Are you done?" The door swung open, shattering the once-peaceful atmosphere of the room. Revealed in the doorway stood a woman adorned in elegant attire and jewelry befitting her high status. Her face was graced with subtle lines that were the only sign of her fading youth. Nevertheless, she bore herself with so much pride knowing that she will become the mother of the royal Luna today.
Without awaiting an invitation, she strode into the room and promptly assessed Clara's veiled mistress. With her gaze fixed on Clara, she inquired, "Did you ensure her veil won't come off?"
"The mistress secured it herself," Clara answered with politeness.
"How could you trust her with that?" The woman admonished in haste, causing Clara to flush with embarrassment.
"I apologize, Madam Evie," the maid replied, quickly moving to her mistress's side to confirm that the veil was secured. She knew very well that her mistress had done a great job securing it but Delta Lavendair's household was all in the assumption that her mistress couldn't do anything right and only a fool would go against such prejudice, hence she said not a word and just pretended to redo whatever her mistress had already done.
"Dear Goddess, is it not enough that you have to be there, but you're also making me late for my daughter's wedding," Madam Evie huffed, expressing her irritation.
"I'm sorry Madam, it's my fault. I still had to fix something in my lady's dress," Clara interjected, defending her mistress. "Lady Lilac didn't mean to delay you,"
Lilac. Her name sounded graceful when spoken by Clara. Unfortunately, her maid was likely the sole person in the Delta's household, and perhaps the entire territory, who would utter her name with such grace. To the rest of the population, she was nothing more than the ill-fated child of the Delta, a beast concealed behind a veil. Throughout her life, she had been confined to her room, denied the freedom to venture outside. Rumors about her silver hair and monstrous countenance had spread throughout the territory, leading to her being feared by everyone, including her intended mate, the Alpha's son.
She had crossed paths with him a few years earlier on her eighteenth birthday when the young royal's mischievousness had led him to her chamber. At that moment, they both realized they were mates, but the royal youth had recoiled in disgust at the revelation, fleeing before Lilac could even fully lift her veil.
She was glad he hadn't seen her face though for she knew that if he had, he might not have merely rejected her; he could have also banished her once he ascended the throne. While she preferred solitude, she didn't desire to become a lone wolf and so she fear banishment more than anything as a child.
As for the Alpha's son, who now held the position following his father's reign, she held nothing but wishes for his happiness. She did feel dejected at once when he formally announced his rejection. It was very normal for an eighteen-year-old to be broken-hearted especially if the rejection had to be done at Delta Lavendair's presence and when your very own mother had to sway, almost coerce her, to accept it. S However, with time, she managed to move beyond it, especially considering the subsequent events that unfolded—events that she deemed even worse than her rejection. The fact that she doesn't have a wolf too probably helped. For how in the world she got to recognize her mate without her wolf, remains a mystery.
"I fail to comprehend why you must be present at the wedding," Madam Evie voiced her frustration while unfurling a fan she had been carrying all day. "Your father would certainly disapprove of your appearance at the royal court. It could stir up chaos. And why, among all individuals, did it have to be you? I don't understand why the Moon God selected you as Sigmund XII's mate."
"I hope it brings you some solace, Mother, to know that the tradition of mates is waning. Even Sigmund I didn't embrace it," she repeated the words Clara had earlier spoken to her, much to her maid's quiet amusement. She suspected Clara suppress a chuckle because of her words but ensured Madam Evie would not notice.
"I don't know," Madam Evie sighed in frustration. "What worries me, though, is that your presence could mar your sister's reputation. Oh, Lilac! Your sister has endured enough as the 'monster's sister.' It's unjust that she should face further bias simply because she isn't the Alpha's mate."
"I apologize, Mother, if my participation in the wedding troubles you," Lilac responded, her composure unwavering. If this were years earlier, her mother's verbal onslaught would have sent her fleeing in tears, but she had since outgrown such reactions. She had come to understand that tears were a foolish and ineffectual way to cleanse wounds. The best approach was to gather every ache, every pain, until one's heart grew numb enough to cease feeling altogether.
"Nonetheless, I must be present on behalf of my husband; it's an imperial duty I cannot disregard," she conveyed graciously, much to Madam Evie's disappointment. The latter turned her gaze toward her daughter, attempting to meet her eyes that remained hidden behind the veil. Lilac had consistently obeyed all her mother's wishes, and not once had this daughter defied an order. However, there was something in Lilac's composed and unruffled behavior that felt rebellious. Certainly, she had changed over the years. In her young years, her tears were constant but these days, it seemed as though she had forgotten to shed one.
"Don't even bring up that husband of yours," Madam Evie brushed aside the thought. "For all we know, he's dead, and unfortunately, you've borne no son to inherit his estate. Sooner or later, the crown will reclaim that property. Thankfully, your sister will be the royal Luna; otherwise, we'd have no chance of contesting the estate's ownership. If your sister bears a son, I'll request that your husband's estate be granted to the alpha prince, ensuring our family retains control of it. You should thank your sister for that,"
When Madam Evie was set on making Lady Violet the royal Luna, she not only refrained from pressuring Lilac to accept her mate's rejection but also wed her off to a newly titled Imperial Knight. At the time, the Lycan crown mandated that some nobles send their sons to aid a war against invaders. Delta Lavendair having no son of his own was compelled to personally heed the call and wield his sword. Horrified by the thought of her husband going to war and at the same burdened by society's prejudice against Lady Violet being not the Alpha's mate, Madam Evie resolved the matter by marrying off Lilac to one of the Imperial Knights. This way, Delta Lavendair could be represented in the war effort, while Lady Violet could pursue the Alpha without problems.
"Yes, Mother," Lilac responded. Her husband's estate would once again fall into her sister's possession, just like everything else she had previously owned. However, that held little significance in comparison to losing her own mate and being obligated to attend his wedding. She might not have spent considerable time with Alpha Sigmund XII, but he was still her mate. While the concept of mates held diminished significance in their territory these days, one couldn't deny that losing a mate equated to losing a part of oneself. In Lilac's case, she had to endure that loss even before her mate could become a true part of her, and for that, she grieved.