Aligned For You

Chapter 17

When Caius woke up the next morning, he was actually feeling great. Totally revived! Sure, he still had to be careful of his injuries, because stab wounds, shockingly enough, didn't close up in two days...but honestly he barely felt it, his whole body already cackling with adrenaline.

Getting dressed was going to be a pain, but Caius had his wedding armor already prepared. In a way, he kind of wished it wasn't armor--he hadn't thought anything of it when he first left Luminary and been instructed what he was going to wear for the big day, but now, wearing armor as his wedding outfit seemed...in bad taste. As far as he’d seen, armor wasn’t exactly common fashion in Dicea, like it was in Luminary, and the difference left him feeling a little too…conquer-y.

But, it was too late now. Maybe he could argue that the ceremonial sword didn't need to be a part of it. Felix would at least see he was making an effort that way. He had to get into the shower quick, no doubt Alonne and MacKenzie would be here soon to get ready with him, and if MacKenzie got into the shower before he did, all the hot water was going to be-

There was a knock at the door, and Caius raised an eyebrow at this. They knew they could just...walk in.

Heading to the door, Caius opened it up and was relieved to see Alonne, who...looked...tense.

Then he opened the door further, and saw a mess of servants, along with Secretary Ragna and Head Secretary Ezar. Behind the mess of people was the General, leaning on the back wall, apparently just annoyed to be part of whatever this was as the Head Secretary chuckled, being the first to walk in, Alonne quietly following in behind him.

"Forgive us, Prince Caius. I know you usually prepare for the day with just your escorts, but considering the circumstance, I thought it might be a good idea to get you some extra assistance in preparing. Go ahead, you all," he said to the servants, who all bowed to him before moving to Caius.

Caius was led to a chair and guided to sit down, his hair being worked by one person, his nails, to his surprise, being cleaned and polished by two others, as three more servants went to put another polish and shine onto his outfit, all while the secretaries watched this, pleased to see it all running smoothly. Caius spotted another servant preparing some face makeup and said, "Uh, I don't usually...need any makeup?"

"I'm afraid the events of the last few days have put bags under your eyes, my prince!" Secretary Ragna tsked, clapping her hands together as she smiled down at him. "Don't worry, it'll look natural. Nothing like that mask they cake onto your betrothed. Honestly," the secretary said, rolling her eyes.

"I, gah!" Caiusi gasped as his hair was pulled back--apparently his hair was going to be brushed back for this? Huh. "I think Felix's makeup suits him."

"Oh, I'm certain you do, dear," the secretary said absentmindedly as she went to go look over the clothing, pointing out little flaws and inconsistencies that, she assured the servants, were absolutely there and would need buffing out again.

"Now, it's going to be a busy schedule today. Be ready to get through breakfast quickly, if the wedding ceremony really is to start this afternoon, at 3. Before all that, we have to do your binding ceremony well before lunch, which hopefully shouldn't take too long. Then, once the afternoon ceremony is done, we'll be having a reception that you can expect to last well into the evening. Then the consummation parade-"

Caius managed to shake off the hair stylist long enough to glare at the Head Secretary, gritting his teeth as he said, "No, I talked to Father about that before we left, remember? We're not doing that. I know for a fact the Diceans haven't signed off on it, and we're not going to just spring it on them."

"Ah, yes. I suppose you did talk to your father, didn't you. Apologies, my prince, I forget things in my old age." The Head Secretary sighed, lining something out in his notes as he read from a large journal. "Shame though. Back in my day, people really looked forward to consummation parades! Good, raunchy fun! Ah, the new generation. So sensitive about everything. Anyway, strike it from the list! How's the armor coming, Ragna?"

"We'll get there soon! Just waiting for the ladies here to comprehend what I'm telling them," the secretary said, her voice a heavy mask of cheer as she clapped again. "Alright, ladies, third time’s the charm I guess? Really try this time, okay? I'm sure you can do it!"

Caius sighed, just riding the wave of this nonsense as best he could, looking over to Alonne, who was standing, essentially, at attention in the corner of the room, waiting to be called on. "Alonne! Hey, where's ‘Kenzie, man? You should go help her get dressed, since apparently I'm, uh, being taken care of."

Alonne looked at him, full of wordless concern. But before he could respond, the Head Secretary said, "He should go get himself ready, at any rate. Go on then, young man, your services aren't needed right now."

Alonne's distressed look only increased...but he bowed to the Head Secretary, giving Caius one last desperate look before heading out the door.

"So...what about MacKenzie?" Caius asked, feeling suddenly very, very alone in a room full of people.

"She's been sent on assignment," the Head Secretary said, looking over the work of the servants as they started the makeup process. "I'll explain after everyone is done. Now stop moving your lips, my prince! No need to make their work more difficult, is there?"

Caius swallowed, hands shaking in the grips of the manicurists, who had the decency not to bring it up as they continued with their work.

...Assignment?

Where?

...Who?!

-

"Fuuuuuck, I'm so glad I started using waterproof makeup years ago--maybe we do learn from adversity, hm? I just can't believe it! Like, yeah, it's for politics and all that, but you're getting married, Felix! God, don't look at me during the ceremony, okay? I'm just going to be sobbing the whole time."

Denji might've sounded emotional, but they took their job as seriously as usual and Felix only grunted as his outer sash was wrenched as tight as it could go. He knew it had to be tight to keep every layer of his robes in place, but he was still feeling a little...smothered. "Ju-just for that, I'm going to be staring at you the whole time. Yell to every person that comes by to look at the peacock weeping like a baby."

The stylist rolled their eyes as they spun Felix around, fixing each little bit of his collar. "Please. You're going to cry too, I know it."

"Suuure. I'm gonna get sooo emotional over a guy I met four days ago."

"That you've been spending more time than necessary with. Sneaking out at night with." Felix looked away with a sneer, though Denji took that as a win, sitting him down so they could work on his hair. Make a braid across his hairline to sweep behind his ear and tuck the rest of his ends into it, decorate it all with small pins that had charms made to look like stars, and situate his crown behind the braid. Gorgeous! "You can't tell me you're not at least okay with marrying that hunk."

"I suppose there are worse options. Still not gonna cry."

"I don't lose, little princeling. I look forward to seeing you blink back tears at getting to spend the rest of your life with the man of your dreams."

Felix snorted in disbelief, even with the wriggling in his stomach urging him to cup his hands together for security. "He's pretty, but that's pushing it. Just man of my convenience."

"Don't let him catch you saying that; he seems like the jealous type."

The two giggled together for a moment, comfortable in the routine.

This... He'd be okay. Or, he thought that until Denji was applying his lipstick, saying that the soft pink color was irresistibly kissable. Then the wriggling came back.

-

By the time they were all done, Caius looked put together, shiny, and not a little unlike himself. Thankfully, he did get to put on the cape he had picked specifically for the wedding. It was another star system one, that he had commissioned specifically from the people who had put together the one he had proposed in, but instead of the bold, bright yellows the last one had been, this one was warm, mixing hues of purples, reds, and black. While the first one was very bold and in your face, Caius for his wedding had wanted one that was more calm and somber, while still paying homage to his moniker. His armor reflected this too: instead of bright gold, as his proposal armor had been, it was a careful pattern of red and silver, which were the colors of his kingdom, and presented a more formal mood for this event.

Then, finally, the crown on his head, which looked much more pronounced now that his hair had been pulled and pinned out of its way.

Once all of this was done, though Caius looked around to see if Alonne had returned yet, the Head Secretary clapped him on the shoulder, saying pleasantly, "We should head over to the dining hall. So much to do today, we really can't dally for anything. Come along, everyone!"

As Caius was guided out of the room, a trail of servants and now guards, who the General had been waiting outside with, followed after. The Head Secretary's hand never left Caius' body, moving from his shoulder to his upper back, as he said, "So, after breakfast, we will be moving to a basement area that King Aiichi has put aside for us. I've seen the space already, and while it's a bit unworthy of an official ceremony, it clearly has been cleared as a storage room or some such, they do have drains in the floor which should make clean up a little easier on the servants. Getting the sacrifice down there was a struggle and a half though, let me tell you. Quite a thing to watch!"

"Hm? Isn't the sacrifice a dove?" Caius asked as he looked down every hall they passed, seeing if Alonne was down any of them. "To represent the peace the marriage would bring, right? I can't imagine it was that difficult."

"Oh, shoot," Secretary Ragna said, putting her fist against her hand. "I knew there was something I had forgotten to pass along! My apologies, my prince, we changed out the animal for more symbolic purposes. New information, new metaphors, you know! It's still quite a worthy sacrifice though! Tua will smile upon this union, surely."

"Oh, okay," Caius said, not really super worried about the sacrifice either way. It was just another part of the long ritual that was going to be today. However. "My betrothed has a blood thing, I've found out. When we do the binding, I expect that to be taken under consideration," Caius said, raising his voice so that everyone could hear the pseudo-order, not just the secretaries. That should make them less dismissive of it, anyway. "No more bleeding then is necessary to finish the ritual. A surface-level cut, that's it."

"Of course, of course! Prince Felix's arms are so thin, I imagine a real cut might accidentally slice the whole thing off," Secretary Ragna giggled. "Now wouldn't that be something!"

"We would never want to make the prince uncomfortable. Consider it done," the Head Secretary appeased, patting Caius on the back. "Ah, good. We've arrived. Faces and places, everyone! Even breakfast requires a little extra professionalism on a day like today! Let's get to it!"

The servants, on cue, broke away, running to help the Diceans who were already setting up the table. Caius looked around, but it looked like Felix wasn't here yet. And Alonne probably wasn't permitted to join to begin with...

Caius took a seat, all of his confidence from the morning thoroughly shaken. When he had tried asking the Head Secretary about MacKenzie again, he had talked his way around the subject, simply assuring that the objective was 'far away from here' and that she would return when her mission was done, whenever that would be.

"And when she's returned, that will be it, as far as my orders go. She will be entirely under your leadership, as a member of the Dicean family. Consider this her 'last hurrah' mission!" he had said, chuckling to himself.

-

They were running a little late, and Felix was doing nothing to help. Lake had come careening in, cupping a container carefully in her hands, and she and Denji had had quite the argument over whether to adorn Felix with his flowers now or later and he hadn't even been able to take any enjoyment in their bickering, too busy fretting in his head.

And now, slowly making his way to the dining room, the cornflowers carefully tucked behind his braid, almost paying homage to his natural look with their wild purple petals...he wasn't sure he'd be able to eat. He'd felt more comfortable when there had been the threat of poison.

"Hey."

Felix looked up at Lake, thinking she looked odd without a bright smile.

"It's breakfast. Nothing's happening yet. You'll be alright. After all, we're all here to support you!" And there it was, back in its rightful place.

With a breath, Felix tried to relax the tension in his shoulders before offering a weak smirk to the guard. "Tell that to me again after you and Nazumi finally get married."

The way she flushed and sputtered was enough to carry Felix into the dining hall, taking his seat next to Caius. "...I take it back, looking like a duck butt suits you more than this," he murmured, hiding his lips behind a sleeve.

"Shut up," Caius murmured, glancing over at Felix and then just...staring for a bit...before placing a hand in front of his eyes as his neck turned red. "You look amazing. It's just not fair. How do your stylists even do any of that? How do you look like you somehow have more hair on your head, even though it's all pulled and twisted like that? Fucking demon magic, I swear..."

Taking a deep breath, Caius let his hand fall, looking over the table as all the officials settled in, cheerfully chatting and idly gossiping with each other as they waited for the food to be set up. The Head Secretary, as usual, was seated at the second head of the table and seemed to be listening to some war story the General was, at the very least, whispering about. At least it didn't sound like a bad one. Something about soldiers getting married in a chapel the rest of their squadron had put together themselves. Kind of sweet, actually. Secretary Ragna giggled after almost every word.

As time went by and he felt calmer, he looked over at Felix, less overwhelmed this time as he said quietly, "You really do look breathtaking."

Felix tittered under his breath, playing with his sleeves in his lap. "Don't tell that to Denji. I don't think the world will be able to handle smug levels that high. As it is, their ego is going to be unbearable for months--I just make it too easy, being a naturally cute canvas to work on."

Felix glanced up at Aiichi, talking rapidly with all sorts of people coming and going, looking as nonplussed as ever though Felix could see the effort his father was putting in. It was way harder for him to actually organize the whole thing than it was for Felix to go through with it. Right.

The leader was wearing white robes, in a contrast to Felix's black ones, though both were decorated with patterns of whirling flowers in the opposite value. Tradition, he'd learned when he'd been fitted initially, though bent a little bit. Felix's sashes were a deep purple, apparently in the same style his mother had worn in the past. The star pins in his hair were hers too.

It'd been a lovely wedding, he'd been told.

Caius broke him out of his thoughts, the compliment somehow striking true, though he'd prepared to hear all sorts of fluffy nonsense. His blush was light enough to not really show through his makeup, but the smile he tried to stifle undid any hiding he might've achieved. "What a flatterer. I think your hair looks better the way you usually wear it, but you look nice, too. I can't believe you've gotten me to say this, but the cape is cool."

"What are you talking about? The cape is always cool. Capes are cool, man," Caius said, wiggling his shoulders a bit so his cape would wave a little. "Respect the cape."

As the food started to be served, Caius kept a smile plastered to his face as he leaned close to Felix, saying quietly, "Hey, not to put any more pressure on us than we're already dealing with, but...things went weird this morning. MacKenzie was sent out on a job by the Head Secretary, and I only saw Alonne for a little bit, but he looked like he really wanted to tell me something. I don't know...I guess it could be a coincidence he had a job for her the day of the wedding?" Caius said, his instinctive need to believe people rationalizing all sorts of things for him. "But considering everything, I thought you should know."

Felix kept his face neutral, smiling appropriately at all the people bringing food out, though...that was worrying. That MacKenzie was sent out at all, but especially by Ezar... Arguably the most dangerous of the advisers. The person closest to their king, in a business sense, and that meant the person that could play politics the best. And...sent MacKenzie away...

Ezar was the person that threatened Caius. Was isolating him. But that wasn't everything, surely. He wouldn't risk taking out any Dicean representative, not on today of all days, surely? But...if it was today, before the treaty was signed, then...it technically wouldn't be breaking it.

...and MacKenzie wouldn't disobey a direct order. She was fun, but, at the end of it all...she still was a killer.

If he hadn't felt like eating before, his appetite was completely gone now. Picking at his plate, Felix only murmured back, "I don't think it's a coincidence."

But there was nothing they could do. The only person who could wouldn't.

Caius frowned, feeling the darkening mood from his fiancé, and found himself kind of wishing he had just kept it to himself now. He had vowed to keep Felix in the loop from now on, come what may, but...it was the guy’s wedding day. It would, if Caius didn't accidentally get himself killed in a sparring match one day, be the only wedding day the guy would ever have, willing or not. For Caius too, really...he wanted it to be a good day for them.

Hmmm...MacKenzie was...was extremely well trained, to put it lightly. Even if she morally objected to an assignment, or if it would hurt her in some way, she really...couldn't say no. It was literally out of her control. 

But...but still!

"I'm gonna have faith in her," Caius said, gripping his fork tightly, a truly confident smile spreading across his face as, yeah...he decided to believe in his friend. "If whatever Ezar has planned is really that bad, MacKenzie will find some way around it. She may need some help, so I'm gonna talk to Alonne about it as soon as I can, but MacKenzie...she'll pull through for us. I believe in her."

"...King Aiichi!" Head Secretary Ezar called out, raising his glass in salute. "A beautiful spread this is, certainly! Thank you so much for hosting these events, Dicean hospitality and presentation are truly a sight to behold! As is our young Prince Caius' groom today! Truly remarkable," the Head Secretary said with a smile, looking Felix over. "A toast! To the king and his many generous gifts to the Luminary Kingdom!"

The table cheered back, Caius looking down at his glass with a somewhat paranoid eye before taking a sip...but apparently, the pollen did have a strong taste associated with it, because this wine seemed way more tempered than the one had had the first day.

Well, either that or they had decided Caius was a lush and gave him a watered-down version of it. Either way! He took a deep drink, before looking over at Felix...huh...oh.

Caius had missed it, hadn't he. Some insult had gone over his head. Caius still wasn't good at reading Felix, but there was a...tightness that he could see in the back of the prince's neck. Something had been said...

...Caius, hoping he wasn't about to make an embarrassment of himself, stood up, his glass of wine out and a large smile on his face.

"Cheers!" he said, looking over to his advisors, "To the Luminary War, and then Peace, Advisors! For the sacrifices they made to come here and set up these events! Considering the make-up of politics will no doubt look much different in peace times, I'm certain my brother, Byron, heir apparent of the Luminary Kingdom, is using these long nine months away to train all of your replacements for the new challenges ahead! Your willingness to step aside for the greater benefit of others is a testament to Luminous resilience! Cheers! To your upcoming retirements!"

Maybe it was just Caius' nerves, fueling his imagination, but for a moment it was like the room had turned ice cold. He shivered at the looks but held onto the grin until the moment passed and the cheers rose up from the table.

"To sacrifice!"

"To retirement!"

"To the War Advisors!"

It was a bluff, or, maybe a guess, that there were fears that their time away was going to result in their dismissal upon their return, but it was an educated one. The General, who was only on the advisory council because of the war, would no doubt just go back to his position within the military ranks to finish out his career there, but the secretaries? They may have spent his and Byron's childhood turning his brother into the man he was today, but Caius knew damn well Byron hated them as much as Caius did, and so...may actually be doing just as Caius had theorized. Training their replacements while they weren't around to sabotage it.

Again, he didn't know. It was just a theory...but apparently, he wasn't alone in that theory, if the suddenly strained smiles and muted cheers from the Luminary side of the table were any indication. Everyone, with the exception of the General, who appeared to be snickering to himself, suddenly looked as if they had sucked on a lemon, and Caius, feeling like that had gone over as well as it could have, sat back down, muttering to Felix. "Fucking assholes."

It was Head Secretary Ezar who recovered fastest, just nodding and chuckling to himself. "Yes, yes. Sacrifice. It's all about sacrifice for the greater good. That is the great gift and great burden everyone must take on. Speaking of, King Aiichi! Would you be joining us for the binding ceremony after breakfast?"

Felix wished he could have Caius' optimism. Maybe that was just what came with knowing MacKenzie for so long, with being close. But...maybe he could have faith in Caius who had faith in MacKenzie. He'd try, anyway. In any case, they wouldn't find out today, so he could just...relax. Just for that. There were plenty of other things to worry about today.

Like the people actually sitting at the table with them. The way Felix's stomach roiled at Ezar's gaze and comment was far more easily identified than the other variant--it was abject disgust. Whereas Caius' compliment had been weirdly flattering, the one from the Head Secretary was just grossly uncomfortable. And yet still, he had to avert his eyes in demure embarrassment. Right now wasn't the time to fight back.

Even if he had to clench the fist in his lap so tightly his nails started to cut into his palm. Even if the way he saw Aiichi's eyes narrow almost imperceptibly made him want to leave the table entirely.

However, it wasn't either of them that spoke up. Not anyone from the Dicean side. Instead, Felix had to turn his head the other way, looking up as Caius spoke up. Huh...not as dumb as he thought. Felix's polite smile as he raised his glass again was far more relaxed for anyone who knew to look for the signs.

At the Dicean head, something indecipherable gleamed in Aiichi's eyes along with the approval that showed in all of the Dicean advisors. There was the looming possibility of replacement, then? Well, that did make things easier. Still, it wouldn't do to cover up the reports of extortion and money siphoning his ambassadors had found during their time in the Luminary capital.

Hiding his face with a well-timed pat of his napkin, Felix rewarded Caius with a quiet laugh. "Nice one."

"I will indeed, Head Secretary! I would be remiss to miss even a second of my son's wedding, and this is a rather important part, correct?" Aiichi grinned. The particulars of the religious ceremony had been left to those who actually worshiped Tua, but Aiichi had heard that there had been some last-minute changes. He would not leave Fe to fight off those wolves alone...though he already had an ally at his side. Still, the rites involved blood-letting, from what he understood, and that alone solidified his choice to watch over his son.

There it was again. Binding ceremony. Still picking at his food, again Felix looked around the table, vying for a clue.

That little laugh was all the reward Caius could have possibly hoped for, easing his nerves at the risk of taking such a public dig at the people who, for a little while longer anyway, still had so much control over him. The comment was just an added cherry on top, Caius grinning wolfishly down at him with a wink.

At the mention of the binding ceremony, Caius smiled. It was still so hard to believe that it was his turn to do one. He had been to a handful himself, of course, so some of the 'awe' of the process had diluted over time, but still...it was a big deal. A huge commitment, really...

Caius swallowed, suddenly nervous again, as he stole a glance over at Felix.

"So...you ready for it?" Caius asked, now picking at his food a little, the reality of what was coming up suddenly hitting him like a ton of bricks. "I've heard from some people that you can actually feel part of your soul twist away from you, though my cousin swears she didn't experience anything like that when she did hers. She's not really religious though...um… I know your family didn't claim any religion for the wedding, but do you have any particular faith, Felix?" Caius laughed, looking sheepish as he said, "My bad to not have asked that sooner. If you have any rituals you believe in, you know I'm up to it, right? We can still add it in today."

Felix wasn't sure he even believed in souls, but the description of it twisting away from you made him just set his fork down, entirely giving up on trying to eat. It was just disturbing--why would it be considered a good thing?! Hopefully he'd have an experience more like Caius' cousin.

He shook his head a bit, though it was...kinda sweet that Caius would participate in a different religion's practices. "M not religious. The only reason this is such a whole production is because of the treaty--and I suppose for Luminary custom, too. The actual 'wedding' part of any secular Dicean wedding is, like, under five minutes. It's mostly about the party afterward, honestly."

It was just a promise of devotion--a formality. And an excuse to gather all your friends together and have a party. He supposed it always was going to be different for him, even if he wasn't marrying Caius.

Having skipped the original question, Felix shifted a little, trying not to let his concern show through his face. "The binding ceremony, though... What is it? No one's told me anything. I know you guys do an animal sacrifice, but the way people talk about it, the ceremony seems like a different thing."

Caius looked at him in open, dumbstruck surprise, leaning in and whispering as loudly as he politely could, "Wait...no one's told you what we're doing yet!?"

What the fuck!? For the Tuans, and thus for most of the Luminary Kingdom, the actual wedding was just a public spectacle, an elaborate excuse to either show off your devotion or, more likely than not, to show off your wealth.

But the binding rituals, which were always smaller and more private events that would only be performed once in a marriage, and, as far as the Tuan religion itself was concerned, could only be performed for a person once in their lifetime (not that there weren't loopholes around that, but it was a matter of debate within the religious circles how valid 'un-binding' rituals actually were, in the eyes of Tua), and was the true ritual of value for any serious couple.

And NO ONE had TOLD Felix what he was DOING!??

Caius was suddenly...furious, glancing a heated gaze at his advisors, but also, like...what the fuck, King Aiichi? No one had thought Prince Felix deserved an explanation, a heads up? For fuck’s sake...

Caius, in one swift movement, cracked every knuckle in his right hand, took a breath...and gave Felix his best grin. Just because he was upset didn't mean he had to show it. If no one else was going to tell him, Caius was happy to explain, leaning in to whisper as servants took plates away and put new ones on the table around him.

"Okay, so, it's actually a pretty short ritual, but it holds a lot of significance for my religion, right? The point of the ritual is we're going to be asking Tua to not separate our souls after death. See, the afterlife has all these different levels to get to paradise, and...well, I won't bore you with the details today, but ultimately you spend a long part of your afterlife proving your way to paradise. So, to bind yourself to someone is to ask Tua that, even if you die a long time before your partner, he'll put your soul, which by this point is already connected, into whoever you're bound with so that when they die, you can both start the journey together. That way neither of you are trying to make it through the trials alone. It's an ultimate sign of devotion and trust."

Caius waved his hand, shaking his head as he said, "Anyway, that's not what you asked though. The ritual goes like this: you bleed out a strong animal into a bowl, asking Tua to hold that animal's soul as your guide. When we die, the animal, with Tua's divine blessing, will be able to guide us through trials, depending on what it can do. A bird can fly ahead and look out for us, a monkey can help us reach difficult objects, an elephant can get us through muddy terrain, that sort of thing. We then both bleed into the same bowl, mix all the blood around, and the priestess will smear it onto our foreheads, binding us to each other, and the animal. The Priestess is always a woman, by the way. Tua favors them. Anyway, she'll say some words, we'll both be allowed to make a small statement that boils down to 'Tua bind us', no need to make it complicated, you can literally just say that if you want. Annnd that's it! Our souls will be bound together, and to the animal guide!"

Caius took a breath, chuckling nervously as he added, "I...I know that probably all sounds like bullshit to you. But it's okay! Tua doesn't actually need belief. If you go through motions, even if you don't believe in them, you're still gonna be fine...heh, I guess I'm lucky." Caius looked down at his food. "Going through the trials is supposed to be really hard, and they say having an incompetent partner can really slow down your progress to paradise. In fact, a lot of Luminary’s obsession with training and all that comes with us just wanting to be more prepared for the trials. And considering I didn't get to choose my partner, who knows what could have happened to me on the other side...but! With you, I think we'll get through just fine," Caius said, looking determined, sincere faith and belief oozing out of every word.

While Felix was annoyed at being left in the dark, for just a moment Caius looked enraged. He quickly put on his "hero" smile, but...that kind of just made him feel worse. If it was that important...seriously, why had no one told him anything?

The whole meaning of the ceremony and the Tuan afterlife beliefs was interesting, in a sort of detached way--though Felix thought it was kind of dumb to place so much emphasis on what would happen after you died. Wasn't it more important to enjoy life?--but, ultimately, it didn't matter much. Felix wasn't concerned with what would happen to his hypothetical soul, or about reaching any so-called paradise when he'd just be plant food. Knowing what he was supposed to say during the ceremony was helpful.

As Caius explained what the ritual actually was, Felix paled and found out the reason at least Aiichi didn't tell him anything. Already he was starting to feel sick. Bleeding out a whole animal? Mixing their own blood with it? Wasn't that super unsanitary??

Even Caius's optimism about what it meant for his faith didn't make him feel much better.

"...it...doesn't have to be much blood from us, right? You know I can't..."

Caius frowned, crossing his arms as he looked down, not really looking at anything, just lost in thought. "Right, right, no one told you, so you've had...literally no time to prepare. Shit, I'm sorry, I thought you knew...look." Caius put up a single finger. "It doesn't have to be a lot of blood. Literally, a few drops serve the purpose of the ritual. The animal has to die right away so that Tua can get it ready as a guide, but for us, literally any amount of blood will do, so long as it's, you know...not zero," Caius chuckled nervously.

Looking over Felix and suddenly certain that wasn't as helpful as he'd hoped it'd be, he continued on, "Maybe...maybe I can ask the Priestess to kill the animal away from us? Or even just away from you...there's no real point in the sacred texts that says you ever actually have to see the guide. Being there for its death is just sort of meant to be a sign of respect, but...you don't have to be there for it all. I can go see it off myself, it's...it's not a big deal." Caius, trying his best to be reassuring, said, "After that, it's literally just some words, a prick of the finger or maybe the prick at the palm, whatever you're comfortable with, and boom! Souls are bound! No problem. Does...does that work?"

Though it was just some meaningless gestures...Felix felt...bad. That they'd have to make accommodations for him. Not because of the ritual itself, or for public opinion, but...because it was important to Caius. He was willing to change so much to understand and integrate into Dicea, but with something so important to him, Felix couldn't even make that concession.

With the giving blood, for sure, at least. He could do a few drops, whatever, but not much more than that. He kind of had to be conscious for the wedding. Had papers to sign. For the animal...

Felix tried to imagine it. Just...not looking at it. Putting on his best mask and just standing through it. But he'd still be able to smell it, hear it. The slosh of still-warm blood gushing into a bowl and...

He jerked upright, having swayed forward during the thought exercise. It...probably would be pretty rude too if he threw up during the ritual.

"A few drops will be fine," he murmured, swallowing his nausea down. "And...if it would be possible... If I didn't have to be around for the...animal sacrifice, I'd appreciate it."

Caius watched the color in Felix's face change, and on instinct, reached out to steady him, putting a solid hand on his shoulder, ignoring the looks around the table that the more open interaction was getting as he leaned in and whispered. "Hey! Like I said, not a big deal. I'll give our guide your best, and you, ha...you can meet it later," Caius said, giving Felix a thumbs up, before looking around. Some people were smiling at whatever they thought was going on, others looked concerned, perhaps noticing Felix's distress.

The Head Secretary just looked curious. "Everything alright over there, Prince Caius? Your betrothed looks a bit put off. You're not saying anything inappropriate, are we? There is a time and a place, you know."

Caius dropped the hand, embarrassed. "Sorry," he muttered, looking over to King Aiichi and giving his best sheepish smile. "Was discussing religion with Felix. Probably not the best breakfast talk, looking back at it. My apologies for disrupting things."

"Thanks..." Felix focused on taking deep breaths, the color slooooowly returning to his face. If that's what the ritual was like, though, he kind of did need to eat something. He needed to do everything he could to prevent being genuinely vulnerable in front of the advisors. It was one thing to lead them to underestimate him, and another to give away real weaknesses.

Felix forced himself to get down some eggs, taking a few sips of the juice he'd opted for instead of wine. And, seeing that Felix was actually eating, Aiichi nodded minutely to Caius. "As long as no one is actually bothered. Keep it in mind for the future--one of these days someone may actually hear what you two are always whispering to each other."

The boss just laughed to himself at the glare that garnered from his son.

Breakfast was finished not too long after, and then it was time to head for the basement. Aiichi put a gentle hand on Felix's back as he passed by, a reassuring smile on his face. It would be alright.