Chapter 53 – The Meeting

Three days later, the day arrived for Tiana to visit the royal palace. She woke a little earlier than usual, so she had more time to make herself presentable. Some of the skilled maids prepped her from head to toe, taking care of every little detail of her appearance. Tiana was happy for them, as they were so proud of their work. And, she felt, they had ever right to be.

The style of dress and her accessories she was wearing was different than what she usually wore, but as this was a special occasion, it didn’t hurt to dress up a little. It dawned on her how this would be a regular occurrence after she got married, as she would have to take a more socially active role alongside her husband.

Tiana thanked her maids for all their hard work, and left her dressing room to head to the ground floor. There, standing by the main entrance, was her father. He smiled at her as soon as reached the bottom of the stairs.

“You look beautiful, Tiana.” Edwin tucked a loose strand of Tiana’s hair behind her ears.

“Thank you, father.” Tiana smoothed out the creases in her dress. “The entire Imperial Royal family will be there, so I need to look my best.”

“You must be really busy. Be careful on your way.”

“Yes, I will. By the way, Where are you going, father?” she asked, nodding at his uniform.

“I have a meeting with some members of the aristocracy. I was right in the middle of leaving so I can set everything up early.” Edwin took some papers from Alfred. He was turning to leave when Tiana had a brilliant idea.

“Then let’s go together. Lucius will be here soon.” She said, hoping to give Lucius and her father some time to get to know each other.

“No, no. It’ll be awkward. I don’t mind leaving first.” Refusing his daughter’s offer, he hugged her and went out the door. As she was following him out to see him off, Lucius had just arrived in his carriage.

The bewildered Edwin hurriedly greeted him with a quick bow.

“Welcome, Your Grace. I hope you and Tiana have a safe journey.” He rushed towards his own carriage. “I would love to talk, but I have to get to the Imperial Palace.

“Then let us all go together, My Lord.” Lucius called out after him. “I don’t really see a reason why we should go separately. After all, you’re going to be my father-in-law soon. I’d like to go together, My Lord.”

Not knowing what to do, Edwin eventually agreed to travel with them and climbed into Lucius’ carriage.

“You’re really beautiful today. Have you been waiting long?” Lucius asked Tiana as he held out a hand for her to take.

“No, not at all. I was just seeing father off when you arrived.” Tiana nestled down in her seat with Lucius climbing in after her and closing the door. And with that, the carriage set off down the north road towards the Imperial Palace. Tiana looked at the scenery passing through her window, not sure what to do. Her father and fiancé were refusing to make eye contact, despite her best hopes. Lucius appeared as though he wanted to talk, but Edwin was having none of it.

She knew that she had to be the one to break the silence between them.

“What kind of person is the emperor?” She asked, before turning to Lucius. “He’s your step-brother, is he not?”

“Yes, and I respect him deeply.” Lucius replied, with Edwin commenting on how he was a strong man.

“He’s a man who sticks to his beliefs. He doesn’t change once he decides on something.” Edwin continued, avoiding Lucius’ eyes. As he is in a position to take charge, he draws his lines clearly and thoroughly rejects what he doesn’t believe is the right thing to do.”

Edwin closed his mouth at that point. He was aware of Lucius and was hesitant to carry on, but Lucius nodded as if giving him consent.

“However, he has a warm heart.”

“Yes, he does. He’s full of affection for those he holds dear.” Lucius smiled and stared at Edwin. And it warmed Tiana’s heart to see the two of them interacting.

“Don’t worry too much. His Majesty will like Tiana.” Lucius placed one hand over his heart, and his other hand on Tiana’s shoulder.

Tiana nodded at him and linked their fingers together. She roughly knew Rael’s personality because of the original story, but the thought of meeting the living emperor made her nervous. She was going to see the protagonist of the world, one in which she was the antagonist.

The carriage came to a halt at the palace gates as the driver announced their arrival. The gates opened, and the carriage rolled into the courtyard and gave Tiana her first spectacular view of the palace.