Sold As The Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 497
Sold As The Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 497
Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 497
Chapter 155: Bonus Story – An Unofficial Royal Wedding
*Ciana*
In the early afternoon on the day before my wedding, I stood on a fitting platform while Brook worked on the final fitting for my dress and Sherry worked on finding the right makeup palette that would match the occasion.
I said “occasion” because it was not just my wedding anymore. The Public Relation department had turned it into this ordeal of a national celebration and public event as the first step to establish a transparent and people-friendly image of the royal court.
Floor length mirrors surrounded me on three sides while my friends worked to turn me into a beautiful princess bride.
The dress I was stuck in was far more lavish than I ever imagined. Apparently, because I was in my third trimester, the seamstress thought that weighing me down with excessive layers of fabric would make me more comfortable.
It was a hefty ball gown with several layers of taffeta and tulle making up the wide spread hoop-skirt.
The bodice was encrusted with jewel—studded lace. It snugged around my pregnant belly and fitted around my breasts, making them pop out in ways I wasn’t used to.
“You look absolutely stunning, Ciana,“ Sherry said, pulling me from my thoughts.
‘The seamstress and her four helpers spent more than two weeks non stop making this dress for you. She did really well, people probably won’t even notice that you’re pregnant,” Brook added.
‘And with your natural beauty it just makes this dress so much more outstanding,” Sherry added.
She started working on my hair, pinning it up in a half-up, half-down do.
‘It is so easy to get a makeup color palette that matches your natural skin tones and eyes and hair color,” she said.
She peeked over my shoulder and I met her eyes in the mirror. I smiled and nodded politely.
‘It isn’t weird that I’m in a traditional, pure white wedding dress, and also nearly seven months pregnant?” I asked, putting my hands on my belly.
Sherry and Brook laughed and kept working.
I looked at my reflection in all three of the mirrors. The dress was gorgeous from every angle, except for the fact that it just didn’t feel right on me.
Suddenly, I had a flashback to when I’d tried on dresses in the Moonlit Crystal for my fake wedding to Warren.
Theo and Brook had both been there. Brook had been so full of praise for the dresses I wore, but Theo…
He’d said all kinds of things.
‘… with a skirt like that, you could be dropped out of an airplane at ten thousand feet and sail gently to the ground.’
His words echoed in my head and I ran my hands along the hefty, wide skirt I was currently wearing. This skirt was so similar to that one. Would Theo think the same thing this time?
1 hope it doesn’t snow, though. In a dress like that, well never find you.’
Another comment about the dress color stuck in my mind. I frowned as I examined the color of this dress. It was the purest white I’d ever seen, just like freshly fallen snow.
I groaned a little and shook my head. Was there such a thing as the flawless wedding dress?
Then there was the last comment Theo had made.
‘… I just think maybe you should try a dress on in the right size. That one clearly doesn’t fit. You’re spilling out all over the top of it.’
Glancing down at myself, I saw how my third-trimester-pregnant breasts popped out of the fitted cups. It was made to fit me perfectly, and according to Brook and Sherry, it was. However, to me, it still felt, and looked, like I could pop out of my dress at any moment.
The more I looked at myself, the more I felt like I wasn’t wearing a dress. I felt like I was shoved into a teeny, tiny, pale, parachute!
I groaned under my breath.
This was all Theo’s fault! He’d put those thoughts and comments in my mind and now I couldn’t stop comparing my dress to those comments. NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.
My eyes flicked from one mirror to the next as I tried to stop seeing the dress as something horrible, now.
I covered my face with my hands and groaned.
‘I don’t like how I look in this,” I muttered, shaking my head.
“What are you talking about?” Sherry asked. “Ciana, you look absolutely gorgeous.” “Do I?” I asked, glancing at the mirror between my fingers.
‘I think you’re just nervous, Ciana. You’re getting married and the entire kingdom is going to be there. That is something to get jittery about,” Brook analyzed.
“Yeah…”
She was right.
When Theo had asked me to marry him, I hadn’t hesitated in saying yes. Of course, at the time, I thought we’d have the chance to talk about what kind of wedding we wanted. Instead, the royal court had made this huge announcement to the entire kingdom.
Thousands of people were traveling to the capitol to attend the wedding tomorrow. What I thought should have just been friends and family turned into a nationwide event.
Never in all my imaginings had I thought I’d have such a lavish, massive wedding ceremony. Whenever I thought about my wedding, I thought about it being small and intimate. A private celebration with my closest friends and family.
This royal wedding… my skin shivered at the mere thought.
What if I rolled my ankle in the heels while walking down the aisle?
What if I tripped over the dress and planted my face on the ground?
What if I forgot my lines…?
There would literally be thousands of people staring at me and if I messed up or embarrassed myself, it would be in front of the entire kingdom. It would also reflect badly on the crown.
“Ciana,” Brook said, cutting into my thoughts.
“Huh?” I asked frantically, my nerves completely frazzled.
‘You look gorgeous. You’re going to be fine at the wedding because it is your day. Just forget about the rest of the kingdom,” she insisted.
‘I’ll try…” ‘Also, you’re unsettled because you’re pregnant. It’s normal to feel emotional and vulnerable during pregnancy, but that does impact your usual confidence. Just breathe through it,” Brook suggested.
I took a few deep breaths and closed my eyes. Well, I breathed as deeply as I could with the fitted bodice.
‘You’ve rehearsed the ceremony three times. You’ve got this, and it is all going to go well,“ she added.
‘I’ve rehearsed it in front of like ten people. There are going to be thousands there tomorrow!” I cried, overwhelmed all over again.
“And you’ll still be fine,“ Brook assured.
When Brook was done with her adjustments, she helped me out of the dress. Sherry did some last minute touch ups on the makeup after the dress was off.
‘Come on, let’s get you changed into your own clothes,” Brook said, handing me another dress.
It was a simple yet elegant A-line, white dress.
“Brook, this isn’t the outfit I was wearing today. ” ‘Did you forget? King Theo arranged a rehearsal dinner tonight for close friends and family only. Alpha and Luna Black will be there along with Lady Nita. This is the dress His Majesty ordered for the dinner, do you not like it?”
After putting it on, I found myself falling in love with it.
The skirt was light and flowy. In the back, it hung to my ankles but was a little shorter in the front, hanging to my shins. The dress had a high, empire waist, mostly concealing my pregnant belly beneath.
The bodice had scoop cups around my breasts and over the top was a lacey overlay that hid my cleavage and came all the way up to the base of my neck. The dress was sleeveless and the lace met at the back of my neck with a delicate row of satin buttons.
I especially loved the way it showed off my adorable belly and was not overbearing.
‘I like it a lot. Honestly, if it was up to me, I’d choose to wear this at my wedding,’ I admitted softly, running my hands down the light, flowing skirt. “Lavish clothes just seem so… over the top.”
In the mirror, I saw how Sherry and Brook smiled and exchanged a knowing look.
“Come on, we’ve got to catch the car that is going to take us to dinner,” Sherry urged.
‘Greg is waiting.
Greg was dressed in a tuxedo in the car. I noticed that Brook and Sherry had also changed into nicer dresses. All three of us got in the car. I eyed them as we drove to the dinner site.
How fancy was this dinner supposed to be?
The car pulled up on top of a hill and stopped to let us out. I recognized this place. I’d been here recently as it was where Theo proposed.
My heart thudded in my chest as I looked at the hilltop and the sun setting over the horizon.
The hilltop was clear except for two old trees that stood side by side. Between the trees an archway made of sticks had been erected.
On the ground below the archway was a circle of flower petals. Wildflowers grew all over the hilltop.
The sky was completely clear of clouds and it was warm and beautiful. The hill overlooked the palace and in the distance there were large, jagged mountains where the sun was setting.
Even though I’d been here before, I’d never imagined that after some decoration, it could be turned into such a stunningly adorable venue!
There was a white, satin carpet laid out as an aisle for me to walk around and just a few chairs where guests would sit. By the number of chairs, there were only a few guests.
Lady Nita was standing under the archway in a midnight blue dress that had sparkles that made her look like the night sky.
Warren was with her too, all dressed up in a tuxedo. I knew he was Theo’s best man.
I noticed that all the chairs were on one side of the aisle. On the other, Theo’s pets were assembled.
Tears pricked my eyes.
This wasn’t a rehearsal dinner, it was a wedding!
Theo had planned my dream wedding for me after aII—a small and intimate outdoor ceremony with only the closest friends and our dear family.
It was everything I could ever ask for and the venue was absolutely perfect.
My parents were already seated but when they saw me, they got up and came over to hug me.
‘You look stunning, my dear.” My dad hugged me tightly and I could almost see a glint in his eyes..
‘He’s been waiting for you,” my mom smiled, nodding towards the end of the aisle as she put a floor length veil over my head.
I looked at the archway again and I saw Theo standing there with Warren.
He was dressed in an all black suit with a white rose pinned to his lapel pocket. His hair was styled and his lips formed a smile upcurl. The stunning sun was setting behind him, outlining his muscular and slender figure in soft gold.
He was waiting for me patiently. His dark eyes locked on me and just like magnets, I could no longer peel my gaze off him.
My heart continued to hammer in my chest as my dad took my arm and walked me toward the end of the aisle.
Brook stood in front of me with a small bouquet of flowers. She handed me a larger bouquet of white and purple roses with elegant greenery and little bluebells that hung off their stems.
Alexander stood in front of Brook, holding a silk pillow with rings on it.
Greg, Jake, my mother and Nita’s servant, Cedrick, all took their seats.
Sherry sat near the animals and started playing a lovely tune on her harp.
I heard something moving behind me and I turned around to see Perceval. The python positioned himself behind me like the page boy. I didn’t have a train on my dress, but he still followed after me, carrying my long veil instead.
Dottie stood with the animals, the lion, tiger, leopard, and all the others that Theo had tamed and I had befriended.
First, Alexander went down the aisle, then Brook followed. Finally, my father started leading me.
The sun had set by that time and the moon had risen over the mountain peaks. Stars twinkled in the sky with each step I took toward Theo.
I was holding my breath out of sheer joy!
Nita held up her hand and then Sherry stopped playing the music.
‘Who among us gives the bride unto her betrothed?” Nita asked.
‘I do,” my father said. He unlooped his arm from mine and kissed my cheek before he went to sit with my mother.
I handed my bouquet off to Brook, who stood by one tree while Warren stood by the other.
Theo took my hands in his and we stood facing each other.
My cheeks flushed as I looked at him and tears welled up in my eyes. The joy inside of me was overwhelming. What else could I feel besides happiness, seeing right in front of me all of my dreams come true in every possible way?
‘Under the light of a full moon and with the blessing of the Goddess, we are gathered here tonight to celebrate the love between Theo Crimson and Ciana Black. May their love only grow, their family flourish, and their future together be long,” Nita announced.
She motioned to Alexander who brought the rings over.
‘And now, the vows,“ she said.
Theo took one of the rings and slid it on my ring finger.
‘I, King Theodore Crimson, take Ciana Black to be my mate, my wife, and my Luna Queen. With the blessing of the Moon Goddess and all witnesses here, from this night until the end of time, I will love her, charish her, care for her, and protect her,” Theo said.
I sniffled and squeezed his hand before he could pull away.
He smirked at me and nodded encouragingly.
I picked up the second ring. Clearing my throat, I blinked the tears away and slid the ring on his finger.
‘I, Ciana Black, take King Theo, to be my mate, my husband, and my Alpha King. With the blessing of the Moon Goddess, from this night until my death, I will love him, honor him, support him, and stand by his side.”
Theo smiled at me, the largest, brightest smile I’d ever seen.
‘I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss!” Nita exclaimed, holding her arms up in the air.
Theo pounced on me and pulled me against him, kissing me so warmly and passionately. All the air left my lungs and I was dizzy and drunk with joy and love.
And so, our rehearsal dinner became the wedding of my dreams, intimate and beautiful, blessed by close friends and family. Official or not, it couldn’t be a more perfect emblem and start to our happily ever after.