Annoying Father

The mirror in front of Maelin sparkled with a thousand lights — though most of them weren’t from bulbs.

Her wedding dress shimmered like a galaxy stitched by royalty. Handcrafted from sheer silk, layered with delicate diamond beads and ethereal crystal strands that caught the light like stars, it moved with her like a whisper of power.

Exactly how she liked it.

“Maelin,” Jessa breathed, practically starstruck as she adjusted a strand on the shoulder. “You don’t look like a bride. You look like the Queen who ate the bride for breakfast.”

“Good,” Maelin muttered, raising a brow as she twisted slightly in the mirror. “Then maybe the cameras will fear me into silence.”

Jessa grinned. “Fear you? Girl, half the kingdom already thinks you're a myth. Like—‘have you seen Maelin Elora?’ ‘No, but my cousin’s driver’s friend once glimpsed her at a diamond auction.’”

Maelin snorted, trying not to ruin her lipstick. “Perfect. Let’s keep it that way. Mystery sells better than vulnerability.”

Truth be told, she hadn’t slept much. Not from nerves — from annoyance. She was about to marry a man she’d never had a full conversation with. A Defence Minister. And worse, her father’s favorite business gamble this year.

Still, she had to admit: Elric Thorne wasn’t what she expected.

He wasn’t loud. He wasn’t slimy. He didn’t flirt or flatter. Actually… he barely spoke at all.

Which, strangely, she liked.

He’d sent her exactly one gift before the wedding: a paintbrush set carved from ivory and blackwood, with a note written in the smallest, neatest handwriting she’d ever seen.

“You don’t belong in a cage,” it had said. “Paint the door open when you’re ready.”

That was it.

No threats. No hearts. No fake promises.

And for the first time in years, Maelin didn’t feel like prey. She felt seen.

Of course, the fantasy shattered the moment her dressing room door opened and her father stepped in, wearing his usual permanent frown.

“There’s my beautiful daughter,” he said, voice sweet and snaky. “Ready to smile and behave?”

“Hello, Father,” Maelin replied, all sugar and teeth. “Nice of you to show up. What, no last-minute contract to sign on the way?”

He ignored that. “I just came to remind you — don’t create a scene. Don’t embarrass yourself. This marriage is important.”

“I know,” she said. “It’s your dream come true.”

He stepped closer, adjusting a diamond on her shoulder as if it might escape. “It’s your future. Do not ruin it.”

Maelin smiled, but the kind of smile that could start fires. “Do you ever get tired of sounding like a villain in a drama?”

“I’m serious.”

“That’s the problem. You always are. Have you ever tried crying at a wedding? You know — like a normal emotional human being?”

He scowled and walked out without answering.

Jessa leaned in, whispering behind her. “Maelin, I swear he thinks he’s the main character in a corporate horror film.”

“Oh, he is,” Maelin said. “Just not the hero.”

As the doors opened and the music started far in the hall, Maelin stood tall, her diamond dress catching every eye.

If she had to walk into this marriage — then she would walk in like she ruled it.

Even if the world expected her to fall.

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