32Three weeks later, the day of the wedding had arrived, and the entire Empire came to see the Queen Empress and the Crown Prince marry along the steps of the palace's royal gardens as so many generations had done so before. Lords and ladies, highborn and commoner, all flocked to catch a glimpse of the happy occasion.
If they only knew.
Alex stood in front of her floor-length mirror while her three mistresses worked around her like busy little bees. She invited them back for the day, and they attempted to make her look like an example of perfection. The wedding dress fit her perfectly, even with her expanding belly and supple bosom. The white satin was inlaid with gold embroidery along the empire-cinched bust line and hems of the skirts and sleeve, while the rest of it flowed about her a
