“You look beautiful,” Karma said. “Here, I got you something.” She held out a light-pink pendant on a silver chain. “It’s rose quartz—it opens the heart and brings love into your life.”
“You’re not flip-flopping on me again, are you? You’re making me dizzy.”
“You’re my twin—the other half of the fertilized embryo. If you’re determined to do this, then I’m going to support you all the way.”
She held her hair up, and Karma put the necklace on her. Kismet turned around and hugged her. “I love you. Thank you for being with me.”
“I love you, too. I wish Mom could have been here for your wedding.”
“Me, too. But I’m sure she’ll be at the next one.” She had to remain realistic and not get caught up in the fantasy of marrying an alien prince. This was no fairy tale. It was a temporary marriage of convenience, a fake relationship to help the prince avoid an unwanted match. No hearts, no flowers, no romance.Friendship.Respect.Maybe a littleadventure.
Karma blinked. “I bet most brides don’t say that.”
“You’re right,” Kismet said.
“What was that?” Her sister grinned.
“You heard me. I’m not going to repeat it.” She chuckled, regarding her twin with affection. “You look very nice. Almost sedate.”
“I didn’t want to outshine the bride.”
Karma wore a sleeveless periwinkle dress with a handkerchief hem. Instead of her usual Birkenstocks, she’d donned a pair of matching ballet slippers.
The chime rang.
“That must be our escort.” Her stomach fluttered with sudden nerves.I can do this.
The same liveried aide who’d picked them up at the spaceport was outside. “If you’re ready…” he said.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
The aide moved like a man on a mission, briskly weaving through the palace. The halls were so vacant and silent, she could hear her dressswish. Her heelsclickedon the ornate floor, although she tried to step quietly.
“Where will the wedding be held?” she inquired.
“In one of the libraries,” he replied.
One? “How many libraries are there?”
“Five. The king has a personal library, and then there are four others.”
“I’m guessing the wedding isn’t in the king’s library.”
“That is correct.”
Jaryk had shared that the king and queen would not be informed of the marriage until it was a done deal. “I wish for you to be fully apprised of the situation,” he’d said. “I will be marrying against my father’s wishes. If he learns of the wedding beforehand, he will try to stop it.”
That had caused her no small bit of trepidation. The king would be predisposed to dislike her before he even met her! However, thwarting the monarch’s wishes was the whole point of the marriage—from Jaryk’s perspective, anyway. He had assured her she would be unlikely to cross paths with either of his parents very often. Given the enormity of the sprawling palace, she could see how that would be true.
Would she ever learn her way around? It would be easy to get lost. Like their escort seemed to be.
She wasn’t sure, but it felt like they were moving in circles, often reversing direction like their escort didn’t know his way around. She hoped she wouldn’t be late for her own wedding!
The halls were surprisingly vacant; they hadn’t encountered any of the ubiquitous servants.
The aide turned down yet another corridor. Hadn’t they gone down this one before? The artwork looked vaguely familiar. At the far end, two uniformed Kaldorans emerged from a room.The aide abruptly turned around, almost bumping into her. “My apologies. We can’t go this way.”
“Are you trying to avoid people?”
