Chapter 382: With pride
Arabella leaped to her feet so quickly, her brain needed a moment to recover and catch up.
Caring very little for the fact that she was almost completely naked, her next destination was the closet where she rummaged for an adequate dress. For some reason, none seemed appropriate for the occasion.
"What is happening here on this bright and beautiful morning?" from the bathroom, Silas poked his nose to catch a glimpse of the tornado ravaging their room.
"I... I overslept!" she huffed more air than her lungs demanded, "I am going to be late!" she spared him not a glance as her hands fumbled through her clothes.
"The sun just barely peeped from behind the hills," the man walked closer to his wife while securing the towel around his waist, "The sky still holds its pinkish tint as of now,"
"There isn’t any time at all for me to get ready!" she persisted.
"Alright, that is enough," with one hand he pulled to her feet then into his embrace, "Breathe, please. You’ll have all the time you need and then some,"
Arabella took the advice and with it a deeper breath that allowed her heart to simmer.
After a short moment of silence, her tongue could no longer stay still, "But what if I fail?" she murmured.
"At what? Standing?" he looked down at her, eyebrows a tad furrowed.
Those words made her stop to shoot him a glare, "You know what I meant,"
"All you have to do today is stand next to me," he brushed the long bangs of hair away from her cheeks, "If you feel like you are not ready for it then You shou-"
She did not let him finish as his next words needn’t uttering for her to know what they were going to be, "I want to be there!" she blurted, before quickly adding, "Please, don’t take this away from me,"
"I wasn’t going to take anything. Why would you even phrase it in such a manner?"
Yes, why would she phrase it in such a manner? The words had run out of her mouth before any sort of inspection or measuring.
"My apologies. I didn’t mean it that way," her cheeks flushed pink as she averted her gaze from him.
"It’s alright," he inhaled deeply before exhaling, "I will lend you my arm for support so don’t you worry,"
They remained glued to each other for a few minutes then finally loosened up a little.
"I will spend most of the morning outside to supervise the preparations. I’d like you to make sure the tributes’ quarters are ready to receive them,"
In response, Arabella merely hummed a yes and smiled in his face.
"As for the questioning you wished to conduct, do you want to start with them today or tomorrow?" he asked.
"I believe it would be best to leave that for tomorrow. We can start bright and early after they finally get a good night of sleep," her beam did not dim.
"That is fair," he nodded before taking his hands back.
However, right as she’d been about to walk away, he caught her by the hand and pulled her back into his chest, "Don’t you think for a second that I’ve forgotten what you did yesterday," he hissed while squinting his eyes.
Her cheeks instantly went from pink to bright red, nearly radiating. The young woman took a sharp breath in, locking her eyes on the barely visible water that still coated his skin.
"And one more thing," he added, catching her attention, "If you don’t know what to wear, go for gold and green for these are your colors," his lips drew a sweet grin, "They bring out the absolute best in you,"
And for green and gold she went!
Not the greatest most marvelous gown, by any means, but on her, it looked as beautiful as it was comfortable.
For that day specifically, Arabella opted for a dress that could be carried around with no hoops to support its sheer volume.
The gold patterns descended down the green velvet until the hem of the skirt, whereas the bust put emphasis on her breasts.
When her wedding brooch stood out as the odd element, Silas unpinned it from her chest then pinned it to the side of the golden belt around her middle where it was the least visible and disrupting.
"Are you sure?" she asked, her eyes glistening, "It won’t garner the attention it would if I pin it to my chest,"
"From where I am standing, another part of you has garnered my full attention," he said, eyes strictly on her plump, pushed up tits, "I’d gladly tear this dress off of you, right this second,"
"Then perhaps I can wear a dress I don’t care much for," she pouted, "I don’t want to see this lovely work of art torn. I’ve done my fair share of tearing beautiful dresses up in my days,"
After one last kiss on the lips, the couple split for each to find their destination.
Silas went straight for the backyard where the food they’d ordered for the coming occasion had arrived.
Arabella made her way down to the kitchens in order to find the girls.
"Please, stop biting those pretty nails of yours, my Lady," madame Arumina stood by her side to watch things unfold, "Everything is ready. They are just rushing to complete their daily chores before being interrupted,"
"I might never get used to that title," Arabella shook her head, Eyes on Estrid who walked past them with a basket full of washed clothing.
"Something tells me that with the events that are about to take place, you will get used to it a lot sooner than you might think,"
The young woman took a deep breath and turned to the headmaid. Her eyes squinted momentarily before recovering their natural shape, "I suppose that is possible,"
"You have big shoes to fill," Arumina sighed, "It is natural for you to feel some weight on your shoulders, but if this is the life you want then you will have to learn how to carry it with pride. Faltering isn’t an option,"