The Billionaire Serpent King's Bride

Chapter 13

SELENE'S POV

The bridal suite hummed with a quiet, practiced energy. Women moved around me with a confidence I didn't possess, their actions precise and silent. "May we?" one asked, her voice soft. I could only nod.

Hands I didn't know lifted the heavy fabric of my old life away. A stylist guided me to a chair in front of a towering mirror. Warm fingers worked through my hair; soft brushes swept across my skin.

No one filled the silence with chatter. Only necessary whispers drifted through the room. "Close your eyes." "Perfect." "Just a little higher."

The air smelled of fresh flowers and expensive perfume. Sunlight poured through the tall windows, turning the room into a golden haze. Minute by minute, the woman in the mirror began to fade.

The exhausted girl who had arrived at Drakon Estate yesterday was disappearing. In her place, a bride emerged. My hair was gathered into an elegant low chignon, soft curls framing my face.

Tiny pearl pins caught the light with every slight movement. The makeup was exactly as I had always imagined: natural, timeless. It didn't hide who I was.

It let the best version of me shine through. I swallowed hard. Even this...

How had he known? The wedding dress was slipped over my body with extraordinary care. The lace rested perfectly against my skin. The sleeves fit as though they had been made only for me.

When the last button was fastened, one of the stylists stepped back, a satisfied smile on her lips. "You may look now." My eyes lifted to the mirror.

My breath caught. For a long moment, I couldn't recognize the woman staring back. She looked... beautiful. Not because of the dress.

Not because of the makeup. But because, despite everything she had lost, there was still hope shining quietly in her eyes. Tears blurred my vision without warning.

This... This was how I had always imagined my wedding day. The silence in the room deepened. No one interrupted. No one rushed me.

A gentle knock sounded on the door. An attendant opened it. My father stepped inside. He froze.

His eyes settled on me, and instantly, they filled with tears. For several long seconds, neither of us spoke. He just looked at me, as though trying to memorize every detail.

"You..." His voice broke. "You look just like your mother." That was all it took. The tears I'd been fighting slipped free.

He crossed the room without another word, stopping in front of me. His trembling hands rested gently against my cheeks. "I wish she could see you today." "So do I," I whispered.

He smiled through his tears. "She'd be so proud." A shaky laugh escaped me. "I don't even know how to be a bride." "You don't have to."

His thumb brushed away a tear. "You only have to be yourself." Someone quietly cleared their throat near the doorway. "It's time."

The words settled over the room like a whisper. My heartbeat immediately quickened. This was it. My father offered me his arm.

"Ready?" I looked at the reflection in the mirror one last time. The woman staring back looked frightened. Hopeful. And stronger than she realized.

Slowly, I slipped my hand through my father's arm. "...Ready." The doors of the bridal suite opened. A cool breeze brushed against my skin as we stepped into the long corridor.

The sound hit me first. Soft strings. A live orchestra. The melody floated through the hall with breathtaking elegance, each note settling the closer we walked.

But my heartbeat refused to match its rhythm. It raced faster. Louder. Every step carried me closer to a future I still couldn't quite believe belonged to me.

We stopped before a pair of enormous ivory doors adorned with cascading white orchids and thousands of tiny crystal strands that shimmered beneath the lights. Two attendants stepped forward. Slowly, the doors opened.

The world beyond them stole the breath from my lungs. My feet refused to move. It was... Beautiful. No. Beautiful wasn't enough.

It was everything I'd ever dreamed of. Thousands of guests filled rows upon rows of elegant white chairs, their attention fixed on the entrance as the orchestra swelled. Towering arrangements of white roses, peonies, and orchids stretched along the aisle, blending effortlessly with crystal chandeliers suspended beneath a breathtaking glass ceiling.

Sunlight poured through the transparent roof, making every crystal sparkle like scattered diamonds. White petals covered the aisle beneath my feet. The air carried the delicate fragrance of fresh flowers.

Everything... Every flower. Every ribbon. Every candle. Every tiny detail.

It was exactly how I'd imagined my wedding since I was a little girl. My throat tightened. How...? How had he done this? How had he created my dream wedding... in a single day?

"Ready?" my father whispered gently. I barely managed a nod. The music changed. The first step felt unreal.

Then another. Thousands of eyes followed us as we began walking down the aisle. I barely noticed them. My gaze wandered across the ceremony until it landed on someone familiar.

Maya. She stood near the altar wearing a breathtaking champagne colored maid of honor dress that suited her perfectly. The moment our eyes met, her face lit up.

She gave me the brightest smile before discreetly giving me an encouraging nod. Emotion tightened inside my chest. She was here. Despite everything... She was here.

Standing beside her was Lucien's best man, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. Together they looked as though they'd stepped straight out of a fairy tale. Then...

My eyes finally found Lucien. Everything else disappeared. The guests. The flowers. The music.

The decorations. None of it existed anymore. He stood waiting for me at the end of the aisle in a perfectly tailored black tuxedo that fit his broad frame as though it had been made only for him.

The crisp white shirt beneath it contrasted sharply against the dark jacket, while a white rose rested neatly against his lapel. His dark hair had been brushed neatly back, revealing every sharp, impossibly handsome angle of his face.

But it wasn't his appearance that stole my breath. It was the way he was looking at me. His golden eyes never left mine.

There was no distraction. No polite smile for the guests. No acknowledgement of the cameras surrounding us. Only me.

He looked at me as though I was the only person in the world. As though every flower surrounding us had bloomed only to witness this moment. As though he'd been waiting his entire life for me to walk toward him.

My heart stumbled inside my chest. For reasons I couldn't explain... I found myself smiling. It was small. Almost shy.

Yet the moment he saw it, something softened in his expression. Not enough for anyone else to notice. But I did. And somehow, it made my own smile grow.

Before I realized it, we'd reached the altar. My father slowly turned toward me. His eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Then, with quiet care, he took my hand and placed it into Lucien's. The warmth of Lucien's hand immediately surrounded mine. Strong. Steady. Safe.

My father looked directly at him. For a long moment, neither man spoke. Then my father gave a single nod.

Lucien returned it with the same quiet respect. No promises were needed. Everything had already been understood. Only then did my father release my hand.

As he stepped away, Lucien's fingers gently tightened around mine. He leaned closer. So close that only I could hear him.

"You are..." His voice was almost a whisper. "...the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." Heat rushed into my cheeks.

Before I could find the courage to answer, he lifted my hand and pressed the softest kiss against my knuckles. My heart skipped. Without meaning to... I smiled again.