Izo left the dining hall saying, "Meet me in the councilors rooms, Taiyi, in an hour."

As soon as he left, Nerina also strode out of the hall. The tension in the room lifted like fog in sunlight. Taiyi smiled at Laura andMarcus. She waved at them to sit and have their food as the activity returned to normal. The servants started hurrying up with food and other items.

"You didn't tell me that you had already married her?" Taiyi chided her son affectionately. "I was planning on having you get married here."

Marcus lips curved up into a mischievous smile. "Well, I won't stop you from having us get...