HANNA blinked while looking at her father whose eyes were very swollen. "Father, did you cry while watching my engagement ceremony?"
Her father avoided her gaze as if he was embarrassed.
"Oh, dear. You have no idea," her mother said while shaking her head. "I can't imagine how much your father would cry during your wedding."
Her father suddenly began to choke up. "Darling, don't say that. I know Hanna's wedding will happen very soon, but I need more time to prepare mentally."
Her mother huffed and scolded her father for being a crybaby.
Even so, Hanna could tell that her mother also cried since her eyes were just as red as her father's eyes.
It was a good thing that she didn't look at her parents during the ceremony.
[It's not like I don't want to see them. But I know I would have bawled my eyes out if I saw them crying.]
"Father, Mother, please don't cry anymore," Hanna said, holding her parents gently. "I may have become the Crown Princess now, but it doesn't mean that I'm no longer your daughter. I will always be the Quinzel Princess."
Hanna learned recently that she was a very greedy person.
[I can't let go of the Quinzels. I'm the only daughter of my parents, so I intend to inherit everything that belongs to me as the Quinzel Princess.]
"Of course, sweetheart," her mother said, her eyes bringing with tears already. "You'll always be our daughter."
"And successor," her father added in an emotional yet firm manner. "We will never name another successor other than you, Hanna."
That was a relief.
Hanna knew that there were people from their vassal families pestering her parents to name a new successor since she was going to be the new empress soon.
Fortunately, her parents refused.
[It's not against the law for the Crown Princess or the empress to inherit her family's fortune.]
To be precise, there was no law regarding that since only now were women allowed to inherit their family's title and fortune. It wasn't like she was abusing the loophole in the law. She was merely making good use of it.
"Sweetheart, why did you bring us here in the royal parlor?" her mother asked nervously after changing the topic. "This actually looks more of a dressing room than a parlor."
It was definitely because of the clothes around them.
Hanna brought her parents in one of the royal parlors, reserved only for the members of the Imperial Family, for only one reason. "Mother, Father, I've brought clothes that I think would suit you best. Please feel free to change into of those."
Naturally, her parents looked confused.
"You want us to change clothes?" her mother asked curiously. "Now?"
There was nothing wrong with what her parents were wearing at the moment.
But Neoma set a color theme for the wedding for the members of the Imperial Family.
[Since the Quinzels have always been a part of the Imperial Family, we're also obliged to follow the theme that Neoma set.]
Hence, Hanna prepared clothes for her parents.
"What's the occasion, sweetheart?" her father added. "Is the Imperial Family going to hold a surprise event?"
As expected of her quick-witted father.
Hanna smiled and nodded to answer her parents' questions. "Mother, Father, Emperor Nikolai and Lady Mona are going to have a surprise wedding ceremony later."
***
"NEOMA, why did you bring me here?"
Hehe.
Neoma smiled while watching her Mama Boss look around the royal parlor reserved for the direct members of the Imperial Family.
Nero and Papa Boss were next door, of course.
"I thought you were going to change your clothes, but…" Mama Boss tried to look around the grand parlor room, but her eyes were fixated on a certain dress. "This one looks like a wedding dress…"
[That's your wedding dress, Mama Boss.]
Neoma smiled while watching her mother's eyes sparkle while staring at the wedding dress.
To be honest, she didn't want to choose the wedding dress for her mother because she thought Mama Boss would want to choose it herself. However, since it was a surprise wedding for her parents, she had no choice but to do so.
Fortunately, Paige shared some interesting information with her.
"My "children" found that wedding dress in the hidden villa– the one owned by Grandma Roxana," Neoma explained. "According to the catalog I found in the room where the dress was carefully displayed in, it was the wedding dress that Empress Gwen, the First Emperor's wife, wore on their wedding day."
The long-sleeved dress was a classic wedding dress with a boat neck, brocade, and beaded lace. Surprisingly, it also had a V-back.
It was only surprising since women during the old times were very conservative.
[As expected of the Demon Queen, my Grandma Gwen was probably a woman of guts.]
"What do you think about the dress, Mama Boss?"
"It's beautiful," Mama Boss gushed, then she turned to her with shining eyes. "But why is this wedding dress here, Neoma?"
Neoma giggled, delighted by her mother's enthusiasm. "That dress is for you to wear, Mama Boss."
Her mother looked confused, at first.
But the confusion only lasted for a few seconds.
Her quick-witted Mama Boss grasped the situation almost immediately. "A surprise wedding ceremony…?"
"For you and Papa Boss, of course," Neoma added, laughing softly. "Hanna, Nero, and I prepared this surprise wedding for you."
Mama Boss covered her mouth with her hands when she gasped softly. "A wedding ceremony…"
She could see the excitement in her mother's eyes.
But, much to Neoma's confusion, the excitement easily disappeared and replaced by worry.
"This night is supposed to be Hanna's moment," Mama Boss said worriedly, moving her hands away from her face. "I can't steal it from her…"
"Don't worry about it, Mama Boss," Neoma said, giving her mother a thumbs up. "Hanna is a scary little businesswoman who can turn a "crisis" into an opportunity. Sometimes it makes me wonder if Hanna was born in the wrong era because she definitely belongs to a capitalist society… wait, I'm getting side-tracked again."
She shook her head while her mother laughed softly.
"I bet your father is as delightfully surprised as I am," Mama Boss said, then her warm gaze fell on the beautiful wedding dress. "We're getting married… finally."
Neoma smiled warmly while looking at Mama Boss' emotional face.
[Yes, finally.]
***
"THE EMPEROR only wears a white suit on his wedding day."
"I know, Father," Nero said to his frowning father. "And that's exactly why I want you to wear that suit."
Of course, his father just looked at him blankly.
When Neoma brought their mother to the room next door, Nero brought their father in the royal parlor reserved for the Crown Prince.
It was where their clothes were waiting for them.
"A surprise wedding ceremony?" his quick-witted father asked, his eyes opening a bit wide. "Did you and Neoma prepare a wedding ceremony for me and Mona?"
"Me, Neoma, and Hanna," Nero clarified. "Everything is already set, Father."
His father fell silent, so Nero got nervous for a moment.
[Father wants to marry Mother, right?]
He needed his parents to be legally married before his coronation.
It wasn't like his mother was a commoner. The Rosehearts were only demoted to a barony after his grandfather and the greedy nobles of the past tear House Roseheart apart.
[But Mother has an excellent reputation.]
It would be easy to restore the Rosehearts' glory now that Nero would ascend the throne soon. He had power over the nobles. On the other hand, Hanna was the queen of the social circle. Hence, the two of them could pressure the Twelve Golden Families to give back the Rosehearts' original social ranking.
"House Roseheart is originally a ducal household," Nero said. He might not remember much about his family, but the fact that House Roseheart was originally a ducal household was considered common knowledge in the empire. "We have to change the status of Mother's household as soon as possible. Once I become the emperor, Neoma couldn't be called the Imperial Princess anymore since she's just my sister and not my daughter."
It was the law of the empire.
Only the daughter of the emperor could be officially called the 'Imperial Princess.'
[That's why my aunt, Princess Nichole, was referred to as 'Princess Royal' and not as 'Imperial Princess.']
"I plan to give Neoma the grand duchess title after I ascend the throne. But wouldn't it be nice if Neoma could inherit House Roseheart after we restore it back to its former glory?"
"It sounds like you're eager to give your sister a new title to make sure she wouldn't steal the throne from you," his father said, turning to him with a raised eyebrow. "However, I'd like to think that you're saying all of that with your sister's best interest in mind."
He couldn't say that it was entirely for Neoma.
After all, Nero just wanted to make sure that he would have an acceptable background once he became the emperor. Of course, he also couldn't wait to give Neoma a title of her own to prevent her from staking a claim on the throne.
But he knew his father wouldn't want to hear that, so he just kept his mouth shut.
"Let's talk about that later," his father said when he probably realized that Nero was done talking. Then his father put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Nero. Your mother and I didn't want to get married without you. I didn't expect that you and the ladies would prepare a surprise wedding ceremony for us, but I appreciate it."
Nero was surprised to see the gratitude in his father's face, so he avoided his gaze. "I'm only doing this for my sake, Father."
***
THE SURPRISE wedding was held in the Glass House.
It was the biggest and the most beautiful greenhouse in the Royal Palace. And it had become more dreamy after getting decorated for the event.
Neoma was the one responsible for the decorations.
[Of course, I gave it a modern touch.]
She chose pink tulle fabric as a backdrop for the wedding arch, and she had it decorated with pink flowers and other greenery. As a result, it created a romantic and dreamy atmosphere for the memorable day.
There was also a blush pink fabric tent drop to the reception space. They hanged the fabric from the glass ceiling and also draped it over the tables and other surfaces.
The wedding favors for the guests were placed on each table as a centerpiece.
Every guest would receive a Hisa Flower– yes, the JEWELED flower created by Paige herself (in a safe way this time, of course).
[Just for reference, a single-stemmed Hisa Flower costs an entire mansion.]
Each Hisa Flower was also placed in a flower vase that was obviously an art piece by a famous potter.
[And that famous potter is known for his beautiful pieces.]
Aside from the Hisa Flower (and the expensive vase), each guest would also receive a bottle of vintage wine that not just anyone could get their hands on it– and the brand was owned by the Quinzels. The bottle of wine also came with two delicate wine glasses engraved with Papa Boss and Mama Boss' initials.
[Yes, those are personalized wine glasses.]
But the engraved initials didn't look tacky at all. Moreover, it was an honor for the guests to have the de Moonasterios' initials on their things.
And last, but definitely not the least, each guest would receive a box of luxury chocolate. It was made by the sought-after Royal Pastry Chef that only served the Imperial Family. Many had tried to bribe the Royal Pastry Chef, but none of them succeeded.
[I can't believe we only had at least a week to prepare all of these.]
Despite the short time they had to prepare, it was still a success.
After all, the guests who were ushered to the Glass House looked very much pleased.
[Even though they are rich nobles themselves, they still can't hide their excitement. After all, who could resist the luxuries handed out by the Imperial Family and the Quinzels?]
"You worked hard, Princess Hanna," Neoma whispered, then she turned to Hanna with a subtle smile on her face. She had to control her expression since many eyes were watching them. Hence, she also addressed Hanna formally. "This wedding is so beautiful."
Hanna smiled back at her. "No, you did half of the work, Princess Neoma. The entire motif was your idea."
That was exactly why Neoma and Hanna were both wearing dresses in blush pink shade.
The two of them were sitting on the fancy seats on the platform behind the altar, facing the guests.
Of course, Nero (in a floral gray suit) was seated between them.
"I also helped," Nero commented in a low voice, his face blank. "I financed the entire thing."
Yep, that was right.
The budget came from Nero's palace.
[Gosh, why is he so proud for doing the bare minimum? Hanna and I have money, too. We just didn't use it because he insisted to pay for everything.]
Neoma didn't have the time to call out Nero.
After all, the doors of the Glass House had been opened.
Dion Skelton, the current High Priest, entered the Glass House first and greeted them before taking his place behind the altar.
"His Imperial Majesty and Lady Roseheart are now entering the Glass House!"
Wow.
[So fucking beautiful.]
Neoma meant it.
Papa Boss and Mama Boss entered the Glass House arm-in-arm.
[Ah, Mama Boss is glowing.]
Papa Boss, on the other hand, had a small smile on his face, shocking the guests.
[Finally, my lovely parents are getting married…]
Neoma's smile slowly vanished as her thoughts were interrupted when she saw a familiar face.
Thanks to her big brain and sharp memory, she recognized the person she had seen last when she was a child. Moreover, she had only seen that person ONCE. But how could she forget her favorite erotic novel writer?
[Miss Sola?]
Neoma wondered how Sola, her favorite erotic novel writer, entered the Glass House undetected when she wasn't invited to the wedding ceremony.
[I have a bad feeling about this…]
***
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