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The princess and her son were both taken aback.
"Why so often?" Kian asked.
Aru shrugged. "I was not told. But we will find out soon enough. The queen came up with a fictional project of collecting ancient prophecies that required daily meetings with the Oracle in her temple. The project will take many months or even years to complete, so I assume that the queen has a lot to say to you."
Annani smoothed a hand over the skirt of her gown. "I prefer midday meetings, but I will try to accommodate any time that is convenient for the queen except for the nine evenings of the upcoming weddings." She smiled. "I am not used to working around someone else's schedule, but I cannot make demands on the queen of the gods."
Aru dipped his head. "I will communicate your wishes, Clan Mother."
Kian's forehead furrowed. "How will you be able to attend those daily meetings when you are supposed to be searching for the pods? Can the queen arrange your release?"
Aru shook his head. "It would look too suspicious, especially to my teammates. I need to keep up the charade, but there is a solution to that. I do not need to be in the same room with the Clan Mother for it to work. I will call using the clan phone that I am told has reception everywhere. If you wish, we can even do a video call."
"How will you explain those daily calls to your teammates?" Kian asked.
"Easy." Aru smiled at the princess. "You will publicly demand that I call you every day and tell you about Anumati's history, economy, politics, demographics, etc. When I make the calls, I will use earpieces and distance myself from my teammates, but if they overhear me talking, they will assume that I'm answering the heir's questions from my own knowledge. They will have no way of knowing that I'm being fed the information."
Amanda
Syssi regarded Amanda's reflection in the mirror with a smile. "Do I want to know how much that wedding dress cost?"
As celebrity wedding gowns went, it wasn't nearly as expensive as the one Rena McGregor had worn for her wedding or Talia Smith's, but it probably cost half of an average yearly salary. Amanda had commissioned it from an unknown designer, who she had no doubt would someday be dressing leading ladies for the red carpet, but since the designer was only starting out, her price had been reasonable, and the dress turned out spectacular.
Crafted from beautiful cream-colored silk and sheer, strategically placed inlays, it had a high neckline that looked modest from the front but plunged so low at the back that it was almost indecent. Tight through the bodice and hips, it flared toward her feet and ended in a long train. The sleeves were long but sheer, and the entire thing was adorned with tiny pearls that would sparkle beautifully in the reception hall's lighting.
Not much had gone into styling Amanda's short hair because there wasn't much that could be done with it, and her makeup was as flawless as usual but a little more dramatic for the occasion.
She smiled at her sister-in-law in the mirror. "It didn't cost nearly as much as it should. I'm selfish and vain, but I'm not an egomaniac."
"You are vain," Sari said. "I'll give you that, but you are not selfish, and I don't want to hear you deprecating yourself on your wedding day."
Turning around, Amanda lifted the skirt of her dress so the long train wouldn't drag on the floor. "I can't help but feel guilty for celebrating while those poor women on the lower deck are grieving. Dalhu wanted to cancel the whole thing, and I gave him a pep talk about how our celebration was an affirmation of the important work we are doing for the victims of trafficking, but I still feel guilty about being happy today."
Alena rose to her feet, walked up to her, and took both of Amanda's hands in hers. "What happened to them is not your fault. You could not have prevented it, and you should not feel guilty for being happy. Letting evil depress us is letting it win."
Amanda shook her head. "I know, but witnessing evil is depressing. It is incomprehensible to me that humans are still capable of such atrocities after all we have done for them, and I can't stop thinking about it." She lowered her voice. "Maybe the gods are right in calling humans and other created species lesser."
"Stop that." Alena squeezed her hands gently. "The gods are not so great themselves. They had millions of years of a head start, and genetic science so advanced that they could have bred evil out of their citizens, but they didn't. Mortdh is proof of that."
"Do not say that name on this joyous occasion." Their mother floated into the bedroom, wearing her ceremonial gown. "You look absolutely spectacular, Mindi." A radiant smile spread over their mother's face. "I am so excited about marrying you and your darling Dalhu. You should have celebrated your union a long time ago."
Something was off about her mother, but Amanda couldn't put her finger on it. She was too excited, too bouncy, and Amanda doubted it was joy over marrying her daughter. She hadn't been that giddy before Alena's wedding.
Leaning forward, she sniffed, expecting to smell alcohol even though her mother rarely indulged, but all she could smell was a faint aroma of Annani's favorite tea and her innate scent that was no doubt the product of the gods' genetic engineering. No one smelled that good without putting on cologne or perfume.
"We almost canceled getting married tonight." Amanda waved Onidu over. "Can you please pour me a gin and tonic?"
"Of course, mistress."
"Since when do you drink that?" Syssi asked.
"Since I don't want any stains on my beautiful wedding gown, so I'm drinking only non-staining liquids as long as I'm wearing it."
"Makes sense." Syssi glanced at where Evie was playing with a mobile on the floor. "Although it's inevitable."
"As long as I walk down the aisle with a clean dress, I'm good. Whatever happens after the ceremony is less of a concern for me."
Her mother's joyous expression faded a little as she tilted her head to regard Amanda from under her lowered eyelashes. "Why did you consider canceling your wedding? Did something happen?"
