I stared at the elegant lady in front of me. She wore a long red dress with painted red lips and Auburn curls. Her petite waist didn't hinder her appearance at all.

She looked.... alluring; if that was what she was aiming for.

Her pale bright skin contrasted with the dark background she was standing in. Her hazel eyes that bore thought mine, had no sparkle. They were lifeless. I science heavily and so did she.

You will survive; I told myself half convinced would I? I highly doubted it. It didn't matter. there was finally something I could do myself.

"you look lovely my child," I heard a family whisper. I tried to focus a smile as I turned around. By the room door stood a tall man with the eye of the vice and a gold heart; my father. he walked slowly and stood before me each step echoed throughout the dimly lighted room.

"I'm sorry my dear. "his hands that held mine were warm, his were trembling. I've never seen him this week in my entire life.

"Don't be," I whispered back at him.

"This is not how I want my lovely daughter to get married, "his barely audible words were filled with remorse.

"it's for the best. "I Surprisingly sound confident for someone with wobbling legs, threatening to give in to the temptation of falling on the ground.

I watched as I hesitantly nodded coldly something out of his pocket; an amulet. I looked at him confusedly as he fastened it around my neck. "It's your late mother's amulet. She wants to give it to you when you are to be wedded."

The amulet was one of the prettiest things I'd ever seen. It was shaped like a silver heart embossed with white shinney stones.

"Thank you !" I mouthed.

"It's time," an old man in a black suit said in a gruff voice from outside.

Immediately my father's soft expression hardened into a stoic face. He squeezed my hand gently before letting go.

A red veil was used, to cover my face. RED; I was hoping it was white though.

I guess this is it. 'Stay Strong Eva.' I repeated in my head.

I slowly held my father's extended arm and followed the old man who led the way. The passage was dark and carpeted in red like everything else hare. The eerie smell of roses increased as we neared the hall. ROSE;🌹🌹 were something I hated the most. Its nostalgic smell made me queasy.

We entered the big hall, which was decorated with roses everywhere. I was tempted to plug my nose, but I knew better. The hall was no different from the rest of the rooms I had seen. It had mostly red and black drapes, and red carpets, and was lit by candles 🕯️ and golden chandeliers. The moonlight 🌙 struggling to filter through the humongous window drapes rendered the tableau more dramatic and creepy.

Why couldn't we have this in the morning? Ah, yes, we had to avoid the nosy press. Still, I highly doubted that the sun's rays ☀️ would make much of a difference in this dark hall.

At the far end of the empty hall stood a tall man and an exquisite woman: the king and queen of our neighboring kingdom. If I thought I appeared pale, they were the embodiment of pallor. The queen donned a simple yet elegant black dress, and her lips, which had been pressed into a thin line, curved slightly upward upon catching sight of us. Aside from that brief acknowledgment, neither of them stirred until we finally traversed the expansive hall to reach them. My shoes were decidedly inappropriate for the occasion; I nearly stumbled twice out of sheer nervousness, silently hoping they hadn't noticed my clumsiness

Both my father and the king shook hands; gloves to be more precise. They even talked about the nice weather, while I stood there typing to pretend that the queen's gaze on me wasn't bothering me. Was this how a normal wedding happened?

 I desperately wanted this day to end, but it felt like it was dragging on. What were we waiting for anyway?

I looked around and noticed that there were only four of us.

"WHERE THE HELL WAS MY GROOM"? I shouted in my mind.

I had never seen him—quite the opposite. Given that his parents were somewhat ordinary yet exceptionally good-looking, he couldn't possibly be a giant or a demon with two horns, as Jules had suggested, right? No way could such creatures be anything more than myths. "CALM DOWN, IDIOT," I admonished myself. I should have been concerned about this much earlier; I had been preoccupied with the wedding schedule and everything else in between, completely forgetting about the groom.

I saw the king glance at the white paper that Butler had given him before passing it to the queen. For a brief moment, I thought the queen had actually frowned, but perhaps I imagined it

"It seems our son will be unable to join us due to an unavoidable circumstance. He has conveyed his sincere apologies and requested that we proceed with the ceremony," 

I wanted to roll my eyes. Seriously?! He wasn't the only one busy. I needed to write a report from scratch that was due on Monday. It was already Sunday now. I may not know what happens at a wedding, but I was sure of one thing, both the bride and groom should be present there.

"- If you would like to, that is "The 👑 king added after a long pause. I was sure my mouth was wide open out of shock. 😂🤣

My father sighed before nodding. I just stared at the adults engaged in conversation, as if I were nonexistent.

Well, nothing much happened afterward, we all signed a bunch of papers and I was given a box probably containing a ring💍 which I didn't even bother to look at. The butler takes photographs using an old camera model I've never seen. That was pretty much it.

And just like that I married a complete stranger who wasn't even present at the weeding 😑😑. under the moonlight in unfamiliar realm wearing and uncomfortable dress 👗 and heel👠.

Things wouldn't feel much worse if that piece of paper didn't fall down from inside of my share of documents. The paper which my supposedly husband had send it his own wedding as an excuse for his absence.

I remember that the queen night captured on the paper stand after folding it neatly- as if she was holding her son as a punishment 😂. I decided to take a peek at it a little bit. danger game it might contain what the king had read aloud but curiosity kills cat after all. 🤭

guess what it actually said.

'I don't play with food'.

what a f****** prevent 🤬😡.