Magni grunted. “Then I’m sending a message to Aubri instead.”
“Fine. Anyone else wants to say something to the two Explorers?”
“I’ll do my own,” I said. “I want to thank them and tell them we’ll wait with the wedding celebration until they’re back home.”
“Good idea. That reminds me.” Khan leaned back in his seat. “We need to spin this situation to our advantage. I agree that we should postpone the wedding celebration, but I’ll perform the ceremony and do a press release. We have to address Aubri’s absence.”
“What do you plan to write?” I asked.
Khan and Pearl exchanged one of their glances before he answered me. “Pearl believes in sticking to the truth, so we found a compromise compared to the version I wanted to tell. We’ll tell them that during this summit, there was an awful avalanche that buried Belle alive. You saved her and the two of you fell in love. Everyone in the Northlands loves a good story of a hero saving a woman. Then we’ll say that the French were upset and wanted Belle to come home. Thor successfully negotiated with them and when they asked for help to clean up their lands, Indiana and Aubri heroically volunteered.”
Magni nodded. “Remember to add that the French are grateful for the help and impressed by my daughter’s superiority.”
“What about Indiana?” Freya asked.
Magni frowned. “He always knew she was special.”
“No, I mean aren’t the French impressed with him as well?”
“Sure.” Magni tapped Khan’s shoulder. “The French are impressed with both of them.”
My mom, who was sitting next to Khan, said, “You should add that once Aubri returns we’ll celebrate the marriage of Belle and Mason, who have been wedded in a quiet ceremony with the closest family.”
“I will. And then I’ll make sure that the news spreads the rumor that Thor is falling in love with a lovely Northlander woman.”
“That’s a lie,” Freya pointed out.
“More like wishful thinking,” Khan defended himself in a low mutter. “We’re throwing the traditionalists a bone, that’s all.”
“The reporters will be all over Thor.”
“He’ll handle them. He always does.”
“But Dad…”
Khan threw a dismissive wave of his hand. “We all have to make sacrifices. I’m not forcing him to marry anyone. It’s just a small rumor that won’t hurt him.”
While the others kept talking, my mom came over to Belle and me. Smiling, she reached out her hand to Belle.
“This must all seem maddening to you, and I regret that we haven’t been in a state of mind to properly welcome you to our family.”
Belle smiled back but I could tell she was nervous. “I understand. I wish there was something I could do.”
“Yes, I think we all feel that way.” My mom looked back at my father, who came to join us. “I was just welcoming Belle to our family and telling her how sorry we are for the messy situation.”
My father held on to my shoulder but kept his gaze on Belle. “If you have any trouble with him, don’t hesitate to come to Laura and me. Mason has my temper and his mother’s stubbornness so living with him won’t be easy.”
“Or boring,” my mother added with a small wink.
“I’m not perfect either,” Belle said with a cute smile and squeezed my hand.
My mom’s smile widened. “How about you and I take a look at a simple wedding dress for the small ceremony? You can always go all out for the big celebration this summer.”
When Belle nodded in agreement, my mother asked Pearl and Freya if they wanted to join them.
“I know nothing about wedding dresses, but I’ll come for the company,” Pearl declared while Freya sighed and muttered,
“Sure, I’ll go look at wedding dresses, as long as no one asks me to wear one.”
CHAPTER 31
The Last Chapter
Belle
All my life I’ve worn bright-colored clothing. And yet, I never felt that I stood out as much as when I wore my beautiful white wedding dress.
Everyone’s faces softened when they saw me, even Magni and Khan.
Mason’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat and when he took my hands, I felt them shaking.
“You look like a real princess,” he whispered with a gorgeous smile that eased my nerves.
The guests were all part of the large Aurelius family, except Christina and Boulder, who were there with Jones and Samara. I knew Mason wanted Indiana’s family to be here to see that his sacrifice mattered.
The ceremony was held in the grand room, which had such beautiful old-world elegance with the wooden floorboards, the stucco, and the rich colors on the walls.
Khan stood with his back to the large doors leading out to the balcony. As if the winter sun wanted to see what we were up to, rays of light bounced off the floors.
“Stand closer,” Khan instructed and gestured for the guests to form a half circle around Mason and me.
I smiled at Freya and Dina standing in front of Thor and Magni, who towered over them with their height.
“I’ve been the ruler of the Northlands for thirty-two years. These past three decades have brought unprecedented peace and prosperity for our country. Of course, Pearl would say that it’s no coincidence that the peace coincides with the number of women increasing by more than ten thousand percent from one hundred women to well over a million. There was a time when weddings were so rare that I performed every ceremony in person. Those days are long over now. There are too many and for that we’re all grateful.
“Still, it’s a special treat to join together my nephew and his sweet bride Belle. It’s been far too long since there has been a wedding in our family. But let’s hope today’s ceremony is the first in a series of happy days for all our children to come.”
Khan’s gaze went to Thor and Freya before he continued, “Despite being an old man with much experience at performing weddings, I’m still humbled that those of us here get to witness something this historic. As far as we know, Belle is the first woman from Europe to be married since the Toxic War four hundred years ago.”
I looked up into Mason’s clear blue eyes and melted from the warm smile on his face. As Khan continued talking, I stood mesmerized by the beautiful man in front of me. His hair and outfit made Mason look regal, like something out of a movie.
“I do.” Mason’s words made me blink my eyes and listen to Khan’s words again.
“And do you, Belle Dupont, take Mason Aurelius to be your wedded husband?”
“Oui. I do.”
Dina brought forward a pillow with rings. Holding my hand up, Mason slid a beautiful modern-looking wedding band on my finger. I did the same to him and everyone cheered around us.
“You may kiss your bri…” Khan laughed, as he never got to finish his sentence before I was dangling over the floor in Mason’s arms kissing my new husband.
After the ceremony, everyone mingled and cheered for our happiness.
Jones kept his distance and I felt a pinch of guilt, knowing that it had to be difficult for him to see me marry Mason after rejecting Jones’ proposal.