Their throne was high enough to see the whole hall from above. Everyone had to look up to glance at them.
The table and chairs were all decorated while staying true to the vampire color palette. Long candles flickered in the center of the table. Both of the empire's guests were present at the feast.
Nashia and Eric held their full crystal wedding wine glass adorned with red roses in the air as they toasted everyone.
"May our peace remain eternal," both mumbled.
They linked their arms as they sipped the liquid in the glass. The guests also raised their glasses along with them and drank.
The feast started. Eric and Nashia were both seated at a table closer to their throne and higher than the others' dinner tables.
The night gradually came. The sun dipped below the clouds, retreating into dusk. The feast lasted for a while.
Suddenly, Duchess Yura came and curtsied. Nashia gave a side glance at her. She came closer and whispered something in Nashia's ear.
"Looks like something important came up. I will head back first," she spoke as she stood up.
Eric nodded at her– watching her go back. A ripple of snickers once again soured the air.
"Pfft.. Really? Her majesty left her newlywed consort behind for work. Shows her priority."
"What do you expect from our Empress? She was never the type to ignore her people's need for some outsider."
"I bet her majesty won't even celebrate their marriage tonight!"
Eric held his composure. Forcing the food down his throat to uphold his dignity. But their words stuck like splinters. Mockery had become the soundtrack of his new life. As the ceremony finished, he also took his leave.
Eclavere Palace. The name of this majestic palace. The one that is now Eric's home. The valets guided him to his private chamber.
The valets wished to help him get fresh and ready for their wedding night. But he firmly refused their help with the bath.
He took the bath himself. He wore a robe that covered his torso securely. After he took a bath, they led him to the joint bedchamber. Their bed chamber was joined into 3 chambers.
On both sides, it was their personal bed chamber, while in the middle, it was their joint bed chamber. They can only enter the joint bedchamber through their own rooms.
"Why are the rooms connected?" Eric asked one of the maids.
"It's traditional, your highness. In Rosett, all married Imperial or noble heads' shared bed-chambers are designed in this way."
"I see." The maids left as they showed him the door.
When he entered the chamber, she still wasn't there. He sat at the edge of the bed and waited for her. He stared at the door, which was connected to her bedchamber.
One minute, ten minutes, and then an hour. Yet she was still nowhere in sight. She didn't come to the joint bedchamber to celebrate their union. She ignored him as if he didn't exist.
Then a sudden knock on the door erupted. He dryly told whoever it was to come in, as he knew it wasn't Nashia, even though the knock was from her side.
She wouldn't knock. She ruled the threshold.
"My apologies for disturbing you at this time, your highness. But it seems her majesty got caught in some important work. She won't be able to come tonight," the maid spoke softly, her head lowered.
"Understood. You can leave," he replied, seeing the maid making her way back.
"So, you aren't even gonna pretend," Eric muttered, as the maid disappeared in the darkness.
Silence haunted him. Only he is in an unknown place. The dry winds danced around the chamber like a mockery of his state.
Never expect love from me, Prince Eric. Her words rang through his mind.
On the other side, Nashia was sitting in her office chair. Her eyes were set on the blood moon out of the window with a bitter smile lingering at the corner of her lips.
"Your majesty, are you really going to leave him alone like that?" Yura asked, her voice restrained.
"Yes, that's exactly what I said. Right?" she replied dryly.
"Yes. But… isn't leaving him alone a little too risky? What if he tries to escape?"
"With that security of ours?"
"True though. What if he tries to kill himself?"
She rises from her chair. She pulled herself slowly toward the window. Her red eyes gleamed under the moonlight.
"He won't. Not yet. Those eyes hold kindness. Which will kill himself— slowly."
"How much pain can the treasured dog of Zenith take? How will he deal with my ignorance? I want to see those eyes' sparkle dim down gradually before I take his breath away for eternity."
The Duchess stood in her place quietly, knowing her nature. She deliberately made up an excuse to humiliate him.
Meanwhile, a heavy exhale escaped Eric's lips as he stood up. Expecting his wife's company on their first night is foolish. He knew what rumors would rise once the news got out, but that's something he can't control.
Though he was happy instead. He wouldn't have to struggle to push her away tonight. He stepped onto the balcony.
"I won't need it then. Let's get rid of it before it stirs up a problem for me," he mumbled as he pulled out a small vial from the pocket of his robe.
He poured the unknown liquid on a plant that was kept in a corner on the balcony. He stared at the dark sky above his head and the blood moon.
"How different this empire is from Zenith. Naturally beautiful yet terrifying. That red moon in the sky. I never saw it in Zenith. Who knows how my life will go from now on?"
He can't help but remember how he ended up being married to her despite being the first prince and the righteous heir to the throne of the Zenith Empire.