Castle Of Secrets - Arranged Marriage Love

Chapter 5

I was awakened early the following morning by Lysandra. "Elara! Wake Up! She shakes me, "I'm awake now! I'm conscious now." I say, sitting up. I glance out my window. There's no sunlight outside, Lysandra. Why are you waking me up? I ask. "We're heading into town! We have to find you a dress! she says "Lys, I already own so many. I dont need any more! "Yeah but we really need one that you've never worn! Plus you gotta look good for Ced!" she says. sigh "Augh, all right," "Let me get dressed, I'll be out in a few," I say as I stand up. Skipping out of the room, she nods. I quickly change into my clothes, leave my room, and make my way over to Cedric's. I knock, "come in" I hear Lys say. Cedric was in the mirror doing his hair when I walked in. "Why are you up at the crack of dawn" I question. He doesnt take his eyes off the mirror and says, "Lysandra woke me up." I grinned. Lysandra says, "I've been meaning to ask you guys." "hm?" we say at the same time. "If you're married, why don't you two live in the same room?" She queries. "Did you not tell her?" i ask. He shakes his head and sighs. "What didn't you tell me?" she asks, curiously. "Well, We haven't kissed yet. We haven't done anything, even though I know you know that we never met or anything and that the marriage was arranged. I say "Oh, I see. So, is this merely a show relationship? She queries. I give a nod. "Yes, precisely," she nods.

Lysandra's eyes glistened with delight as we strolled around the dresses and weighed all our options. She told stories from previous cotillions, her voice a soothing guide across the sea of various styles and materials. Every piece of clothing told a story and provided a glimpse into a sophisticated world that was both fascinating and frightening. Lysandra's infectious enthusiasm added to the whole experience. After trying on each dress, I fell in love. In the end, we chose a stunning black ball gown dress that was a perfect fit for me.

Later that day, I put it on and studied myself in the mirror. The black gown flowed smoothly over me, accentuating my features like a cascading waterfall. The dress flowed beautifully with every step, creating the illusion of effortless sophistication. The fabric's blackness had an old-fashioned appeal. To put it simply, I felt not only gorgeous but also as though this dress had given me confidence that I had not previously had. I put on some makeup and walked to Cedric's room. I knock on the door, "Come in!" I hear Cedric's groggy voice yell out. I walked in, we still had like an hour until the ball officially began, but I wanted to be prepared for tonight. I walk in, "you're still asleep?" I ask. He nods, not opening his eyes. "Your room is so messy." I say. He smiles. I begin to clean up and he finally stands up, "oh my god." I hear him say under his breath. "What's up?" I asked, standing up and facing him. "You look... stunning, Elara" he says. I blush. "Thanks, Ced." I say. He smirks. "Go get ready, dumbass." I say. He nods, and walks to his closet.

I took Cedric's left arm as I made my way down my castle's stairs to the ballroom that evening. He sighs just before we go inside. "Are you ready?" he asks. I give a nod. "Indeed. Come on, let's go." I reply, flashing him a comforting grin. My parents greeted us right away as we entered. They provided us with guidelines on what to say and how to behave. Neither of us paid much attention to them. We both started to dislike them after we got married because they were too controlling. After entering, and finding a seat, Cedric gets me a drink. Izzy is there, and I call her over right away. She dashes over and settles herself so quickly that her chair nearly topples. "El!" She states, I grinned. "Hey Izzy!" I exclaimed. She gives her typical grin. We continued to party throughout the night, and we did so passionately