| INTIMACY | - HPxTMR

Chapter 22- [Official]

I have no idea why this took so long to edit, It's been ready since Saturday :/
Anyway, it's a good thing, because I had the inspiration to add an extra scene which wasn't planned ^-^
I managed to hit 4k words~ The next chapter has been started, and the chapter after that actually has more since it was the original chapter 23. I managed to create another chapter in between, which is happening more often now that I'm planning far ahead in detail- I'm up to chapter 45 or so :)

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10th October 1998

Planning a wedding was one of the most exhausting things Harry had ever done. There was so much to do and think about, from the guest list, down to how many golden stitches his tailors could get away with on his ceremonial robes.

The worst were the fittings he had to go to constantly, at first for the detailed and multi-layered robes, then for the many pieces of jewellery such as emerald earrings and hair adornments, and finally for his Concubine crown. It was silver and small, embedded with little emeralds that shone even in dim light, but it was beautiful and intricate all the same, and Harry was in awe of it every time he glimpsed it.

Every official spouse of the Emperor got one when they became a Concubine, and for every rank they ascended, they got another with stones that matched their new rank. He had spotted Noble Consort Evangeline's orange topaz one in the Hall of Worship when he visited a while back, its surface still as shiny and unblemished as the day it was made. It had never been worn, after all.

What furthered his exhaustion was the constant invites from other concubines he was receiving. He had met with Nobles Cedric, Jasmine, and Erin for Tea on the third after receiving three eager invites, their time spent gossiping and cooing over his and the Emperor's supposed 'whirlwind romance'. Then, he had strolled uncomfortably with Consort Bellatrix and Concubine Alecto on the fourth around the Pavillion of Raining Flowers, talking only when spoken to as the pair walked ahead.

On the sixth, Harry had had an incredibly awkward lunch with Concubine Patricia, Noble Lukas and Consort Penny, an unlikely trio that got along surprisingly well. On the seventh, Concubines Regulus and Felix invited him for tea at the same time, so he had invited them both to his garden, and their time together was tolerable.

He'd been surprised, yesterday, to have been invited to have lunch with Dahlia, Daphne, and Theodore. Harry had used his new powers as a Concubine to refuse that, now being two ranks instead of one higher than them all, sensing that the invite wasn't done out of the goodness of their hearts. And that Dahlia and Daphne were likely more than a little bitter about the demand they had to fulfil in another week's time, which Harry wouldn't put past them to try something.

However, he couldn't quite avoid the summons from Consort Isla an hour later, so they spent the afternoon in companionable silence, reading in her garden. It was a confusing few hours, but Harry was glad there hadn't been a verbal spat between them as he had been expecting or any uncomfortable questions.

Today, once again, a maid arrived at his doors with a request for Tea, this time from Concubine Cordelia.

Harry felt trepidation. He and Cordelia definitely hadn't had a neutral relationship, especially since her daughter's birthday last year when she'd openly disparaged him, and he would even go as far as to say that it'd been antagonistic. Harry did not trust the woman, and the other Concubine looked down on him for reasons he couldn't gather.

He dressed in a simple, black, and green robe, foregoing any hair adornments that Amari wished to put on him but allowing other jewellery such as simple earrings and bracelets. Harry didn't want to set her off, not today when he was already having such an exhausting time.