FAKING ROYALTY [rewrite]

chapter twenty four

Third Person's POV

The wedding was grand. Y/N had never seen a wedding as large in her life. She thought that Cadenza's wedding was large, but this was by far even larger. It truly put the weddings in the kingdom to shame with how extravagant it was.

It made her wonder what her wedding would look like considering that Scaleswind was also a powerhouse kingdom like O'Khasis. Would it be just as grand? Would there be endless flowers and a long walk to the alter? Would her dress be so incredibly beautiful that she'd be terrified to touch it but yet want to wear it everyday? It was hard to answer those questions.

It was a happy occasion. Hayden was ecstatic. He successfully married off all of his daughters and was set with Laurance without a single problem. It was only Y/N he worried about getting rid of, but at that moment everything seemed to be going swimmingly.

Between the two kings politics was spoken of. They spoke of strong alliances between the two kingdoms and how heirs would be born. . . adding future tenses as to not cause any suspicion.

But Zianna, she was the happiest guest of all. With the passing of one son and the elopement of another, she wasn't there for any of her son's weddings except Vylad's. Because of this, it made this day even more special to her. And even if Alex's pregnancy was untraditional in timing, knowing that they were having a child was the cherry on top of the perfect ice cream sundae.

Though Laurance. . . Laurance was a different story. He was conflicted. He was happy to see his sister so happy on her wedding day, and he had no doubt whatsoever that she would remain happy and Vylad would treat her, but he was also upset. His sisters are gone now. He'll be married in a matter of months. It'll never return back to the way it was once before.

Sure, he thought Cadenza's endless scoldings and reminders and Alex's complaints were annoying, but he would do anything to go back to that. Because they were family. They were together. There were upsides to contrast the downsides. Because when Hayden wasn't around or didn't care enough to be around, they had each other. While they occasionally saw him out or in his study, or at meal times, they rarely saw him otherwise.

Besides, Cadenza leaving was one thing. She was older. This was his little sister. And now. . . to distract himself from Y/N, he had to use other means. Spending time with Alex wasn't an option anymore.

Y/N smiles softly at Alex as they speak. Laurance was talking to Vylad. By them being future kings and now in laws, it seemed fitting. But in the end it was some politics and playful threats regarding the well-being of his sister.

"Will my wedding be this grand?" Y/N asks, unable to stop herself from looking around once more. She couldn't help her awe expression. Y/N was beyond amazed.

Alex giggles and nods her head, reaching forward to hold onto both of her hands. "Maybe even grander!" She excitedly says, squeezing her hands slightly. "While everything was done so well here, I didn't have to wait nearly as long as you have to. You have more time for planning and preparations. Have they started your dress yet?"

The conversation went on for ages before Laurance decided it was time to interrupt and talk to his baby sister. He watches as Y/N awkwardly walks away to Cadenza where they would have their own conversation of people "getting what they wanted after all."

Laurance looks at his little sister up and down. She was married at the age of sixteen, two years before her original marriage date. And now, it's to a different man than she was set up with. He was eighteen and still unwed. He didn't understand how it all came to be.

"You look happy," he says, unsure how else to start the conversation. He had everything he wanted to talk about. Each thought in word to word detail. But when he walked over to Alex, he managed to forget it all.

He wondered if this was how he would feel giving away his own daughter. He wondered if Hayden felt this way, but Laurance knew that he would feel more sorrow for the absence of his sister than Hayden ever would.

"I am happy. You let me marry for love."

Laurance couldn't help but stare at her, his expression falling into a blank slate. It remained that way for a few seconds, his thoughts processing in ways that would make sense as a whole when they were finished. He really did let her marry for love. Even if she was pregnant, he managed to convince his father to let her marry for love. And for that, he suddenly felt both happy and envious of his sister. . . It's strange.

For his sisters have always envied him. He was the rightful heir to the crown. He was their father's favorite as time passed. He could do so many things that they couldn't.

But in that moment, he didn't care about all those things. He was envious of his sister because she married someone she loved.

Alex looks up at Laurance before wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you, Laurance. Thank you so much," she says, nuzzling her face into his neck. "I love you so much. . . and. . . I wouldn't have admitted it before, but I'll miss you."