Revenge of the Duchess

Chapter 43

"You're going to have to tell your future husband to compensate me for a proper wedding," Annabeth told Piper sternly. But a smile on her lips revealed that Annabeth was joking.

Piper laughed as she helped the ladies-in-waiting place a delicate hairpiece made of gold and sapphires onto Annabeth's hair. "It hasn't been announced officially that I have been chosen as Prince Jason's bride."

The conferment ceremony was supposed to be held in two weeks after Annabeth's wedding in order to not take away the limelight. But it was already well known that Princess Piper was going to be chosen as the official wife of Prince Jason. Prince Jason had elected to not take the other two princesses as concubines as past princes usually had. It had caused quite a stir among the nobility, who compared their love story to that of Duke Jackson and the future Duchess. It was rare that nobles married each other for love, much less royalty.

"Seeing your smiling face, you must truly love him," Piper commented. "I hope that I, too, could be happy like you when the day comes."

Annabeth glanced at herself in the mirror. Since the morning when she had been woken up at the crack of dawn to undergo a beauty regimen, she couldn't stop a smile from forming on her face. It was a far difference from the first wedding with Luke.

Back then, she had thought that to love someone was to completely devote herself to her partner. What she hadn't realized was that way of thinking had blinded her to Luke's greed and caused her to lose a part of herself. She had lost her independence, bowing to every of Luke's needs.

Now, she had someone whom she could share her troubles. Someone who respected her opinions and valued her as an equal. Someone who loved her and whom she could trust and love wholeheartedly back.

Annabeth twirled the blue diamond ring on her finger. She had heard from her fawning maids that the Duke had sought many weeks for the perfect gem to be used for his proposal, as well as hired the royal family's jeweler to create the ring. But Annabeth didn't care about the extravagant price that Percy had spent.

That night at the greenhouse, Annabeth had discovered an inscription in the underside of the ring. Holding the ring to the light, she had seen in perfect tiny writing the words, "To my love, Annabeth." Even if the blue diamond were to somehow be lost, she would treasure the platinum band and its promise of forever as though it was written in her own heart.

"Yes," Annabeth murmured softly. "I love him."

The ladies-in-waiting pinned the last jewel into her hair and flipped over the lace veil. "There you are, Madam. All done."

Gathering together with the Cytheran princess, the ladies cooed over the bride.

"It's time," Piper reminded them soon.

Annabeth took one last glance at the mirror. A woman stood looking back at her, her face lightly made up. Despite the many jewels adorning her, the brightest thing that stood out was her shining eyes and the unmistakable vivid smile on her face. This would be the last time she saw herself as Lady Annabeth Chase, and of as the former Countess Annabeth Castellan. Shedding the layers of the past, she would be the Duchess Annabeth Chase Jackson.

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A white carriage ran smoothly down the road. In preparation for the wedding of Duke Perseus Jackson and Lady Annabeth Chase, the roads leading to the wedding hall were specially shoveled free of snow and salted down. Those who had come to watch the procession of white uniformed knights on matching white horses cheered as the little parade went by.

But not everyone was celebrating. Hidden deep in the trees alongside the forest were soldiers dressed for stealth. Many lay concealed in the treetops, bows and arrows prepared. The carriage and the knights were easy targets but not a single arrow was released. The signal had not appeared yet.