Chapter 343: The night
The walls vibrated. Not only with colors and light, but with the life that beat within them too.
The sounds and many voices that rippled through the manor rumbled the floors as well. One by one, the guests arrived, adding little hints and notes to that already breathtaking melody.
Breathtaking in two senses as in wonderful but also anxiety inducing. Her stomach fluttered with butterflies but turned at the thought of an entire ballroom full of people gaping at her.
Ada’s eyes already glistened with tears while admiring Arabella in all white.
Mr Kallum outdone himself again. The dress was perfectly tailored for the needs of her body. Her hair was put up in a manner that emphasized its volume and health. The oil that adorned it took its full effect and shone at its brightest the moment the sun kissed the horizon.
For that one night, Arabella forwent her mother’s pendant as it did not fit the overall aesthetic. She did so for another reason which made her happier whenever the thought crossed her mind.
The brooch that would be pinned to her chest later on during the ceremony harbored an amber jewel and as such every other jewel on her carried a hint of amber in order to marry well with the soon to be donned color.
No one had insisted on her leaving her pendant behind, but Arabella believed she was ready to separate with it for at least one night.
She believed that her mother would be with her to celebrate that blessed night no matter what.
"Oh dear! Oh dear!" Ada’s voice cracked.
"Does the amber truly go well with my eyes?" Arabella’s voice was meek as her irises beheld the delicate silver chain around her neck that ended in a beautifully brilliant amber stone.
"Oh yes!" Ada sniffled, "It absolutely does!"
"You may trust us on that," Katherine’s eyes were filled with warmth that also emanated from her smile.
"I really thought Master Silas would go his entire lifetime alone," Grace held the words back until they burst out of her.
In all fairness, she looked like a squirrel that threatened to burst all along and so, her words weren’t so strange to hear.
"Grace, please," Katherine scolded, "I can’t say I disagree but still, there is a time and place for certain things to be uttered," her voice turned low at that sentence.
"And this seems to be the perfect time to share such thoughts," Arabella chuckled, looking at Katherine’s reflection in the mirror.
The vampiress’s expression did not dim for a second and without missing a beat, she said, "She would have been so proud of you. I know that," that time around, her voice was steady and soft.
"Thank you, Katherine," her eyes welled up with tears.
Just then, the door creaked open for a horde of overexcited fairies to erupted through, all chirping and squeaking in her direction. Floriel and Ariel who seemed to be at their helm halted in the air as though starstruck at her sight.
"Oh, my world!" Floriel gasped, her hands covering her mouth.
"You look like a princess!" Ariel Shrieked.
"Like a queen!" a third fairy twittered.
"Now, now, ladies!" Persephone’s voice pierced through all of the noise and commanded silence, "May I have a moment alone with my future daughter in law,"
"My, Lady," Katherine, Grace and Ada immediately curtsied before her.
The three of them exited the room, quickly followed by the fairies.
Once alone, Persephone neared Arabella and faced her. Her hands rose and extended, only to hover an inch away from the young woman’s cheeks without ever cupping them.
There was no contact, but the Lady’s warmth sure reached Arabella who’d shut her eyes to bask in it.
"They are more than right," she broke the quiet that surrounded them, "You do look splendid," only after a deep breath did the Lady add, "If only Emeric could...,"
Her voice and tone were different. Not drastically. It was still recognizably hers but there was an extra tinge of sweetness entangled with it.
Even her demeanor had a more open, vulnerable expression on. The kind Arabella hadn’t yet seen on her.
It wasn’t exactly the same, but it brought back the memory of her seeing Silas’s smile for the first time all over again.
Her void-like eyes traveled all over Arabella’s face, inspecting every inch of it, going from her perfect skin which needed no enhancement besides a shimmering cream, to the black lines tracing her eyes, down to the red paint garnishing the plump lips guarding her tiny mouth.
The firmness on her was nowhere to be found, but she wasn’t as softened as to shed tears either. Persephone then brought her hands to the pouch hanging from the middle belt of her gown.
"I’d like you to wear this,"
From the pouch, she pulled a white piece of fabric that had been carefully rolled around a small object protectively.
Persephone unwrapped it with grace while elaborating about it, "I wore it on my wedding night," she sighed, "Normally, you’d be wearing the one your mother donned for her day, but here we are, I suppose,"
"Thank you," Arabella whispered.
"Oh, don’t you cry now! You will ruin the hours put into your make up," she waved her hand in front of Arabella’s eyes, "You make him act like a child," once again, her voice had gone meek and sweet.
But her words took the bride a little aback, "Oh... I am sorry. I didn’t mean to-"
"I missed seeing him like that," Persephone put an end to her misery, "I hadn’t even realized how much,"
She took a moment, during which she swallowed before continuing, "I was really afraid you’d break him. I still am afraid it will happen when that time comes. I am terrified of it even, but still... The melody his heart has been singing these days is worth it all, isn’t it?" Persephone put emphasis on the word "that".
With both hands, and a lot of care, the Lady settled the small piece of jewelry upon Arabella’s hair.
The shimmering silver of that diadem reflected every shard of light that was strong enough to reach it. The amber stone at its heart went perfectly with the rest of the regalia Arabella had been decorated with.
It was, by all means, the perfect finishing touch before the white veil went over her head.