Chapter 330

Princess Aekeira

“I can fetch my own lantern,” Aekcira tried one last time, but her sister ignored her. She sat patiently in Emeriel’s bedchamber, watching the final touches being applied to her sister’s attire. Before the mirror, Emeriel stood in a breathtaking ceremonial red gown. The elaborate embroidery caught the light like tiny stars woven into silk. She looked breathtaking, poised and elegant as ever.

Tonight was the Lantern Festival, their second. The first they had celebrated as slaves in plain clothes, their hands raw from endless labor. But tonight, they attended as princesses. Dressed in gowns made by the finest seamstresses in Urai, commissioned by their husbands, they were a world away from that skittish girl and her brave little brother. Outside the chamber, their soldiers and maids waited, ready to escort them to the arena.

Emeriel turned slowly, smoothing the delicate folds of her dress. “There will be plenty of smoke at the festival. It’s not good for you or the baby.”

Aekeira did not hide her dramatic sigh. “Come now, you know making and releasing a lantern is one of the best parts of the festival! You already took the fun out of the crafting—now you would deny me the release as well?”

“Yes.”

Aekeira groaned. “I don’t know who is more overbearing, you or Grand Lord Vladya! If it were up to him, he would confine me to the residence and prevent me from any activity at all.”

Emeriel snickered. “I see how he is with you, it’s almost comical. But you’ve been sick as a dog for weeks now, can you truly blame him?”

“But Lady Morina said it’s normal and to be expected,” Aekeira’s hand drifted to her belly. Even now, it was still hard to believe. A week had passed since King Daemonikai sniffed her neck and announced her pregnancy, and still, she could scarcely believe a life was growing inside her. That life, nestled just beneath her heart, was a child conceived by her and the male she loved most in the world. Who could have imagined that so much could change in a single month?

At this time last month, Aekeira’s most attainable wish had been to become a Syren, to be compatible with Lord Vladya, to see their bonding ritual succeed. And now… she was a Syren, a Soulbond, pregnant with his child.

“Hey…”

Aekeira blinked at her sister’s voice. Emeriel sat beside her, looking worried. “Why are you crying, Keira?”

“Am I?” Lifting a hand to her cheek, she touched the wetness, surprised.

“Is this about the lantern? Very well, you may go—”

“No, no,” Aekeira shook her head, looking at her palm resting over her flat stomach. “It’s just… I was thinking about everything that has happened. How much has changed for me… for the better.”

Emeriel let out a visible sigh of relief. “Thank the gods. Now, you don’t want to ruin your makeup, do you?” She wiped at Aekcira’s cheeks with the pad of her thumb. “Stop crying. I know you want to be beautiful for Lord Vladya tonight.”

Aekcira sniffled. “I do.”

“There you go.” Emeriel smiled, brushing away the last traces of tears. “You are so beautiful.”

“It’s kind of you to say, but I cannot put into words how stunning you look tonight.”

Emeriel beamed, her eyes shining with delight. “That’s the spirit! Now, let us—”

Her eyes widened, and she cupped a hand over her mouth. In the next instant, Emeriel hurried off to the adjoining room.

“Em?” Aekeira pushed to her feet too quickly, and dizziness crashed over her, forcing her to pause. She gripped the table as the world spun around her, squeezing her eyes shut as she waited for it to pass. At least now, the dizzy spells didn’t last as long as before.

Aekeira hurried after her sister, hearing the harsh retching as she neared the doorway. “Em…”

“I’m fine, it’s nothing,” Emeriel rasped. Another heave.

Aekeira frowned. “Are you sure? This is your third time today. Twice this morning, and now again.”

“That damned porridge Madam Livia served earlier,” Emeriel straightened, her face pale as she reached for a nearby basin and rinsed her mouth. “I told you it was bitter and didn’t agree with me.”

Aekeira folded her arms. “It did taste bad, but I ate it too, remember?”

“That doesn’t mean it wasn’t the porridge.” Emeriel waved her off. “We may be sisters, but we are two different people, Keira.”

“Right.” She bit the inside of her cheek, unconvinced but not pressing further. “Anyway, I’ll wait here while you go fetch our lanterns.”

Wiping her damp hands on a cloth, Emeriel looked exhausted, even though the night hadn’t started, but that familiar stubborn light shone in her eyes. “Certainly. I shall return shortly.”

Princess Emeriel

The sisters stepped out into the cool night, their lanterns glowing softly in their hands. The sky above them blazed with drifting lights; the scent of roasted meats and sweet festival wines hung heavy in the air. Laughter and music came from the distance, weaving through the murmur of the gathered crowds. A gentle breeze stirred the silk of their gowns, crisp and refreshing against their skin.

Everywhere, Urai celebrated. What Emeriel loved most about the Lantern Festival was the joy in the air—the thrill of dancing figures, the laughter of children, the way humans and Urekai mingled without division. The slaves moved freely, happy as they released their lanterns into the sky.

“It’s so nice to be out here for this,” Aekeira said aloud, watching the lanterns drift upward. “This festival is one of the things I missed most about Urai.”

“Me too,” Emeriel tried to keep the queasiness from her voice. Her stomach was rebelling against her; the nausea in her belly wouldn’t budge. She had felt drained all day despite doing nothing strenuous. She hadn’t trained, tended the garden, or helped the slaves, yet she was exhausted. And then there was the other thing. The colors.