Eltanin took a deep breath. He looked at his goblet and gulped the entire wine down his throat in one go. Stunned, he didn't know what to reply for a moment. He looked at Rigel for help. The thing was that if he blatantly refused, he was sure Eridani's ego would hurt to the level that he might provoke other kings against him.
Rigel simply shrugged as if telling him that this is your shit man! If he intervened, then he was sure that Eridani would push his daughter on him. And Lerna was one ferocious and jealous she-wolf. He didn't know what she would do to Eri if this word even became popular that Rigel is considering marrying Eri. Not only that, his father was waiting for an opportunity. He would marry Rigel to a cow rather than Lerna.
Eltanin let out a deep exhale. He had to take the matters in his hands deftly. So he blurted, "I think you should talk to my parents about it. They love Lusitania a lot. So if I go against them, they will be pretty unhappy. Also, if you like I can ask King Biham to get in the talks. After all, Lusitania is his daughter." He gave a side glance to Eridani whose facial expression changed from pleasure to anger and he became guarded. But he continued, "I think Lord Krail would also like to be a part of this conversation. Royal marriages can't be taken lightly." He shook his head as if trying to say that his hands were tied. "What do you think?" he said with a smile to Eridani. The sly wolf had pushed the matter to his parents and Tania's parents.
Rigel stopped himself from laughing, as he pursed his lips. However, he had his wine and he sputtered it all over.
Eltanin thought that Eridani would be quiet after hearing so many people would be involved, but he said, "Fine! I would like to talk to all of them. Can you fix a meeting between us?"
Eltanin was cornered. He thought that he had come out of it, but Eridani was even cleverer than he had anticipated. "Sure, I will," he said. He would never.
Eridani got up and went back to the two concubines who were keeping him busy.
"You are in deep shit!" Rigel said and burst into laughter.
Eltanin gritted his teeth. "Wait till I send Eri your way."
Rigel laughed and then suddenly said, "Why don't you send Eri, Lusitania's way? I am sure she is going to give her a beautiful lesson."
"I don't want Lusitania to get involved in this nonsense. Poor girl has just recovered from a terrible spell. I am not going to put her into more trouble!"
---
"Your gown is completely spoiled," said Tania as she turned her face to look at Eri. "How come you were so late?" Tania was completely disliking Eri's presence.
Eri smiled and wiped her sweat drenched face. Her deep lip paint and the golden dust on her face came off a little, smearing her face. "Ah, yes!" she responded. "At first, I didn't want to come, then I decided to come, so there was a delay."
"I see," Tania replied. Flora had already sent her a message through a guard that Princess Eri and Princess Petra had come over to her bedchamber. Tania was pissed. In a loud voice, she said, "I heard that you came to our bedchamber after we had all come to the orchards. May I ask why?"
Eri's face became tomato red. She was too embarrassed. Everyone stopped talking as they focused on the conversation between Queen Lusitania and Princess Eri.
"I— I—" Eri sputtered. "I wanted to come with you!"
Tania jerked her head back. "But didn't you know the time to come to the orchards? I would obviously accompany my distinguished guests. You should have come an hour earlier."
A murmur broke in the group.
"Didn't I say that she wants to jump in his bed?"
"She is no less than a concubine!"
"They have just got married and she wants to be the third wheel already."
"How shameless!"
Eri gulped all the insults down her throat with her saliva. She gave a sheepish smile. "I forgot the sense of time…"
Some girls behind burst out laughing.
But Tania didn't want to stop. She said, "I am so sorry about it, but if you had informed me that you were coming to visit us, then I would have asked my maid Flora to arrange the room properly. There were way too many—" Tania blushed slightly and stopped speaking. She knew that others' interest had peaked. Then she slowly added, "There were way too many undergarments lying on the bed. You see, Eltanin is such a louche."
"Ooooo!"
"Ohhhh!"
The girls started cheering for the queen. Tania knew that this conversation would be carried around the kingdoms, but she was fine with it. Her gaze went to her mother and her mother-in-law. Both of them were a little ahead and talking amongst themselves. Tania thanked her stars that they didn't listen to her shameless remarks. She gave a glance to Eri who was now looking at an orange as if it was the bane of her existence. She repeated, "I am so sorry, but next time you must announce your visit. Okay?"
Eri nodded, plastering a fake smile on her lips. Either Queen Lusitania was too dumb or she was too clever. But Eri remained quiet because she knew that her father would eventually talk about her marriage to Eltanin.
They all returned to the palace and exhausted as hell, all of them retired to their rooms. Eri rushed to her father's room. She opened the door of the foyer loudly to talk to him about it, but she found that he wasn't there. So she walked up to his bedroom's main door, but she heard groans and moans. Eri pressed her hands to her mouth. Her father was probably with several women. She gritted her teeth and turned back. The man was wasting precious time.
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