Days passed by and in no time, it turned to a week. The wedding ceremony of Orius and Valerie which was held in the imperial palace of Cedore was just concluded.
As the wedding was rushed, no guests were invited from outside Cedore but due to the status of the bride and groom, many officials and nobles attended the wedding.
In Cedore, a huge feast would be held on the night of the wedding for the newlywed couple and that was currently held in the palace. As expected, the huge hall was filled with powerful and influential people from all over the empire, starting from the Emperor and Empress.
As the centre of the feast, the new couple also sat beside the imperial couple with many guests approaching them to congratulate them and to give them many lavished wedding gifts. It was the custom in Cedore to accept wedding gifts during the feast. The Duke of Manea also sat on the left of the imperial couple.
"Now that we're a family, I want to assure you that you don't have to worry about your daughter," Emperor Kalos Francia said to the Duke of Manea, Rowan Avia. He knew how much the Duke cherished his daughter and he want him to feel at ease.
"I'm not worried, Your Majesty," the Duke of Manea promptly said and looked at Orius. "If I don't trust His Grace, I won't agree to this marriage. I strongly believed that he will take good care of my daughter and protect her just like he protect our Cedore."
The Emperor shifted his gaze to his niece and Orius understood his hidden message. So, he turned to the Duke who was now his father-in-law. "Rest assured, Your Grace. I will try my best to live up to your expectation. Your daughter will be safe with me."
Though he really wish to add the word 'happy', he wasn't that confident. So, he refrain from mentioning it but everyone understood him. After all, it was an arranged marriage. Time will tell everything else.
"You will move in to the new mansion after this feast, right?" the Duke of Manea asked.
"That's right," Orius replied. "I check yesterday and everything is done. Though we only had one week, uncle managed to get it prepared on time."
"Uncle was so excited," Iria who was sitting next to Lady Valerie chimed in. "He was so adamant to get it done on time and now, we see the result."
The Qalagon Queen's words made everyone laughed and Crown Prince Andres spoke up.
"Father always succeed if he puts his mind to it. Sometimes, it's a good thing that he's stubborn."
Emperor Kalos sighed at his son's remark. "That means you should learn from me." He turned to the Duke of Manea and said, "We might get to hold another wedding soon. Now that Orius is married, it's time for Andres."
"That's great news, Your Majesty," Duke Manea remarked. "Are we finally having a Crown Princess?"
"We will have it soon," the Empress said and looked at her son. "Orius is two years younger but he gets married today. You should learn from him."
Crown Prince Andres frowned and Orius laughed at him.
"It's not a bad idea to get married and settle down," Arin said to his friend. "Just look at me and you will know it."
Andres Francia looked at the Qalagon King who only had eyes for his wife, his cousin. "I bet it will be tiring," he stated and shook his head. Once again, his remark made everyone laughed.
The bickering goes down and everyone started to have a chat with their partner or someone else. The Emperor and Empress were chatting with Duke Manea, Iria was happy with Arin and even Orius was chatting with his new wife. This left the Crown Prince alone.
Staring at everyone who lived in their own world, he smiled and rose from his seat. Then he quietly walked to his chamber. As he entered his big yet quiet chamber, he slowly made his way to the door of the balcony and sat on the couch next to the door. He ended up staring at the dark outdoors with a blank expression.
When the Crown Prince quietly sat still for a few minutes, he heard the sound of the knocking on his door. He responded and the one who walked inside was Zane, his attendant who was also the head of his guards.
"Your Highness, I look for you in the hall but you're not there. So, I came here."
"What is it?" Andres Francia asked in a calm yet tired voice.
"A letter came from Vialand," Zane started. "You still haven't confirmed your participation in the gathering. His Majesty the Emperor and everyone else thought that you already did. How will I respond?"
Andres Francia maintained his silence for a while and then turned to Zane. "What about Iria?" he asked.
"I heard that Her Majesty will attend the gathering with her husband the King," Zane replied.
"Zaro Aventine will be there," Andres muttered. "Must she really go?"
Zane maintained his silence and the Crown Prince gave a quick thought on the matter. "Send a reply and inform the King of Vialand that I will attend the gathering."
The attendant raised a brow when he heard the Crown Prince's decision. "Are you sure, Your Highness? It will only -"
"I can take care of that," Andres Francia promptly said, rendering Zane silent. "I heard that there will also be an envoy from Nardodia. I don't think Iria is safe. So, I must go."
Zane remained quiet for a while before he replied, "I understand." Then he bowed and walked out of the chamber.
Crown Prince Andres sat still for a few seconds after Zane left and finally, he rose from his seat. He walked towards his bed and opening one drawer, he took out worn-out brown gloves made of silk and linen.
Holding the gloves, he sat down on the bed and looked down at the gloves with an unreadable face. "Seems like I'm destined to see you again," he murmured in a very low voice......
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