The Thread Of Fate

Chapter 60

The next few days were extremely fun. Especially for me, as I'd never been to a wedding before, let alone one in another nation. Even Jenna had been well behaved and the overall atmosphere was joyous. The weather had also improved, just as Leo had said.

Weddings in Ralia included festivities that stretched across a week. There were competitions between members of family, namely archery and horse riding races. Ariadne and Jace both excelled at those. I almost won at horse racing but Jace had rushed past me at the last minute. Dominic and Leo had refrained from participating.

They each had a different reason however. Leo was too nervous and didn't want to embarrass his nation. He was unsure as to how he would react under pressure with his current frame of mind. Maria, technically, wasn't a member of the royal family and didn't feel comfortable participating.

Dominic, on the other hand, found the competitions trivial and knew he'd ace all of them. At the risk of making others look bad he'd chosen to step back.

There was a cooking contest among the citizens. Their dishes were brought to the bride and groom to taste. The top three cooks were asked to replicate their dish for the wedding guests. It was a great honour to be chosen. The rest of the family got to taste them too but we had no real say in the final decision. It was that day that Leo had feasted his heart out and we'd seen glimpses of the real him. Maria had been pleased.

Each day, I learnt something new about Ralia, about its people, it's heritage and culture. Each night, we dined together as one big family. Even my paternal grandmother had joined us one night. Dominic had turned on his charm and they had gotten along well. All of these were wonderful experiences and there was no doubt that we were making memories that would last for a lifetime.

The wedding day arrived before we knew it. Jace and Ariadne had decided to have a morning ceremony. The main rites were to be carried out on palace grounds, in the glass dome garden. I thought it was a beautiful peaceful spot and couldn't wait to see how they'd transformed it into a wedding venue.

Since these were our last few days together, the family had decided to head to a nearby fortress. John had said that it was beautiful during monsoon. Dominic seemed pleased with that decision since he'd heard about Ralia's various fortresses in the past and wanted to study the building technique as well as the layout.

"Whoaaa..." Jenna gasped looking up.

The entire roof was filled with chandeliers that were seemingly made of white flowers. Sunlight poured in from between, lighting up the entire dome. Everywhere my eyes went, there were stark white flowers with pops of lavender and gold amidst them. The middle portion had been cleared for bench like seating facing a slightly elevated alter, also matching the colour scheme. Lavish didn't even begin to describe the decor.

We were guided to the front row and were asked to be seated right next to John. Perhaps because I was his sister, perhaps because Dominic was the only emperor among the guests, perhaps both. It was a nice gesture, one I appreciated. The rest of our family members were seated right behind us.

As the guests were settling in, I caught John giving Jenna a wink. She turned, burying her face in my neck. I still hadn't managed to figure out why she was being so shy.

Curious, she peeked at him from between my hair. I couldn't understand it. There was no fear on her face. It was most peculiar. I turned to see if Dominic had noticed her unusual reaction but he seemed to be brooding over something, his eyes fixed at the alter even though it was empty.