43. Annani

43

ANNANI

A nnani did not know which feeling was stronger, the excitement at the prospect of meeting her half-brother for the first time or the annoyance at having to wear jeans.

Why did Kian think plain human clothing would make a difference to her appearance?

Her brother did not know how the people of this world dressed. He did not know that a gown was a formal dress or that jeans were casual. It would not influence what he thought of her.

Sometimes, appeasing her son's paranoia was tiring.

As she reached Kian's front door, Okidu opened it and bowed.

"Good morning, Clan Mother."

"Good morning." She swept past him and headed straight toward Kian's office.

His door was open, and she did not wait for an invitation.

"Hold on, William." Kian put the phone down and pushed to his feet. "Good morning, Mother." He rounded the desk, leaned down, and kissed her cheek. "I'm almost done talking to William. Please take a seat."

Nodding, she accepted the invitation and listened as he continued the conversation with William.

"I only need two devices. One for Syssi and one for my mother."

"I can do that," William answered. "Give me half an hour."

"No problem. Can you send someone to my house with them?"

William chuckled. "I'll come myself. It's Sunday, and there is no one in the lab. It's just me."

"Right." Kian raked his fingers through his longish hair. "I forgot what day it was today. Thank you for doing this for me on a weekend."

"No problem, boss. I live for this stuff."

As Kian ended the call, Annani arched a brow. "What devices is William bringing for Syssi and me?"

"It's a translator device that works similarly to the earpieces, only it translates from English to Kra-ell and broadcasts the speech through a small speaker. We assume that the twins speak only Kra-ell."

"You probably assume correctly." She let out a breath. "I am so excited. Do you think he looks like me?"

Kian smiled indulgently. "No one looks like you, Mother, and the last time I saw him, he looked only a little better than a corpse."

She grimaced. "Can you please stop saying that word regarding my siblings? It is upsetting to me."

"I'm back!" Syssi walked into the office with a bundle of clothing clutched in her arms and a smile on her face. "Good morning, Clan Mother. I've got the teenage clothes to help make you look more ordinary, although I doubt it would move the needle."

"I doubt it as well." Annani took the bundle from Syssi's hands, her brow furrowing as she unfolded the garments and held them up.

Jeans and a pink T-shirt with a picture of a white cat on the front. "This is ridiculous." She gave the bundle back to Syssi. "I despise pants in general and jeans in particular. Perhaps you have a dress that I can borrow?"

Syssi smiled, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "I had a feeling that you would say that. I'll be back with something you might be more comfortable wearing." She rushed out of the office.

Kian sighed. "It's just for a couple of hours, and you've worn jeans before. I don't know what the big deal is."

Annani gave him a haughty look down her nose and did not bother to answer.

When Syssi returned, she brought a sundress made from red fabric with white and black flowers printed on it. The pattern was pretty, and it probably looked adorable on Syssi, but it was not something Annani would have ever gotten for herself.

"It's a little small on me," Syssi said. "But it will still be too big on you. Luckily, it comes with a belt to cinch the waist."

Annani took the dress from Syssi and regarded it with a frown before holding it against her body. It was too long. Her usual style was floor-length gowns, so the length in itself was fine, but for that particular style and cut, the hem should be at the knee, not mid-calf. She would look like a girl in her mother's dress.

"Very well. I will try it on."

She took off her breezy silk gown in the bathroom and slipped the sundress over her head. The fabric felt pleasant on her skin, so there was a small comfort in that, but that was the only positive thing she could say about it.

With a sigh, she braided her long hair, pulled out the sunglasses from the pocket of her gown, and put them on.

The reflection in the mirror depicted someone who wasn't her. The female looking back at her was not the queen that she had always been, the leader of her clan, the Clan Mother.

She was not meeting her brother for the first time looking like a beggar in an ill-fitting dress. When he first saw her, he would see a queen.

Annani was out of the sundress and into her gown in seconds, but it took her a little longer to unbraid her hair.

"Mother," Kian said reproachfully when she walked back into the office with Syssi's dress draped over her arm.

She shook her head, her jaw set with resolve. "My brother's first impression of me will not be based on falsehood. I will meet him as me," she said firmly, her voice filled with authority that brooked no argument. "The only concession to security that I am willing to make is to not mention my father or that the prince and I are related, but if I feel that he poses no threat to me, I will reveal this as well."

Kian looked like his mouth was full of broken glass, but he knew better than to argue with her. "As you wish, Mother."

Syssi took her dress back. "I'm sorry you didn't like it." She sighed dramatically. "Now I will have no choice but to lose weight to fit into this."

Kian growled. "Give it to charity. You are not losing anything."

She sent him an air kiss before turning to Annani. "How about a cappuccino while we wait for William?"

"That is a wonderful idea." Annani threaded her arm through Syssi's. "Is there any chocolate cake left?"

Syssi smiled brightly. "Of course."