The days leading up to their renewal ceremony were filled with a quiet sort of joy—the kind that crept in slowly, wrapping itself around each moment like a warm embrace.
The estate, once a place of tension and silence, was now blooming with laughter and preparations. Soft music drifted through the halls. Staff members moved with cheerful purpose. Everything felt lighter, as if the house itself was exhaling at last.
---
Aurora stood in front of the tall mirror in her dressing room, the soft ivory of her new gown pooling at her feet. Simple. Elegant. Timeless.
Her fingers brushed over the pendant around her neck—her mother’s. The one she had nearly lost in the fire.
“I wish you were here,” she whispered.
Behind her, the door creaked open.
“Talking to ghosts?” a familiar voice teased g
