Chapter 14

Am I a masochist?' Reinhart introspected as he sat in one of the pews of the Regiis Palace's wedding hall. The podium had been decorated with red streamers and red paper lanterns as a tribute to Huaxian weddings while a red carpet was laid out from the podium to the gate of the hall through the aisle between the pews. An orchestra played softly in the background, doing little to soothe his angst.

'If I'm not, then why did I drag myself here, to the wedding of the woman of my dreams to another man.' He clutched his shirt above his chest, fighting to keep the grimace off his face. 'And if I am, then why does it hurt so much?'

'Why?!' he screamed in his mind. Why did things have to be this way?

The worst thing was that he couldn't even blame Mars Felidae. After all, the red-head had done exactly what he dreamed of doing nearly every single night – defeat Artemis and win her hand in marriage.

He had long since known that she wasn't interested in tying herself to any man. Other than growing stronger, there was little that interested her, and she looked upon him as a little brother and a friend, nothing more, nothing less. There was none of the attraction he felt towards her.

Still, that hadn't stopped him from fantasizing about somehow gaining the power to subdue her and make her his. If he was in Mars' shoes, he too would go through with the marriage no matter Artemis' intentions. Sentiment between them could be trained later.

He had been building castles in the air secure in the knowledge that none in her Tier could defeat her. Then Mars had come along and shattered those walls laid in the brick and mortar of his impractical fantasies. Shattered his dreams.

And he resented him for it. But he knew there was nothing he could do. At least not open and aboveboard… and he absolutely refused to lower himself to abusing his status to covertly act against him. He still had his pride as the future Heir of one of the Noble Lineages of Regiis.

Then? Why exactly was he here today? Did he really just want to torture himself with the sight of Artemis walking into the arms of another man?

Deep down, he actually knew the answer to those questions. He was hoping that she would display signs of unwillingness and look unhappy about the marriage so he could draw meager comfort from the fact that she was at least involuntary in the matter.

And if, by some minuscule chance, she actually decided to break off the marriage, he wanted to be there to take her side.

He took a deliberately deep breath and exhaled it slowly, trying to push the negative emotions out along with the foul air. After repeating the exercise a few times, he felt reasonably calm. At least the impulse he had been having of wrecking the podium with his magic was back under his control.

He cast a quick glance around the venue, recognizing the faces of many important personages. The most distinguished of whom occupied the seats closer to the podium. The guests were still trickling in by ones and twos.

Though he couldn't specifically pick them out, he was sure that there was a journalist or two among them, covering the event so it could be publicized across the Empire come tomorrow.

The sound of fanfare drew all eyes to the gates of the hall.

The Prime Minister entered through it, wearing an ankle-length white toga with a dark red sash wrapped across his shoulders with the end dangling in front of him cinched to his waist with another strip of red cloth with gold trim. The traditional roman tunic had been modified to have full-length sleeves with red and gold trim at the end.

The erudite Tamer's mop of curly hair was pure white with age and his clear blue eyes sparkled with intelligence behind his circular, silver wire-framed glasses. He walked up to the podium and took his place behind it, waiting for the arrival of the nuptial couple.

He didn't have to wait long as the herald announced the arrival of the Felidae family soon after.

Mars entered, followed by his three wives – all of them dressed in traditional Indus garb. He looked dapper in a sherwani and the girls were stunning in sarees that matched the colour of their hair and blouses the colour of their eyes.

He stepped onto the podium while his wives stayed back, taking their seats in the area reserved for them in the first row.

"Empress Celine Pavone nee Rangifer," announced the herald. "Princess Venus Pavone, Emperor Cyn Pavone and Princess Artemis Valkyria."

The orchestral music reached a crescendo as the Imperial family entered, led by the Emperor with Artemis following behind him with her mother and her sister on either side of her. The moment she stepped into the hall; Reinhart couldn't take his eyes off her.

Venus and the Empress were dresses identically in the latest of Regiis fashions – long dresses with pleated skirts and full sleeves made of gauze. They both had lace ruffles around their necks and simple crowns made of two wires twined together on their heads. Silver for Venus and gold for her mother. The Empress' dress was a light summery yellow with golden gauze for the sleeves while Venus' was the blue of a clear sky with silver gauze for the sleeves and the veil that covered her face below her eyes.

Artemis, between them, was stunning in a sleeveless, backless midnight-blue dress that shimmered with flecks of silver like a section snipped from a starry night. It was cinched at her waist with strip of cloth with alternating stripes of gold and Prussian blue.

A piece of golden gauze connected both her wrists looping behind her back as she walked towards the podium with both her hands clasped in front of her. A broad collar (usekh) similarly striped in gold and blue covered the upper half of her chest and her shoulders while her a net of fine golden chains had been laid atop her head with golden tassels hanging down in front of her forehead.

Her intense grey eyes had been accentuated by the thick kohl lining them, the ends stretched out and curled upwards in typical Egyptian fashion while the upper lids had been dusted with gold.

Combined with her gleaming metal wings and beautifully toned body, she looked like a goddess straight out of the Egyptian pantheon… She took Reinhart's breath away. And he wasn't alone in that regard. Nearly everyone present, male or female was stricken mute by her splendour.

The Pholidota heir's eyes never left her form as she reached the podium, separated from her family (who took their seat beside Mars' wives), stepped up onto the stage and took her place facing Mars.

Even with an aching heart, Reinhart had to admit that the two of them looked good together, the dark green of Mars' sherwani complementing the gorgeous blues and golds of Artemis' dress.

It was too much. He couldn't stand it anymore.

Just as he was about to get up from his seat and leave the hall, a hand rested upon his shoulder and pressed him back into his seat. He whipped around, preparing to lash out against the culprit only to find himself looking into the bottomless brown eyes of his ancestor – the Unbound Demigod. Or, at least, his doppelganger.

"Sit," said the old man gently, and Reinhart sat, sure somehow that none other than him could see the Demigod or hear his voice.

"How are you feeling?"

Reinhart wanted to lie… to dodge the question. He didn't want to admit his true thoughts for to covet another man's wife was a great sin. But he found himself speaking the truth anyway, it was as though the concept of a lie had melted away under his ancestor's warm brown gaze.

"Wretched… like there's a knife being twisted in my heart."

The old man nodded. "That is as it should be. You admired her strength, were smitten by her beauty, and charmed by her personality. You loved a woman and now, she loves another. It is supposed to hurt."

"She doesn't love him," hissed Reinhart. "She was forced." He grew agitated, pointing at the couple on the podium to emphasize his point. "It's silly, stupid really, to have them marry just because he defeated her!"

The old man listened to him calmly, then indicated towards the podium. "Look."

Reinhart turned to see that the ceremony had progressed to the final stages.

"On behalf of the Empire, by the power vested in me, I declare this couple bonded," said the Prime Minister, concluding the ceremonial speech.

Just as he was about to pick up his implements and start inking the pre-determined design on Artemis' skin, she stopped him.

"Wait!"

Reinhart's chest swelled with hope, but her following words plunged him into the abyss of despair.

"I want him to mark me like he did for the rest of his wives." She bowed slightly to the Prime Minister. "I would be very grateful if respected Teacher could humour my request and guide my husband's hand."

Reinhart deflated. Leaning powerlessly back into his seat, he chuckled wryly. "Well," she said with a painful smile, "I guess that's that."

If he wasn't clear about whether Artemis was being forced into the marriage or going into it of her own volition, he would be blind or an imbecile. He prided himself on being neither. But just for today, he wished he was.

Rubbing his face vigorously with his hands, he sat up and turned to the old man. "So," he asked in a hoarse voice. "Why are you here? I don't suppose it's to comfort me or ensure I don't do something to embarrass the clan. Father would have sufficed for that."

The old man raised an eyebrow at his confrontational tone but didn't comment on it. The boy deserved a little consideration after just having his heart broken.

"Actually, that is the reason I'm here." Ignoring Reinhart's disbelieving stare, he continued, "You underestimate your worth by comparing yourself to someone as blessed by destiny as Mars Felidae. The sequence of events that got him where he is today, and the sheer luck required to survive them…" He shook his head. "It's near impossible to imitate."

He turned to Reinhart. "But you… You are only the second person after me from the Pholidota clan with the potential of reaching Demigod. The first was your father."

He looked the boy directly in the eye. "I'm here today to ensure that the events of today don't derail you from your path. To tell you that your future achievements will be no worse than the best and brightest of Regiis history. To ensure that heartbreak doesn't break you down, but instead brings you back stronger."

"That's… good. I guess. But right now, it all just seems so… illusory. So far off into the future. I can't really think about it now."

The old man scoffed. Placing his hand on top of the boy's head, he forcefully turned it until he was facing towards a girl in a seat across the room. Noticing his gaze, and unable to sense the presence of the Demigod behind him, the girl immediately averted her eyes. It was Rhea Salamandra with her elder sister Laravel by her side.

"Just like you are hurting today, you have been hurting another for over a year now."

The Demigod let go of his head. "She has been holding herself back in Tier 1 so she doesn't have to marry anyone but you. We didn't intervene in your matters till now because your crush on the Princess was driving you further and faster down the martial path while her infatuation with you saw her progress rapidly in her Aspects. But now, its threatening to turn into an unhealthy obsession… for both of you."

He stood up, his tone growing heavy with finality, "Tomorrow, you will be wed to her…"

Before Reinhart could even process that statement, the Demigod was gone, leaving only his final words lingering in the air. "And Felidae will be the one inking your mark."

...

//

End of Volume.