2 - Unexpected Guest

10 HOURS BEFORE THE KIDNAPPING

Lysandra

I took in a deep breath and entered the grand hall within the Vaelan Estate. My nerves were a little uneasy, but I was more confident than anxious. Nineteen years of training, all for this day.

The Vaelan Family was renowned for grooming impeccable ladies. And of course, I was no exception.

We were trained to exude wealth and beauty, to be powerful, but never rude. Stunning and desirable, yet untouchable (except by our husbands of course). Everything we did, our mannerisms, and often, our personalities had to match the rule book.

“You look even prettier than I was on my wedding day.” Seraphina, my eldest sister, gushed, her face beaming.

My eldest sister is the epitome of perfection. She is married to the Duke of Doreau. I remember the look of pride on my father’s face after their wedding. It brought a lot of fame to us and elevated my family’s status.

I blushed, feeling the genuineness of the compliment. “You’re just exaggerating. I know I look pretty. But there is no way that’s true. You looked like the goddess’s spawn on your wedding day.”

“Right. And everyone talked about your wedding for almost six months afterwards.” Elara chimed in with a raised brow at Seraphina.

Elara was married to Sir Aiden Fairwind, and he became emperor of Zyre just two months before my wedding. Father was ecstatic when he heard the news because that meant I was going to receive a lot of expensive wedding gifts.

“You’re like the kettle calling the pot black right now. You know your wedding was spoken about for almost nine months.” Elara rolled her eyes at my comment.

“All that doesn’t matter.” She paused and glanced at Seraphina. “I’m sure with all the dignitaries present, your wedding will be spoken about for more than a year.”

“Mother instructed me to give you these earrings for good luck,” Amelia called out and rushed to us.

A wide smile played on her lips and her hands were outstretched. My gaze fell on the box in her hand, and then the earring. I gasped in awe.

Elara quickly took off the earrings I was wearing, while Seraphina wiped the tear that was about to fall from my eye.

The drop diamond earring glinted in the parts where the sun touched it. There was an intricate design of a gold lily wrapped around it. It was the ancestral earring. The one that my great-grandmother wore when she married into the family.

Mother was giving it to me, which meant that in her eyes, I was the most perfect among her daughters. Pride bloomed in my heart.

“You look so beautiful,” Amelia whispered. She was my immediate elder sister, and because we weren’t that far apart, we were the closest to each other. She got married five months ago to the heir of the Montgomery empire.

Every wedding that had been held in the family drew significant attention, but mine had an unexpected guest.

“Thank you,” I replied.

My attention turned to my other sisters. What they said about the guests piqued my interest, and I wanted to know what they meant.

“What’s so special about the guests present that would make my wedding be talked about for longer than yours?”

“Oh my God, you don’t know?”

My brows furrowed with confusion. What were they talking about?

Sensing my confusion, Amelia placed her palm on my shoulder, her expression, a mix of excitement and fear. “The dragon who rules the Black Mountain is here in person to witness your wedding.”

Black Mountain. Even the name sent shivers down my spine as I tried to picture what the place would look like. Images of dark forests, rocky cliffs and an ancient black castle shrouded in mist filled my imagination.

And what did he look like?

As far as I knew, no one had ever really seen him, but the legends described him as a man who was as beautiful as he was deadly. A scarred man with eyes that burn like fire.

I always imagined him to be like a creature out of a nightmare, and yet… he is here. But why? Our family had nothing to do with him.

Before I could voice my worries, I was smothered in their embrace.

“You’ve got this.” Seraphina and Elara whispered behind me simultaneously and left encouraging kisses on both sides of my face before leaving me to my thoughts. Amelia was to wait beside me as per tradition.

Black Mountain is the most mysterious region, ruled by the dragon. And rumours had it that he killed his own family to rule his castle alone. And not just his family. He made sure to kill anyone who stood in his way.

His greediness left him to be the last dragon. I wondered if he ever got lonely, and then I recalled the tales my governess used to tell me.

The people always offered him maidens to keep the peace in the land, and those girls were never seen again. That recollection made me uneasy, but I brushed it off and decided to think of his kingdom as a fable, a story to keep children from wandering too far from home.

The last thing I wanted was to be nervous right before my pre-wedding trial performance.

The door to the hall opened wide, and everyone gasped as they took me in. Of course. Even I knew how gorgeous I looked.

The hall was draped with lush velvet and was lit with hundreds of gold candles, casting a soft glow on every surface they illuminated. Once again, the decorations were on par, and the canopy above us dimmed the light from the sun, causing the flame from the candles to burn brilliantly.

A small smile rested on my lips as I walked in. The long trail of my red Qipao (ceremonial dress), followed behind me as I took one slow step after another on the white carpet laid out for me.

I stopped at the stair leading to the elevated glass walkway that stretched toward an altar at the other end, which symbolized the pathway into a new life.

All my sisters did the trial and passed, and I had no doubt I was also going to pass.

As I waited for Amelia to bring the silver chalice filled with water, I allowed my gaze to wonder.

My head turned slightly, and then I saw him. My eyes widened on their own accord as I took him in. The dragon… This man… The legends didn’t do him any justice. His beauty was on a Godly level.