Maid For You 4

Chapter 87

Our upcoming wedding, slated for January, caused a roar of ruckus within the nobility and media, as one might imagine. Many nobles stepped up to make their opinion against the marriage known. "It was one thing when she was just a girlfriend," they'd say. "But a wife is another matter entirely." However, Coleman was not to be swayed, and I told him how I'd have the rest of my life to win them over. Luckily, Lady Madeline, Lord Roiben and Lord Mercucio, as particularly influential nobles in Aregano, did their best to speak highly of me and suggest that we would be a good match.

News travelled internationally, of course, with leaders inserting their own opinions on the matter. Some acquiesced that I was a very lucky girl and they hoped the best for us, while others were far more scathing, citing my inadequacies. Of course, all the negative sentiment around me affected me, but Coleman, his parents, Calista, and my friends were very supportive of me during this time, for which I was very grateful. It should be noted, however, that in the midst of negative comments, the King of Nikoto notably and continually offered his contrary opinion that it was, in fact, Coleman who was lucky to be marrying me. "Unlike my peers, who seem to find it their right to publicly comment on the upcoming marriage," he said in one comment. "I have had the pleasure of a close friendship with Miss Carmichael, and I am quite convinced that it is Prince Coleman who is lucky to have her hand in marriage, far more so than the other way around."

Coleman and I had selected our wedding party. Mercucio would be his best man, with Roiben and Duarte for groomsmen. Lydia was my maid of honor, with Madeline and Calista for bridesmaids. We all met in the Wethercross cathedral, a few days before our wedding, in order to rehearse the event itself. Duarte was hardly recognizable now, as he'd sprung up a good five or six inches in the past year. He was tall and gangly with a cracking voice, but he still had that mischievous twinkle in his eye that made it clear that he was, at the end of the day, the very same Duarte.

"Well, well," Mercucio said, draping an arm around me. "I told you I'd be the best man at your wedding, Cassie, didn't you?"

"Did you say that?" I asked. "I thought you were vying for maid of honor."

He sighed. "I did settle for best man, after you informed me that you'd already promised the position to your friend." He turned around and looked at Lydia with a Cheshire grin. Lydia looked lovely with her strawberry blonde hair against a rich green turtleneck.

"Poor little Mercucio," she cooed.

He took his arm off me, looking at her carefully. "Why thank you. Do you know how hard it is to get a little sympathy around here?"

She laughed, and it was cute and high. "I can only imagine."

"I suppose you are new around here," he said. "Welcome to Aregano."

"Thank you."

"You recently graduated, didn't you? In...?"

"Agricultural Engineering."

Mercucio's eyes widened. "Oh, really? My family's specialty is agriculture."

I locked eyes with Coleman, who was standing in our group, and smiled wryly. He'd told me last night that Mercucio thought Lydia was quite cute, and I could confirm she thought the same of him. Duarte, observant as ever, watched the moment between us, and smiled slightly.

"Love is in the air," he said.

Lydia and Mercucio turned to him. "What?" asked Mercucio, his cheeks flushing slightly.

Duarte tilted his head, and though he did not look quite so innocent as he did before his growth spurt, his eyes were wide and his face guileless. "We're rehearsing a wedding, Lord Mercucio. I should hope some sort of love is in the air, otherwise it will be a sad day."