her tongue in irritation.
She, too, had been a woman married to an Emperor. In those days, Isadora had been the only daughter of House Serano, a distinguished ducal family, and the young late Emperor had been a captivating man. Their honeymoon had burned as passionately as any couple’s.
It was thanks to that passion she had been able to bear Lucian.
“He’s been frequenting the White Tower lately… Surely this isn’t because of the Saintess?”
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.