A Roll of the Die - 1. Inception
Copyright© 2026 by Michael Loucks
Chapter 23: Day 37
"Your dress is lovely," Matthias declared two days later, late in the afternoon, once Lilia had dressed with the help of a female servant.
"And you are very handsome in your armor! You cut quite the dashing figure!"
"Shall we make our way to the Great Hall?" Matthias suggested.
"Yes, let's!" Lilia agreed.
They left their rooms in the Royal Quarters and made their way to the Great Hall, which had been decorated befitting the marriage of the Duke and second heir to the Throne.
"You look ravishing!" Karla said to Lilia when they met in the Great Hall.
Lilia smiled. "Thank you! I appreciate you adding my Lord husband's crest to your armor!"
Matthias had commissioned a crest which consisted of a Bengal tiger and a bearcat, along with crossed clubs. Unbeknownst to anyone except Matthias and Miri, the symbols represented the three leading Cincinnati sports teams — the Bengals, the UC Bearcats, and the Reds — as the clubs were actually stylized baseball bats.
Matthias, Tristan, and Milos also sported the crest on their armor, while Lisette displayed it as a pendant on a necklace she wore over her formal robes. A similar pendant and necklace had been commissioned for Zoë, and the others at the Compound had crests embroidered on their tunics.
The marriage ceremony was similar to the one celebrated for Matthias and Lilia, though it was a bit more involved, as Miri was becoming a Duchess. The banquet that followed was much more elaborate and included Duke Robert and Duchess Miri renewing their oaths to King Ludwig. The festivities stretched past mid-night, and it was the wee hours of the morning before Robert and Miri took their leave.
🎲🎲🎲
The ceremony and celebration had lasted longer than Miri had expected, so her spell had worn off, and she'd need to cast it again before she and Robert consummated their marriage.
"Wait here, my Lord," Miri requested. "I'll call you in a moment."
Robert nodded, and Miri left the sitting room and entered the bedchamber. She closed the door behind her, then retrieved one of the magic boxes and dialed the combination. She extracted three mana crystals and focused on the shape-shifting spell. She held focus, then mentally recited the lengthy incantation. When the crystals discharged, she returned them to the box and locked it by spinning the dials.
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