The carriage stops right in front of the Temple. While walking down, holding the King\'s hand as support, a sudden pain hits me on the hip.

Damn it, it\'s horrible!

I moan, but I can\'t stop the ceremony because something is stinging under the dress. Likely, someone forgot a needle. I\'ll bear with it for a while. Also, if I don\'t move too much, it\'ll quiet down. Hopefully.

I thought the incident with the blood was the end of the tampering with clothes. And here I am, suffering because of something small but bothersome under the gowns.

I look at the belt, and a suspicion forms in my mind. What if... Oh, it would be a chance in a thousand... Yet...

«A moment,» I whisper so that only Ignis can hear me.

He stops the walk and observes how I move the belt. I can\'t take it off. What if there is some hidden symbolism in this too?

But I can arrange the needle far from my skin.

And so I do, finding the incriminated weapon sticking out of the knot. It was hidden inside, so no one saw it. With my movements, it was uncovered and started cutting my skin under the dress.

I try turning it up or down until I find an angle that doesn\'t cut anymore.

«Oh, good,» I sigh, offering my hand again and proceeding towards the front of the Temple.

There isn\'t anyone waiting for us. The crowd will welcome us when we\'re done, but the first part of the ceremony will be witnessed by nobles only. We even used the side road connecting the Palace and the Temple directly to come here. We will cross the city to go back, though.

The nobles are all inside, each in their place.

The ceremonial songs are played by the Templar Orchestra, and the High Priest is waiting for us at the end of the aisle.

Ignis and I follow the rhythm of the sacred anthems without looking anywhere else but in front of us. We\'re holding hands, so we don\'t need eye contact to know we\'re here for each other.

When we\'re in front of the altar, the High Priest starts his speech.

«We will today witness the coronation of the next Queen of Alba,» he says. «We will see how fate smiled at us when the Gods chose a woman to fulfil the sacred duties of the Queen. Lady Veronica of house Bursio, daughter of Duke Caius Bursio. Born in Narith twenty years ago. We, subjects of his Majesty and loyal worshippers of our Gods, welcome you to your new home.»

I bow my head to thank him for the kind words.

He reads some passages of the ceremonial discourse, reminding us the duties of a ruler, and of a Queen married to a King. It\'s boring, and I\'ve already heard about it enough times already.

It lasts a good half an hour. I pretend to listen and react with nods and gentle smiles. When it\'s finally time for the last part, one of the girls running after the train of the dress brings a soft cushion. She leaves it in front of me, and I reach out for Ignis.

He holds my arm, helping me kneel in front of the altar. It\'s the worst part of the ceremony: kneeling in a Temple. A place where my people are burnt or sacrificed to the Gods against their will.

One of the Temple\'s youngest priests brings another cushion. This one is just a way to carry the crown. On top of it, with several big gems nestled, it greets me with its golden shine. It looks heavy, but I\'m certain the most weight can\'t be embodied in a single object.

Being a ruler is heavier than all the clothes and accessories one has to carry, of that I\'m sure.

«This Crown represents the burden of a ruler,» the High Priest explains. He smiles at me reassuringly.

How odd. He\'s not an enemy, is he? Maybe, he\'s the most amiable person I\'ve met in the capital.

Before he can lean the crown on my head, Ignis steps in front of me. He takes it with his hands and brings it up for everyone to see. Then, purposely slow, he moves his arms down to place the crown on my head. He presses until it\'s firm on my head, and he helps me up.

His smile is full of meaning. He could read my mind and tell what was bothering me. And he found a way to avoid it.

I wasn\'t crowned by a member of a Church I hate. It was a King that placed the crown on my head. I will only owe him obedience, for he\'s the one giving me my role.

I\'ll be Ignis\'s subject, not the Church\'s.

The fact that he was crowned by a churchman, and that I also am under their influence indirectly, through him, isn\'t enough to ruin my mood.

I smile back before turning to the crowd. Several eyes stare, wide open in shock. However, most are quite unfazed.

Who placed the crown isn\'t as relevant, after all. As long as the ritual was finished.

«Alba has a new Queen,» Ignis exclaims.

I smile at the crowd and listen to the applause. It lasts two or three minutes.

When it tunes down, the High Priest adds some fuel to the cheers.

«Long live the Queen,» he says. «Long live the King!»

The nobles repeat a couple of times before letting us walk out.

The two little girls grab one side of the train each and help me turn. They also lift it when I start strolling out. They\'ll be busy with the train for a while.

They don\'t seem displeased, though. At least, I don\'t need to feel guilty for exploiting two children.

In front of the Temple, the nobles arrange in groups. They wait for their turn to approach and congratulate us.

«Long live the Queen,» says the Queen Dowager. She swipes her eyes on me before returning to talk with her daughter and ignoring us.

The Queen Grandmother, Elder Queen Dowager, is also present. It\'s the first time we\'re meeting.

She seems younger than her actual age, and she smiles at Ignis as if he was family. I was expecting an old lady with difficulty walking or moving at all. And here there is, a lively and healthy person.

«Now, I expect you to produce an heir,» she says. «I would like to hold my great-grandson in my arms before dying.»

She\'s talking about dying with such an easy tone. And she\'s also pretty young: she\'s barely sixty. She was young when she gave birth to the late King.

She was also a Duke\'s daughter before becoming part of the royal family. Just like me, she wasn\'t sent here from a foreign land but was already Alba\'s citizen.

Her former family is part of the noble society. She has some backing, and she has influence over the social circles.

Making an enemy out of her would mean a difficult life. Forming an alliance, though, is rather difficult. She\'s among the most elusive ladies in court.

«We\'ll work on it,» Ignis chuckles. «How could I not fulfil my grandmother\'s wish?»

Oh? Are Ignis and the Elder Queen Dowager on good terms?

At least, there is someone in his family he can rely on!

«It would be nice if the next King to sit on the throne is born from a legitimate marriage,» the woman continues. «We can\'t have two bastard Kings in a row, right?»

A smile freezes on my face as I quickly change my mind. What does this geezer want?

Why doesn\'t Ignis just get rid of them all? His life would be easier without the women from his family continuously reminding him of the past.

I\'d like to defend him. To tell this old woman off. But I\'m not sure what to say, and Ignis might not be happy.

I just turn to him in time to catch a shadow in his eyes. He\'s dissatisfied with the situation, but he wants to hide it.

«It won\'t happen, grandmother. The next King will have a clean claim. That\'s a promise...»

As I shiver at his tone, I notice the woman\'s self-contented grin transforms into a frown.

Oh, see this. She shakes her head before leaving.

The following guests greeting us are the other members of the Royal Family. Then, the Dukes and Marquises. Before the turn for the Counts and Barons comes, a familiar face approaches. Oh, it was damn time to have an ally!

«Congratulations on your marriage, your Majesty,» he says to Ignis. «It\'s a pleasure to see both of you so radiant.»

«It\'s a special occasion, uncle,» Ignis replies. He called my uncle as if it was his without thinking twice.

It\'s an old habit, isn\'t it?

«How could I not be happy?»

My uncle chuckles, sincerely happy to see us so calm.

«I\'ll be working in the capital from now on,» he says. «We can talk better at a later moment. For now, I offer my congratulations on the marriage and coronation. Alba finally has a Queen.»

He bows before leaving and lets us greet the long line of guests still waiting.

Marius reaches our uncle without coming to congratulate me.

If anyone else was the King, this might cause an incident. Yet, Ignis doesn\'t seem to notice the absence of the Queen\'s brother and chaperon in the line for the congratulations. He is pretty patient.

As patient as not to mind when people disrespect him.. This needs to change.