Jun 27
Shio is also intersex and known to be infertile (because when you're going to marry into the royal family it becomes everyone's business that you have ovotestes and no functional reproductive system even if you're like fourteen and would really prefer your medical information be private) which factors into the negotiations because it means regardless of whether he marries Jue or Sei he will not have (biological) children from the union.
#aros against fate#empires always fall#Shio#Shio's twin sister is his mother's favoured child and heir presumptive so it's beneficial for them that Shio can't have children regardless#-and it opens his options because the function of the marriage would not change regardless of if it were to Jue or to Sei or even-#-to one of Sei's younger siblings which means things are NOT predetermined like they are with for instance Paona or Mkera#and Neqio and Raiqiongshē etc don't want Sei having biological children because they are eugenicist assholes and Sei's disability-#-is very heritable and they don't want MORE “useless” royals so not all the candidates actually CAN marry Sei but Shio can#and Shio's family will not have any claim on the future ruler because they will not be Shio's biological child and everyone will know that-#-but it is still good for his family for him to marry into the royal family it's just an arrangement that will only live as long as he does
