“Don’t get caught by him.” Karloman teased Augustin: “He’ll have a word…” the boy made an elongated pause: “with you once he gets the chance.” pointing with a smirking grin towards David as he passed with a light wink.
A tuck on his own ear by his older cousin Sebastian geared Karloman back into behaving: “If you don’t want a word with Albrecht start behaving. We shouldn’t make a scene, and teasing Augustin does belong in that category.”
The rest of the ceremony went by without much of a hitch, and most of the Kids made their way towards the airship, following Lady Anna’s Invitation they were headed for their new Vacation Spot. Only two of them followed Orion, Albrecht and Adelheid, the later in company of Makar, to the reception.
Adelheid had an elegant red and black dress under her cloak, nothing too unsettling or attention seeking. It was a Silk laced A Line, with a couple of Bird feathers. Her focus was on getting seen small talking with Makar by people at the Reception:
“So, since Lady Anna has offered to take the Herd partially of my hands, are you free the next days?” She sipped some sparkling wine, smiling:
“I am interested in getting to know you better, and not just your kinship degree to the council.” She coaxed a wide smiled: “Any suggestions?”
Albrecht had approached Lady in waiting Anna Imwich: “Most of the horde is on way to your Palace.” He gave a light chuckle: “I hope you are prepared for that many children. They can be a handful. And that even though we are currently two down.”
He glanced over the happening: “Will you be there? Considering you are a Lady in Waiting i assume you’ll be busy the next days. Also, speaking of the next days. Orion has been and will be a little too forward, he’s probably going to offer Gavril a Stipend for our academies. Word of explaining here how our people see being gay. Marriage is a duty to reproduce in our society, Pairs without children are frowned upon, thus the Elder Senate does not allow same sex marriage. In context, there is no Tax or law benefits to marriage unless you raise children. Marriage is, at the same time, not seen as fulfilling. One is almost expected to find your soulmate outside of your official pairing, and many people believe true love can only happen between the same sex. Thus infidelity with the opposing sex is frowned upon, while with the same is not.”
Albrecht pinched his nose bridge: “I just wish to prevent any form of disappointment or surprise here. And as Orion probably rushed forward explaining way too early, he doesn’t get to choose his bride anyway. It will be decided by a Grand debate, and several physical and mental contests alongside, which woman will be the most fitting to bear and raise the next emperor and empress.”
Orion switched clothing on the way to the tower, while it seemed less comfortable, he found his White Parade Uniform a lot more fitting the circumstances. The tunic and Toga combination was somewhat chilly in the Lodjan winter.
He carried a huge Parchment packed rectangle towards the Wedding Pair, behind him two of the children's herd carried each two smaller parchment packed rectangles. In a Purple dress with a fitting hat and Huge sunglasses Kunigunde was one, followed by Augustin in a black child sized suit and a fly, with a top hat and equal large sunglasses.
Orion handed the press nearby a nice little letter before approaching the throne:
“We will not demand of you not to release pictures of the two younger members of the imperial family, though would ask you not to. We also have to inform you, should you decide you to do so, you can not travel to the Empire anymore without facing charges of having released the Pictures. I hope you understand these are old laws, but the Senates are fiercely defensive about them.
Orion the first of his Name, Emperor of Neu Uburzis”
As it was his turn, the five frames were placed in front of Klara, Roksana and Leopold, while Orion was standing behind the largest one:
“Your Majesty, your Highness. I can not bring you something as significant as the first gift of today, but for the second wedding i wish to gift you something more personal. This is not the gift from a nation, but the gift from a young wannabe artist back to the Inspiration.”
He slowly started to rip off the paper, revealing an ornate wood frame and the oil painting it held:
Klara with her defiant gaze in her coronation dress, spooning in the chocolate gateau with a defiant gaze, as the cake shovel was still stuck on her plate, depicting that she took it up to herself to get the first piece.
Orion’s face had started to turn a bright glowing red, he seemed somewhat embarrassed now that the cat was out of the bag. Hiis niece and nephew revealed the remaining two pictures on command:
The four frames held depiction of each of the Lady in waiting at the Time, all in various states reacting to the middle picture:
Roksana was depicted as skirting her Lips, a blush on her lips as she was seemingly contemplating between looking away and looking on.
Lady Anna’s frame showed her hand gripping for something in vain, as she expressed shock and surprise.
In motion of fainting, leaning against a chair, was Lady Jasmina, a strong unidentified male arm holding her fall.
Intrigued and observing was the best description of lady Stasya's posture, seemingly the most composed of the four.
As all Pictures where revealed, Orion’s face had turned into a bright red, glancing up and down with a shy smiled:
“I hope you apologize the artistic freedom with the then Ladies in Waiting, i only made a sketch of her Majesty at the time…” He allowed the pictures to be brought to the Gifts by the Ladies in waiting, unsure their reaction to his not always fortunate portrayal of them:
“I, as this fourteen year old Uncle, Artist and Schoolboy, not as an aloft Emperor, wish for you and your Partners that Love and Understanding will always accompany you. May your goddess guide you towards Happiness.”
Augustin was glad to get rid of the Pictures, they were heavy and he had to be careful with them, and way too many people had their eyes glued on him. He sneaked off as quick as he could, trying to get close to a certain someone. He was still very anxious about meeting Rhiannon's father, unsure how he would react, his hands fiddling in his hands as he walked up to David, his head down, almost loosing his Tophat:
“Uh, your Majesty?” he meekly squealed in a pitched tone: “Could we, talk for a moment?”
he motioned to a little quieter place, Orion trailing him a moment later though with some distance, seemingly allowing him to try and deal with this himself.
“I’m sowy i gat Rhinn into uhm…” he grabbed a piece of paper with notes on it: “trubble.”
He took his sunglasses off, realizing those are probably impolite when speaking to a king:
“I… wasn’t sinking and ran to dainjer, and sat’s why rhinn also gat into trubble…. i’m really sowwy.”
his hat fell down, his blonde hair slightly ruffled as he quickly bowed down to get it back on his head: “I promiss i try my besht to not get her into more trubble. If she coms visit again sat is.”
He glanced up to david, then back down on the floor:
“You can puniss me if you…”
Before he could finish, Orion intervened: “Augustin, lass Das bitte. In Ost Morland geht man anders mit unartigen Kindern um.”
[1] Though he did take the Top hat off: “Also, hats off in front of Monarchs.”
He then nodded towards David himself: “Good day, your Majesty. I hope you don’t mind. He had to get that off his chest.”
