[Lavinia's POV—Imperial Palace, Morning of the Wedding]
And just like that… it happened.
Theon's wedding day.
Somehow, miraculously, Lady Evelyn hadn't run off to join a monastery, and Theon hadn't tripped into a fountain during one of his dramatic monologues. So yes—today was officially their wedding.
And guess where it was being held?
Right here.
In the Imperial Palace.
Because, of course, Theon insisted on "getting married where my soul awakened, my heart bloomed, and my bones were broken thrice during royal assistant training."
Very poetic. Very Theon.
But before the chaos of flower arrangements and embroidery-coated anxiety could begin, Papa did what Papa does best:
He handed Theon a scroll.
Not just any scroll.
A giant, imperial, forbidding, intimidatingly long scroll sealed with the royal wax and a small note on top that simply read, "Rules. Non-negotiable. –C"
I watched as Theon unrolled it… and kept unrolling it… and then kept unrolling it.
