And that’s when shit hit the fans.
Before Harvey could finish telling us their reason to combine both events, Seiji was out of his chair, screaming and orderinganyone in hearing range to stop lazing around and start planning the grand wedding.
“Three weeks! Only you lovesick idiots would think I can pull off a grand wedding and a once-in-a-generation coronation in just twenty-one days—Daisy let Elma know I need those cake samplesyesterday!”
Elf bakery: A place where smaller-than-average beings with sharp, pointy ears work their magic and make the most delicious desserts in the realm.
Just kidding.They are not little, but elves do have pointy ears and sharp features, and no one in the supernatural world can beat their desserts. They’re the best in the kingdom, and Seiji demanded we get the wedding desserts from there, including the giant cake.
I didn’t understand why it came as a surprise to Seiji when I was expecting the couple to be married and off to honeymoon a day after we stepped into the kingdom.
Harvey and Grace waited a whole month before announcing their wedding. That’s like a year in Harvey’s world.
It was chaos to sum it up. Grace told Seiji that he had total dictatorship over her day except for one condition that damn near gave him a heart attack. The request was to keep everythingsimpleandminimal, nothing too extravagant.
Boy, if Seiji didn’t nearly faint at that.He wanted to go overboard and cover the entire kingdom with floating lamps, flowers, and dragons in the sky, but for Grace’s sake, he agreed to tone it down to the best of his capability while still giving her a wedding the entire supernatural world would be jealous of.
I sense my monkey tiptoeing back into the kitchen before I see him. Innocently hugging my legs, the little werewolf acts like he didn’t side with the evil water fairy earlier.
Those two have become thick as thieves in the past month. August has started letting people he trusts into his personalspace but understands why Hazel doesn’t allow the same from anyone. Not once has he tried or accidentally stood too close to her in case it made her uncomfortable.
I hate that August understands what it’s like to want to protect your body, but it helps when I see how he’s the only one who doesn’t expect Hazel to take that step and how much she relaxes around him.
When I act like I don’t have a little boy with his cheek plastered to my thigh and continue my conversation with Seiji, August huffs before stretching his arms for me to pick him up. Those big blue eyes are my weakness, and I can’t stay mad at my little monkey when he pouts like that. Picking him in my arms, I smother his face with kisses, which makes him giggle wildly.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sharky trying to sneak out. I knew she was using August’s cuteness as a distraction.
“Don’t make me run after you because you won’t like what happens to your dark soul afterwards.”
“I wasn’t running. I was—I was going for a walk.”
When I hum in return, her eyes narrow on me, waiting for the attack that won’t come. I’m not going to do anything. Watching her sweat and anxiously wait for my next move will be punishment enough.
With a loud smooch on August’s cheek, Anxo takes him from me, “You ready for your nap, little man?”
August shakes his head but yawns in the next second. Angel chuckles and starts swaying slightly, knowing that would put the boy right to sleep. Leaving me alone to tuck our son in bed, Anxo lets Seiji drag me into an argument about the best centerpiece that Hazelobviouslydisapproves of.
That night a month ago, when I came back to the Horsemen castle after visiting the Adler’s shrine, I was devastated and barely holding on. But Harvey was there—wide awake andwaiting for me to return. He scooped me up in a tight hug the moment my first tear dropped.
We spent hours on the living room floor talking about everything and nothing. Harvey drilled into me how none of it was my fault. By the time the sun came up, Harvey made me promise I would stop blaming myself for every bad thing and start working on moving on and growing from our disastrous past.
I’m not a hundred per cent better, and there’s a lot I need to work on, but now I remind myself that I was a kid—a victimevery time I catch myself thinking anything other than that.
The mantra has helped me gradually overcome the heavy weight of guilt I’ve been carrying for years. I have a long way to go, but I won’t stop now. One day, I'll be better.
“Are you even listening?” Seiji complains.
“Oh, I’m listening; I’m just not interested in how you think purple suits you better than indigo.” Hazel doesn’t even bother looking up from scrubbing her perfectly clean daggers.
“You’re just jealous of how handsome I am.” Shaking his head, Seiji feigns disappointment. “It’s a myth that there can only beonepretty person in a group. I’m willing to share the title with you even when I deserve it more.”
Hazel starts cackling at that, “Handsome, my ass. You’re so ugly, you scare the shit back into people!” Her uncontrolled howling forces me to join her, and I’m sure our hysterics can be heard from anywhere in the kingdom.
“Screw you bitch! Now, I’m not sharing my title with you at all.”
Slipping off my chair, I sprint out of the kitchen before I’m trapped between two crazies. When I heard Seiji yelp, I knew I escaped just in time.
We have too many wackos in our group.
