"So," Emperor Soren began, staring at his intertwined hands. Shyra shifted uncomfortably in her seat and glanced at Mahi, but he refused to meet anyone's eyes, choosing to stare at the wall instead.

Shyra's gaze moved to his mother instead, and noted her meek, placid expression with a slight amusement. It seemed like Empress Inaya didn't fight her husband in his decisions. The passive Empress was so different from Shyra's own mother that she sometimes found it hard to comprehend.

"You two want to get wedded," the emperor said, breaking the strenuous silence with his rumbling voice. "You two have been in a courtship for quite some time, in secret, may I add, and you want to get wedded."

The way he said it, as a statement rather than a question, steeled Shyra's nerves. The emperor seemed ready to accept their union, and she would push his support as much as he could.

"Emperor Soren, I know that this must seem too soon for you. I'm sorry for keeping it hidden till now, but we wanted to confirm our feelings for each other before letting everyone know."

"Father, are you really running out of time? Are you... dying?" Mahi asked with a tremor in his voice, speaking for the first time since the courtroom. It was clear that their conversations were not registering in his head, and she understood his anguish, but it still hurt Shyra that she was having to fight for their marriage all alone.

Soren swallowed thickly and nodded, acknowledging Mahi's question with a solemn regality. "My son... I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I'd intended to talk to you about it, but I never expected to see you standing outside those doors."

Shyra hadn't had such conversations with her parents in a really long time. Hadn't talked to them about her fears, hopes and dreams since she was a child.

So, hearing them talk opened a wound in her heart that she had forced down. Memories of her mother burying herself in work, and her father in spirituality, came rushing to her mind and in this vulnerable moment, she almost started sobbing herself.

She suddenly felt a pair of hands hold her shoulders and pull her in a hug. At first she thought it was Mahi, but when she inhaled the sweet scent of mallige, she knew that it was Empress Inaya.

"There, there," the empress whispered, patting her back gently. "All of us think fondly of you, princess. And Mahi cares for you more than his life. I think all of us will benefit from this marriage, and I'll be blessed to have a daughter-in-law like you."

With great difficulty she managed to reign in her tears and pulled back with a smile. Emperor Soren was watching her with a tenderness that surprised her, and took her hands in his own.

"My dear, you are exactly the empress this kingdom needs. Now that I'm going to retire soon, Pranali's stability will come into question. Mahi will need an empress by his side."

Shyra inhaled deeply as she took in his words. She was going to be an empress if she married Mahi. Emperor Soren was agreeing to this wedding only because she would make a good ruler. Somehow, this was worse than him fighting against it.

The somber air with which he agreed made it clear that he was doing it for the empire as much as for his son. This wasn't the atmosphere she wanted when they gave their consent, but since her request was accepted, she decided to make it her win.

"Thank you, Emperor Soren," she said with a gracious incline of her head. "This is..."

"Uh, uh," he interrupted with a teasing twinkle in his eyes. "There's no need to use such formalities anymore. Since we're going to be related now, just call me bade papa."

Shyra raised her eyebrows at this unexpected gesture, but went along with it amusedly. "Bade papa. Thank you so much for giving your blessings. I was worried that you wouldn't accept our union, and that we would have to fight for your approval."

He nodded, and everyone lapsed into a peaceful silence as the weight of their decisions settled on them.

Shyra felt Mahi's warm hands clasp her, and she felt the beginnings of relief numb her paranoia.

"Well then," he said, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Since everything has been decided and agreed upon, how about we talk to Shyra's parents as well, and get their approval?"

Shyra laughed shakily and nodded. In their hurry to get Mahi's parents' approval, she'd completely forgotten about her own parents.

"Yeah, let's," she replied, entwining her fingers with his. "Let's formally ask them for their blessings by visiting Ziya. I can introduce you to all my friends and show you around the Castel, and..."

"Easy, princess," Soren chuckled. "Let's focus on getting their consent first. Then you can show us your beautiful Ziya."

The visit of Alza's prince Mahi was an event of much pomp and celebration. Most Ziyans hadn't seen the royal in person, so to give him a lavish welcome, they decorated their streets with beautiful lights and lanterns.

Although the reason for the visit was kept a surprise, many people already suspected that an alliance between Ziya and Alza was about to be formed.

So, it was in this atmosphere that Mahi and Shyra sat in front of her parents, buzzing with nerves once again.

Shyra could tell that Mahi had never faced a girl's parents before, and it showed in the way he clenched his fists anxiously and sat at the edge of his seat.

Opposite them, King Songrat and Queen Nayaka sat with equally tensed expressions. They seemed to know what was coming, and looked like they were preparing for the inevitable news.

Everything was at a standstill, and Shyra's nerves kept rising until she took the lead and began speaking. "Mother. Father. It's good to see you again after a long time."

"You too, my dear," Soren said with a smile. His rare smile filled her with confidence and encouraged her to continue with her proposal.

"Do you guys remember that Mahi and I are courting each other?" she continued, and from the corner of her eye she saw Mahi blush slightly. She wanted to squeal and pull his cheeks, but restrained herself with considerable effort.

"Now, I know this seems too sudden, and you probably think that we're too young for this, but I and Mahi want to get wedded. We've talked to his parents, and they've approved of our marriage. So, if you people..." she said with an exhale, glad that she managed to get those words out.

Nayaka and Soren looked at each other for a long time, contemplating the proposal and its implications. Shyra felt as though her heart would burst, and resorted to holding Mahi's hands tightly. This time, he squeezed them back with a reassuring smile, and her heart lightened with the fact that he was on her side.

Queen Nayaka took a deep breath, bringing everyone's attention to her. "So, both of you have decided to get married. Are the two of you equally willing? Or are you forcing each other to take this step?"

They shook their heads vigorously.

"And your parents are okay with this," she addressed Mahi. He nodded vigorously this time, and Shyra almost laughed at his enthusiasm.

Queen Nayaka took a deep breath and nodded, muttering to herself. "The only problem I have is that if Shyra becomes the ruler of Alza, Ziya won't have a ruler anymore. We don't have any heir, and nobody to hand our throne to. And Shyra... we've been training you to rule throughout your childhood."

It stung. It hurt that the only thing her mother cared about was the throne, not that she would marry a guy and live with him for the rest of her life. But she pushed her feelings down, straightened her spine, and presented the solution she'd been working on throughout their journey.

"If it's the throne you're worried about, then drop your apprehension, mother. As you rightly said, you've trained me to rule my whole life. I'm competent to take the throne, but is it necessary that I need to be in Ziya to rule it?"

Nayaka frowned, and understanding dawned in her eyes.

"Even when I'm living in Alza, I can rule and care for Ziya from there. I've worked out the finer details, and I'll have regular trips to make sure everything is going well."

In truth, she was hoping that her parents would protest slightly against her marriage, claiming that they didn't want to be separated from her. Then she would have to listen to their lectures of how much they love her.

But to her anguish, they just looked at each other, shrugged, and nodded.

"I, for one, don't see any problems with your marriage. If you're both willing, go ahead with it," Nayaka said. Shyra struggled to hold back her tears once again as she nodded. If everyone was agreeing to it without protest, then why did she feel a sense of foreboding? Why did she feel like dark times were coming ahead, instead of rejoicing about her marriage?

"My dear," King Songrat said, pausing her morbid thoughts. "I'm happy that you've found someone you love. I hope that you two remain together for the rest of your lives, and keep each other happy. You have my full blessings."

That did the trick. His speech finally opened the dam she'd constructed, and she burst into tears, burying her face in her hands.

Mahi pulled her close and hugged her, wiping tears from her face. "Come now, jaani. Wipe your tears and put on a smile. After all, we have a royal wedding to prepare."