Private Roleplay {WP}〔❁〕I wonder how they keep it up

The wedding was beautiful in all it's splendor.

She had never seen the steppe woman named Ye Lanyi until today. Nor had she every really met any of Shenlei's other wives except the empress herself. A woman who hailed from an entirely different land — an entirely different culture. Izumi couldn't imagine leaving something of such significance behind, not even for marriage, and secretly wondered if Lady Lanyi had done so for the sake of love itself.

Her mother, Junko, had done as such. Leaving her entire clan for a larger, foreign on to marry father. Though they hailed from similar culture, Izumi's mother still had to leave her natal family behind and into the prying eyes and sharp tongues of a family who was keeping a close eye on the crown princess. Soon, however, she'd become the Empress — and suddenly those words of judgment morphed into those of praise with those who wished to get within the reigning lady's good graces.

It was a nauseating thing to have to deal with, but so were the workings of courts.

Mother was a fair ruler beside father. Yet even with the love in her eyes she shared only towards her children, Izumi could always see the longing and homesickness every time she fondly recalled her natal clan to her and her siblings. It was a sacrifice that never truly went away — and the cranebird wondered what difficulties Shen's new wife shared in that regard.

She partook in the feast that followed afterwards, observing in quiet amusement as she watched someone from afar drunkenly explain the story of how he'd first met his own wife. Yet just as he'd been getting to the good part, there was a slight brush in her shoulder of someone who'd joined the group of onlookers as well, and the empress blinked curiously in their direction. Looking to see who had joined her side…