The wedding of a royal prince was indeed a grand affair. The people of Mera had been preparing for the event for months. No expense was to be spared. The day of the event saw the servants of the palace hurrying from place to place, making sure that all was in order for the big day. It was the beginning of a new alliance between Mera and Sovia. Like all royal weddings, the reasons behind it were of course political. There was a bad history between Sovia and Mera, though with this wedding, everyone was hopeful that their relationship could begin anew.

“Are you not excited, Your Highness?” asked one of the maids tasked with preparing Elena for the wedding. “It’s to be quite splendid I hear.”

“Yes, of course,” Elena replied, smiling softly. In truth, she was not as unhappy with the event as she had expected to be. Even though a royal wedding meant an even tighter corset than usual, it seemed like perhaps the event would not be so bad. She had only briefly met the Sovian princess who was soon to marry her brother, but she seemed to be a kind, gentle woman. As far as arranged marriages went, Elena felt that there was a chance her brother would not be completely miserable. 

“There, now don’t you look splendid?” the maid said with a motherly smile. Elena glanced into the mirror. She had never been very fond of all the pomp that went into high court fashion, but even she had to admit that the ensemble did look quite nice. The dress was the same soft blue shade as her eyes. Diamonds glittered at her throat and ears. Her brown hair was done up elaborately, with a few strands hanging loose to elegantly frame her face. Elena gave a brave smile into the mirror. Perhaps things would turn out alright after all.

The night had so far proceeded without any problems. The ceremony had gone smoothly and the guests had all gathered in the grand ballroom to dance and socialize. The room was huge, though with the amount of people in attendance it was still somewhat crowded. It was softly lit, with candlelight shining from the many crystal chandeliers and gilded candelabras throughout the room. Servants moved slowly through the crowds, offering food and refreshments to the guests. Everyone in attendance was dressed in their finest, displaying the incredible wealth of the Meran and Sovian nobility. In the middle of the room, couples danced elegantly to music being played by the kingdom’s most accomplished musicians.

Elena drifted through the crowd, glad to be free from the close watch of her many servants and guards for once. She exchanged idle conversation with the guests, the same polite expression that everyone wore on her face as well. It was only when she saw her brother that her smile reached her eyes. Prince Eren caught his sister’s eyes and politely excused himself from the conversation he had been having with the Sovian ambassador. He walked up to Elena, a grin on his face. Though Elena had never had much of a relationship with her parents, her brother was the one person she felt close to. Eren and Elena had been inseparable as children, though he was several years older than she. They shared the same light brown hair, though where Elena had inherited her father’s soft blue eyes, Eren’s eyes were the same startling green as their mother’s.

“Sister dear, I hope you are enjoying the fine festivities this evening?” Eren grinned.

Elena shook her head at him, eyes twinkling. “My, my. How polite you are, brother. I did not know you had it in you.”

“Careful little sister, or I shall ruffle your pretty hair.”

She grinned at him. “Yes, yes. The festivities are quite nice. Everything is sufficiently shiny and overly expensive.” The smile dropped from her face as she broached a more serious topic. “Eren, are you really okay with this? You met the girl only last week,” she said, clearly concerned.

Eren sighed. “Elena,” he said quietly. “We are royalty. This kind of thing is simply part of our duty to the kingdom. And Princess Rosanna seems quite nice. Truly, I am fine. Now, go dance and enjoy the party. I have Sovian dignitaries to chat with.”

Elena smiled, though she was still not completely reassured, and left her brother to deal with the guests. He was right. It was a party, after all. She should at least try to enjoy herself.