Denmark's Final Arranged Marriage

Chapter Thirty - A Grand Ball Indeed

Breathe.

Just breathe.

Those were the only words I could tell myself as I watched my best friends descend down the stairs one at a time and each more beautiful than the last.

I understood why I was left for last, I did but why was no one here?

I needed someone to give me a push, a nudge, something to get my feet moving and in the direction of my fiancée.

I smiled, "My fiancée" I liked the sound of that I thought to myself.

"Miss"

I turned to find the palace's under-butler, Mr. Porter, "They're ready for you, Miss Wydra."

"Right. Of course."

I was smoothing out my already perfectly smooth dress in a veiled attempt to calm my nerves and get my head on straight when I saw it.

My ring. The ring Carson gave me on the night we admitted our feelings for each other.

And just like that all of my fears and doubts felt silly and smaller than a grain of sand at my feet. I had him, and Shannon's words had never rung clearer than this moment. I would find solace in the man I love who would someday not too far from now be my husband.

Looking up from my hands I found, Mr. Porter extending his hand to me before leading me to the night's announcer but not before whispering, "You look beautiful, Miss Wydra."

Giving him a soft smile and 'thank you' I braced myself for the double doors in front of me to open, "Presenting, Miss Levida Alexandra Wydra."

It was as if the world had suddenly stopped with the first descending step and everything and everyone stood still. People I didn't know were staring up at me, examining me, dissecting me with their eyes alone as if waiting for me to make one wrong move.

I knew this and just like that, I remembered the promise I made and this was only the beginning of it. Looking down I was finally able to see the end of the stairs and though I expected to see, Shaw who Carson had mentioned would be there to receive me, and yet he was not.

Instead there at the end of the stairs stood the person I loved most in the world, the person whose hand I remember holding throughout my whole childhood and the one person that was there for me the night my life changed.

Standing there in his black-on-black suit was my little brother who was certainly no longer little. The smile on his face and the glint in his eyes told me everything I needed was finally here. I had the man I loved, the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with along with my brother and friends all in one place. It took everything in me not to leap off these stairs and into my brother's arms.

Kevin must have sensed my eagerness because instead of putting his arm out for me he took both my hands in his and gripped them as if trying to assure me that yes he was really here and I'd be able to hug him shortly.

I couldn't stop myself from smiling, as Kevin locked his arm with mine while resting his hand on my arm for reassurance.

"You look beautiful" he admitted as we made our way past the small crowd.

I wanted to look at him and tell him how handsome he looked but I was too scared that if I opened my mouth to speak the tears already threatening to spill would start falling and then I'd really make a fool of myself.

I noticed Kevin seemed to know exactly where he was going as we entered the White Hall where I could see our friends chatting among themselves to the left. Tesla was the first to notice us but her joy was quickly replaced by shock as she noticed, Kevin.