[Nicholas Anstalionah.]
The days had been brimming with duty. The nights were grueling, and the restraint I had to maintain felt nearly impossible.
I extended my arms outward, feeling the weight of the bluish-black silk as I looked down at myself.
Every inch of my formal suit was perfectly arranged.
Collar, tie, cape, and shoes all matched in dark, elegant tones of midnight blue and ink black.
After a full month of planning, orchestrating every step and detail, the moment had finally arrived.
I smiled faintly as I brushed my hair off to the sides. It had grown longer than usual, but Mirabel liked it that way.
Gazing at my reflection in the mirror, I found it hard to imagine what she would look like today.
I was dressed in black and blue. She would be wearing white and gold. We would be wed in the royal ballroom.
Afterward, the celebration would begin. Our marriage would be honored with music, wine, and applause.
And following that, the coronation ceremony, an honor that should have been led by my parents.
But they were gone, and so the duty now fell to me alone.
I had not been allowed to see her dress. In truth, we had barely spoken over the last month.
Protocol, tradition, and arrangements had consumed our days. Now, finally, I would hold her in my arms and call her my wife.
The door creaked open behind me. Malachi entered, dressed in an all-black suit tailored to perfection. He extended his hand.
"Nicholas. All the guests have arrived. And… a few unexpected ones," he said with a wry smile.
I sighed. "Are they causing any trouble? Besides, who knows, they might be here for peace."
Truthfully, I had hoped Arthur and Merlin could attend, though I suppose that had been too much to wish for.
Merlin was never one for grand ceremonies.
At best, she might drop in, leave a gift, and vanish before anyone even noticed. Arthur, well… his absence spoke its own tale.
I took Malachi's hand. "Truly, it feels strange having you do this."
He chuckled and began guiding me toward the ballroom. "Trust me. No one else could pull it off."
He was right. The other nobles had proven themselves utterly hopeless during preparations.
We had barely gotten around the church complications.
Thankfully, Sansir had taken up the position of enlisted ritual bearer.
It meant he had the authority to wed us with full recognition and sanctity.
As we passed through the gilded halls, memories surged within me. My failures.
My missteps. The quiet regrets of a past life. They hit me all at once, shocking, raw, blinding.
I nearly cried.
But when we stepped into the ballroom, all of it fell away.
A tide of light, music, and voices washed over me.
The grand chandeliers sparkled like stars above, their golden light catching the glint of polished marble and flowing silk.
Velvet banners adorned with the emblems of every noble house lined the arched windows.
Gilded statues stood between towering pillars, and the air was thick with perfume and power.
It was not just a ceremony. It was a theater of monarchs and legends.
I caught sight of Rosen.
He stood near the main balcony, calmly sipping wine, flanked by armored guards bearing twin axes.
And a woman, perhaps the new queen, Uhana.
Nearby was the princess of Dangu, Stella, radiant in a dress of silver lilies, her presence as sharp as the rumors that always followed her.
Knights, artists, and emissaries from every known kingdom stood side by side with performers, merchants, and even fishermen.
The room felt like a living map, a miniature world condensed into elegance and spectacle.
And there, at the center, stood Sansir.
He wore a flowing white robe, loose and draped with humble folds.
The cloth shimmered faintly, reflecting the golden light above. In his hands, he held a divine book.
A single golden cross was embedded into its frame and cover. The energy it radiated was quiet yet powerful.
He looked up as I approached and smiled gently.
"You're ready, I presume?"
I met his gaze. "As much as any man can be."
I slowly turned my head as the doors opened with a soft, deliberate groan.
Unlike for my own arrival, everyone fell utterly silent at hers. Quite insulting, but I didn't care.
Two knights stood at either side of the entryway, holding the doors wide as Kivana, dressed in deep purple, stepped forward with her arms extended.
Yet her role was clear. She was not the center of attention. She was the guide.
The hand resting in hers was divine.
Wrapped in pristine, silk-white gloves, her fingers moved with gentle elegance.
Her skin held a warm gloss beneath the chandelier light.
Long, silver-red hair cascaded down her back like liquid metal, framing the collar of a massive, fluffy white gown.
It spread behind her like a cloud cut from heaven.
A golden scarf, loose and light, circled her neck, and a thin veil of gold silk shielded her face.
Golden roses shimmered along the base of her dress, each one handstitched with subtle care, matching the warm hue of the room's candlelight.
Mirabel Barbovasasti, Baron of Dandadel, made her way toward me with a presence that silenced even the most seasoned royalty.
She walked with the grace of a queen, though no bloodline of crowns backed her.
And yet, the nobles watched in awe. She did not rule a throne, but in that moment, she ruled the room.
As she reached me, her hand gently slipped from Kivana's.
Her eyes met mine, and in that instant, red roses fell from the high ceiling above, fluttering like whispers from the heavens.
Sansir stepped forward, his robe loose and flowing, and opened the holy book in his hands. His voice rang with quiet power.
"Before heaven, and beneath the light of mortal stars, we gather to witness the binding of two souls."
He glanced at the book, then at us.
"Nicholas Anstalionah. Mirabel Barbovasasti. Do you stand here as man and woman, joined not by decree, but by your own will and heart?"
I spoke without pause. "I do."
Mirabel's voice followed, calm and assured. "I do."
Sansir smiled, his weathered hands turning the page.
"Then let this vow stand eternal. Bound by word and witness, by soul and law, you are now and forever as one."
A stillness swept through the room. The world stopped.
We turned to each other. Her hand found mine. Her other rose to my cheek, soft as silk.
I lifted her veil.
And then, against all odds and everything that had tried to keep us apart.
I kissed her.
Our lips met, and in that single moment, power surged into me.
Visions of my past, my future, my very present flooded my mind.
Memories from this life and those beyond soared through my soul like comets across the night sky.
Life and death whispered in tandem. Mana erupted through the room like a storm breaking free from the heavens.
The moment our lips parted, the entire hall dropped to its knees. Not from reverence. Not from tradition.
No, from the overwhelming force unleashed by our union. The communion of blood, spirit, and fate. The binding of two as one.
From this moment forward, until death separates us, we shall remain together. Eternal.
She looked up at me, her smile radiant, her cheeks flushed with joy. "You know… I really do love you."
I leaned in, resting my forehead against hers. "Out of all the stars, out of all the joys, out of all the miracles I have witnessed."
I pulled back slightly as tears welled in my eyes. "You are my sole star. My sole joy. My sole miracle."