Page 151 of Tall, Royal Hater
It was beautiful. Everything. The perfect blend of Jahandari and Touman colours and traditions. Nur’s speech about marriage, his eyes on his wife the whole time. The laughter when King Rami couldn’t remember which pocket he’d put the rings in. The intimacy of the vows Prince Arsh and Katiya read from notes they whipped out before sliding each other’s wedding bands on.
Prince Arsh’s “Kabool Hai,” in reply to Nur’s “do you take”question—the Jahandari term for “I do”—surprised a watery laugh from Katiya and a, “I love you so much.” There wasn’t a person in the room who didn’t feel the thick, liquid emotion blocking their throats.
Esmeralda was the perfect advert for waterproof makeup because the girl was sobbing, tucked under Shehryar’s arm, but her mascara had not smudged one bit. Queen Leila elegantly dabbed at her undereyes with a tissue. Gigi and King Rami discreetly flicked the corners of their eyes. And Kai’s gaze was wet too, though I had a feeling that was more because seeing Esmeralda cry made him cry.
I cried too. I didn’t know why. I’d been introduced to Prince Arsh ten days ago, and while I’d met Katiya multiple times, I wouldn’t exactly have said we were close. But that had changed while I’d planned their wedding, and all the fun we’d had together made them both mean something to me.
That, and there was something about seeing two people who’d been unlucky in love, from different backgrounds and states, find a soulmate in each other at a later stage in their lives. Their love was the sort of otherworldly magic that inspired movies and fairytales. They were meant to be in every way, and no power in the world could have kept them apart.
Watching them filled me with the kind of love, hope, and joy of being alive that made me feel weightless and grounded all at once. It made my chest ache and had tears streaming down my face.
“Then,” Nur said through a watery sniff. He snapped the book shut. “By the power vested in me by the State of Touma, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss—oh, okay.”
Katiya grabbed the lapels of Prince Arsh’s suit jacket and tugged him to her for a long, hard kiss. His eyes widened before he chuckled against her lips. Cupping her cheek, he kissed her back.
Laughter turned into roaring cheers and echoing claps between sniffles of happiness, and quickly, the whole room was on their feet, hooting endlessly.
I cupped my hands around my mouth and whooped loudly when the newly married couple pulled away from their long kiss and faced everyone. Esmeralda joined in, followed by Fay and Pierre, Alisha and Zain, and others scattered all around the room.
I caught Prince Arsh’s teary-eyed wink of gratitude, and a wobbling grin burst across my mouth as several droplets rolleddown my cheeks. I swiped them with my fingertips, but they wouldn’t stop.
“Now, who’s hungry?” Prince Arsh roared, throwing his and Katiya’s intertwined hands up.
I let out a sobbing burst of laughter like everyone around me and watched as the happy couple walked down the aisle. A few people must’ve had rose petals left in their hands because bursts of red flew up into the air and cheers reignited. Then Queen Leila met her husband in the middle, and together they led a slow procession after Prince Arsh and Katiya out of the public room and down the corridor to the readied dining hall.
As people exited, Kai headed straight for Esmeralda like some imaginary metal doors blocking him from getting to her finally opened. He engulfed her in his big arms and kissed her hair repeatedly as she hiccupped through her tears. And it set me off again.
“My fucking makeup,” I whined under my breath as I swirled away, dabbing my fingers through the liquid under my eyes.
In turning away from Esmeralda though, I found myself caught in the bloodshot look of unshed tears in Shehryar’s eyes and my breath stuttered. There were so many layers of emotion in those stupidly beautiful, piercing irises of his. I couldn’t pick them apart. I could only feel how deeply they dug into my bones and fastened themselves to the most vulnerable, wanting parts of me.
I ached at how raw and warm he left me feeling. It was a little scary—a lotscary that he could cause such a sensation in me. Some irrevocable connection I’d never be able to deny again.
I would have been lying if I said it was easy to accept or embrace, but maybe it was pure stubbornness or a trepid want to explore how much he could make me feel, but I didn’t turn away.
I did, however, lower my hands and narrow my eyes in mock question.What?
The corner of his mouth slowly quirked as he scowled back, and a fluffy cloud blew up in my chest.
He took a swaggering step in my direction, but—
“Mariyah.”
I just about caught a glimpse of a crying Esmeralda before she all but threw her arms around my neck. I grunted upon impact. Chuckling weakly, I cinched her around the waist and squeezed.
“That was so beautiful,” she said with tears coating her voice. “Thank you.”
Ah fuck.The sharp sting returned to the back of my nose, obscuring my gaze with a liquid barrier. “Why are you thanking me?” I said, laughing and crying all the same.
“Because you did this—put those smiles on their faces, and I’m so grateful that you did that for Mama Katiya and Prince Arsh when you didn’t have to.”
“For fuck’s sake, dude,” I groaned as tears streamed down my face. “I fucking hate you for making me cry again.”
She hiccupped a giggle. “No, you don’t.” She beamed happily. “You love me.”
I matched her grin as I wiped my fingers through my tears. “Yeah, I do, you bitch. Now say it back.”
“I love you too,” she chirped, then glanced to Shehryar. She put her hand out to him. He smiled sweetly and wrapped his paw around her palm. “You too, Shehryar. I love you, and I know this wasn’t easy for you, but you did a great job.” Her voice cracked. “She’s so happy.”
