Terra (The Vulgari Hybrids, #1) ✔

40|Meadow|

| Lia |

"Girls, twenty-three is too young to be married, right?" I asked, staring at myself in front of the lifesize mirror. My heart hammered inside my chest despite how perfect everything seemed to be. I stared at my reflection with wide eyes, still unable to believe that a few hours from now, I would be a married woman.

Yllona's talent in painting was extended to her make-up skills. She fussed so much into creating this no make-up look with a natural glow that she insisted was perfect as a bridal make-up. When she turned me to face the mirror, I was inclined to agree with her. What she did looked so effortless. She brought out the green in my eyes and my cheekbones were contoured professionally. My hair was down and blow-dried, while a little tiara of white orchids were woven into my dark locks.

My dress was simple, suitable for the traditional forest wedding of our race. It was an A-line cut wedding gown that had a gorgeous three-fourths lace sleeves with a satin bateau neckline and a sweep train. It was lovely and I felt like a princess wearing it.

Lana and Yllona both did their own version of eye rolling.

"You both decided to wait a year to grieve. Then you asked him for another year to decide. He kept postponing his coronation because he wanted it to happen after getting married to you. And it's not like you still need to enjoy single life and explore. You already found your destiny," Yllona said, her eyes shimmering.

"And this is your right, girl. Claim it! Cause we all know the cherry's already been popped," Lana said with a neutral expression.

"Lana!" Both Yllona and me exclaimed.

"What?" Lana shrugged. "You dogs mark each other like some kind of property. Not that I'm against it, it's hella romantic if you ask me. But from what I know, you're supposed to mark each other after the wedding ceremony. He's marked you already and if he chose not to marry you, he could. You're lucky he's a decent guy. So my advice is to stop this wedding jitters foolishness and just jump the man already."

"Wow. Teach me more, Sensei," I remarked sarcastically.

Lana smirked and went to a nearby mirror to fix her hair. Both she and Yllona looked stunning in their mint-colored satin gowns. Them and Theo's sisters were my only bridesmaids. My relationship with his sisters though was still a work in progress. Their eldest, Tara, was the only one I could really talk to. Tania and Tessa were still aloof and I knew that they kind of blame me for their parents' deaths.

With a deep breath, I nodded at myself in the mirror. "Let's do this, Lia," I told myself and smiled genuinely.

A knock came from the door of my bedroom.

After Theo recovered from his injuries, I moved into the palace and he gave me a room for myself. He has his own but he spent all of his nights in mine. It kind of ruined the purpose of separate rooms and I always teased him about it. He would always reason out that he had a tough day and that he needed me by his side at night to make everything alright.

Uncle Elias opened the door and peeked inside. "Darling, are you ready?"

I wrung my hands together before nodding. Picking up my skirts, I ambled towards the door. Uncle Elias took my hand and lightly squeezed it. "You look absolutely beautiful. Your family would be proud," he whispered.