-UndoubtedlyYours-

-Chapter♛♚FiftyFour-

✧INVITING HER FRIENDS OVER✧

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Following Dora's sleepover, Rhea was rushing back and forth to have her drawing-room ready for her friends to come over. Alphard had thought it quite hilarious to see his little goddess running up the walls for making things perfect.

He himself was still fighting an internal battle, whether or not to try for a child so soon or not. Rhea deserved to live her life a bit more freely, catching that her entire day had been spent with Dora.

It wasn't fair, and he vowed that once a child did come along, that he would hold back on working as much as he could. As he knew what it did not have both parents in the picture.

Upon peeking his head into the now fully modernized sitting room, he grinned to see that it wasn't all that different than the rest of the house. It was beautifully unique and Rhea's style combined with his quiet nicely.

Not to mention the countless shelves of trinkets and books.

"Rhea?" He called out, and she came from behind a bookcase. "What the—How did—"

"There was an odd closet space here, thought it would be a cute little hidden feature...Did I tell you about the space behind my closet in my parent's home?" He couldn't remember and he would've told her to stay the hell away from that if she had.

"Rhea, that is highly dangerous. Those walls are hidden away for a reason."
"It was perfectly safe, I knew that path like the back of my hand. It made it easier to head to the library undetected." She said with the biggest grin that playfully teased the fact that she was a bit of a sneaky gal.

"I take you snuck into the library a time or two at Hogwarts?" He asked, and she chuckled. "As if I needed to, Ms.Pince and I had an understanding." That caused him to think in wonder as to what Rhea would do to earn the lady's trust.

"The more time I spend in the library, the better behavior the others were around me. I was a stickler for rules."
"I think we would've made quite the pair in Hogwarts, don't you think, love?" She had made a face, and his smug attitude had fallen.

"I wasn't much for the lovey-dovey drama that happened around me, so I don't know."
"I'll take the fact I was your first kiss then."
"You were my first everything, Alphard. Or have you forgotten already?" He had swiftly pulled her in by the waist to meet his own.

"I didn't forget, little goddess, not one bit of our time well spent together. Now go enjoy the time with your friends, because after—we're discussing a bit of remodeling in the manor." Rhea hadn't a clue what he had meant, but she also knew that while she was entertaining her guests he would be working in his study.

It wasn't much longer until the first set of guests arrived, and within ten minutes of her scheduled time—Everyone was here. Including Evelyn who held a beautiful smile shining brightly across her face.

"Rhea, this manor is gorgeous! I don't think I've come even close to ever stepping foot in a Black family estate." Daniella gushed, and Rhea waved it off.

"Once it gets a bit warmer, we can certainly do this in the garden or gazebo. I just finished this room actually..." Rhea said and smiled at the comments of how beautiful it comes about. While Evelyn had eyed it in pure judgment, keeping in mind that she needed to keep up her smile.

And Rhea ate it up with ease, she knew her friend was naive in that sense.

The conversation never brushed upon her looming wedding, not about the dress or venue or anything in the sort. And Evelyn was partially relieved, as she was still on the hunt for an escape.