The Prince's Duchess { Illyria Series 1 } - COMPLETED

Chapter 77: The Wedding

3 months after the Laila incident.....

Leo's POV:

I stared out the window of the Lady of the Lake Temple.

The gentle lap of cool water against my body did nothing to calm down the nervousness I feel as I cleansed my body before I get outfitted for my wedding.

As per tradition. The groom and bride must cleanse themselves in separate pool chambers of this Temple before moving to the Wedding venue which was a beautiful set up done near the temple's famous circular cliff-side gardens.

And most of all....

This has been the longest I have been away from my fiancee since we were following the tradition of separating to prepare ourselves for the wedding.

After our little vacation at my island in the Caribbean, I was not even allowed to see or contact Sarina in 2 whole months (even dream sharing is prohibited) since she and Cat are supposed to plan the whole wedding together along with a dedicated team of experts according to Illyrian tradition.

Whenever there is input needed from me, It was Cat who contacted me and not my fiancee.

Such is the condition for the "Separation" stage of our engagement.

I never thought being separated from Sarina would make me miss her even more. Although our connection remains strong, this stage of our relationship became even more evident that we need each other.

The days were filled with me working at my company, numerous meetings, or by my father's side learning more of what the heir's duties are towards the kingdom.

I even avoided going home early by making more trips to the gym or at the MMA or Muay Thai martial arts centers for extra workouts or even drinking with Charles.

But the nights were unbearable. I am used to hugging Sarina as we talk about anything or making love to her. Sometimes, when we don't want to have sex; we cuddle and watch movies or watch her make cookies or snacks.

It was lonely for me as I slept in my cold bed day after day, wishing for her.

And now the wait is finally over.

I will take her as my bride and she will be mine forever.

"Hey." Kassim's voice echoed in the spacious chamber as his footsteps echoed while walking towards me with a towel. "Time's up. You have to be dressed in less than an hour before all the wedding guests arrive and take their seats."

I stood up, making a few splashes against my cousin's polished shoes as I took the towel to dry myself up and wrap it around my waist.

"Is it just me or did you get even more muscled during the Separation phase?" he observed the slight changes in my body.

"....A bit. I assume Lily is with Nikolette?"

"I entrusted Miss Valentine with her. Ever since Fiore was erased and Laila has been dealt with; she is free to roam around now but I wanted to be sure. Pretty sure that she is watching Sarina get her makeup done."

Hearing him say my bride's name does not annoy me as much as we walked out of the pool chamber and into the groom's preparation room where Charles and Luis are waiting along with the hairstylist and the clothes assistant
to help me prepare.

It was an hour of nothing but idle chatter amongst men as they helped me take my mind off the wedding but it did not work.

They say most grooms would be hit with "cold feet" during weddings but I made up my mind a long time ago.