"Pardon?" Ralph asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise. He collected himself fairly quickly, his eyes darting away from Orion and Soleia’s connected hands. "Have I lost my mories but aren’t you two already married?"
"We are," Soleia said with a nod.
But as she said that, Orion’s grip on her hand tightened even further. He made sure to lace their fingers together, making it harder for her to slip out. She could feel her palms starting to get clammy, but Orion didn’t even flinch at the moisture.
"Our wedding was rushed," Orion said. "The Princess deserves a more festive celebration than the reception we originally had. This second wedding is to make up for that."
"And what about Lady Elowyn?" Ralph asked. "She was supposed to be the bride. While I am in no way advocating for her, she will most definitely be upset that she has been replaced on her own special day."
If there was any surprise he felt, Soleia couldn’t tell. His face was so calm that she couldn’t help but feel just the slightest bit of disappointnt that he didn’t care.
He had said so many sweet things and made so many requests when Soleia and Orion were fighting, but now that everything seed alright again, Ralph stepped back so quickly that she wondered if it was his loyalty that triumphed his affections, or if he was just jesting with her all along.
Soleia pursed her lips tightly together. No. She couldn’t be thinking these things, not when Orion had changed his mind. Their wedding would proceed. They were still husband and wife. And unless they were no longer a married couple, Soleia needed to rember where her loyalties lie.
Her heart mustn’t waver.
"Elowyn is an understanding woman," Orion said. "She will understand."
"In that case, I sure hope you’re not going to make the bearer of this good news," Ralph said teasingly. He sauntered forward and plucked a bun off the table, chewing the soft bread rrily. "I do not want to deal with that."
"I will speak to her about this," Orion said, letting go of Soleia’s hand as he prepared to rise from the table. "She deserves to hear it from , at least, not from soone else."
"Orion, wait," Soleia said the mont Orion stood up from his seat. "Rember what we discussed. She mustn’t know that you aren’t in her control any longer."
Orion paused, turning around to look between Soleia and Ralph, only to see Soleia nod once firmly, and Ralph shrugging with the bread in his mouth.
"Glad to see you back, buddy," Ralph said. "Don’t fall for her voodoo magic again."
"If she gets an athyst, she might try to refresh the spell," Soleia said. "I’ll work on sothing. Perhaps it might help to counter her magic."
"I will be careful when speaking to her, I promise," Orion said. He stepped closer to Soleia, and before anyone could guess what he was planning next, Orion leaned down and pressed a kiss on the top of Soleia’s head.
She stiffened under his touch, but Orion pulled away as quickly as he ca, his long strides quickly bringing him out of the dining room before Soleia even had the chance to properly blush. She could only stare wide-eyed as he left, the door shutting behind him, leaving her alone with Ralph.
"Seems like everything went perfectly fine in the ti I was gone," Ralph said, causing Soleia to whip her head back in his direction.
Her throat felt dry, and she struggled to find a suitable set of words to reply to him despite how she often prided herself in her wit. Instead, Soleia could only awkwardly tuck her hair behind her ear.
"There was magic in his blood," Soleia explained, after she took a quick glance to make sure there was no one around to eavesdrop on their conversation. "Elowyn’s athyst magic. I can feel it. I’m not sure if everything has been gotten rid of."
"You’re worried that Orion will slip back," Ralph said, dusting the crumbs off his fingers as he finished the bread.
Soleia nodded. "Elowyn is smarter than she looks, we all know that. I am sure even Orion knows that too, when he’s clear in mind. If she notices a difference in him, she could easily recast her spell."
"She has no stone," Ralph pointed out. "And while she is stuck in the palace, it will be very difficult for her to find one unless soone gives one to her. I doubt the people who can afford to give her one would want to."
The only one who had the power and wealth to do so would be King Godwin. He most definitely would not.
Soleia nodded, but her eyes suddenly widened as she recalled the smallest detail.
"Where are the stones that we nicked previously from the underground storage?" Soleia asked.
"Princess," Ralph said with a short chuckle. "You can’t possibly be suspecting I would give one of the athysts to Elowyn?"
"No, of course not!" Soleia said, quickly shaking her head. "I just thought that those crystals would need to be stored carefully. It isn’t just Elowyn― I am not exactly in Florian’s good books either. I took his ring, and while he can easily find a replacent, if he realized we have crystals, he might act on it."
Soleia huffed, saying in a softer tone, "I don’t want my father realizing we have a stash."
Not when she had finally won his favor after so many years without it.
"Perhaps you would like to keep them with you?" Ralph offered. "You can use them for your inventions as well. Like the one you said you would work on to help Orion with Elowyn’s magic."
"Can I?" Soleia asked, her eyes twinkling. "That would indeed be most wonderful."
"Of course," Ralph said good-naturedly. "Co, I will move them to your room right now."
***
Elowyn had just about the worst night in the last two years.
Prince Rafael was a tyrant, and a part of her rejoiced that their engagent fell through before it even began to bud. But that wasn’t the only thing that had been a thorn in her side.
After she returned to the palace last night, she was inford that her accommodations had been changed and that she would no longer be sleeping in the sa room as Duke Elsher.
Why? She hadn’t the slightest clue. The guards wouldn’t let her anywhere near Orion’s room, and she wasn’t able to find him anywhere ever since dawn. It did an she finally had a good night’s sleep, but she had things to do, and Prince Ricard wouldn’t be pleased if she took too long to accomplish them.
And his punishnt for her would be infinitely worse than what Orion Elsher would do to her.
For hours, Elowyn had road the hallways, hoping to catch a sight of the Duke, but to no avail. She was about to return to her room to grab her cloak when a flash of red caught her attention.
"Orion!" she called out, lifting her skirt so she could run to him. "Orion, my love, I have been looking everywhere for you!"
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