Near the palace’s double doors, I saw Lord Lucien. He looked very dashing in his Malovian uniform. When he saw me, he lit up. He took my hand and kissed it as he said, “You are absolutely stunning,dzika. Ethan is lucky to have you.”
A moment of panic rolled through me. Would Lucien be walking me down the aisle? We hadn’t really discussed it beforehand. I’d avoided the topic every time it came up, because honestly, I wasn’t ready, and it didn’t feel right to tell him no and break his heart. He was my father, after all… but I didn’t feel comfortable with the thought of him giving me away. He loved me, but he hadn’t been there when I was a child, and I was still getting to know him as an adult.
But Lucien stepped aside. It was my brother who came forward to take my arm. He was wearing a gray tuxedo with an ice blue tie. His green eyes crinkled with humor as he took me in. “Eh, you look better than you do most days.”
“Fuck off.” I smacked Arthur in the chest, and he snickered. Lucien strolled out of the palace with my mother to join the royal caravan. As they slipped out the front door, tears spilled out the corners of my eyes. Lucien had understood, and given me what I needed even at his own sacrifice. That gift was the best thing he could’ve offered me on my wedding day.
People began hurrying into the cold. My bridesmaids, along with Vara, took their own coach. Soon, it was only me left waiting inside the palace— Arthur had ducked outside, to double check with the staff if we were ready to leave.
The click of heels on the marble floor made me turn. Lady Magdalina strolled my way, wearing a sparkling silver gown and looking as elegant as ever, a feather tucked into her hair. Her eyes were approving as she surveyed me. She let out a soft sigh.
“How you’ve grown.” Lady Magdalina reached out and squeezed my shoulders. “To think that you arrived at my university three years ago not having a clue about our world, and here you are now… a sorceress in her own right, with a mate to claim and the world at her feet.”
“I hope I’ve made you proud,” I said.
“Prouder than you could imagine,” Magdalina replied with a soft chuckle. She leaned in and gave me a peck on the cheek. “Now go out there and put on a good show. You deserve this day.”
Her smile faltered a little as she whispered, “It will be one of the last happy ones you’ll have.”
My heart sank, but only a little as Lady Magdalina strode out to take her own carriage.
Whatever the future held, Ethan and I were tied together, for better or for worse. There was no fear ahead for me, only reassurance that I was doing the right thing.
Even if the ending result was sorrow.
Hands pressed a bouquet of white roses into my hands, urging me forward. “Into the carriage!” Wilmaette ushered.
The doors opened. Damn, it was a cold ass day. Snow was falling like crazy. The clouds were overcast, and Dolinska was covered in a thin blanket of ice and snow.
As soon as I stepped out of the palace, the city went nuts. People had already surrounded the palace to watch the royal caravan leave. My carriage was circular in build, painted white and gilded with gold. It certainly looked like something a queen would ride in.
Two white alicorns stood at the head of the carriage. With my brother’s help, I stepped inside the carriage, and we tucked my massive veil inside.
“Nervous?” Arthur asked as the carriage rattled. I could barely hear him over the roar of the crowd, which had gathered at the edges of the city’s streets.
I shook my head. “Just ready to take my vows.”
The noise only got worse the closer we got to theKatedra da du Boyina. By the time the carriage came to a stop in front of Milonna’s cathedral, my knees were shaking. Arthur stepped out of the carriage first, then held a hand out. I took it as I stepped down from the carriage, then looped my arm in Arthur’s as we began the long climb up the cathedral steps. Vara, who was waiting at the base of the stairs, hurried forward to extend my veil. It splayed out behind me, creating a dazzling display as we ventured through the cathedral’s double doors. The audience rose to stand, everyone turning my way to witness and gasp at my beautiful dress.
My first thought was the cathedral looked even more brilliant than it usually did. Wilmaette had done a fantastic job of coordinating the decorations. Blue, silver, and white banners hung from the ceiling. Giant bouquets of white roses lined the aisle, accented with winter evergreens and pine cones, and candles burned on silver holders. I smelled birch incense wafting throughout the church, getting stronger with every step I took.
From above, a heavenly choir sangUn Giorno Per Noiin angelic voices. I kept a firm grip on Arthur’s arm, trying to take it all in.
The moment was perfect. It couldn’t be replicated, not even if the gods tried.
There were journalists stationed in the lofts above the cathedral, but I didn’t notice the cameras anymore. They were around so often now I barely acknowledged their presence.
The only person in the room that my soul searched for was Ethan.
I was halfway down the aisle, and close enough we could make eye contact. When he saw me in my wedding gown, a hand went over his mouth, and a small tear leaked out of his eye to drip down his chin. It made my entire body tremble, to watch him get emotional over my arrival.
Gods, he was gorgeous. He was wearing the same hussar’s uniform he’d donned the night of the King’s Ball, the night before the Contest began. The longing look in his eyes took me back to that night… the time we’d shared our first kiss as the clock struck midnight. Everything seemed as magical then as it was now, except we were totally different people.
One thing that hadn’t changed was how much we loved each other. That love had only grown. When Ethan looked at me now, there wasn’t a huge flood of emotion, or a euphoric high like I’d been expecting. Instead, there was comfort. He gave me a gentle smile that was so reassuring that I wanted to fall into his arms and enjoy their coziness forever.
I knew what he was saying to me without having to reach across our bond. The wedding, the big moments, it didn’t matter, because we’d always been this way… tied to each other. There were no tears, no surges of ecstasy or raw feeling. I didn’t know why I figured there would be, because there was nothing revolutionary or exceptional about coming home.
And that’s what Ethan was to me… my home. Inside of me was only happiness, and the calm security that we wanted to spend our lives together. It’s what I’d been looking for all along. We were making a family, a safe place for both of us to reside.
