Engagement.
For royalty, the process of selecting a spouse was lengthy and complicated.
First, a list of candidates was compiled and then rigorously tested. Politics, scheming, and cutthroat competition were all normal parts of the selection process.
Eventually, one candidate would triumph and, in turn, receive an official offer of marriage.
Most of the time, the one seeking a spouse had little involvement with the selection. As a result, a loveless marriage was typical--not just among royalty, but among upper classes as well.
The days of concubines and multiple spouses were far behind, however, so lovers had to be taken in as mistresses, without a title and, therefore, powerless against the one who bore the title.
Kel had spent enough time by Adriell's side, and occasionally in her place, to know that even the princess's seemingly rushed political marriage had a great amount of diplomacy and consideration behind it.
