Celeste squeezed his hand affectionately and grinned at him before letting go, her mind drifting as she casually spoke to those surrounding her. Her entire day was packed with royal processions necessary for the wedding and Midsummer Festival of Hope, so she most likely wouldn't see Prince Aestir again until they secretly met at midnight. At the end of the feast, Celeste was tickled pink that Aestir kissed her cheek tenderly in parting and blushed as her friends surrounded her, squealing in elation upon his departure.
"Oh, my heavens!" Gushed Naeve, taking Celeste's hands in her own and clutching them tenderly. "Celeste! How do you feel?"
"Yes, we had no idea the prince loved you so much!" Added Aelyn, envy in her gaze. "He's more attractive than I thought now that I've had the chance to see him up close."
Celeste tried to ignore the jab before grinning and thinking of a response in kind. "Mm, yes, well, I'm quite thankful the sun has blessed me with such a charming partner. I think it's very noble of you to value your husband's heart more than his face." She then brought a coy hand to cover her mouth, hiding her smile. "I thank the sun I will not have to do the same."
Naeve and Ha-Yun laughed, which caused Aelyn to sputter in indignation.
"I mean this all in jest, dear Aelyn; do not fret." Murmured Celeste, winking at her friend. "Now, ladies, I hoped you'd follow me for my fitting. I need you all to be measured for your bridesmaid dresses."
Her friends hurriedly agreed, chattering about as they strode through the halls of the palace. Her attendant Mary was busy preparing for the wedding and concurrent festival, so Celeste was thankfully unsupervised for this fitting. Once they arrived, she watched her friends take their measurements, giving them free rein on how they wanted their dresses fitted for the wedding.
"So Celeste," Began Aelyn, glancing over at the princess with a taunting smile. "Have you undergone your wedding night instruction?"
Immediately Celeste's face heated up, and she looked away from her friend's mischievous gaze. "I have not."
"Well, if you have any questions, I can answer them. I assume me telling you is less embarrassing than your attendant telling you." Offered Aelyn, continuing to smirk at Celeste. "I would hate for Prince Aestir to be disappointed on your wedding night. I assume he isn't honorable anymore since he's Strexxan."
Celeste froze, the very notion of her betrothed no longer being a virgin not occurring to her until this very moment. She realized that sex was yet another thing she was woefully inept at and began to panic internally, praying to the sun that Aestir wouldn't resent her for not understanding it.
Letting out a nervous laugh, Celeste tried to give off the facade of confidence. "O-Oh, it can't be that difficult… millions of Stellens have sex daily. I'm sure they wouldn't if it wasn't at least pleasurable for both parties. I'm sure Prince Aestir will show me what to do."
"Trust me when I say this Celeste; sex is another chore. It doesn't feel good in the slightest for a woman, and it's only done when a husband needs to let off some steam from his stressful day. It lasts two minutes, and then it's over. It's very uneventful." Elucidated Aeylen before shrugging her shoulders. "I wouldn't have any grand expectations of your wedding night. If you lie there and let him touch you, you have nothing to worry about."
Celeste was relieved that Aelyn was offering her expertise on the matter, as she was the only one in their friend group that was married. "Um… does… does it hurt?"
"No!" Snorted Aelyn as if this were the most obvious question in the world. "It's uncomfortable, but… after a few seconds, you're fine. Again, it only lasts two minutes, so… if you think about your plans for the next day, it'll go by quicker."
Celeste cemented these words to heart, determined to learn what she could from her friend. "What if it lasts longer than two minutes? How will I know it's over?"
"Oh, you'll know," Murmured Aeylen, her face flushing red. "It's very obvious."
The princess wasn't convinced and made a mental note to speak to Aestir about this later. The prince had shown himself to be very knowledgeable on many topics, and she'd hate to enter their marriage without understanding something as crucial as sex. "I see."
Aelyn rested a gentle hand on her forearm then, pulling her from her thoughts. "Do not worry, Celeste. Even someone like you can get through it."
The princess narrowed her eyes at her friend and pursed her lips, not pleased by the jab. Nevertheless, she let it go, as Aelyn had the upper hand in this situation. Celeste noticed that Naeve and Ha-Yun remained silent during this interaction, so she sighed, wanting to change the topic and include them in the conversation. "I spoke to Aestir the other day, and he told me that in Strexxa, the women are equal to the men."
At this, her friends all gasped, with Ha-Yun speaking up. "What do you mean, Celeste? Like they're one and the same?"
"Not in that sense," Began Celeste, trying to clarify how Aestir explained it to her. "Their women are free to work in whatever profession they choose, and have the same rights as men."
Naeve gasped, her jaw falling open. "Then who watches the children and takes care of the home?"
"Aestir says that the kingdom has daycares for the children and that they pay for both parents to remain home with the child for as long as they desire until the child is old enough for school." Explained the princess.
"It certainly sounds ridiculous!" Naeve exclaimed, with Aelyn emphatically nodding in agreement. "I can't imagine working while my children are raised in a "daycare" by someone else."
The women spoke about other miscellaneous things until the fitting was over, and after that, Celeste was rushed throughout the palace for other preparations for the wedding. She'd decided she wanted to unravel her locs for the wedding and knew that it would take at least 8 hours for them to be unraveled, washed, and styled, so the princess spent the bulk of her day in the royal salon, thoughts of her intimate conversation with Prince Aestir in her mind.
She wondered if they'd have another breakthrough tonight and blushed as she pondered if the Prince would eventually kiss her. She thought he would've last night, but he didn't, much to her surprise. Celeste finally settled on being okay with whatever outcome happened while meeting with Aestir tonight. She had brimming trust in the prince and knew that whatever occurred would be respectful of her.