Chapter 167: Your Wedding Date Is The Same Day As Ella’s?

Lorali

"Oh, Lorali, you’re finally here!"

The heavy doors of the grand banquet hall swung open, flooding the space with warm, golden light and the rich, fragrant aroma of jasmine gardens. I stepped into the hall, blinking against the sudden brilliance that hit my eyesight.

Wow.

My eyes swept across the room, taking in everything one by one. This place looks seriously dope. Vanya’s Sangeet ceremony was an absolute visual masterpiece. Draped ceilings of crimson and marigold silk billowed overhead, tangled with thousands of fairy lights that twinkled like captured stars. Elaborate floral arrangements lined every single archway, and the sheer scale of the setup made it painfully obvious that millions had gone into the decorations alone.

If her Sangeet looks like a royal coronation, a sudden wave of dry amusement hits my chest. I shudder to think what her actual wedding is going to look like.

Before I could take another step, Susie appeared out of nowhere, grabbing my arm and pulling me into a side hug. She pulled back, her eyes drifting over my shoulder, and opened wide when she saw the two men standing behind me. She let out a loud whistle.

"Wait," Susie giggled, pointing a finger directly at them. "You brought two dates? Seriously, Lorali? Didn’t think you had it in you."

I let out an awkward laugh, feeling my cheeks heat up slightly.

Of course I had two dates. She expected me to have one. Everyone expected me to have one. I cast my eyes sideways, looking at my two companions. I didn’t want to come here alone, and I sure as hell didn’t want to come here with Torin. Oracle is here because he has to be here, as for Erin, I just chose Erin to come because he’s good company, and Astrid was busy, so I settled.

"Technically, I only have one guest," I lied smoothly, flashing an innocent smile.

As soon as she looked like she wanted to know more, I spoke up before she could ask. "Let me not get into the logistical details, okay?"

Susie rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Whatever. But you’re going to have to ditch them in two seconds anyway because Vanya’s estranged father just showed up with his new girlfriend, and Vanya is currently losing her mind in the back room."

I stopped mid-stride, my eyebrow shooting up toward my hairline. What?

"Hold on," I said, blinking at her. "Vanya’s dad is here? I didn’t even know the man existed."

"He exists, and he’s an absolute ass," Susie hissed, grabbing my hand and starting to weave through the thickening crowd of guests. "Honestly, for a girl who never got visitors back at Alma Academy, Vanya sure has a massive family tree."

As Susie dragged me through the sea of richly dressed members of high society, dodging waiters carrying trays of sliced appetizers, I couldn’t help but marvel at how large the banquet hall really was. We took a turn down a quiet, carpeted corridor lined with private rooms, stopping outside a double door marked VIP B.

Susie didn’t even bother to knock. She pushed the door open and stepped right inside.

"Who does he think he is, showing up after all these years?!" a frantic, high-pitched voice screamed out from the center of the room. "I swear to the Goddess, I’m going to march out there and commit murder!"

Vanya was pacing back and forth across a plush rug, her heavy emerald and gold lehenga swishing dramatically around her ankles, her hair partially pinned up while a makeup artist stood helplessly in the corner holding a powder brush.

"Calm down, Vanya," Susie urged, shutting the door behind us.

I stepped into the room, my eyes landing on the bride-to-be. "Wow, you look really pretty," I blurted out, genuinely stunned by how radiant she looked despite the fact that smoke was practically coming out of her ears.

Vanya paused her pacing, blinking at me. "Oh, thank you, Lorali, but is this really the time?"

"There is always a time to call you pretty," I shot back, walking over and resting a hand on her arm. "And hey, if you don’t want your father to be here, I could literally make a plan to get him removed. I have a lot of aggression built up today. I could easily toss him out the party or shove him out a window."

Vanya let out a sudden bark of laughter. "That will only cause a scene. This is supposed to be a happy day. I should be smiling. I mean, actually, look at the bright side, seeing that he has a new girlfriend now... I’m entirely sure he didn’t marry her, she’s just a new fling... it only means one thing."

She stopped pacing, a wicked, triumphant smile spreading across her face. "My stepmother is officially gone!"

Vanya threw her hands up, doing a little victory dance right there on the rug.

Susie and I stared at her, blinking in absolute confusion.

"Wait," said Susie, her jaw dropping. "Explain. You had a stepmother?"

"Yeah," Vanya beamed, looking entirely too pleased with herself. "When my mom died, my father had an open affair with this awful woman. She was just one of many, but she stuck around the longest. Before I left the estate, she was gloating right to my face, saying she would birth a son and he would have everything, and that my father would never remember me. Well, she didn’t birth an alpha! I’m still an only child! And I told her then that she wasn’t the end, she was just one of many, and there would be others after her. So it’s deeply satisfying to see my point proven. There were others after her! My father is for the streets!"

I let out a low whistle. "That sure is a bright glimmer of sunshine shining right through the storm."

"Yep, it sure is," Vanya laughed, patting her hair into place.

Susie clapped her hands together. "All right, well, as fun as celebrating your father’s infidelity is, I think we should head back out to the main banquet before everyone figures out we’ve been missing for twenty minutes."

"Lead the way," I agreed.

The rest of the evening rolled forward in a blur of clinking champagne flutes, traditional music, and pretending to know people. By the time the informal speeches were announced, the banquet hall was buzzing with warmth.

Susie went out onto the elevated stage first, taking the microphone with a soft smile.

"Vanya is my best friend," Susie spoke into the microphone, her voice echoing softly across the room. "We were both at Alma Academy together, and she was the first to reach out to me when I felt totally lost. Now, even living together, we still bicker and fight over stupid things, like who took whose dress! But at the end of the day, we are sisters."

Susie paused, her voice catching, and she blinked back a sudden shimmer of tears. "Seeing her now, stepping into this next Chapter of her life, becoming a brilliant, fierce woman... it’s just amazing to witness the woman she’s grown into. To Vanya, my best friend!"

The room erupted into warm applause. Susie stepped down from the podium, wiping a stray tear from her cheek, and casually shoved the microphone into my arms as she passed me in the aisle.

"Your turn," she whispered with an evil little smile.

That evil little thing knew I was unprepared. I didn’t have a speech planned! I froze, staring down at the microphone in my hand. Wait, since when did I have to give a speech?! I hate Susie.

Panic spiked in my chest for a fraction of a second, but I took a deep breath, walked onto the floor, stepped two steps up, and stood under the bright spotlight. I cleared my throat, pasting on my best public-speaking smile.

"I’m not one for sappy speeches," I began, my voice clear and steady. "Mostly because my default setting is sarcasm and mild hostility. But Vanya, you are a genuinely good person. You’re kind and fiercely loyal, and frankly, you deserve a medal for putting up with half the people in this room."

A wave of laughter rippled through the crowd.

"I admire you," I continued, glancing over at Vanya, who was covering her mouth and laughing. "You take no crap. You own every room you walk into, and I know for a fact that whatever life throws at you, you’re going to crush it. Congratulations."

I handed the mic back to the coordinator, stepped off to the sound of polite, enthusiastic clapping, and slid back into the crowd beside Susie.

"Not bad," Susie leaned over to whisper. "You sounded almost like a normal, functioning member of society."

"I have my moments," I muttered dryly.

As the music swelled, a large group of Vanya’s distant relatives swarmed her to take endless family photos. Susie and I took a step back and let out a synchronized sigh of relief.

"Not a bad party," Susie noted, looking around the lavish hall.

"I’ve definitely been at better parties," I replied quietly.

My eyes scanned the room, low-key bored. This party was very controlled and peaceful. It wasn’t like the unhinged parties Astrid and I go to, but whatever.

Susie suddenly made a sharp "Oh," tapping her fingers together. "That reminds me. What on earth are you thinking having the exact same wedding date as Arabella?"

My body went rigid, and I stopped breathing. What on earth is she talking about?!

"What do you mean, my wedding date?" I asked, my voice dropping into a dangerous, icy whisper.

Susie frowned, looking at me sideways. "I saw online that Torin announced the official date for your wedding as mid-February next year."