Ari

Chapter 99: Wedding Preparation

Most females dreamt of a grand wedding even in my previous life. However, I wasn't one of those female—I never understood what the significance of weddings was. All I knew was that as long as you love the person or people whom you're about to marry, it would be quite a luxury already.

Due to the schedule, I wasn't able to train my power like before the others came to the palace, but it felt worth it. I was kind of excited about the event while setting aside anything else. I just wanted to enjoy the short time we had before facing reality.

I made Tora a long blush colored dress decorated with pearls and diamonds with the help of Dillon and my brother. We only had a very short time to prepare the dress so Dillon agreed to help me and my brother, while Macan and Tora were busy directing Dylan's people regarding the design of the venue. Lowell and Dylan were preparing the food for the feast.

"Brother, I want a niece that looks like Tora." I said, grinning while sewing Tora's dress.

"It'd be a miracle..," he sighed while sewing the crystal beads on the dress.

I laughed and said, "It's not entirely impossible though. Father had me in one sh—"

I suddenly remembered I wasn't conceived through normal means and felt quite frustrated.

"Hmm?" he reacted when I suddenly stopped talking without completing my words.

"Never mind... I just want to see everyone happy," I replied.

"Ari... Would this accessory look good on that dress?" Dillon asked while showing me a golden hair accessory designed with pearls.

"Wow! Are you really not from the world where Mac and Tora came from?" I asked in awe.

"Haha! I wish I was so that I could be with you since then," Dillon chuckled.

"By the way, Ahri... Dylan said he already prepared a dress for you, but he hasn't shown it to us. Should we make one for you just in case?" my brother asked.

"Hmm... Let's just wait for him, Brother. He won't promise something he wouldn't give," I answered.

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On the day of the wedding, Tora and I prepared for our wedding early in the morning, though the ceremony won't start until noon.

"We can eat our breakfast and lunch while dressing up," Tora said.

I nodded and looked at Tora's dress. I was surprised to see another dress hanging beside Tora's dress in the wall closet that was widely open. It was a white silk dress embroidered with golden image signifying the sun, the moon, the land, the water and the sky. Accessories were made of gold that compliments the necklace I was wearing. It was as if it was already prepared for a long time.

"I'll dress you up first because you will need to go to the hall first for the opening ceremony," Tora suggested.

"How about you?" I asked.

"I can dress up myself. You've already had some sleepless nights because of my dress. Let me at least help you this way," Tora insisted.

"Let's just dress up together so that it would be faster," I suggested.

She agreed, so we took a bath together and helped one another to dress up. The size of my dress could be adjusted with the lace tied at the waist, but the height was quite precise while Tora's dress was made based on Tora's precise body size. I was worried that the color I chose might not look decent for Tora, but it still worked out pretty well because of her beautiful golden eyes.

"How was the dress we made? Is there something you want me to adjust?" I asked.

"No... It's perfect! I haven't seen such a beautiful dress. I'm really grateful for this dress. I never imagined myself to wear one myself," Tora replied.

It's true that good looking dresses were only available to Immortals and their descendants. Only a limited number of people knew how to make them.

"Did Dylan prepare this white dress, Tora? I haven't seen him lately," I asked in amazement.

"Yes, but Dylan said he prepared the dress for you since the day he accepted your... Hmmm... Stone... Stone something? Sorry, I really forgot what he called it," she laughed embarrassedly.

"Stone of oath?! W-Wait! D-Does that mean he already planned the wedding even before I returned to this world?" I asked in disbelief.

She laughed at my flustered look and said, "Yes. We didn't have much to do except to decorate the venue. The decorations were already prepared beforehand."

"Sorry for rushing the wedding," I said while looking down due to guilt.

"Don't worry about it. It's about time for us to get married anyway. By the way, my brother was surprised that Dylan also knew your favorite flowers. It's just kind of saddening not to remember things. I'm still asking myself if I really was your friend in your previous life," she said with a gloom on her face.

"No matter if you are Tory or not, you'll always be my friend and now my sister, Tora," I replied while smiling at her with reassurance.

She smiled at me and cried, "Thank you for being my friend, Ari. If it's not for you, my brother and I would still have been miserable in the Tiger Tribe," she said while hugging me tightly.

I stroked her back to comfort her then said, "By the way, this dress still looks new despite being centuries old, don't you think so too?" I asked to lighten the mood.

Tora was stunned as she pulled away to have a second look on my dress and asked in disbelief, "What?! That dress was already that old?"

I laughed seeing her flustered look and nodded while looking at the dress I was wearing. It took us quite some time to prepare since Tora insisted us to wear some cosmetics made by Lowell and the hair accessories made by Dillon.

They really took the effort for the wedding, I could see the dark circles under Tora's eyes.

After we finished dressing up, she gasped, "Wow! Ari, you really looked exactly like the Queen Goddess Hera."

"It's not surprising anymore, I am one of her daughters after all. Also, you looked like a goddess yourself," I responded.

"Haha! It's all thanks to your effort," she chuckled.

"I wasn't the only one who made your dress and accessories though. My brother made the details carefully though it was his first time making a dress," I said smiling at her while stroking her hair.

"Right. He really made the effort. I really like it," she mumbled while smiling as she looked at herself in the mirror on the wall.