As the groom and bride took their wedding vows, Seren could not help but glance at Queen Niobe and Queen Julien.
The Queen of Griven was a sweet woman, a motherly figure who could smile easily, and at this moment, it was not surprising to see her overwhelmed with emotions. From where Seren was seated, she could see the warmth in her eyes as she stared at her daughter-in-law. It was the same look she had for her real daughter, Duchess Alvera Wimark.
What truly surprised her was the expression on Queen Niobe’s face.
‘She is…crying?’
It was not crying per se, but Seren could see a tear escape the normally cold-faced woman’s eye. Her love for her daughter was apparent in the way she softly gazed at her.
Seren was tempted to look at King Armen’s face, wondering if he too wore a soft expression as he looked at his beloved daughter, but for some unknown reason, Seren chose to lower her head and stare at the marble floor.
“–and now, you may kiss the bride!”
The King of Abetha declared the couple husband and wife, and the loud sound of claps and cheers filled the entire grand wedding hall.
The bride and groom were escorted to the banquet hall after a change of clothes. By the time they arrived, the hall was crowded with guests.
A ball was arranged to celebrate their union, and the preparations made, from the food, the performances and the entertainment, were no less grand than the actual wedding ceremony.
The new pair of husband and wife were in the center of the dance floor as the King of Abetha announced the start of the ball. There was cheering and applause from the guests as the first dance of the happily married couple commenced.
Seren observed them glide around the dance floor, and seeing the young couple unable to pull their eyes away from each other reminded her of her wedding ceremony in Megaris. It was the kind of dreamy wedding she thought only existed in books, and she could not help but remember how nervous yet happy she was to dance with Drayce amidst the well wishes of the people.
Afterwards, the groom escorted his bride towards the King of Abetha, as it was time for her to have a dance with her father.
As Seren watched them take to the center of the dance floor, seeing her lovely sister laugh brightly under the doting gaze of their father, Seren felt something she didn’t want to feel. A dull ache in the chest. A stinging at the corner of her eyes.
…Envy?
There was sadness and longing in her eyes as she gazed at the pair of father and daughter. She did not feel even an ounce of affection for this man, and she refused to accept him as her father but…no matter how much she denied it, he was still her birth father.
It was fine if there was no comparison, if King Armen was the kind of heartless man who showed no tender feelings towards his family, if she didn’t witness him care for her second sister. But that was not the case. King Armen obviously loved and cared for his other children.
Cian, Giselle, Meira–
‘But not me,’ Seren smiled bitterly. ‘I have been abandoned, hidden, neglected… because my father does not want a daughter like me.’
Seren thought that after so many years, her heart had hardened enough to not be affected, but somewhere deep inside her, she still craved for a father’s affection.
Indeed, she was grateful for the food and the shelter and the existence of her nanny. She was still publicly acknowledged as his daughter, but King Armen was more a patron, a benefactor, rather than a parent figure to Seren.
She didn’t even have a single memory of him holding her in his arms, or even giving her a fatherly hug. When she was a child allowed outside the tower once in a while back then, she could only see him from a distance.
From the start, she was never part of his family. She was but an outsider.
King Armen did not even dance with Seren when she was wedded to Drayce.
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Not only did Seren not have a mother, she also had no father. To feel a parent’s love…it was all wishful thinking on her part.
Drayce sensed the change in his wife’s emotions, seemingly guessing the reason for the change. He caressed the back of her palm with his thumb, gently consoling her without saying a single word.
Soon after, the music changed to the next song, prompting the start of the next round of dance.
With a charming smile, Drayce offered his hand to Seren like a perfect gentleman, his next words with a hint of playfulness.
“Shall we dance, my Queen?”
Before Seren could say anything else, Drayce planted a kiss at the back of her hand, and whatever negative thoughts in her mind vanished as she accepted his hand.
Those who wanted to dance immediately decided to postpone it the second they saw the King and Queen of Megaris leave their seats, looking like a pair of lovebirds no less than the bride and groom.
A slow song was then played by the orchestra, the royal couple danced in perfect harmony with the music, as if they were used to dancing together often. An uncharacteristic warm smile graced Drayce’s impassive face, and from the way he looked into his wife’s eyes, to the manner his hand held her small waist, everything about him declared his affection for his wife.
“Look at that perfect face, and that body…Ah! So handsome.”
“Why does that witch get to have such a good-looking man while my fiance looks like a toad?”
“Thank your parents you are arranged to wed the second son of the Viscount. What about me? My husband is twenty years older than me.”
“I’m so jealous…”
There were many ladies, both married and unmarried, who had their eyes on this black-haired, red-eyed king. Though he looked intimidating and his reputation was no less scary, no one could deny this devilishly handsome man had the best appearance among all those in attendance.
