I loved how her priority wasn’t Edwin becoming king but him landing a husband. Lila really didn’t change, in this life or the one previous. She would have said the same then, too.
Stepping back, she bowed to me. “Your Majesty, delighted to meet you.”
That wouldn’t do. I didn’t want formality with my family. “I’d prefer to hug my new sister-in-law.”
She looked at me askance, then realized I was serious and her smile bounced back onto her face. She immediately stepped in and firmly hugged me around the waist. Yes, better. Much better.
I let her go. “You will be at the family dinner?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she promised. “Edwin’s told us what he could about you, but I think the whole family will feel better once they meet you. I promise they’re only overwhelmed. No one expected Edwin to become a king, after all!”
“Ha, true, I bet they didn’t.”
Our story was very much a rags-to-riches story, in some ways. Not that Edwin had ever been dirt poor. His parents were good architects, which was why they’d been able to afford so many children. Still, Edwin had started from the ground up at the palace and become king in the end. It was like a fairy tale.
A fairy tale I was determined would end well. No deaths for either of us, not this time.
Shaking the thought off, I gestured for the doors. “Shall we?”
We ascended the marble stairs, and the large gilded doors swung open just as my foot reached the top step. The Temple of Asyn had been built nearly three hundred years ago, at the height of the Building Era; this temple was a reflection of the ingenuity, craftsmanship, and luxury of the time. Almost every wall and floor were of white marble, the edges gilded in complex geometric patterns, with plush rugs of royal blue stretching along the walkways. The candelabras were of elaborate phoenixes, a nod to the royal family’s generous donations that had helped build the place. Before, I had found the atmosphere a bit intimidating and couldn’t imagine working here day in and day out.
Now, the place was strangely comforting. Like walking into a mother’s embrace? I couldn’t think of any other way to phrase this warm, welcoming feeling.
The high priest waited for us at the base of the main prayer altar, in formal robes of white with a blue shawl wrapping around half his body. Two priestesses flanked him on either side, also in formal robes. They bowed once I came within arm’s reach.
The high priest, though, stared at me with a stunned expression, mouth hanging open, eyes in danger of popping right out of his skull.
Why was he reacting so oddly?
“Priest Edes.” The priestess to the right nudged him in the ribs. “Priest Edes!”
Her poking didn’t even faze him. He stared another five seconds before pulling himself together. Even then he visibly searched for words.
Let me rescue him a little. “Priest Edes, I am James Kronenscheld.”
“I know who you are,” he managed, still sounding stunned, his expression one of wonder. “James Kronenscheld, King of Zuskal, Defeater of the Demon King, Knight of Vuheia, and One Who Returns.”
The words penetrated, and I realized in a flash that heknew. He could somehow see that I had lived once already and returned to the past. How did he know?
“Asyn has told me much about you,” he continued, reaching toward me. “I have been waiting for you to come.”
Ah. So she’d given him a heads-up, eh? I’d love to get the full details of what she’d told him, but we should probably find a good place to sit first.
I took his hand in a firm grip. “I will thank Asyn for telling you. It will make it much easier for me to tell you all that needs to be done. I feared I would have to somehow convince you.”
“Perish the thought.”
“This is my husband, Edwin.”
Priest Edes shook hands with him, still beaming. “Your Majesty. Asyn wished me to relay a message to you. She said, and I quote, ‘Thank you for being smart this time.’ I have no idea what she means. Do you?”
Edwin choked on a laugh. “I do indeed.”
“We have much to talk about, and sadly, I only have about two hours,” I said apologetically. “May we sit?”
“Of course, of course. I have tea laid out in the garden. Come and rest. Explain what you need from us.”
The garden proved to be in the back of the building, a shaded portico area with a water fountain in the corner and beautifully maintained flower beds along the walls. A truly beautiful place. I suspected Priest Edes spent as much time out here as he could.
