*Rosemary*
"Let's go dance!" Artermia said, dragging Orlin away from the cathedral chamber.
"H-hey! Slow down!" Ore yelled, trying to keep up with her.
I smiled. Even my hyper brother was no match for his girlfriend.
Gael sighed. "Now I wish Satsuko were here."
"Can the baby not travel yet?" I asked.
He straightened his posture. "I'm not sure, but he is fresh out of the 'oven'. We didn't want to risk it." He grinned. "Though, little Seb seems strong! But of course he is! He's my little boy!"
I smiled. "Hope my kids turn out to be healthy and strong too." My face flushed at the thought of having kids. I was married now, but it hadn't occurred to me that one day, Saffron and I would have to consummate our marriage.
Gael smiled. "I'm sure they will. Especially if they take after their papa."
I frowned. True, but what if they took after their mother?
"Well, let's get going!" Gael said, rushing on ahead.
I took a deep breath and jogged after him. It normally was hard, but it was worse now with my dress. Maybe opting for a dress with a long 'skirt' was a bad idea.
Gael spun around as soon as I yelped. A pair of arms grasped me, but they weren't his.
"Are you alright? Did you sprain your ankle while walking down the aisle?" Saffron asked, holding me in his arms. He touched my leg and stared at it as if he were a physician.
"No," I said, blushing. "I'm just a bit of a klutz."
"Hmph," Father said as he stood up. He left the cathedral, eyes filled with annoyance.
"Woah! That was a nice catch, big brother!" said a black-haired girl dressed in green. She seemed to be nine years old.
"Alli, I told you not to talk unless talked to," the woman who gave me the bracelet said. "Sorry about that, Miss."
"It's fine. We're family now," I knelt down and patted Alli's head. "It's nice to meet you, Alli."
She grinned. "Brother sure picked a pretty wife."
I smiled faintly. Was that the only reason he was hung up on marrying me?
"Hello, Rosemary! I'm Salvias!" said a little boy with deep black hair and orange eyes.
I knelt down and smiled at my little brother-in-law. "Nice to meet you, Salvias. How old are you?"
"I'm five!" he said, holding out five fingers.
"Your siblings sure are young compared to you," I said, glancing at Saffron.
He closed his violet eyes. "Well, Dad was away a lot."
I blinked. "Away? Is he part of the military too?"
Alli frowned and looked down. "He used to be."
"So he retired?"
"Father died in combat," Saffron said, picking up his little brother. "The Kasai no Ki surrounded his ship. To ensure the lives of his men, he stayed back and fought them by himself."
I frowned. Why did I press for answers? He must've thought me insensitive. "Oh. Think I heard about that from Orlin. Father gave a posthumous medal to a man called Ash who had saved his entire crew, at the cost of himself."
"Big brother helped raised us! So you better take good care of him!" Alli said.
Saffron frowned. "If I'm a caretaker, why do I need her to care for me?"
His mother sighed. "You do push yourself beyond your limits at times, son. Even as a child. If not for me pressing you to come eat, you would've missed meals. I'm afraid you might end up like your father one day."
My husband took a deep breath. "That's the life of a soldier. Breaks like this are a luxury. And self-sacrifice is the norm. I knew the risks when I applied for the job."
"How did you rise so high? Aren't you still a teenager?" I asked.
"Hard work. A lot of it."
"Even though the military is full of corrupt people, some still know how to recognize merit," Gael said, grinning.
I furrowed my brow. "Corrupt?"
"Yeah, there are people who rise up by giving money." Gael scratched his cheek. "If I had any, I might consider it too."
Saffron elbowed him. "Don't."
"I understand, sir," Gael said, gripping his side in agony.
"Yeah, you're too good for that," I said, shaking my head.
My cousin fidgeted. "Aww! Wait, you're just saying that because we're cousins!"
"No, I mean it!"
Gael smiled. "Satsuko told me the same thing. Although, she also said that if I try it, she'll burn me alive."
I glanced at Saffron who didn't seem fazed by it. Was he used to such banter?
"She would," Saffron finally said, shrugging.
Wait, it wasn't banter?! Just what kind of person was this Satsuko lady?
"Anyway, enough talk. It's time to party!" Gael said, throwing his hands into the air as he ran off.
Saffron sighed.
"Don't like dancing?" I asked.
He stared at the multicolored floor of my family's personal church. "Well, I haven't done much of it. I've been to dances before, but I usually stood by the punchbowl."
I smiled. "Is that so? That makes two of us." I put my hands together. "But, I do dance when alone."
"I see. Then, how about we dance?" he asked as we walked out of the cathedral.
"Uh, if you don't mind."
"You seem to want to."
Was he doing it only because I wanted to?
"Brother's bad at this romance thing," Alli said as she and her family trailed us.
Salvias nodded.
"Kids!" their mother said, picking them up. "You're going to make your brother anxious!"
Saffron closed his eyes and walked on ahead.
Was he anxious? He seemed pretty calm to me. But a mother usually knew her child better than anybody else did. Wonder if I would ever get to know him to that extent. Or even half as well.
I glanced at my mother-in-law. "If you were to describe your oldest son in one word, what would it be?" I asked.
She snickered. "Trying to get to know him better, aren't ya?"
My cheeks reddened. "I-I mean, I barely met the guy."
"How did you marry someone you barely met?" Alli said, tilting her head.
My mother-in-law sighed. "This isn't a fairy tale wedding, dear."
Alli frowned as her mother patted her head. "It's not? But brother married a princess!"
"Yeah, but the circumstances are different from what you read in books."
I looked to the side. Indeed. Little of this whole arrangement was what I'd wanted for myself. Not that I had much of a choice. This dress was probably the only thing I managed to pick out. The rings, decorations, all that was picked out by others. It was unusual that someone would consider my opinion. Even my brother would sometimes not listen to what I wanted for myself. I knew he didn't do it to be rude or mean, but it still stung. As if he thought he knew better than me.
My eyes darted to the stairs where Saffron awaited me. Yet, this man who had essentially forced me to marry him, took what I wanted into account. It was downright paradoxical.