A/N: I own nothing but plot. Enjoy!
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When the Kiran procession rolled into the royal palace, the wedding was already over. Princess Alana stepped out and waited for palace attendants to loudly announce her presence per palace protocol. However, no one did, much to her ire and impatience. Instead a single attendant only came out and ushered them inside the banquet hall without announcing her name.
Princess Alana frowned. She had planned the announcement to gather as much attention as possible before the crowning ceremony could start. But the people inside the banquet hall were chatting freely, laughing and eating on delicate cheese and wine. No one paid attention to the latecomers from Kiran. The two thrones at the top of the banquet hall were empty.
"If you could come this way, Your Highness, His and Her Majesties are receiving well wishes at the front."
Alana's expression darkened momentarily before recovering smoothly. Did that mean the crowning ceremony was over?
"Oh? Has my sister been crowned already? There's still time before three o' clock, isn't it?"
The attendant bowed. "Replying to Her Highness, the crowning ceremony happened right after the wedding in the morning."
Alana's face became stony. Luke, who was escorting her, noticed her unhappiness.
"How rude to start the ceremony without Her Highness. Don't you realize that your queen is her sister?" Luke demanded.
"Our apologies. All the other guests had arrived yesterday per the invitation so we naturally assumed Kiran's delegation had arrived as well." A female voice interjected gently. "I didn't know that my dear sister would be late to my wedding."
The king and new queen of Eldoris had approached. Alana studied the handsome Eldoris king, whom she had once considered for marriage. His brow was strong, indicating his personality. He would not have been easy to control as the prince of Tynan or Luke would be. But as for her sister...
Annabeth was smiling brightly and innocently, no longer showing any sign of fear that she used to. How Alana hated seeing those grey eyes staring so straightforwardly back at her. If only Alana could gouge them out. Those same grey eyes in Annabeth's mother had captivated the Kiran king once until Circe had gotten rid of that errant maid.
What was even more unnerving was the fact that Annabeth had not taken a single glance at Sir Luke by Alana's side, as if Luke was someone insignificant. This was not the reaction Alana had planned.
It was also Annabeth who had spoken as well. Her woods hinted that it was Alana's fault for being late. Back in Kiran, she would have never dared to speak that way. Only now she had the support of the Eldoris king.
"I apologize, sister. The long trip made me feel unwell. But I am glad that you look well, sister," Alana said. "Seeing this, I am relieved that you have quite adjusted to Eldoris."
"Do I? It must be due to all the care from my husband." Annabeth and the king shared a tender glance that had Alana sicken on the inside. "I must also thank you, dear sister, for the love and care you have sent me all these years. I will make sure to repay what you have shown me a hundred times. It's only fair, don't you think?"
For the first time, Alana felt slight trepidation at Annabeth's smiling face, though those grey eyes were certainly putting up an innocent facade. If anyone else had heard those words, they would think the sister pair was just exchanging tender words. But Alana couldn't tell whether Annabeth meant revenge for how she had been treated due to the guileless expression in Annabeth's face. What had happened in the weeks between her weak willed sister being sent to Eldoris for her to change that way? Annabeth used to tremble and shake at a simple stare from Circe.
Alana tried to insert some of her light magic to hypnotize Annabeth. However, her magic seemed to be blocked. A little more power was inserted and her fingertips nearly glowed with her effort. Still nothing. A vein twitched underneath Alana's eye. Something was blocking or dampening her magic. But Annabeth was magicless. Who was it?
Alana didn't dare try anything more or else she would attract attention. She had to try another tactic.
"There is no need to expend much effort to repay any kindness. We are sisters, after all. I haven't seen you in a long while. Sir Luke, don't you think Princess Annabeth looks even more beautiful today?"
But King Perseus interjected before the knight could reply. "Forgive me for interrupting, but due to protocol I must speak some words first. My wife is Queen Annabeth now, no longer just a mere princess. And now speaking as not the king but as her husband, I must say my lovely queen is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."
Alana's eyes flashed at the king's mockery of her position.
"Everyone's view of beauty is different in their eyes." Sir Luke quietly said.
Alana hid a smile. This was the response she expected from her most loyal, faithful dog of a knight. His words were a deflection that in his perspective, Annabeth was hardly worth anything. But Annabeth hardly acknowledged the knight's words.
"Indeed that is so. I can certainly see today that both Kiran princesses are truly sisters in their similar beauty." The king said with a smile.
"Indeed they look alike." Another voice in the crowd commented.
Alana and Luke stiffened as the Eldoris king's words reversed the meaning of Sir Luke's earlier words.
Alana and Annabeth shared the same curly hair as golden as ripened wheat. But Annabeth's eyes were of stormy skies while Alana's were of the calm sky. Now that Annabeth was no longer starved or beaten, one could really see the alikeness of the two sisters. Around them, the other wedding guests were whispering about the two Kiran princesses.
"In my eyes, my queen is the most beautiful. You'll have to forgive me for favoring my wife," proclaimed the King again. "But I fell in love with her straightforwardness and intelligence, in addition to her beauty."
"And what does my dear sister think of her husband?" Alana pretended to tease. "I recall my elder sister saying that Sir Luke here was the most handsome man in Kiran."
That was a lie, but based on Annabeth's previous reactions towards Luke, Alana could tell Annabeth's thoughts would have aligned on this in the past.
"Have I? I don't quite recall saying those words." Annabeth answered in a tone that didn't betray her true emotion. "Ah, you'll have to forgive me then, Sir Luke. Ah, it's not that I don't think you're handsome. It's just that in my youth, I hadn't met my dear husband yet. Just like wine does, my taste has matured. Percy is indeed the most handsome man I've seen in all the countries."
The king tenderly tucked a strand of stubborn hair behind Annabeth's ear and gave her an adoring glance. He didn't look at all bothered by what Alana had implied about Annabeth liking another man. "Naturally. I am your husband, after all."
Alana almost barfed at their over-the-top actions. Annabeth had barely glanced at Luke once with no stir of emotion as if Sir Luke was no more than a boring statue. Was this all acting though? If so, why would Annabeth have changed so much? It must be the king, Alana guessed. Without King Perseus, Annabeth was nothing. She had to get rid of that bastard king and her nuisance of a sister.
"I am glad to see that the king and queen of Eldoris are fitting so well. I have been so worried for my sister, Your Majesty. But with your help, I can rest easy. Your Majesty is learned and noble. My sister has much to learn. But seeing that love can overcome all obstacles, I am relieved."
Her words hinted that Annabeth was not fit for the queen's role and should not be paired with someone of a king's status. Alana herself knew that Annabeth was illiterate.
"That is not so, she has been praised by Sir Graham and Count Franklin for her exemplary command of mathematics and reading." Someone in the crowd murmured. "And they are well known for being the best professors in the country."
"That is true. They are known for their honest opinions as well. Their praise must not be false. If the queen has much to learn, then what can we say about our scholars who could not compare to the queen?"
"Then, Queen Annabeth must be just as knowledgeable as her younger sister. I wonder why no one has heard of the elder Kiran princess."
"Perhaps the queen is humble."
Alana's eyes darted towards that direction of voices, but she could not determine who it was. She did not need to familiarize herself with the Eldoris nobles after all. But Princess Alana had been in the royal family for a long time. These nobles could say one sentence and have three different meanings hidden behind. This time, her expression was a little forced as the Eldoris nobility laughed behind her back.
"Here," Alana interjected her voice. "My dear sister, our parents express their sorrow for not being able to attend your wedding and hope this gift suffices. I'm quite jealous, sister! Do read it out loud! I am so curious. I wonder what you received?"
Alana handed Annabeth a letter, intending on forcing Annabeth to read out loud in front of everyone to expose her illiteracy. No matter how much the Eldoris king could cover Annabeth, Alana was intent on forcing Annabeth's hand.
Annabeth personally took the letter and smoothly opened it, reading out loud perfectly word by word. She finished and closed the letter. "How kind of the king and queen of Kiran. I've never seen them be so generous before. I do thank them for the tiara."
Alana stifled her frown as Annabeth distanced herself from the rulers of Kiran instead of calling them mother and father. But how? What Annabeth said was exactly what was written on the letter. How did Annabeth know how to read? So the Eldoris nobles weren't lying about Annabeth's command of the arts and education.
Her sister was not that simple, Alana felt. Something had changed. Had they been raising a snake inside their nest this whole time?
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Music started and people began to gather on the dance floor.
"May I have this dance, my dear queen?" The king asked with his hand outstretched.
"Of course," Annabeth replied. She turned to Piper. "Be careful."
Piper nodded as she received Annabeth's warning. It was she who had been silently suppressing the Kiran princess' lumokinesis. Princess Alana had only used a little of her strength, but it was enough to let Piper realize that Alana's magic was quite strong, possibly even stronger than Piper's.
Nearby, Princess Alana had quickly approached Prince Jason and requested a dance. This was quite bold for an unmarried young woman to ask a man unknown to her for a dance. But female leads who were always waiting in the background were boring female leads, indeed, and Clarisse hated writing stories with the white lotus types. Prince Jason was too polite to reject the hand of another princess, no matter how out of protocol it was.
So would the fated path of the female lead and the first male lead align again? Prince Jason swirled Alana to the beat of the music, looking like a pretty painting of a perfect prince and princess. Those with observant eyes wondered if the Kirans were now trying to ally with Tynan after having one princess ally with Eldoris. This could make Kiran quite powerful. Would Tynan and Kiran combine?
Annabeth suddenly had a thought. Perhaps Alana had a type. Both Luke and Jason were blonde and blue eyed. What was Alana trying to do, keep the blonde and blue eye genes in the royal family? Only the wizard lord Christopher had dark hair among the male leads.
"You should be paying attention to me, my queen. Not to another couple," the king gently reminded, embracing her waist as he twirled her in the waltz.
Thank the gods the waltz was an easy dance to pick up or else she might have tripped in her glances at Prince Jason and Alana. Annabeth turned her gaze back to the king. Dark hair and green eyes. Yes, this was much better. If she kept seeing yellow and blue, she would think that her eyes weren't seeing properly.
"I was feeling a little worried about Prince Jason," she admitted.
"He'll be fine," King Perseus said. "I have talked to him and he seems like a steady person. If he falls for your sister even after showing intentions towards your lady-in-waiting, then the title of crown prince of Tynan would be unfitting for him. It's not as though Tynan is without other heirs."
Annabeth smiled but stayed silent. Prince Jason had fallen for Alana after all in how the novel was planned.
The music number changed. The king guided his queen to rest for fear that she would be too tired. Annabeth was indeed fatigued. She had been woken up early in the morning to prepare for the wedding and then stood without resting for the long and tedious crowning ceremony. The ceremonial crown had been heavy due to being made of precious gold and jewels. Luckily, she only needed to wear the crown for official occasions or else she feared her neck would break.
"See?" The Eldoris king raised his wineglass in the direction of the dance floor. "While Prince Jason may dance with Princess Alana first, that doesn't mean he will dance with her the most."
Immediately after the music had changed, the Tynan crown prince had managed to shake off the Kiran second princess and promptly asked Lady Piper for a dance. Lady Piper graciously accepted, although her eyes had held a twinge of annoyance. Whether she was annoyed that Princess Alana had boldly asked Prince Jason for a dance or was it because Piper sensed that the Kiran second princess was pulling some shitty magic trickery, Annabeth did not know.
Now the waves of gossip were slowly turning as the Tynan prince danced with Lady Piper three times. This was another picturesque couple. Annabeth smiled inwardly. Wasn't this slapping the face of Princess Alana? Good. Annabeth added a point for Prince Jason.
Annabeth stifled a yawn soon after, bored of watching the nobles dance and dance again.
"Tired?" The king asked.
She nodded sleepily. When Annabeth turned to the king, she found that there was a familiar handkerchief in his breast pocket.
"Your Majesty!"
The king raised an eyebrow.
"How could you wear the handkerchief that I made? Isn't it too poorly made?"
"Why shouldn't I wear what my wife made me?" The king said. "My queen even said it was worth all the pricks the needlework gave to her precious fingers. If you feel badly about this one, you can give me another one once your skills improve."
"Flirt," Annabeth snorted.
But she didn't say anything more, only sending the king an amused glance. There were always eyes on the new queen, waiting for her to slip up.
Annabeth had been quietly observing the whole room up on her throne. Most of the wedding guests were foreign ambassadors and the highest ranked nobles. But some of the nobles had brought their unmarried daughters and sons as though wishing they would be noticed. Whether they wanted their children to interact with others for marriage proposals or to network, Annabeth could not be sure.
It was Lucy who had quietly mentioned that there was a young woman who had accidentally spilled a drink on the Eldoris king's shoes and had offered her handkerchief to use. But the king merely used his own handkerchief from his breast pocket and asked for the cloth that Annabeth had embroidered for the replacement. The whole time, the young noblewoman was ignored. If the current king had been attracted to another woman on his very own wedding day, then the king would be the shittiest man on earth. Thank the gods, the Eldoris king wasn't like that.
Amateurs, Annabeth thought. From seeing how the king had swerved the inn keeper's daughter to weaving around the noblewomen, Annabeth could tell that the king was not one who craved beauty or physical intimacy. He had already been exposed to how his mother had perished in the hands of her own lady-in-waiting, and then experienced how his stepmother kept other women from the former king at bay in order to maintain her sole position as queen.
Which is why Annabeth was startled when she was informed that the king was coming to her bedroom for the wedding night.
Fuck. She had totally forgotten about it.
Don't tell her...the king was serious about having her be the mother of his heir?
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A/N: Please bear with me as I slow down updates to once a week on Sundays. I am already dying in school lmao. For those of you going back to school soon, best of luck to all of us! Even if you're not in school, have lots of fortune in life!
Thank you all for your reviews and words of encouragement. As always, see you all next chapter!