Two Thousand Years | The Empire Saga #1

Chapter Thirty-One

Three weeks later, the day of the wedding had arrived, and the entire Empire came to see the Queen Empress and the Crown Prince marry along the steps of the palace's royal gardens as so many generations had done before. Lords and ladies, highborn and commoner, all flocked to catch a glimpse of the happy occasion.

If they only knew.

Alex stood in front of her floor-length mirror while her three Mistresses worked around her like busy little bees. She invited them back for the day, and they attempted to make her look like an example of perfection. The wedding dress fit her perfectly, even with her expanding belly and ample bosom. The white satin was inlaid with gold embroidery along the empire-cinched bust line and hems of the skirts and sleeve, while the rest of it flowed about her as though she was walking on a cloud. She wore simple satin slippers that matched the dress' golden details, and her necklace and earrings complimented the embroidery in gold and diamonds. Upon her head sat the crown of the Empire, and her hair was left down, curled and cascading over her shoulder.

If it was another day at another time, she would have thought everything was perfect.

But as she looked at herself in the mirror, turning from side to side while she smoothed a wrinkle here, adjusted a seam there, she resigned herself to the idea that today was all about duty.

As would every day be thereafter.

It was all she could do to keep herself moving forward. Looking back only brought her to the darkest of places.

Almost ready, she dismissed her Mistresses to give her a moment of privacy while she donned her personal effects. Mallia smiled at her knowingly while she ushered out the others, evidently assuming Alex's intentions focused on her wedding night with Treyan.

Mallia was going to be sadly disappointed.

Alex went over to the table next to her bed and pulled from its drawer a black silk-wrapped item that lay inside. With gentle hands, she removed the knife from its protective covering and laid it flat in her palm.

She had taken the knife from her dinner tray not long after she had returned and decided she would proceed with the wedding plans. It was serrated, and sharp, and would get the job done should the wedding receive its expected crasher.

She refused to be a victim any longer. This time, she would be ready for him.

Hitching up her wedding skirts, she placed the knife within the garter around her thigh, securing it to her leg tightly with an additional leather thong. Without another thought, she lowered her dress and exited her rooms.

Surprisingly, there was no one waiting for her outside her chambers, so she walked to the stairs that led to the main terrace. The Councillor was waiting for her at the door to the gardens as it was decided he would present her to the Empire in place of the Lord Steward.

The Councillor smiled at her as a proud father might and offered Alex his arm. "Empress, you are truly as lovely as the suns in the sky."

She returned his greeting with a polite smile, finding her mind drifting toward a distant memory in a faraway realm. She once dreamt about her own father walking her down the aisle, but that was another time, and different circumstances. "Thank you, Councillor," she said softly. "You're too kind."

With a nod from the Councillor, the guards opened the double doors that brought them to the gardens, and they proceeded out to the veranda to begin the ceremony.

Despite how she was feeling inside, the day couldn't have been more flawless. The weather was cool compared to the moderate days she had gotten used to, but the warmth from the twin suns kept it comfortable. The gardens were lush and colorful, and the scent of roses immediately filled her sinuses.