A Beast's Tale

Chapter 84

"Good morning, Chevalier!" Ivetta called excitedly the morning of Belle's wedding.

"Why did she have to schedule the wedding this early in the morning?" I grumbled, pushing back the covers and stretching.

"Breakfast is on the table," Ivetta continued, her smile as bright as her green eyes as she pulled her dressing gown over her nightgown. "I'm going to Theresa's room to get dressed. See you at the wedding!"

"Theresa's room?" I asked, sitting up and watching her curiously.

"It's a red dress, Chevalier," she replied teasingly as she headed to the door. "Try not to drool too much at the wedding, okay?"

I chuckled and glanced at the clock. Only an hour until she needed to be at the wedding. No wonder she was staying out of reach and moving so quickly. She waited until the last minute to wake me up, and now she had to rush to get ready in time. I got out of bed and headed for the table, only to find that she hadn't eaten breakfast. Again. I frowned and glanced at the closed door. Her appetite had been dropping off the entire week. I sighed and dropped into the chair to eat. She'd missed another month, too. The doctor was looking at her tomorrow, whether she liked it or not. Either she was pregnant, or she was sick.

She certainly hadn't looked sick.

I dressed and headed out to the front gate, where carriages were lined up and waiting. Jin saw me as he climbed into one and gestured for me to follow.

"Did you see Ivetta's dress?" he asked immediately, before I even settled in the seat across from him.

"No."

"Theresa wouldn't show me hers, either. Said it was a surprise and to make sure I behaved in church."

"The dresses are red."

Jin's burgundy eyes lit up at that. "Red, huh? Kinda odd for a bridesmaid's dress, but I'll take it." He settled back against the seat and interlaced his hands behind his head. "I bet she's smokin' hot."

I smirked. "You've never seen her in red before."

"No, but there's something about a red dress that really turns me on." He laughed. "I know you get it. I've seen the way you look at Ivetta when she wears red. Hey, how's that surprise coming?"

Quite well, if my assumption was correct.

"Working on it," I said dismissively. "What about your engagement ceremony?"

Luke's and Arianna's engagement ceremony was scheduled for a few days from now, coinciding with Arianna's visit. Jin was trying to get his engagement ceremony over with as soon as possible, and he had been trying to talk Sariel into arranging it at or around the same time as Luke's.

"Got it all worked out. We're doing it the day after Luke's and Arianna's, so all the guests are still here and Sariel doesn't have to plan another event. Another bonus is that most of the guests will be drunk or hungover, so they won't care about me getting engaged to a maid. Nice and easy."

"Does Theresa know?" I was guessing she didn't, because Ivetta hadn't said anything about it to me.

"Not yet. I'm gonna surprise her at the wedding reception. After she surprises me at the wedding."

We reached the church in town and entered the foyer, where Rio, Sariel, Nokto, and Luke stood off to the side, wearing white tuxedos with red ties. Rio's smile was wider than usual, and his blue eyes were shining with anticipation.

"How are the girls looking?" Jin asked casually.

Nokto smirked. "No swearing in church."

"That good, huh?"