Chapter 368: The chaos that was a birthday.
Sienna stuck her tongue out at her mother, like Ali did often after mischief. "I just figured that if I didn’t change, I would lose my husband and children and the good life I had found."
Her mother sighed. "Thank the fox god you came to your senses." Indeed, if her daughter had remained the same, then they would all still be living miserable lives.
She stepped out of the room to change and mingle with the guests.
Moments later, Sienna adjusted the golden pearl crown on her head as she stepped out into the hallway, Ali’s hand tucked firmly in hers. The little girl’s dress shimmered so brightly that it put the fox lanterns and lights in the corridor to shame. It was so bright that it made the guards recoil.
Elias also stepped into the hall, from the opposite end, their son Eli trotting beside him.
When Elias came to where she was standing, he froze, blinking furiously as though the glare from Ali’s dress had physically struck him. But then his gaze rose--and nearly stopped his heart.
The crown. That crown.
On his wife’s head sat one of the queen mother’s most legendary pieces, the golden pearl crown worn during her first wedding anniversary. It had taken tours around museums in different cities, been featured in the news and finally, returned to the royal palace for safe keeping. He had a feeling that his wife had managed to get her hands on it through Princess Lina.
"Oh no." Eli whispered.
Elias’s jaw slackened, his pulse thundered, and his hand twitched as if it wished to rip the crown off her head before disaster struck. But fate was cruelly punctual: the doors swung open, and the hall beyond revealed a sea of guests already seated, waiting.
Sienna smiled at Elias, and took the first step forward. His panicked feet followed, and they walked in together, hand in hand, their children ahead of them.
The crowd’s reaction was immediate. Murmurs rose at the sight of Ali’s blinding dress, but those whispers turned into audible gasps when the chandelier light hit the golden glow of the crown. It was not just the queen mother’s crown but all of the jewels on Sienna’s body. The necklace, earrings, bracelet, and rings Sienna wore belonged to different, but highly prized royal collections of the queen mother!
Where the royal family was sitting, the king pressed his massive palms over his mouth to stifle a laugh. His shoulders shook, betraying his amusement. His feet nudged at the queen’s feet, as if to ask, ’are you seeing this?’
The queen sighed, wishing the ground would swallow her, because Sienna had not shared her plan with her. If she had known, she would have taken a small trip to another city for a few days.
The Veythars, even Cadelaria, were drenched in sweat, their eyes darting nervously between the queen mother and Sienna.
The queen mother herself sat rigid, her glare sharp enough to slice through steel. She pointed at Sienna, opened and closed her mouth, like she was struggling to breathe. Then, in a dramatic collapse, she fainted backward, attendants and her husband rushing to catch her before she hit the floor with her chair.
The hall erupted in chaos--guests rising, voices overlapping, panic brewing. But before the storm could sweep through the room, Elias used mental strength to increase the reach of his voice. It thundered across the hall.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming. The queen mother has...."
"Diabetes." Sienna pitched in. "She needs some candy, because she is the sweetest woman I know."
Elias cut in rapidly, "I will take the honor to announce a marriage tonight!"
The words silenced the crowd instantly. Elias gestured towards Mrs. Miller, who sat startled at one of the tables near the center, at the front. "Lord Chase Twindell has expressed his intentions to marry my mother-in-law."
Gasps rippled again, this time in disbelief. Mrs. Miller blinked furiously, her cheeks flushing crimson as guests surged toward her and Chase, congratulating, questioning, gossiping.
Meanwhile, royal attendants whisked the unconscious queen mother away, her fainting spell treated with more urgency than that of a bleeding soldier on a battlefield.
Elias, relieved to have diverted the disaster, hurried over to the royal corner, to smooth the waters. Lina was already trying to explain frantically that she had no idea what Sienna had truly planned. "I swear, I didn’t know! She gave me different jewelry and this dress. She said the jewelry I borrowed from mother would not match the occasion. How was I supposed to know she would borrow it?"
Her words fell on deaf ears, drowned out by the hum of scandal.
Sienna’s aunts were dabbing tears from the corners of their eyes. Uncle Jorik was thinking of how his nemesis would use this incident against him.
Grandpa Corven was wondering if this counted as treason! Sienna had not just worn the jewelry, holo screens were showing her image and that of the queen mother side by side, as if comparing who had worn it better!
"We should never have allowed her to throw this party Marius." Cadelaria whispered from somewhere in the crowd, to her husband. "This is going to ruin my friendship with the queen mother!"
Lord Marius looked at his sons who were in stitches. "I won the bet." He said joyfully, lifting his wine glass.
The grandmothers were working overtime to distract the guests. Servers rushed through the aisles, trays piled high with snacks, desperate to have them talk about anything but golden pearl crowns. Dancers were shoved onto the stage, their movements beautiful but frantic, as if their very lives depended on keeping the crowd entertained.
Sienna, serene beneath the crown, walked through the guests, exchanging polite smiles and words, accepting the kind wishes for her husband. Ali was like her glittering tail, following her to navigate the guests.
When she reached the royal table, she didn’t tremble or sweat. Instead, she had a brilliant smile on her face, because she was having the best day around.
"Your Royal Highnesses," she curtsied before the King and queen and all their royal relatives in attendance. "We are so happy that you have come to our small party. Trust me when I say that it would not have been the same if you all did not show up."
One of the king’s aunts rose in anger but Lina pulled her back down.
Sienna touched her earrings and flashed her pearly whites at the former king. "Lina said you lent me these. I must say, you have great taste in some things. When it comes to lionesses..."
Elias leaped over, covering Sienna’s mouth with his hand.
At the same time, Lina and Serenya jumped over, screaming ’no’ at the top of their lungs. They fell on Elias and Sienna, and all four of them went tumbling down!!
Guards rushed in to stop the fall, but it was too late.
The king’s muffled laughter finally broke free, booming across the hall like thunder.