A/N: I'd recommend looking up a map of the Empire on the Dishonored wiki, just to get an idea of how the Isles look like. Anyway, on to the chapter!
"You look beautiful," Euhorn said, giving his trademark smile as he traced his fingers softly over Jessamine's cheek, moving a few loose hairs off her face to get a better look at his daughter. She tried to mimic his expression, letting the tune of his voice calm her down a bit. The mixture of nervousness and excitement had been stirring in her for a while now, refusing to let go no matter what she did. Within seconds, the gigantic, polished marble doors that separated her from the ballroom would open, exposing her to the guests.
Jessamine tried to ignore the notch in her stomach, and eventually found herself staring at her reflection that was painted on the smooth stone door. Outsider, she had never worn so many colors in her life. The clothing choice wasn't a coincidence - Ellia had told her that she was to wear this to- how did she put it? - "honor the Serkonian culture"?
Those were, however, no doubt her father's words.
Not that she didn't love it, of course.
Her sleeveless dress looked like a sunset- staring at the bottom with bright shades of yellow, red and orange that splashed and intertwined all the way to her hips. There, the bright hues wove themselves with deep purples and blues that flew up to her collarbones, covering her from top to bottom. Over that, a jacket with the same design covered her shoulders and arms- in its inner pocket, the letter that Corvo had given her not long ago. Her simple, black hair was decorated with more ribbons than she could count, each of them with a unique color and texture that only added to her almost alien-like look.
She wondered if Corvo would be there. He should be- after all, he was the Duke's bodyguard, so why wouldn't he? He was just in the middle of telling her about all the kinds of dances the Serkonians were famous for when Ellia had interrupted them, and she'd made a promise to herself to find him again. Even though he didn't quite look like the dancing type, she was convinced she could talk him into showing her one.
The chattering of guests, their glasses clinking and their shoes tapping to the rhythm of the music was abruptly silenced by the sound of trumpets.
"His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Euhorn Kaldwin, and Lady Jessamine Kaldwin!" the announcer roared, his voice booming through the room, making even Jessamine flinch.
The doors slowly pulled open, and Jessamine feet her knees lock in place. A smiling, colorful crowd that enthusiastically clapped was slowly revealed. Why are there so many people? Ellia didn't say there would be this many people. Did more show up? Wait, why can't I move?
She felt Jax slightly nudge her, reminding her that she didn't have all the time in the world. Ok, deep breaths. Calm down. You can do this. One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other. There you go. Alright, now smile and look up. They want to see you smile. Just pretend they aren't there
She looked ahead of her, and just as she'd guessed, there they were- Corvo and the Duke. Even from twenty feet away, Jessamine could tell that the Duke had already started his drinking, while Corvo looked downright frustrated. Still, she gave him a soft smile, and Corvo gave her one in return, while the Duke was too busy shoveling down food to do anything else.
Jessamine ever so ungracefully shuffled to the table, taking her seat as quickly as she could. Getting there wasn't the most beautiful performance, but at least she hadn't tripped and fallen on her face on the way there. It was a small victory.
She watched her father shake hands with the Duke, who had already managed to get slightly tipsy. Jax rolled his eyes, while Euhorn didn't seem upset at all - but then again, he never did. The man was had perfected the art of masking his emotions. It took years for Jessamine to learn to read his face, and even then she wasn't sure. She supposed it was yet another skill she'd have to learn, along with so many others.
Her father gave a short speech, over exaggerating his joy about the Serkonians being here, going on about how glad he was that they were joining them tonight and how he hoped that they were enjoying themselves in the "humble city of Dunwall".
Humble. Of course.
Jessamine looked over at Corvo, who was gnawing on his lower lip. She could tell he was almost as nervous as her, but he was still covering it up twice as well with half the effort. Why would he be nervous? Sometime a noble woman would stop and stare at him for a moment, but he didn't seem like the type that cared much about such things.
Jessamine spent the next hour or so playing with her food, occasionally glancing at the crowd with curiosity. Goodness, It was strange, seeing the people of Gristol and Serkonos mixed together in the same room like apples and oranges. Someone from outside the Empire wouldn't have been able to guess that they were united under the same Emperor - hell, if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, Jessamine would've had a hard time believing it herself. Still, it was comic watching the Gristolians trying and failing to dance to southern music, while the Serkonians seemed rather unamused at most of the things that Dunwall had to offer. They would never get along, that was for sure, but at least there was peace tonight.
Jessamine looked over to her father when he tapped on her thigh;
"Did you bring the letter?" he whispered, his voice deeper than usual
She nodded in return, putting one hand into her coat pocket and feeling the envelope's sharp edge.
He pulled on his coat sleeves to straighten them, not removing his diplomatic smile "You didn't read it yet?"
"No, no I didn't"
"Good. You'll read it for the guests now."
Wait, what?
Her body tensed up and she felt her blood turn to ice. "Are you sure?" She protested, trying to sound calmer than she was.
"Excuse me!" Euhorn addressed the guests, completely ignoring Jessamine's last question. His voice boomed through the room and everyone fell silent within moments. How does he do that?
"My daughter would like to deliver a short speech before we continue our evening."
Yes, because they'd love to listen to another one
Euhorn looked over at Corvo, giving him a short nod as Jessamine hesitantly stood from her chair. She looked at his blue eyes, giving him a look he knew too well- What's going on?
Truth be told, Corvo felt a bit of guilt for not telling her earlier. He wondered why the Emperor hadn't told Jessamine beforehand- she didn't seem like the spoiled sort of girl that would scream and shout at his decisions, and he couldn't see any reason to hide it. Of course, he didn't question why. Opposing authority only got you in trouble, and that was a lesson he learned the hard way.
He threw one last, mocking glance at Jax, who helplessly watched, undoubtedly pissed off.
Corvo loved it.
Jessamine pulled out the letter from her coat, taking a moment to look at it again. She broke the seal with her shaking thumbs, delicately pulling the letter out of it. She unfolded it slowly, looking at the blue letters and desperately trying to make them into words. Calm down, calm down.
She swallowed hard, holding the pages of the paper a bit too hard. Jessamine took a deep breath and started;
"I would like to-uh-thank you all for joining us on this wonderful evening. As of tonight, we, the people of Serkonos and Gristol, stand not as neighbors, nor as partners. No, we stand as brothers and sisters, all united under one rule, one crown. It warms my heart to see us together, welcoming each other with open arms. I hope our generosity towards each other is carried out through the future generations, and may we never forget our love for one another."
Yep, Euhorn wrote this.
"I would like to thank the people of Serkonos for their trust and willingness. Together, we hope to lead the Isles to a brighter future, and a better tomorrow. You have placed all of your faith in us in these difficult times, and for that, we cannot thank you enough.
In order to manifest our trust in the people of Serkonos, I, Jessamine Kaldwin the First, name the Captain of the Royal guard, Corvo Attano, to be my Royal Protector from today onwards."
Wait, what?