The entire Sinistra family, except Aurora Sinistra, had gathered in the main hall of the Sinistra manor. This included Raphel Sinistra himself, his wife Lady Sinistra, his two sons with their wives, and the two children of the elder couple.
All the arrangements for the arrival of the guests and the wedding had already been completed. The manor and the lawn were brightly decorated in a myriad of colours.
Magical lanterns, glowing trinkets, and shimmering ribbons adorned every corner, and the Sinistra family had spared no effort in making the place look magnificent. A special magical enhancement had been done to make the entire mansion appear cleaner and brighter.
"Drafel," Raphel's stern voice cut across the silence of the hall. "I want no nuisance from your side during the wedding."
"I do not care whether you agree with my decision to marry Aurora to Alex. I do not care how displeased you are with it," he continued. "Until now, I have tolerated all your expressions of anger and dissatisfaction, and I will tolerate them even in the future."
"But," his voice boomed through the hall, "in front of the guests, I want you to wear the biggest smile you possibly can. I will not tolerate a single whisper of displeasure from you during this wedding."
"You will smile, laugh, express joy, mingle with the guests, and celebrate your daughter's wedding. You will play the role of a happy father as you are supposed to be," Raphel commanded. "Keep this in mind and make sure your daughter understands it as well."
"The same goes for you, Ivory," he added, his eyes narrowing at Drafel's wife.
"You may not understand me now, but whatever I am doing, I am doing for the betterment of this family," he said with an emotional tone. "This will help us rise our status in the Wizarding Britain and in these chaotic and uncertain times, we need a strong backup to rely on."
With those words, Raphel turned and left the manor and walked towards the lawn to welcome the arriving guests. The rest of the family followed after him.
"If Lord Olario does not show up, the life of our daughter is doomed," Ivory sighed. "She has hated Alex Timirus since her school days. Her life is going to be like hell with that man."
"He will come," Drafel said, but even he lacked conviction in his voice.
Although Ivory did respond she was doubtful. If Antonio was supposed to save Aurora then why not do it a day or two before. Why exactly do it on the wedding day? Maybe he was just trying to delay it. Ivory could only hope that Lord Olario would come.
It was a little later than afternoon when the guests began to arrive for the wedding. Raphel was there, welcoming each of them with a broad smile and an expression of pleased anticipation. The atmosphere of the celebration was pleasant, and the guests seemed to be in an enjoyable, festive mood.
Alex Timirus and his family were among the last to arrive. As the groom, Alex was dressed in a luxurious robe of deep blue. He was tall and lean, with dark hair, and in those bright ceremonial robes he looked undeniably striking. A proper pure blood, some would say.
"Lord Timirus," Raphel said enthusiastically as he marched forward to greet the Timirus family. Accompanying Alex were his father, Alan Timirus, Lord of House Timirus and his mother, Alaria Timirus.
"Lord Sinistra," Alan replied with a curt nod, though there was a hint of arrogance and disdain on his face.
Raphel was not a fool. He caught it instantly, though he had expected nothing less. Most of his negotiations had been with Alex himself. He had met Lord Timirus only twice. And during both meetings, Alan had worn that same subtle yet unmistakable air of superiority. Perhaps he considered the Sinistra family beneath his own, too low in status for a marriage alliance.
Raphel did not feel good about it, but there was little he could do. His only consolation, his only hope, was the rise in influence and status that he believed this marriage would bring him. That alone kept the forced smile on his face.
The Timirus family was seated at the best place available. Drafel and Ivory exchanged a few polite words with their would be in-laws, doing everything they could to maintain a happy and pleasant expression on their faces. Being the man of higher status he was, Alan Timirus hardly interacted with any guest. He just had made himself comfortable on the sofa.
"Father-in-law," Alex said with a smirk tugging at his lips, "I hope you do not mind. It is only a matter of time before you truly become my father-in-law."
Drafel could only offer an awkward smile.
"How is Aurora?" Alex continued casually. "I suppose I should have met her once before the wedding, but then, it does not really matter. We will complement each other very well. We have known each other since childhood."
Drafel simply nodded again, even more uncomfortable. The truth was, he could barely stand speaking to his future son-in-law. Alex knew this and he was purposefully trying to make him uncomfortable.
Alex Timirus was a wicked man, with a sadistic streak that enjoyed extracting pleasure out of the pain, unease, and humiliation of others.
Eventually, Alex decided he had tormented Drafel enough and went off to mingle with the other guests. The celebration resumed in full swing, magical music, drinks, laughter, yet beneath it all the Sinistra couple carried a suffocating tension in their hearts.
"Lord Sinistra," Alex approached Raphel after an hour, "I think you should call for Aurora now. We should proceed with the wedding."
"Yes, yes," Raphel nodded quickly and gestured toward Ivory to bring her daughter.
Ivory, clearly uncomfortable and now entirely hopeless about Antonio's arrival, made her way toward Aurora's room. Aurora was already dressed in a beautiful white gown, looking every bit like a princess.
"Daughter," Ivory whispered with a heavy sigh, "it is time."
Aurora sat before her mirror, hands folded in her lap. She nodded. Like her mother, she too had nearly lost all hope.
"I am ready," she said softly, carefully schooling her expression so that no trace of pain or despair appeared on her face. The last thing she wanted was to make her mother feel worse than she already did.
#
#
#
[Add the book to your collection. Send it some power stones. Leave a rating and a review.]
[Access advanced chapter on P@treon. Replace @ with a. One additional advanced chapter each week on P@treon. ]
[email protected]/imaginarywriter