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She always did.
Lystrata cleared her throat, dragging Kallie’s attention back to the housekeeper. “The flowers, Princess Kalisandre. Do you have a preference?” Lystrata asked, repeating her question.
Picking flowers. This was how she was to spend her time? Kallie wanted to laugh. Were the flowers that important? They would wither away a few days after the ceremony, only to be tossed outside somewhere to wilt. Back in Ardentol, they had never needed to cover the place with flowers or other adornments, for the castle’s grandeur spoke for itself.
Kallie looked around the Frenzian grand hall and sighed.
Kallie glanced at Phaia. At this point, Kallie should have let the handmaiden oversee the decisions. She knew Rian’s favorite appetizers (a supposedly delicious crab-filled pastry customary of the Ragolian kingdom), his favorite wine (a hearty red from Borgania that he had tasted when he had visited there over a year ago). The handmaiden probably knew the answer to this as well. But alas, Kallie needed to pretend she cared about her wedding, even if it was some frivolous display.
“May I suggest red roses, Your Highness?” Phaia said.
An amused grin nudged at Kallie’s lips.
Of course, Rian’s favorite flower would be the kingdom’s signature flower, the one that peppered the streets and the castle’s garden. It was traditional, safe. A perfect representation of the young king who was trying to prove something to his people. Kallie, meanwhile, would have preferred peonies or something unique.
Kallie nodded, “That’s a great suggestion, Phaia.” She pointed up at the wooden beams that ran from the middle of the wall and over to the above foyer that overlooked the hall. Whether the flowers withered away or not, the castle needed to be perfect. “Let’s add greenery everywhere. Something that doesn’t take away from the stone but still adds some warmth to the palace. Be sure that there are enough candles to light each table. The grand hall does get rather dark once the sun sets.”
With a tepid hum of acknowledgment, Lystrata scratched her quill across the parchment. Flipping through the pages, she nodded. “All right, almost all the details on today’s docket are done. Do you remember the schedule, Princess Kalisandre?”
Quill still in hand, Lystrata pointed to the three nearly identical napkins on the table, only differing in hue and slight texture.
Kallie nodded passively as she ran a finger across the fabric of one of the napkins laid out in front of her. She held up the bright white cloth, and Lystrata marked it on the parchment.
Kallie recited the schedule, “On the first day, we will host a grand dinner to welcome our guests, followed by a ball. The next day, the women will gather for tea and pastries in the queen’s garden. Then the traditional Frenzian hunt will take place on the third night.”
Kallie did not understand why a hunt occurred in the middle of the wedding festivities. But when Kallie had asked Lystrata about it before, the housekeeper had flicked her hand in response, saying there was no need to worry about it. Kallie had dropped it after that. Tradition was tradition, she supposed. If the men needed to hunt some wild creature, so be it.
Looking up from the papers, Lystrata arched a grey brow.
“The ceremony will take place two days after,” Kallie added.
Lystrata nodded, brushing back a strand of hair.
Sharp steps clapped against the wooden floor.
“These next four weeks will be gone before you know it, Kalisandre,” Tessa said, wearing a simple burgundy dress. As she walked toward them, she straightened a flower arrangement as she strolled past it. “It will be the largest wedding that Vaneria has seen in centuries. Everything must be perfect.”
Tessa’s reminder was pointless.
The list of people invited was lengthy, and for a good reason. The more people who attended the wedding and acknowledged Kallie as queen of Frenzia, the more weight her crown held.
Lystrata walked around the table, pointing to the silverware options.
Kallie pointed to the simple silver set laid out. “I mean no offense, Your Highness, but I know the importance of my own wedding.”
Tessa scoffed, shaking her head and pointing to the gold set. Without glancing at Kallie, Lystrata crossed off Kallie’s choice and replaced it with Tessa’s.
Kallie arched a brow. Tessa seemed to care a lot for a woman who did not even want this wedding to occur. Perhaps Domitius was not the only one who cared about his reputation.
“That may be so, Kalisandre.” Kallie’s name on Tessa’s lips sounded as if she was eating each syllable, awkward and uncomfortable. “But if I may be frank, you have been deemed ‘the diamond of Ardentol.’ What good does that title do for you once you marry my son?”
Iron coated Kallie’s tongue.
“Vaneria, however, has not seen you as the Queen of Frenzia.” Tessa picked up the gold cake cutter Kallie had picked out, flipped it in her hands, and then set it back down with a halfhearted shrug.
“Yet,” Kallie mumbled.
“Yet,” Tessa repeated with a soft smile, folding her hands below her stomach. “Everyone will be watching. When your father returns, will you stand beside him?” Tessa paused as she walked around the table, the toe of her heels nearly touching Kallie’s. “Or will you stand beside your husband?” Tessa tilted her head. “Who will you bow down to, Kalisandre?”
