Thirty-Seven
Sasha
“The midnight blue gown was absolutely splendid!” Serge’s voice carried across the cobblestones when we emerged from the bridal salon. “Even though it is perhaps a bit simple for my taste. I would have preferred something with more sparkle. Or perhaps some decorative planetary elements.”
Ariana nudged me with her elbow and whispered, “I’m glad he gave up the idea of my wearing a hat with planets orbiting it.”
I stifled a giggle, pressing my lips together to keep from laughing outright. Despite Serge’s extravagant ideas and the fact that I usually despised shopping with a passion that bordered on violence, I genuinely enjoyed this time with my sister. It reminded me of when we were much younger, before our father had turned us into fierce competitors, before every interaction became about who was better, faster, stronger.
“I need coffee before I can undertake any more planning,” I announced, linking my arm through Ariana’s. “My brain is reaching maximum capacity for wedding details.”
“Coffee sounds perfect,” she agreed, and I caught the relief in her voice. The constant presence of the cameras was wearing on both of us.
Serge and Reina led the way toward the coffee shop, Serge still chattering about backup options for attendant accessories while Reina made appropriate listening sounds. For a moment I allowed myself to imagine that this was real, and that we were two sisters preparing for an actual wedding.
The fantasy shattered the moment I saw the inclinator doors at the end of the walkway slide open.
I froze, my arm still linked through Ariana’s, as a tall figure stepped out of the compartment and onto the cobblestone walkway. Every muscle in my body went rigid as those ice-blue eyes locked onto mine.
General Marcus Bowman stood there in his crisp uniform, his posture military-perfect, his gaze as cold and assessing as ever. The years had added silver to his dark hair and deepened the lines around his eyes, but his commanding, intimidating, and utterly disapproving presence was unchanged.
Ariana grabbed my hand, her fingers linking with mine as we both stiffened. I felt her tension echo my own, the automatic response to our father that had been programmed into us almost from birth.
He walked straight toward us, ignoring the bustling activity of the Promenade around him and seemingly unimpressed by theshops and the tree-lined path. Serge jumped out of the way with a small squeak, his eyes wide and his hair going pink.
The general stopped directly in front of us, his assessing gaze moving from me to Ariana and back again. But before he could speak, he noticed the camera crew that had been following us. They were still recording as they stepped closer to capture every moment of our family reunion.
His expression shifted almost imperceptibly. It didn’t approach fatherly, but he was a career military officer who understood the importance of public image.
“Sasha,” he said, his voice carefully controlled. “I’m glad to see you safe.”
The words sounded forced, like he was reading from a script he hadn’t had time to rehearse properly. I felt the cameras on us, their lenses capturing every nuance of our interaction for the viewing audience back on Earth.
I managed a smile that probably looked more like a grimace. “It’s good to see you too, Dad.”
“It’s good to see you,” Ariana echoed beside me, her voice carrying just a hint of the eagerness of a younger sibling yearning for attention.
His gaze swept over her, taking in her academy uniform. “I heard you were living among the Drexians.”
The disapproval in his tone was subtle but unmistakable. Everything was a judgment with him, every choice we made measured against some impossible standard of military perfection that only he possessed.
“She’s the first human flight instructor at the Drexian Academy,” Reina piped up helpfully.
The general ignored her completely, as if she hadn’t spoken at all. The casual dismissal made my jaw clench with familiar anger.
He turned his attention back to me, his gaze relentless. “I want to talk to you about this wedding of yours.”
All the old emotions crashed over me with devastating force. My knees almost buckled as I absorbed the fear of disappointing him, the desperate desire to earn his approval, and finally the bone-deep knowledge that nothing I ever did would be good enough. My heart raced with the same anxiety I’d felt as a child, standing in his office while he catalogued my failures and shortcomings.
Ariana’s grip on my hand tightened, and I realized she was experiencing the same emotions. We were both adults, accomplished in our own right, but one look from the general, and we were children again, terrified of his judgment.
“Sasha!”
I turned at the sound of my name to see Deklyn approaching, his shrewd gaze taking in the tense scene. Relief flooded through me as he reached my side and took my free hand, his warm fingers intertwining with mine.
“I just had the pleasure of meeting your father,” he said, his smile charming and focused entirely on me.
The general didn’t even spare him a glance, his attention remaining fixed on me with uncomfortable intensity.
