Page 121 of Of Vows and War: Special Edition
“I will hang you myself if you insult Ray again,” Lara seethed. Stassi raised a single pink brow, a small smirk lifting her left cheek.
“No murder on the day of the wedding, you brutes!” Noe screeched, pulling even tighter on my hair. She was breathing heavily, the stress of planning the wedding clearly getting to her. No one had asked her to do it, but she had eagerly offered. I wondered then if she regretted it. Sighing, she leaned her facecloser to mine and whispered, “Winona would have been better at this.”
My eyes closed, heart hammering at the thought of Winona doing my hair today. Her delicate hands and soft humming would have been so wonderful to have. Clearing my throat, I blinked a few times and looked up at Noe through the mirror.
“It looks lovely, Noe. Honestly, you have planned the most spectacular wedding Alemthian has ever seen.Youare spectacular.” She smiled at that, straightening her back and making quick work of braiding and twirling the rest of my hair.
We had decided on securing all of it up, leaving my ears on full display and showing off the back of the dress. Just as she finished and began weaving pearls through it, Lian dragged a chair to my side and plopped down into it. She had been angry and on edge since returning from Captain Perdita’s ship the other day, but I felt her joy emanating from her at that moment.
“Time for your face,” she trilled, gathering supplies from the vanity in front of us.
“I will help!” Nicola eagerly offered, a wide smile on her face. She quickly dashed to Lian’s side, ready to be of service.
“You better use a lot, we all know she is hideous to look at without it. Wouldn’t want the prince to flee at the sight of her walking down the aisle,” Stassi chimed in. Rage clouded my mind, my vision going red.
“That is it!” I screamed, pushing up to a standing position and charging towards the high demon.
“Your hair!” Noe shouted as she chased me, the others breaking into laughter while Stassi screamed.
It took another two hours to redo my hair and fix my makeup. Noe had smacked me in the head for daring to ruin her masterpiece and Lian threatened to make me look like a youngling who had gotten into cosmetics if I did not sit still.Nicola had just whispered in my ear that Stassi deserved it. Eventually I was done, and it was time for the dress.
Not even Stassi had anything negative to say as Noe grabbed it from the spot where it hung in the bathing room and showed us all. It was the most stunning creation, simple and elegant and so perfect for me.
Noe had mentioned that she and Pino had begun designing it together during our trip throughout Eoforhild. They had been relaying messages with thoughts, ideas, and sketches without me even noticing. And what they had crafted was immaculate.
Nicola helped me step inside of it, tugging it up my bare body and sliding my arms into the straps. Once she was done, she guided me to the full-length mirror, now free of any cracks. I recalled standing in this very spot during my birthday, Bellamy at my back as he described the dress he had made and what it meant. Back then, I never truly dreamed of getting to this point.
So I basked in the image of myself, smiling broadly at what I saw. The dress cascaded down, loosely molded to my body. The fabric pooled at my feet and stretched out behind me, trailing like silk sands following the tide. The silk stopped just above my breasts, leaving everything to the imagination and offering a perfect view of my necklace. The sleeves were more like thick, sheer straps that sparkled against the light and hung limply on my bicep. The best part by far was the back. I turned to get a glimpse, loving how tightly it clung to my backside and looking in awe at the soft silk buttons that traveled the length of my spine. Unlike the front, the back was made with sheer material that stopped right at my hips, the silk merging with it on my sides and at the bottom of my spine in waves.
Lian had given me a small flick of kohl on the corners of my eyes and some rouge on my cheeks, letting my bold red lips that Nicola had chosen steal the show. And there, dancing across my skin, were my scars. Shah had done an impeccable job, andRanbir had kindly offered to help the healing process. They stood out in shining contrast to my dark skin, a beacon of hope.
Finally, after two centuries, I was whole.
Well, almost. My other half was waiting.
With one final smile at myself, I tried to find the words that conveyed how I felt about what was reflected in the mirror.
“I look…”
“You look—”
“Perfect,” Stassi said, finishing Nicola’s and I’s sentences. I raised a brow at her comment, but we all knew it was true. The three of them had turned me into a bride. No.A queen.
“Thank you,” I responded, trying not to say anything rude in response. I was a queen now, I was beyond insults.
“Much better than you normally look,” Stassi added with a shrug. “Like a wretched little beast.”
“You bitch!” I shouted, turning to face her. Okay, fine, I was not beyond insults. Nicola and Lian grabbed my arms, holding me back.
“If you ruin our hard work, I will literally beat your ass,” Noe seethed.
“And you, shut the fuck up and get out,” Lian added, glaring daggers at Stassi.
In response, the high demon just smirked, got up, and practically skipped towards the door. “I am sure Sterling will keep me far more entertained anyways.”
“I will kill you!” I raged, unable to stop myself from grabbing a vile of fragrance and chucking it at her. She dodged it, throwing her head back in laughter. We had found a middle ground, understanding each other better and somewhat bonding over our mutual adoration for Sterling. But that did not mean I was okay with her fucking him just to eventually leave him. They would not—could not—work long-term. Heartbreak was not something he needed.
Stassi waved, each of her fingers dropping at different times like the cresting of the sea. Then she opened the door and closed it behind her.
