His preoccupationwasdisloyal to Charday. There could be no more kisses. Their marriage would be platonic. But neither could he sneak away to see Charday. That would be disrespectful to Kismet. Instead, he would abstain from all sexual contact during the probationary year.
Perversely, that made him feel disloyal to his wife. She deserved a husband who desired her and could provide physical intimacy. Everything he did seemed wrong!
When Charday learned of the marriage, she would not be happy. She had quite the temper. While Kismet had been very accommodating, he couldn’t imagine she’d be happy in a sterile, plastic marriage.
Caught in the middle, he couldn’t be happy.
He never should have listened to Falkor. However, if he had to be stuck in a loveless marriage, he preferred Kismet over Alia. If Charday hadn’t claimed his heart, he would have been very happy with Kismet and might even have fallen in love with her.
And that made him feel really disloyal. Because it still might be true.
* * * *
They waited in a VIP tent outside the museum. “Don’t be nervous,” Jaryk whispered.
“I can’t help it,” Kismet said. “There must be two hundred people out there.”
He chuckled. “I don’t think there are quite that many. Besides, they will all be very happy to meet you.”
“Curious,” she said. “They will becuriousto see me. They will be happy to seeyou.”
“You’ll do fine. Just wave and smile.”
He’d requested she accompany him to the dedication of the museum as a way to let her dip her toe into the waters of public scrutiny before plunging into the full spectacle of the royal ball. Meeting new people made his shy wife anxious, and she preferred one-on-one encounters to huge groups. Hopefully, low-key events like this one would build her confidence and enable her to feel more comfortable because public appearances were a common, frequent aspect of royal life.
Plus, this low-key venue gave them some time together. Since the wedding three days ago, an abundance of royal duties had claimed his constant attention, causing him to miss the nightly dinners. He and Kismet had barely exchanged more than a dozen words in passing. He felt like he’d abandoned her.
“Do I look okay?” She smoothed her hands down the sides of her blue dress.
“You couldn’t have chosen a better color. Kaldoran blue is perfect,” he said. While the fabric and construction weren’t as sumptuous as a royal would wear, the people would only notice the color.
“There’s an official color?”
He nodded. “Yes. Have you met with the tailor yet?”
“Yes,” she said. “She measured me from every angle. She said the first of the garments would be ready tomorrow. She hintedI’d be receiving quite a few articles. I thought I was getting a ball gown.”
“You will need a few more clothes,” he said. “For events like this. And for more formal occasions.”
The museum director stepped out. “It’s about to begin,” Jaryk said. “The people will love you. Don’t worry.”
“As long as your father doesn’t show up.”
He chuckled. “No worries. This isn’t his thing. I doubt he even knows about it.”
“He wasn’t supposed to know about the wedding, either,” she pointed out.
He squeezed her shoulder. “It will be fine.”
The museum director began to speak. “Welcome honored guests to the special preview of the Museum of Alien Horticulture!”
The crowd whistled their appreciation.
“Tickets for the grand opening and for several days thereafter have sold out. You are fortunate we set aside a special preview or you’d never get in,” Urk Poth-Dox said with a chuckle to the assembled townspeople. “Seriously, I’m sure the crowds will subside after a while, but MAH will continue to be an economic and cultural boon to our city and the planet by attracting more visitors—more tourist dollars—from around the galaxy. Equally important, it will be a huge learning experience for our youth. Already, many schools have booked field trips to see alien flora in their simulated habitats.”
He paused while the crowd whistled.
“We never could have achieved this without the patronage of His Highness. When we started this venture, people dismissed it—‘Plants? Who cares about plants?’ But once the prince got involved and put his time—and funding—behind it, people took notice.
