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10. Sparks

This chapter marks a much deserved new beginning for Dimitri <3 Happy Reading

September 2026,
Ovzdusia, Soare-Luna Kingdom

Katerina

She didn't come.

Despite all my efforts, Alya didn't deem it fit to grace us with her presence. Maybe she didn't get my invitation. Maybe she didn't hear about the wedding. That seemed almost impossible because I had literally announced it to the world. Everyone knew. Maybe she just decided not to come.

What was even the point of having such a big, flashy wedding then? I had thought that at least one good thing would come out of marrying Felix. That I would reunite with my best friend who I thought was dead. It almost made me look forward to the wedding. But now, it all just seems...stupid. If Alya wanted to see us, if she wanted to meet us, she would have done it a long time ago. She wouldn't have waited for five years to do it. She obviously was not going to show up now.

I looked at the clock. It was almost three am. In fourteen hours, I was going to walk down the aisle and get married. My leg bounced.

Maybe Alya would show up before then.

Who was I kidding? That would be too good of a thing to happen to me. Fate had stopped being my friend after Alya's disappearance.

I had my men come to Soare-Luna a week ago to look for her. They searched all the galleries that displayed Raon's work, talked to people about the whereabouts of Princess Ayera, and do basically anything to find her. They didn't have much luck either.

I glared at the wedding dress in front of me.

It was beautiful actually. Cassandra had designed and made it for me herself. She had spent dozens of hours and pulled several all-nighters to finish it in time for the wedding. I couldn't help but fall in love with it at first glance.

I stripped down to my panties and wore the dress.

I am a masochist, I thought as I looked into the mirror. A beautiful masochist, I corrected.

It was soft, fit like a glove, and made me look like a damn princess.

This was torture. Being here, in this palace, where I was supposed to wed, in my wedding dress felt like a ticking time bomb. And at any time, the bomb would explode and my life would end. Well, at least life as I know it.

I quickly got out of the dress and wore my silk nightgown again. That was white too. Wedding white.

I need a drink.

No, I don't.

I need a bloody drink.

I walked over to the dining room and looked at the gift basket that lay on top of the dining table. It had a bottle of wine in it.

I need a drink.

My breathing became harsh. My fingers twitched. One glass would take off the edge. It would ease the whirlwind of emotions I was feeling in the pit of my stomach. It would ease my mind. It would help me sleep.

Once glass couldn't do too much harm, could it?

I need to get out of here. I need some air. Being in this suite, in this palace felt suffocating.

In a desperate attempt to control the urge to give in and drink, I wore the long robe that came with the nightgown, rushed out of the suite, and shut the door behind me. I leaned against it and took a deep breath.

I felt like I couldn't breathe. I needed to go outside. Get some fresh air.

I passed several hallways that appeared to be all the same. Suddenly, I realized that I didn't know where I was. I looked around. It was eerily silent here.