Music Recommendation: Hilltop Road- Lake Isabel
The whole of Wright's mansion was busy with the marchioness scolding the butler and the other staff of the mansion for being slow. Lady Aurora demanded from her late sister-in-law's butler, "Myles, are the flowers here yet? I specifically told you that they should be here by eight and it's going to be nine!"
"Milady!" A maid came running through the hallways, while carrying a bouquet in her hand. "The flowers."
"Finally," Lady Aurora huffed and ordered the butler, "Make sure the carriage is decorated abundantly with flowers. I don't want it to seem to others that the Hookes are thrifty and have no money."
"I will take a look again, milady," the butler bowed, and the servants hurriedly continued to walk back and forth.
Lady Aurora wore a golden-brown gown, with the back hem of the dress that swept the ground and her sleeves were long till her wrist. She turned around and made her way towards her daughter's room. Bursting through the door, she stepped inside and her eyes fell on her daughter, who was in her wedding gown. Behind Rosetta stood Blythe, who was keeping an eye on her daughter, as per her order.
"Look at you, Rose! So lovely, just like a bride should look," Lady Aurora stepped forward and air-kissed her daughter's cheek. "When you walk down the aisle, not only the Moriartys but also the others will know what a gem you are."
"Thank you, mother," Rosetta had a wide smile after what had happened the previous night.
"You look so happy. I told you he was the right person for you and you did everything well so far, Rose. Just a little more and everything will fall into its right place," Lady Aurora picked up Rosetta's hands with hers, and the young vampiress's eyes fell on her bare fingers.
When Rosetta had woken up this morning, she had pulled out her wedding ring and had hidden it in her wedding gown's pocket. She didn't want her mother or any other servant to find out about the ring and be suspicious.
"I should have trusted you from the beginning, mother. If you didn't send me here to Skellington, none of this would have ever happened," Rosetta confessed the truth, and after the last three days where she had been filled with sadness, she was finally happy. No, not happy. She was ecstatic.
"I knew you would one day realise that I am doing this for your own good," Lady Aurora smiled at her daughter for being obedient. She then looked at the streets outside through the window and said, "The streets of Skellington seem busier than usual. We will be having a lot of guests attending the wedding. As the chapel is far, we will be leaving in thirty minutes. We don't want you to be late. Not that it would matter, considering they have to wait for you, the bride," the older vampiress chuckled.
Rosetta turned to look at her reflection in the mirror and noticed her lost smile had returned. She couldn't wait to move in with Eugene and let everyone know that she was his wife and he was her husband.
"Mother," Rosetta stopped Lady Aurora, who was about to leave the room.
"What is it, Rose?" Lady Aurora raised her eyebrows.
Rosetta took a step forward and wrapped her arms around her mother. She held her mother tightly because she knew this was the only time she had with them, and once she would leave this mansion, things wouldn't be the same anymore.
"Oh, dear. What are you doing? Your dress will crumple," Lady Aurora said without moving, and she continued, "Don't worry, we aren't going anywhere soon and will in this mansion--"
"Can you hug me, mother?" Rosetta whispered, while her chin rested on her mother's shoulder. "Please," her eyes teared up.
Lady Aurora looked surprised by her daughter's request and put her arms around, patting Rosetta's back. She then said, "Now, let me go and get that necklace!"
Rosetta blinked back the tears as she nodded. She took a step backwards. Her mother quickly stepped out of the room, while she stared at her mother's back.
Not far from the Wright mansion stood the magnificent mansion of the Moriarty family. Alfie helped inside the mansion, while Eugene had taken up the responsibility of assisting the guests inside the carriage, where some of them had already left to the chapel where the Hookes were soon going to head to.
Inside one of the rooms, Eve had finished wearing the off-white gown Anaya had made for her. Being the seamstress, the young she-wolf had taken herself to help the bride get ready. Apart from them, in the room was Vincent's youngest sister, Allie, who was already dressed in a peach dress.
Eve's hair was parted to the side before her golden-blonde hair was tied into a low bun at the back. Three pink roses were inserted to the bun along with white baby's breath flowers. The translucent veil had already been pinned, leaving a trail behind her.
When someone knocked on the door, Anaya quickly walked to the door and opened it. It was Lady Aubrey, who stepped inside the room and gushed, "Oh! You look absolutely beautiful, Eve! Such a beautiful bride." She turned to the side and dabbed the corner of her eyes.
Eve's smile spread on her lips, and she replied, "Thank you, auntie."
Lady Aubrey had imagined Eve wearing a white gown, but seeing her in it felt surreal. She took a deep breath, dabbing the corner of her eyes one more time, and smiled. She raised her hands and said, "Come here, let me take a closer look at you."
Eve stepped in front of the older woman, who placed her hands on Eve's arms and remarked, "I am so happy, Eve. That you are finally going to be married. Though I am a little sad that I won't be able to see you every day."
Eve hugged her aunt, who hugged her back. She said, "Thank you, Aunt Aubrey. For loving and taking care of me all this time."
Lady Aubrey gently patted Eve's back and said, "You will always be my daughter."
"Always," Eve whispered, and when they pulled away, the two women smiled at each other. She then introduced her aunt to the she-wolf, "Aunt Aubrey, this is Anaya. She is living in Duke Noah's mansion with her parents."
"It is good to meet you, Anaya. Thank you for looking after our dear Eve," Lady Aubrey thanked the she-wolf, who offered her sincere bow.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Aubrey," Anaya replied. She said, "Excuse me, I will go see where Noah is."
Eve nodded with a smile and watched the woman leave the room. She then turned to the little girl and asked, "Allie, could you go to where your brother is and see if he is ready?"
Allie quickly nodded and dashed out of the room, leaving Eve and Lady Aubrey alone. The older woman remarked, "Today, I got my hands on the two invitations. The chapels are in different directions and should give enough time for things to go smoothly."
Her aunt was talking about the old invitation of the Hookes that held the wedding location in a chapel that took forty minutes to reach, which was where the Hookes were headed. While the new invitation that Vincent had picked was taking place in the chapel of Hollow Valley, which was in the opposite direction of where the first wedding was taking place.
Lady Aubrey then said, "You know Eugene got me really worried last night because he wasn't in his room."
Eve eyebrows furrowed, and said, "Earlier, I saw him in front of the mansion."
The older woman nodded, "I did later. I guess he went out for some fresh air, that's what Alfie told me."
"Vincent told me that Eugene is having a better control on his body and thirst than the other new vampires. So there will be less chances of him attacking someone randomly," Eve explained to her aunt, who sighed.
"That's good. I hope he won't feel awkward living with me. I wouldn't want him to be worried that he might pounce on me," Lady Aubrey replied with her lips setting themselves in a thin line.
Eve remembered Eugene mentioning living elsewhere, and it seemed like Aunt Aubrey already imagined it even without having to be there when he told it.
Far away from Eve's room, Allie hopped like a rabbit in excitement, making her way towards her brother's room. But before she could reach there, she suddenly ended up in front of Marceline, who was dressed in a beautiful maroon gown with her hair flowing down her shoulders.
"Sister Marcel--"
"Were you planning to make me trip and fall now? As if you haven't done enough already," Marceline stated in a low voice that only the little vampires heard her, while the guests nearby only saw the elder vampiress smile down at her younger sister.
Allie turned startled by the question and she quickly shook her head, "I was only walking to--"
"By hopping and crashing into me?" Marceline's eyes narrowed, while her lips held a smile. "Showing off that you have both legs?"
Allie looked like an animal whose ears wilted from being scolded and she stayed quiet.
Marceline, who had hidden in her room all these days, had finally stepped out in the mansion's corridors. Outwardly, she looked perfectly fine with her long flowing gown and her lips tinted pink to hint innocence in her, as she didn't have it.
But it was only when she took a step forward did her posture change. She was still not used to walking on the false leg the physician had taught her to strap on her right thigh.
Every step Marceline took made her feel humiliated, and she could feel the servants staring at her as if she was an outcast. But when she turned to catch them, they would have hurried away. When one of the known guests came to walk near Marceline, the young vampiress smiled.
"How are you doing, Lady Marceline? It feels like it has been years since I last saw you. You even missed the soiree that Mr. and Mrs. Smith held four days ago," said the man.
"I was busy with family duties. You know how busy it gets when weddings are near," Marceline politely answered and then asked her sister in a nicer tone, "Where were you going?"
"Mm, to see if brother Vincent is ready," Allie innocently replied.
"He must be ready. We are going to leave the mansion in a few minutes, aren't we?" Marceline stated, only to be interrupted by the guest, who replied,
"We still have a good time before we head to Hollow Valley."
"Hollow Valley?" Marceline questioned with a frown, and Allie slipped away from there as her sister was busy with the guest. She said, "I think you are mistaken, Mr. Lambton. The wedding is taking place in the chapel of Brigade town."
The guest stared at Marceline as if she was joking before he chuckled, "That was a good one, Lady Marceline. I almost fell for it," and he said with a bow, "I will see you at the chapel."
Marceline held a look of confusion on her face, and she made her way towards the stairs and then to the guest rooms before her hands fell on the new invitation the guests had received. With a look of disbelief, she said in a low voice, "Vincent is marrying the governess?" This couldn't be true, and her brother was going to break the blood oath he had given in the Council along with the signature?
When she reached the front of the mansion, her eyes fell on the governess's servant, and she called Eugene, "You there! Prepare a carriage for me."
But Eugene didn't respond. Marceline turned angry that the servant was ignoring her order. When she started to move towards him, her mother suddenly appeared in front of her and said, "Good that you are here, Marcie. Get in the carriage. We need to be at the chapel."
"You are letting Vincent break the blood seal agreement made? Do you know what it means, mother?" Marceline asked with wide eyes.
"Yes," Lady Annalise calmly replied, and when the carriage door in front of them opened, she said, "Now get inside the carriage. We are going to be late for the wedding."
Carriages travelled towards the town of the Hollow Valley in a trail, passing through the forest path. Eve sat inside the carriage with Aunt Aubrey, Allie and Timotei, who sat on the little girl's lap. It took several minutes before they reached the actual chapel, where the wedding was going to take place.
Most of the guests had already settled themselves inside the chapel, while Vincent and his family got inside to take their position, while Vincent and Eve were yet to see each other.
When Eve stepped outside the carriage, she placed her foot on the snow-covered ground. She wore a white fur coat that wrapped her body and kept her warm.
