Petals and glittering sparkles of all colors rained down from on high. Imperial knights on great white raptors floated the flowers down with wind magic while they shone light into the air each time the bell in the palace cathedral rang. As today was a special day, the front garden was open to the public and citizens of the capital thronged before the central terrace.
The emperor, clad in his crimson cape, stepped before the colossal congregation as the light cast down from the sky changed hue. He unconsciously heaved a sigh, betraying his sublimity and solemnity. Egbert waited for the bell to stop ringing, then addressed his subjects. “I thank you all for gathering here on this wonderful occasion. Today, Light bearers Lyse Winslette of the Kingdom of Olwen and Duke Sidis of House Álfr, who I have always considered a younger brother, are joined together in matrimony. I ask for your blessings upon the happy couple.”
With that, he turned to signal the couple to step forward. Lyse was waiting in the shadow of a nearby building with her stomach in knots just from thinking about the crowd.
“Let’s go,” Sidis said, reaching out to take her hand as they ambled onto the terrace to greet the audience. The palace walls shielded them from any big gusts, but the lace train of her white dress fluttered in the breeze, glimmering as the silver threads caught the rays beaming down from overhead. The sight of it overjoyed Sidis, his eyes narrowing into thin crescents. “Oh my, how gorgeous. You’re absolutely ravishing, Lyse.”
“Goodness, Lord Sidis... How many more times are you going to say that?” she asked, heaving a sigh of her own. He’d first said as much before the wedding when he came to check on her. He’d then whispered it during the ceremony, and once more again upon leaving the cathedral.
“I wouldn’t be able to stop myself, even if I wanted to,” he replied in all earnestness. “I finally get to see you in your wedding dress. How could I not be happy?”
Sidis truly looked enamored with his bride, and when his words and actions spoke so profoundly to his love for her, how could Lyse not be happy as well?
“Pushed all the right buttons, did she?” chimed in Alcede, who was standing off to the side.
Sidis graciously ignored that comment as he and Lyse walked to Egbert’s side. They were met with loud cheering when they revealed themselves to the people. A royal wedding was a good excuse for a bit of partying for the common folk. Of course, Sidis’s wedding wasn’t nearly as grand as the emperor’s would be, but this happy day for the stalwart and beloved prince of the empire warranted the lavishing of wine and desserts. The same would go for Alcede if he were to marry.
“He ought to consider getting wed himself soon. I’m sure even he must feel something with all the joy in the air,” Sidis said as he waved down at the crowd.
“I’m sure Alcede will find someone for him sooner than later. He still has more than a century to live, after all,” Lyse replied. Given the long life spans of imperials, there wasn’t really an age considered “too old” for marrying. There was no rush in that regard.
“Congratulations!” yelled out the crowd. “All the best to you two!” Smiles filled everyone’s faces, likely aided by the fact that the Light of Origin was back to normal.
The scene had Lyse thinking. Ever since recalling memories of her previous life at a young age, she’d thought she would spend the rest of her life alone. Never had she truly considered marriage—and certainly not a wedding so opulent. Though she was seized with trepidation on the occasion, seeing Sidis’s joy brought her some too.
“A song for the newlyweds!” shouted someone. The crowd then broke out in a chorus extolling the Light of Origin.
Sidis and Lyse listened intently, and after a time, he turned to her and said, “Oh, that’s right. Alcede and Karl stripped some of the white crystal off the ground and found another spell circle buried beneath it.”
“Really?” Lyse was genuinely surprised. “What does it do?”
“We’re not quite sure, but you know how every new emperor performs a rite in front of the Light? Well, they think it’s powered by the mana overflow and records their wishes too. It seems like it was added after the Light was created,” Sidis explained. “It also seems to be where the clones came from. Karl said he caught faint glimpses of what looked to be ghosts.”
“So the clones are an effect of that magic?”
“Yeah. They believe it dates back to the third Razanate emperor. Alcede concluded that the circle was put in place to figure out a use for the abundance of mana. It was likely intended to be a record for later emperors to see what they should pray for or some such.” However, the spell circle was ultimately affected by the Light. “Because of the aberrations, it also became supercharged with mana. That was probably what caused it to produce copies of people with ties to the Light—or, at least, that’s what Karl said.”
“Oh, so the clones weren’t directly created by the Light.”
“Either way, they helped restore the Light, so I guess there’s always a silver lining to everything. And that applies to you too, I think.”
“How so?” Lyse asked quizzically.
Sidis embraced her. “You know, I don’t think Qatora ever would have returned my feelings. It was painful to see her perish before my own eyes, but having you truly helps ease that pain.”
“Lord Sidis!” Lyse yelped out as he leaned in so close that she couldn’t see anything but his face. She couldn’t believe his audacity given the extraordinarily huge crowd watching them—but precisely because of the crowd, she couldn’t push him away for fear of how it would look.
Sidis kissed her before she could finish panicking, drawing a deafening cheer from their audience. It embarrassed her so badly that she could just run away, yet she smiled in satisfaction when she saw how gratified he was.
“I don’t want to hear any more complaints about how saccharine my baking is,” mumbled Alcede.
“They sure are sugary sweet, all right,” agreed Egbert.
What do you mean “they”?! It’s all Sidis! So Lyse wanted to quip back, but she held her tongue. She looked up at her husband, who was still beaming.
“You’re cute when you pout like this too, Lyse. I can’t help but grin knowing that I’ll get to see it for the rest of my life,” he told her.
If anything, hearing this helped her calm down. If Sidis adored even her angry scowling, that just proved how hopelessly in love he was. Sidis, meanwhile, took her silence as consent and went even further, lifting her into his arms. As she gasped in surprise, another round of cheering broke out.
“Lord Sidis! Please let me down!”
“Hold still, Lyse. I’d like to carry you now,” Sidis announced. Lyse felt this was quite out of the blue, but it wasn’t as if she could resist him anyway, so she let him do as he pleased. “Your Majesty, we’re just going to take a short rest, so please excuse us.”
“Sure. You have until the reception. Make sure you don’t miss it,” Egbert replied, although Sidis had already started walking away. The emperor could only laugh at his cousin’s eagerness as he saw the happy couple off.
“Prince Sidis! To where are you headed?!” hollered shocked members of the imperial family, nobles, and servants.
Sidis simply breezed past them all, calling in response, “We’re heading back home for a moment to prepare for the reception. We’ll be back soon.”
It was a fine excuse that no one could possibly refute, as there was a two-hour break between the afternoon ceremonies and evening reception. Sidis thus surprised the guards posted to the villa as he proudly walked inside with his new wife in his arms. He took her to the living room on the first floor, which faced the garden. The climbing red roses that snaked around the hedges were in full bloom.
“Oh, the flowers are beautiful,” she remarked.
True to its purpose, the garden was a spectacle to behold. The sight of it soothed Lyse’s soul. The flowers had yet to bloom when she’d last checked on them. Since she and Sidis would formally move into the villa after the reception this evening, they’d both been popping in and out of the new wing as their belongings were moved in over the past few days.
“But why did you bring us here now, Lord Sidis?” It would have made more sense, she thought, to go to their chambers in the palace to prepare for the reception.
Sidis sat on a sofa with Lyse still in his arms. “I wanted to get a taste of our future together,” he said as he planted his lips against hers.