Finally, it was the day of the wedding between King Drayce Ivanov of Megaris and Princess Seren Ilven of Abetha.

The royal palace was decorated with numerous well-preserved flowers imported from outside the capital, as well as scarlet banners and expensive decorations made of gold, turning the entire grounds and various parts of the palace into a sea of dazzling red and gold. Delegates from various friendly forces and noble families had entered the palace to give their congratulations, even though they were already informed they would not be allowed to witness the wedding ceremony itself. Gifts for the bride and groom seemed to be overflowing, enough to fill several chambers, and the excitement and laughter in the air made everyone put smiles on their faces.

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Even outside the palace, the joyous air could be felt by the people. Due to the war, as well as the plague, spreading in other parts of the kingdom, not to mention Cian's cruel punishment just the day before, the mood of the residents of the capital had been low the past few days. However, the news of the royal union between Abetha and Megaris visibly lifted up the spirits of the people. Those civilians and those of status who wanted the witch gone from Abetha were in a merrymaking mood, and those in commerce were thrilled to make use of the alliance between the two kingdoms to expand their business and influence. There was even music and free-flowing food and drinks in the central square to share the blessings of the royal family with the common folk. It was as grand and jolly as the yearly festival celebrated in honor of the founding of the kingdom.

Inside the grand hall of the main palace, the servants were busy rushing here and there to handle everything per Queen Niobe's orders. Though she didn't like Seren at all, she had put her best efforts as the Queen of Abetha in preparation for the wedding. Like everyone else, she too had a pleased smile on her face, which was even more beautiful to the eyes due to her lovely appearance.

For her, this was indeed a day worth celebrating as her life-long wish would be finally fulfilled—to get the witch out of her family's lives.

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(Seren's POV)

Today, I woke up earlier than usual, as Martha had called me before the sun had even graced the sky.

"My lady, it's time to wake up."

Seeing the gentle expression on her aged face, I looked at my nanny longer than I normally would and got up without a word. The surprise on her face was obvious. Unlike how I troubled her every time she woke me up, using various means to beg her to let me sleep more, this time, I didn't wish to say or do anything.

She asked in concern, "Are you not feeling well, my lady?"

"I am fine," was all I could say in reply. Before she could say anything more, I asked, "Is the bath ready?"

Martha stared at me for a while before answering, "Yes, my lady."

She appeared to be again shocked that I asked about it on my own.

I went straight to the side chamber where Martha had prepared a scented bath. Martha helped me with the bath, smearing my skin and hair with various stuff said to help me look prettier or my skin smoother. The entire time, I was sitting in the hot water tub silently.

Martha simply observed everything but she said nothing.

After having a bath, Martha asked me back to my chamber where we were greeted by other maids who were holding different items in their arms. When they asked me to sit down, some of them massaged my body as they said it would make me look slimmer, while the others helped dry my long reddish golden hair. I was not used to having many maids attend to me, but this was something Her Majesty the Queen ordered, as Martha alone was not enough to help me.

Afterwards, Martha made me sit on the stool in front of the dresser. She combed my long hair and set them nicely by securing the front part of my hair on the back of my head with a beautiful gold hairpin. Together with the maids, she then braided the long hair and circled them into a bun that settled on the back of my head. She arranged various other jewels and ornaments on my hair to make it look as pretty as she could. It suddenly felt like I had too much weight settled on the back of my neck. I had never experienced this horribly heavy feeling, as I would normally either leave my hair freely hanging or tied into a simple long braid.

After they were done with my hair, they made me stand as they made me wear a corset over my undergarment, put on stockings over my legs, then made me wear a petticoat before putting on layers upon layers of fabric over me. Then, they started decorating me with ribbons and laces and jewelry.

'My neck will break with this much weight, and this bridal gown will drain all of my energy. Why do we have to wear such a heavy dress and so much jewelry? Are they trying to bury me to the point that nobody will be able to see me under all these things?'

I kept looking at Martha who was putting more jewelry around my neck before moving to my hands and feet.

"Are these necessary?" I couldn't help but break my vow of silence and ask.

"These are all from the King of Megaris so we have to…"

"He also sent those two wooden boxes. Should I keep them on my head?" I frowned. "This is so uncomfortable. I cannot even breathe."

"Just till the wedding. Later, we can take it off," Martha assured.

"By that time, I won't be alive, either because of all this weight or suffocation," I complained. Martha, as usual, ignored my complaints.