I woke up to chaos.
The first thing I registered was the soft murmur of voices. Then a not-so-soft knock that was apparently just for show, because the door to my room swung open a second later.
My eyes barely adjusted to the light before a flood of people poured in like a tide I couldn't hope to stop.
Servants at least twenty of them bustled in with arms full of fabric, trays of beauty supplies, and what looked like some sort of torture device disguised as a hairbrush. One woman was holding a blowtorch. A blowtorch.
At the helm of this bizarre invasion? Leora.
"Rise and shine, Mini-Zephara," she called, her voice dripping with amusement as she crossed her arms. "It's your big day, and I'm not letting you ruin it by looking like you just crawled out of the crypt."
I groaned, attempting to bury myself under the covers, but they were ripped away before I could mutter a protest.
"Hey!" I snapped, glaring at the nearest servant, who froze mid-step, their face a mask of polite terror.
"Relax, they're just doing their job," Leora said with an infuriating smirk. "We have a schedule to keep, and you're already late."
"Late for what? Being paraded around like a prized cow?" I grumbled, clutching at the last pillow like it was a life raft.
Before I could react further, two servants grabbed me under the arms with alarming efficiency.
I yelped as they hoisted me out of bed. My feet barely touched the floor before I was being marched toward the bathroom like a criminal being escorted to their trial.
"Unhand me! I can bathe myself!" I growled, squirming in their iron grips.
Leora leaned against the doorframe, watching with the kind of smug amusement that made me want to throw the nearest soap bar at her head. "You? Bathe yourself? Not today, sweetheart."
The bathroom was less a bathroom and more a miniature temple to excess. The tub was massive easily big enough to double as a swimming pool for small mammals and filled with steaming water that glistened with oils and flower petals.
A soft haze of lavender-scented steam hung in the air, so thick I almost expected a goddess to rise out of the water.
"This is absurd," I muttered, crossing my arms.
"It's necessary," Leora shot back. "Do you want Aeliana to faint at the altar because she married a swamp goblin?"
"That's offensive to goblins," I snapped. Before I could argue further, four hands shoved me toward the tub, sending me stumbling over the edge and into the water.
The heat hit me like a blanket, and for one glorious moment, I considered melting into the tub and disappearing forever.
But that moment was short-lived. Servants descended upon me like seagulls on a sandwich, wielding soaps, sponges, and what I could only describe as a medieval-looking loofah.
"Careful!" I barked as one servant lathered something that smelled suspiciously like lemon meringue into my hair. "I'd like to leave today with my scalp intact!"
"Stop squirming," Leora drawled from the doorway. "You'll thank me when you're not smelling like last week's laundry."
The indignity didn't end there. After the bath, which I survived only by sheer force of will, I was barely allowed to dry off before the tailors swooped in. They carried measuring tapes, pincushions, and bolts of fabric like they were about to stage a Broadway production.
"Seriously?" I muttered as one of them began measuring my inseam. "The suit was already tailored."
"This is the final adjustment," Leora said, inspecting the fabric like it was a priceless relic. "We can't afford even a millimeter out of place."
What followed was twenty minutes of hell.
Pins jabbed into my sides, hands tugged and smoothed the fabric of my suit, and a very stern woman kept muttering things like, "Hold still or else" in a way that made me believe the "or else" involved scissors.
"I am holding still," I hissed through gritted teeth as another pin nearly punctured my jugular.
Leora, of course, found the whole ordeal endlessly entertaining. "Cheer up, Mini-Zephara. You look like you're about to faint, and we haven't even gotten to the hair part yet."
I didn't dignify that with a response.
By the time they stepped back, I felt like I'd been steamrolled, stitched back together, and then steamrolled again.
But I had to admit, the result wasn't bad. The suit fit like a dream deep charcoal gray with sharp lines that made me look taller and more commanding than I felt. My white hair, now styled with a subtle tousle, gleamed under the lights.
"See? You clean up well," Leora said, her smirk widening as she handed me a mirror.
I scowled at my reflection, though even I couldn't deny the transformation. "Fine," I muttered, straightening the cuffs of my jacket. "I look fine."
"Fine?" Leora rolled her eyes. "You look like a sexy knife."
Before I could muster a sarcastic retort, she produced a small box and thrust it at me. "Here. Accessories."
I opened the box to find silver cufflinks and a matching tie pin. "I'm not wearing these. They're unnecessary."
"Unnecessary?" she echoed, looking genuinely appalled. "Mini-Zephara, if you don't put those on right now, I'll make you wear a tiara."
The servants, who had been quietly packing up, exchanged nervous glances. One even looked like they were suppressing a giggle. Leora meant every word.
"Fine!" I grumbled, attaching the cufflinks with all the enthusiasm of someone putting on handcuffs.
When she finally stepped back to survey me, her grin was positively wicked. "You're ready."
"Ready for what?" I muttered, adjusting the tie pin for the hundredth time.
"To marry the love of your life, obviously." She smoothed my lapel with surprising tenderness. "Now, try not to trip on your way down the aisle, okay?"
I rolled my eyes, but a reluctant smile tugged at my lips. Despite the chaos, the poking, the prodding, and the sheer ridiculousness of the morning, I couldn't deny the truth in her words.
Today was the day. And I couldn't wait to see Aeliana.
I paced back and forth in the main hall of my castle, the heels of my polished shoes clicking against the marble floor.
My chest felt tight, and my hands wouldn't stop fidgeting with the cuffs of my suit. The weight of the day was suddenly suffocating, and I couldn't shake the nervous energy building up inside me.
"Relax, Mini-Zephara," Leora's voice cut through my thoughts like a knife. "You're going to wear a hole in the floor at this rate."
I stopped pacing to glare at her. She was leaning casually against the doorframe, arms crossed, with that infuriating smirk plastered across her face. She'd clearly been enjoying my unraveling for the past half-hour.
"I'm fine," I said through gritted teeth, though the tremble in my voice betrayed me.
Leora raised an eyebrow. "Oh, sure. Totally fine. That's why you've adjusted your tie fifteen times in the last five minutes."
I instinctively reached for my tie but stopped myself, shoving my hands into my pockets instead. "It's a big day. I'm allowed to be a little nervous."
"A little?" she teased, pushing off the doorframe and strolling toward me. "You look like you're about to face a firing squad."
"I'm marrying Aeliana, not going to war," I snapped, though my tone lacked the usual bite.
Leora chuckled, clearly unfazed. "Good thing too. You wouldn't last two seconds on a battlefield in this state."
I scowled, but before I could fire back, she clapped a hand on my shoulder.
"Look, kid," she said, her voice softening just enough to catch me off guard. "It's normal to be nervous. This is a big deal. But you've got nothing to worry about. Aeliana loves you, and you love her. Everything else is just fluff."
Her words were oddly comforting, though I'd never admit it.
"I just don't want to mess anything up," I muttered, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye.
"You won't," Leora said firmly. Then, with a wicked grin, she added, "But if you do, at least it'll be hilarious."
I groaned. "You're the worst."
"And yet, you keep me around," she quipped, stepping back and brushing imaginary dust off her jacket. "Now, are you ready to stop pacing and get this show on the road?"
I took a deep breath, letting her words sink in. The nervous energy was still there, but it wasn't quite as overwhelming. "Yeah," I said, squaring my shoulders. "Let's do this."
Leora nodded approvingly. With a flick of her wrist, a portal shimmered to life in front of us.
"Time to shine, Mini-Zephara," she said with a wink before stepping through.
I hesitated for a heartbeat, then followed her, the familiar sensation of teleportation washing over me.
When we landed on the other side, the world opened up into the breathtaking venue where my future with Aeliana awaited.