Aestir was stunned at the nature of the request and knew he had to choose his following words carefully. He wasn't too keen on being honest about all things with Celeste and quickly thought of a response he believed would appease the princess. "Then it will be as you say, Princess; I will put honesty as our foundation in our personal dealings moving forward. I imagine it would be helpful for the future to be a united front."
Hearing this made Celeste smile and dissipated many of her reservations about marrying Prince Aestir. The Strexxan wasn't as heartless and automated as she initially believed him to be; he was just a factually reasonable fellow, ruled by logic through and through.
And she envied that.
Sighing deeply, Celeste finally relaxed against the trunk of the Weeping Sapphire tree, glad she'd listened to the sun and came here. "Since we've agreed to be honest, may I be candid about something else?"
Aestir was intrigued to hear what she had to say. "Of course."
"I find myself envious of the way you allow logic and reason to rule you. I wish I could do the same."
Aestir was taken aback by the unexpected admission from the princess. He slowly turned to face her, feeling a mixture of disbelief and confusion rising within him. Had he heard her correctly? "...Truly?" he asked, still wrapping his mind around what she had just revealed.
Celeste's lips curved in a tight, longing expression as she nodded. "I love my people and my kingdom," she murmured, her gaze fixed on the lone orb between them. "But I feel as if I'm held captive by our rigid laws and expectations. And I wish that I could be an individual and make my own choices without fear of retribution." She finally looked up at the prince, her cerulean eyes meeting his in solidarity. "I imagine you feel the same."
Candor was an alien concept to Aestir. He felt immensely uneasy at the notion of being so forthcoming, yet… he had agreed to be honest with the princess and desired to maintain their agreement for the sake of peace. The prince couldn't understand why, but… something about Celeste's presence left him feeling peculiarly calm. He felt that she wouldn't judge him if he were candid right now.
Biting his lower lip, Aestir kneaded his hands together, reluctantly agreeing with the princess. "I do," He began, restlessly flexing his hands and closing them into fists before him. The uncertainty he felt was killing him, making his palms itch and keeping his throat dry. He'd never felt so vulnerable before. "May I be honest about something as well?"
Celeste nodded, eager to hear what the prince had to say.
"My advisors wanted me to take advantage of the situation created earlier and allow you to believe I love you. And… and I couldn't do that to you." He averted his gaze in shame, unable to reconcile this feeling with all the years of conditioning he'd been through, telling him there was no reason to feel guilty. "You're far too kind for your own good, Celeste."
The princess' smile turned quite doleful as she was hurt that the Strexxan advisors felt this way about her. She was touched, though, that Prince Aestir ultimately decided against listening to their horrid advice. "I appreciate your honesty, quite frankly."
The air between them was now filled with uncertainty, and neither spoke for what seemed to be an eternity, each unsure of what to say. Finally, Celeste broke the quiet with her words. "We each know we have varying obligations to our people; this much is true. But I want us to come together and talk about what we've done each night so that we can be a united front. If our marriage is built on animosity as well as responsibility, then it won't be able to withstand anything."
Aestir felt relatively comfortable agreeing to this, immediately nodding. "I believe that would be for the best since we cannot speak freely in the company of others."
Relief flooded through Celeste, and she grinned, feeling hopeful about her marriage for the first time since she'd been informed about it. "Then we will meet here at midnight each night until we're married and can be alone privately." She realized that she'd just made a monumental decision for them and rushed to appease Aestir, hoping he wasn't upset. "I-I mean, if you're alright with it, of course. I don't mean to command we do so."
Aestir furrowed his brow in confusion, and he wondered why Celeste always apologized when she voiced an independent thought. "Why are you sorry? That was an excellent idea; I wouldn't have agreed to it if I didn't believe so."
The princess looked down wistfully. "It isn't my place as a woman to command or lead; especially in a marriage." Her words were quiet, the shame she felt burning beneath her skin like an old wound.
Aestir let out a chuckle, thinking that Celeste was only joking. When he registered her serious demeanor, though, his mouth dropped open. He had to ask her to repeat it, dumbfounded by the opinion."What did you say?"
Celeste continued to look down in remorse, figuring that it made sense for Aestir to be upset with her for trying to lead their relationship. "I don't mean to offend you, betrothed…."
The prince shook his head quickly, not wanting the princess to misunderstand him. "Wait, Celeste; why do you believe it's not a woman's place to make decisions within a marriage?"
Now the princess was perplexed and furrowed her brow, beginning to wonder if Aestir was taunting her. "Because we're not…."
Aestir felt himself growing upset at whoever instilled this belief in Celeste and leaned forward, his face creased with annoyance. "Celeste. Who taught you this ludicrous notion?"
Celeste felt a bit embarrassed as she defended her position upon hearing Aestir's admonishing tone."That's just the way things are!" she argued, growing self-conscious when Aestir stared at her as if she were insane. "Are things not the same in Strexxa?"
Aestir's face wrested into bewilderment as he stared at the princess. "They are not!" he emphatically declared, his voice filling the space between them with tension. "In Strexxa, everyone is equal; men and women can marry whoever they want regardless of profession or gender. You're free to live your life and pursue a career of your choosing, so long as you're good at it."
The princess was floored to hear that a kingdom of elves operated this way, an incredulous expression on her face. "What? But how does nothing fall apart into chaos? Do you mean to tell me that women run businesses and don't maintain the home? Who takes care of the children?"
"Both people!" Aestir cried, genuinely baffled that Celeste held these beliefs about herself and her people. "We have something called parental leave in Strexxa; it gives a couple enough time to take care of their child. When the child is old enough, they are sent to school or daycare if they're young." He was blown away that the gender caste in Aephis was stricter than he initially thought and shook his head in a poor attempt to make any sense of this. "Celeste, what did you think you'd do as Queen of Strexxa? Did you believe you wouldn't be my equal?"
Celeste felt a wave of embarrassment crash over her as she looked away from Aestir. "Well… no. Because I'm not." She muttered, her face heating up in shame.
The prince shook his head and let out a strained laugh. "No. We are equals."
"Maybe in Strexxa-"
"No," Aestir Interrupted, his temple throbbing in frustration. "Celeste, I am no better than you because I have a cock, and I'm a man. You are my equal."
Celeste narrowed her eyes at Aestir's condescending tone, trying to understand why he intended to make her accept something untrue. "Aestir, there is no kingdom in Stelle besides Strexxa where that is true."
Aestir's very jaw dropped when Celeste made this statement, and he began to laugh in utter disbelief that the woman he was arranged to marry genuinely believed these things. "Yes, there are; Celeste, in every kingdom besides Aephis, elves are equal all across the board regarding gender. Aephis is the only kingdom in Stelle with harsh gender segregation and castes. You really did not know this?"