Bride of the Emperor (The Prophecy of Sisters Book 4) by Hayley Faiman (the gingerbread man read aloud txt) 📗

above her head and place her new crown on her head. It’s my mother’s. The one that I had given Drucilla previously was one that held no sentimental value, as I didn’t have much for her at the time other than she was my fated.

Things are different now, Drucilla is not just my fated-by-the-gods bride, I care for her, deeply. This crown, my mother’s, she is deserving of it. She has earned a place not only inside of me, but with my family as well.

“This was my mother’s,” I explain once I’ve placed the gold crown on top of her head.

She doesn’t say anything right away, instead, she lifts her hand and touches the cool metal. I don’t pay attention to Cassia, but I hear her shooing and shifting the women from the room to give us some privacy.

“May I have your wrist?” I ask.

Drucilla doesn’t speak, she extends her arm out and I wonder if she is going to say anything at all. Instead of asking her, I wrap the gold bangle cuff around her wrist, then the other I wrap around her bicep on the other side.

Without explaining, I walk behind her and I clasp the gold necklace around her throat, then shift to standing in front of her again.

“The gold is all my mother’s. It all belongs to the Empress of Savona. It all belongs to you,” I rasp.

She is oddly quiet, then I watch as the tears fill her eyes. They don’t spill over, she swallows them and holds them back, but as her gaze searches mine, she nods her head a few times.

“I have done nothing to deserve them, Tiberius,” she murmurs as she lifts her hand to touch the gold at her throat.

I hum, closing the distance between us. “But you have, mulier. You have done much. Let us celebrate our marriage with our people.”

She nods and slips her arm through my offered one. Together, the emperor and the empress make their way together toward their people.

“Tonight is a night of celebration. We will not think of the venefica, Diaboli, or any other obstacles that are to come our way. Tonight, we drink, we dance, and we enjoy ourselves with our people,” I announce as we walk through the empty hallway.

Drucilla nods her head but doesn’t say anything. Her grip on my arm is tight, and she holds her body stiff. She is nervous. Lifting my opposite hand, I cover her fingers with my palm in an attempt to give her comfort.

“They will all love you, melculum,” I murmur.

“You are well loved and I am a stranger, from an even stranger land.”

Clearing my throat, I stop as we are close to the entrance of the celebration. Turning to face her, I look into her beautiful violet eyes, loving how she watches me intently, as if I am the only person on this earth.

“My people will love you, Drucilla. They do not know that you are from a strange land. All they know is that their emperor has found his match in a beautiful woman. They may know that you hold magi, through rumors. That would not make them dislike you, magi isn’t an evil thing here. My father may have been opposed to it, but the people never have been fearful of it. Be yourself, charm them the way you have always done with me.”

“Charm?” she snorts before she rolls those violet eyes to the ceiling.

My lips curve up into a grin, lifting my hand, I touch my thumb to the center of her lips. “You have charmed me since the moment I laid eyes on you. I knew you were coming. I was expecting you, and yet, I was not expecting the likes of you.”

She opens her mouth to speak, but I don’t allow her words to flow. Instead, I dip my chin and touch my mouth to hers. It has been days since she’s been home and the only part of my body that has been inside of hers is my tongue in her sacred mouth.

I take this opportunity to plunder her mouth yet again, hoping that soon, she will feel the need for more of me, that she will trust me again and allow me inside of her, allow me to plant my seed deep within her womb and create life.

Nibbling on her bottom lip, I press my forehead against hers and close my eyes, inhaling her sweet scent.

“Shall we?” I ask.

“Yes,” she breathes.

DRUCILLA

Tiberius guides me toward the celebration and I’m full of nervous energy. I can hear the music playing and the people talking before I even see a single soul. When we walk through the draped curtains that separate the hall from the main room, the crowd goes silent.

Marcellus appears out of nowhere to my left and I try to just look at him through my peripheral gaze, instead of turning my whole head to face him. I am so nervous, I don’t know where to look or what to do, so I end up just trembling.

“The Emperor would like to announce his new bride, Empress Drucilla Quirinus of Savona.”

Tiberius dips his chin and I feel like in this moment I should be doing a curtsy or something, but I have yet to see anyone bow or curtsy, not even to Tiberius, since I’ve been here. I decide against it and instead, give a shaky smile to the hundreds of eyes that stare at me.

“Enjoy the festivities, drink wine, manducare, and dance,” Tiberius shouts.

The crowd erupts in applause and slowly the music grows louder and people turn away from us and begin to go back to their merriment. I let out a sigh of relief that at least that moment is over. I don’t know what is going to happen next, but I’m ready for some food and maybe some wine, too.

“Shall we, melculum?” he practically purrs.

Turning my head, I rip my gaze from the crowd and look up to him. He’s smiling down at me, his lips