Page 52 of Under the Lion Star

The door behind us burst open, and Zialda pulled back with an annoyed groan.

“A proper lady doesn’t kiss before the wedding,” Mera chided with wide eyes.

“Why were you watching us?” Z frowned.

Mera only shrugged, and Zialda nodded as if she completely understood.

“Have a good night, Leor,” she grinned as she stood, setting my crown haphazardly atop my head.

She glanced at me over her shoulder, giving me a bright smile before closing the door behind her.

I laughed to myself, standing up and peering down the empty roadway. For the first time in months, thoughts of the future seemed less grim.

Chapter 15

Zialda

Princess Sanna approached with a large crate overflowing with fabric and flowers. I raised a skeptical brow at her, which she responded to with a glowing smile. At least one of us was loving this.

“I can’t wait to show you what I’ve come up with,” she beamed, dropping the crate onto the table so loudly that the thud rang through the castle garden.

I smiled back, genuinely happy to see her in such high spirits. When Leor told me that she had thrown herself feet first into planning our wedding, how could I deny her? While I hadn’t witnessed Sanna’s darkest struggles after her brothers returned from the war, Leor had impressed upon me that she was still working her way out of the void she’d been in. I wanted to help continue that in any way that I could.

The princess began to lay out fabrics for tablecloths and flowers for centerpieces. She even went so far as to choose the cardstock that she’d have a calligrapher write the invitations on. I was immediately overwhelmed but proud at how adept and organized this fifteen-year-old girl was. She had an eye for detail.

“I know your sisters want to design your gown, so I made this,” she handed me a slip of paper affixed with tiny bits of the fabric she’d shown me earlier. “This way, they can have an idea of what the ceremony will look like.”

“Sanna,” I breathed. “This is all incredible.”

“I just wanted to help,” she blushed.

“Help?” I raised my eyebrows at her. “You planned an entire royal wedding in what? Four days? Gods above. Leor and Orin should abdicate, and you should be ruling this place.”

Sanna laughed, “I’ll keep that in mind when they get particularly annoying.”

“Will Orin be in attendance?” I asked.

“Yes!” Sanna jumped in her seat with excitement. “We should visit him while you’re here. He’s doing so well.”

“Really?”

“Well, he’s not talking yet, but he communicates, sort of,” she put her hand on my forearm. “He wanders the castle often and sometimes sits in my room. He’ll pull a book off my shelf, hand it to me, and sit while I read to him. And I can tell he’s listening because he’ll smirk or frown based on the story.”

“Sanna, that's wonderful,” I grinned.

“He’s training again,” she continued. “Liras was making fun of how thin he’d got, you know, all the muscle mass he’s lost, and now I hear them going at one another with swords in the courtyard sometimes.”

“He’s so lucky to have all of you,” I patted her hand with my own. “And I’m lucky I’ll soon be here with you.”

“You’re going to be our family,” she wrapped her arms around my neck. “It’s going to be great.”

I could tell from her demeanor that she was unaware that someone was trying to assassinate her eldest brother, but her happiness was contagious, and I couldn’t help but share her upbeat outlook.

“Speaking of,” she stood, holding her hand out to me. “Let me give you a tour of the castle since it’ll be your home in a few days.”

The tour took ages, the castle far more extensive than it looked even from the outside. We started in the kitchens, where the staff welcomed me happily. The baker went so far as to make a list of my favorite items and assured me that he always left a plate or two on the counters because Liras and Atlas were late-night snackers.

Sanna showed me the wing of offices meant for the advisory council. Although none lived in the castle, they often walked the halls during the day. She led me to Orin’s room again, which was empty, and the bedroom that adjoined his through the washroom that would one day house his wife, but for now, it was where Liras stayed.

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