It was the second week of fall. It was the day of the wedding. Imre roused Karis early. “Are you ready for this, Your Imperial Majesty?”

“No, but as I do not have a choice in this, I suppose I should get it over with.” Karis groaned. “I will go take a shower. You get my outfit ready.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre stepped back to let him get out of bed. “You should probably eat before you dress, so you don’t get anything on your outfit.”

“You are right, of course.” Karis stared at the ceiling for a moment. “Send for my breakfast. I will eat after my shower.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre left the room.

Karis dragged himself out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. He turned on his shower and cleaned himself. He dried off and then went to the mirror. He tidied his beard and combed his hair back before wrapping himself in a robe and heading out to the main room. He noticed Imre looked a little disgruntled. “What is it, Imre?”

“Lord Vasco wants to speak with you this morning. He’s being very insistent.” It was apparent Imre didn’t want to let him in any more than Karis wanted to see him.

“Absolutely not. I am going through with this farce of a wedding at his insistence. I am not speaking with him any more until the council session tomorrow.” Karis glared at the door.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre nodded. “I will so inform him.”

The servants brought in his breakfast and he ate, though the food stuck in his throat. He was doing this to protect Sayana and the other courtesans. He had no desire to marry Lynet. If Vasco hadn’t threatened them, this marriage wouldn’t be happening. If he’d been able to eliminate Vasco sooner, this marriage wouldn’t be happening. But Tamas wasn’t able to provide him with the information he needed to remove Vasco, so he was being forced into this.

He slammed his hand into the table. “May a black hole swallow the man.” Imre looked at him curiously. “If it were not for Vasco, I would not be in this situation. Yet no matter what I do I cannot seem to be rid of the man.”

“Tamas is still working on the problem, Your Imperial Majesty,” Imre reminded him. “It will not last forever. You will be able to remove him, and then you can be rid of her.”

“How long, Imre? How much longer am I going to have to suffer under their rule? I am the emperor, and I cannot even command my own empire.” Karis buried his face in his hands.

“It won’t last forever, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre came over and put a hand on Karis’ shoulder. “Tamas finds more information daily on Lord Vasco. He is very close to finding what you’re looking for.”

“I hope so. Or my poor ladies and I will be suffering for many years to come.” He stood. “I am done eating, Imre. It would not do for me to be late for my own wedding, as much as I may object to this.”

“Then let’s get you dressed, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre frowned. “And we really must do something with your hair.”

“It is not going to matter, Imre.” Karis grimaced. “I have to wear that damnable crown today. I can have my hair as neat as you want to make it, and it will get messed up by the stupid thing.”

“Still, we should present you in the best possible light, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre gave him the familiar look he always gave him when he objected to wearing the state crown.

“Oh, very well.” Karis shook his head. “You will not stop nagging me unless I let you fix my hair anyway.”

“No, I won’t, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre laughed. Karis gave in and let Imre do as he pleased. Then he left his quarters and took his place in the great hall.

The other seven courtesans were already in place. They were clad in dark green silk gowns draping elegantly over their left shoulders, leaving their right arms bare. They were held at the waist with gold belts. All wore sets of green jewelry, each as individual as the courtesan wearing them. All also wore matching green silk veils tied with green silk ribbons and wreaths of white star lilies.

A few minutes later, the traditional wedding march began to play. Karis turned slightly to watch as Lynet and Arken came up the aisle. Lynet was dressed in a flowing gown of pale blue silk with dark blue trim. Her veil was also of pale blue silk. It was sheer and showed her face, where the veils of the other courtesans were opaque and still concealed their identities.

She rested her hand on Karis’ arm when she was presented to him, and Arken stepped to the side. The officiant began the ceremony. Karis recited his vows in a flat voice. Lynet’s voice was soft and hesitant. He removed her veil and handed it to Arken before kissing her. The cheers that met the kiss were halfhearted at best.

Karis led Lynet to the antechamber where they would wait for the great hall to be reorganized into the dining hall for the high feast. She tried to engage him in conversation, but he ignored her. Once the servants were finished setting up the hall, the Imperial guards opened the doors and showed them to their seats. They sat themselves at the high table. Karis ate, ignoring his wife’s attempts to engage him in conversation. Any time anyone asked him a question, he responded in a monotone voice in as few words as possible. He drank more than he should have and was slightly tipsy when he finished the feast.

Vasco and the rest of the council surrounded them when they rose, and they were escorted out of the dining hall together. “Ladies and gentlemen, I am quite capable of escorting my new wife to my rooms without help,” Karis told them coldly. “Take yourselves back to the festivities or to your suites, but I am not requiring your presence.”

“It is tradition, Your Imperial Majesty,” Vasco began.

“No, it is not.” Karis glared at the man. “You are being obstreperous, and I do not appreciate it.”

“I am certain His Imperial Majesty will do his duty.” Maaike had a little triumphant smile hovering around the corners of her lips. “We do not need to follow him back to his chambers.”

“You are quite right.” Rhema was a little more subdued than the others. “I am certain everything will be just fine.”

“Very well.” Vasco and the other ministers returned to the great hall. Karis led the way to his suite, the Imperial guards close at hand.

They reached his rooms. He paused outside the door and looked at two of the guards. Imre opened the door. “Take the empress to the her suite,” Karis told them coldly. “I do not want to see her for the rest of the night.”

“But we’re married,” Lynet protested. “We’re supposed to spend the wedding night together. That’s what married couples do.”

“Only if both sides want the marriage, Lynet.” Karis pried her hands off his arm where she was clinging to him. “I do not want to be married to you. I never wanted to marry you. I only agreed to marry you to save the lives of the other courtesans. I want nothing more to do with you today.” He looked at the guards. “Now, escort her there and see she stays there for the rest of the night. Imre, see to it that her servants are sent to her there, will you?”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre could barely conceal his smile.

Lynet spluttered but was forcibly led off by the guards. Karis walked into his rooms. “I am not quite drunk, but I am more than a bit tipsy, Imre. I would like some water, and I want out of these damned clothes.”

“Of course, Your Imperial Majesty. Let me send Her Imperial Majesty’s servants to her so she does not leave her chambers looking for them, or for you, and then I will come and help you change into something more comfortable.” Imre pointed to the couch. “Sit down before you fall down.”

“As I said, I am not drunk, just tipsy.” Karis sat down. Imre left the room. Karis got back up, divested himself of the hated crown, and then pulled off his jewelry. He went to his jewelry box and put everything away.

Imre returned and helped him change into his casual clothing. He gave Karis some water and Karis drank the full glass. Karis spent the rest of the evening reading. Imre came in shortly before midnight. “Your court is not taking your wedding well, and Lord Vasco and your council are having a hard time selling them on the fact that this is a good thing.”

Karis snorted. “They cannot even sell that to me, and I have married the woman. I doubt they will be able to convince the court of that.”

“You should get some sleep, Your Imperial Majesty. There will certainly be some trouble over this if Lord Vasco and the council hear of what you did tonight.” Imre watched him closely.

“I am certain there will be.” Karis yawned. “I think it is time for bed though. I have been yawning over this paragraph for the past twenty minutes.” He got up and let Imre help him change into a sleep suit. Then he curled up in bed and closed his eyes. Visions of the seven green-clad courtesans filled his mind, and he dreamed of his nights with Sayana.

He woke the next morning with a mild headache and a foul taste in the back of his mouth. Imre was waiting for him. “Lord Vasco wishes to speak with you this morning, Your Imperial Majesty. He apparently spoke with Her Imperial Majesty this morning and wants to hear your side of what happened last night.”

“Tell him I have nothing to say to him.” Karis rubbed his eyes until they focused properly. “Please pass the word that I am canceling the council meeting this morning. Can you also send for an Imperial doctor? I have a horrible headache and need something to help with it.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. I suggest you not try to get out of bed until we get back and can help you.” Imre looked at him with some concern.

“Yes, Imre.” Karis fell back onto the pillows. Imre left. It took Imre a while to take care of all of the errands that Karis had sent him on. He returned with Adem and Lucan and they helped Karis out of bed. Karis showered, dressed, and was having breakfast when the doctor arrived.

“Did you overindulge last night, Your Imperial Majesty?” the doctor asked with some sympathy.

“A little.” Karis smiled sheepishly. “I did not get slobbering drunk, but I was more than a little tipsy when I came back from the feast.”

“Understandable, given your situation.” The doctor nodded with a look in his eye that told Karis he also appreciated where the young emperor was coming from. “There are not many of us who think you married that woman by choice.”

“I did not.” Karis rubbed his temples. “The council forced the issue. Do you have something that will take care of the headache?”

“The headache and all of the other effects of overindulgence that you aren’t noticing because of the pain.” The doctor smiled. “It’s just a quick shot and then you’ll be fine.”

“Thank you.” Karis held out his arm. The doctor pressed the hypo spray against his wrist and pressed the button. The hiss was quick, and it only took a few minutes for the headache to fade. Karis realized he had a bit more energy and the nausea that had started after he’d eaten was gone. “That is much better.”

“I’m glad it helped, Your Imperial Majesty.” The doctor looked at him. “Take it easy today. Avoid the council if you can for the sake of your nerves. And don’t drink more than a glass full of wine at any meal today if you don’t want to end up in the same state as you were in this morning.”

“I plan on avoiding my council completely today.” Karis was not in the mood to deal with any of them.

“Excellent, Your Imperial Majesty.” The doctor packed up his kit. “If you need anything more, please let us know.” The doctor bowed and left.

“Imre, I am going out to the courtesan’s garden. If anyone needs me, you do not know where I have gone.” Karis rose to his feet.

“Of course, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre smiled. “You left your chambers while I was out, and I don’t know where you are.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre nodded sympathetically. Karis collected his guards and made his escape.

Karis returned to his suite a short while later and worked on paperwork until dinner, when he changed and went to court. Lynet was waiting for him in the antechamber. “At least we can have dinner together at court.” She smiled coquettishly at him.

Karis ignored her and waited for the doors to the great hall to open. When they opened, he took his seat and waited for the court to assemble. He ate, completely ignoring all of Lynet’s attempts to make conversation with him. This did not go unnoticed by the court or his council. He stayed late into the night, listening to gossip, answering several lords’ questions, and ignoring Lynet’s complaints about how tired she was. Finally, when he started getting tired, he got up and left. Lynet scrambled to follow him out of the great hall.

Lynet followed him to his rooms, but he shut her out again. Karis went into his bedroom just as the door chime sounded. Imre went to see who it was. He came back with a disgruntled look on his face. “I take it Lynet was being a pest?” Karis waited for Imre to call Adem and Lucan to help him change.

“She demanded to know if you were going to sleep with her tonight.” Imre shook his head. “I told her that as late as it was, the only thing you were going to want to see was your empty bed. She could just stay in her chambers and that you’d call for her when you were ready for her.”

“Thank you, Imre.” Karis felt some relief. “That is exactly what I wanted.”

“I know you’ll have to sleep with her eventually, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre helped the other two get him changed. “Your council won’t let you get away with this forever.”

“No, they will not.” Karis sighed. “But I will do it for as long as possible.”

“I will help you for as long as we can manage this.” Imre stepped back.

“Thank you, Imre.” Karis climbed into his bed, not looking forward to another day married to Lynet.

The next morning Imre helped him dress before letting him know that Vasco was waiting to speak with him. “I tried telling him that you would speak to him at the council meeting, but he is insistent on speaking to you now. He refuses to leave, Your Imperial Majesty.”

Karis pinched the bridge of his nose. “I knew he would corner me eventually. All right, let him in. I may as well deal with him now and get it out of the way.”

Vasco was shown in. He bowed. “Your Imperial Majesty, is something wrong with the wife we selected for you?”

Karis regarded the man coldly. “You know there is, Vasco. I do not like her. I do not want to be married to her. You threatened my other courtesans if I did not marry her, so I married her. I never said I would deal with her once we were married.”

“Your Imperial Majesty must realize that the court is talking about the fact that you are not spending time with your new wife.” Vasco gave him a flat look.

“I do not care.” Karis gave him an equally as dismissive stare.

“Do you not care in the slightest what this is doing to your wife’s reputation?” Vasco demanded.

“No, I do not.” Karis glared at him. “I am of the opinion that the court can fully realize that I entered this marriage unwillingly and that she is there only because you bullied me into it.”

“Will you at least have a private dinner with your wife, Your Imperial Majesty?” Vasco asked. “Show that you have some inclination to being a husband?”

“I have no inclination to being a good husband to Lynet.” Karis’ look made it clear what he thought of that idea. “However, if it will get you and the others off my back about this for a time, I will have dinner with her tonight. Do not get her hopes up that anything more will happen. Because that is all that this will be.”

“I will be glad to inform Her Imperial Majesty that she will be having a private dinner with you, Your Imperial Majesty.” Vasco didn’t look pleased. “I could wish that you would consider spending the night with your new wife.”

“Not a chance, Vasco.” Karis gave the man a disgusted look. “She is completely unappealing to me in that way, and I will not spend more time in her company than I absolutely have to.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. I will inform Her Imperial Majesty of her appointment with you this evening.” Vasco bowed and left.

“Imre, I suppose I have agreed to have dinner with Her Imperial Majesty this evening. Please let the servants know to expect her and have a meal for two ready for us.” Karis made a face. “That is not how I wanted to spend my evening.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre made a note on Karis’ schedule.

Karis attended the council meeting. It went quickly. A few new proposals were made, and Karis turned them down because they were a detriment to the colonies. The council adjourned and Karis returned to his suite. It was after lunch when a report came in from Arken. Karis read through it and his temper flared.

“Imre, I believe I will have something to discuss with my wife tonight,” Karis growled as he got ready for his audiences.

“What is that, Your Imperial Majesty?” Imre asked.

“She is countermanding my orders with the courtesan wing.” Karis raged as he thought of Arken’s report. “She has turned off the environmental controls and she told the cooks not to send lunch to the ladies. As well as interfering in other aspects of their lives. I am not happy with her at all. She has no authority over the courtesans and yet she thinks she does. I will be reminding her of that fact.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre and the others finished getting Karis dressed and he stalked out of the room.

By the time dinner rolled around, Karis’ temper was frayed even more. Arken had sent him another report detailing that the empress had reassigned all the courtesans’ servants elsewhere, causing serious trouble with the running of the courtesan wing. He waited for Lynet, his lips compressed into a thin line.

She sailed into his chambers dressed elegantly and positively reeking of perfume. She allowed Imre to show her to her seat. Karis waited until she’d been served and was eating before speaking. “So, what did you do with your day?” he asked coolly.

“I took care of some personal business.” Lynet waved one hand airily.

“Did that personal business include attempting to cause problems for my courtesans?” Karis’s voice was cold and sharp.

Lynet stopped eating and she just stared at him. “What does it matter if it did? I’m your wife. You have no need for them anymore.”

“Lynet, you have no authority over the courtesan wing.” Karis let his anger show. “You have no authority over anything unless I give it to you. You have proven to me you do not deserve any authority over anything except your servants. I would take them away from you too if I thought it would not cause problems.”

“What do you mean?” Lynet stared at him wide-eyed.

“I will not tolerate you tormenting the women in the courtesan wing just because you feel they offended you,” Karis snapped. “I was informed of your behavior towards them by Arken and you deserved every bit of the disdain and coldness you got from them.”

“They are all horrible people,” Lynet whined. “They were absolutely awful to me. They deserved all that they got today.”

“You were horrible to them. You deserved everything you got.” Karis glared at her.

“Why are you defending them? I’m your wife. You should be defending me.” Arken was right. Lynet whined incessantly, and it enraged Karis even more.

“I will never defend you.” Karis let his hatred of her drip from every word he spoke. “You are my wife in name only. I do not love you. I do not care about you. I do not want you. I will never love you or want you. You are a nuisance to me and an unwanted burden that I am forced to endure because the council insists that I have to.”

“But – but Lord Vasco said that it would just take some time before you grew fond of me.” Lynet’s eyes filled with tears. She dropped her fork and just stared at Karis.

Karis snorted. “Vasco lied. There is not enough time in either of our lives for me to grow fond of you. As soon as I get the chance, I will be rid of you.”

Lynet burst into tears. She pushed back her chair and ran sobbing from the room. “I think Her Imperial Majesty has lost her appetite,” Imre observed blandly.

“I think she has as well.” Karis took a bite of his dinner. “I hope her guards catch up with her and get her back to her chambers safely. It would not do for her to get lost.”

“Do you want me to make sure she got back all right?” Imre asked.

“Yes, because if she does not, the council will blame me, and I will never hear the end of it.” Karis shook his head at the thought.

“I will check on it immediately, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre left the room. Karis finished his meal and his wine. He got up and collected his pad. He rang for his servants. Adem appeared with a handful of others to clear away the dinner dishes.

Imre returned an hour later. “Did she make it back safely?” Karis looked up from the paperwork he was working on.

“She did.” Imre smirked. “She called for her servants and was dismayed to learn that Lord Vasco and the other council members were too busy to see her this evening. She is feeling quite abused, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“That is too bad for her.” Karis glowered at his pad. “I will not tolerate her abusing my courtesans, and I will not grant her any more authority over anyone except her servants. Please pass that along to everyone who needs to know, Imre.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre left again.

It was after midnight when Imre returned. Karis put aside his pad and headed into his bedroom without Imre having to say anything. “Imre, bring me a glass of water, please?” Karis asked as his valet helped him get ready for bed.

“Of course, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre brought Karis a glass of water. Karis took one of his sleeping pills. He laid down and closed his eyes. Sayana’s face popped up in his mind and he focused on that until sleep overtook him.