The evening festivities give me a headache, and I rub my temple as another aunt comes up to congratulate us.
"Oh Catarina, what a lovely day to be married. I am so happy for you. You will finally be able to bear children! With such a strapping young man too!" My aunt Farah gushes.
Calder coughs beside me, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
Scraping his chair towards the table, Calder stands and holds my hand. I stand with him and my aunt looks back and forth between us knowingly.
"Thank you so much for your kind words Aunt. I'm afraid it's about time we take our leave for the night. Off we go to celebrate," he winks at my aunt.
Her mouth drops open for a moment before she winks right back at him.
I roll my eyes at Calder, who simply smirks at me.
Before we manage to leave the banquet hall, soft music starts playing in the background.
I gasp, remembering that we have yet to dance as my mother and father glide to the center of the hall, beckoning us over.
A smile spreads over my face as I watch them dance, transfixed. It's Myrran tradition for the parents to have the first dance. Calder's parents take their cue to dance too.
The second song comes on, and Calder whisks me into dance mode. He's surprisingly good at dancing, his moves smooth and fluid guiding me along the hall floor. I look up at him, and I realize this is our first moment together where we are facing each other to talk.
"Catarina, mi reina. Did I tell you, that you look beautiful tonight? The stars and the sun could not compare," Calder says.
The way he calls me his queen makes my heart beat double time. But his words are lacking emotion, duller than the surface of the grey moon.
I force a saccharine smile and I say, "No, you did not tell me. But I don't think I needed to know."
Calder responds, "We have a lifetime to warm up to each other."
"I don't plan on warming up to you," I say.
"Why not?" Calder asks.
I pause, eyeing him. He stops guiding me as quickly and peers into my eyes like he's trying to find out what I'm thinking.
I consider telling him exactly what's on my mind. That we could never work as a conventional happy couple. That he's the enemy now and he'll always be the enemy. But what's the point in saying all of this? He is not supposed to know that I despise him, and I am supposed to be the demure good bride for him on the outside. But I never promised to be the perfect wife when we are speaking one-on-one.
Despite my efforts to stay in control, my tail swishes back and forth in a quick snapping motion.
"We don't know each other," I offer.
"You speak as if we'll never know each other, but you are aware are you not? We will be spending time together. I will not have you hidden in our chambers. I intend for this union to go as planned, and for it to work we must get to know one another."
I huff, resisting the urge to shove his chest for the second time today.
"That's all and well, but you are aware, are you not? That I did not choose this destiny, and I do not want you either."
Calder raises his eyebrows and he notes, "You are still fighting this, I see."
"You are not?" I ask.
Calder says nothing, pressing closer to me. The music slows to a more intimate pace.
I try to stop my body from reacting, but his warmth feels like a safety net. My hands slip from his shoulders to his forearms as we look into each other's eyes and keep dancing.
My father comes and steps in to have the father-daughter dance. Calder inclines his head to his father-in-law and moves to find his mother for their dance.
I am glad I do not have to dance with my mother.
King Felipe wraps me in a hug and says, "I am so proud of you, Rina."
Stiffly I say, "Thank you father."
King Felipe notices the creases on my forehead, and he says, "Trouble in paradise already? Not to worry, I am sure tonight will be satisfying."
Oh dear Myrra. At the back of my mind, this thought has been pulsing over and over again. The words of my mother, and the mission she has given me. I am supposed to be having a pleasurable night, but I know it will be anything but. It will end in bloodshed, and not the virginal kind.
Calder is finally successful in hauling me away from guests and our family members who want to speak to us. He lifts me into his arms bridal style and everyone cheers.
We exit the hall and as soon as we do, I slip out of his arms. He keeps a firm grip on my hand through our walk to our wedding night chamber.
The doors swing open, and the maids file out of the chamber after having readied the room for us. It is one of the largest rooms in our palace. Draped with beautiful burgundy curtains around the windows, a gold nightstand, and a huge bed with multiple pillows in the center of the room await us. The room connects to a bathroom just as lavish.
"Don't keep me waiting too long," Calder says as he presses a soft kiss to my knuckles.
Flutters of butterflies rise in my belly as his lips trail my wrist and I pull away. This physical attraction between us needs to be culled.
I breathe deeply, excusing myself to go to the bathroom to prepare. Locking the door behind me, I strip and shower, careful not to get my hair wet. Sliding into the neglige Calder gifted me, I pull a satin robe around me.
Looking in the steamy mirror, I tell myself I can do this. I can kill him. I can complete this mission and my mother will stop punishing me, at least temporarily.
I pull out the special dagger from the cabinet where we instructed the maids to put the weapon. I put the dagger on the sink counter. Glinting in the glow of the bathroom, the knife glares up into my face. Quickly I strap the dagger to a stretchy band around my thigh and again check my features in the mirror.
My brown hair frames my face and I paint a faint layer of rouge on my lips, fluffing my hair before I step out of the bathroom.
Calder stands next to the bed, in a robe similar to mine, except his is black and mine is red.
Prowling closer to me, his eyes are alight with a fire that burns me from the inside out. Before he can grab me to feel my body and find the knife, I push against his chest like I've been wanting to do all day, with just enough strength to push him onto the bed. He shifts back and I crawl forward, ignoring the inner voices screaming at me to stop. My tail curls around his ankle.
Putting on my best sultry smile, I say, "Let me serve you first."
He growls, shaking his head.
"No, mi reina. I will not allow this."
He reaches for me, and in a swift movement, I'm reaching for the dagger.
Without hesitation, I stab him right in the heart.