Mona stormed into the hall, surprising even her parents. “Mona!” Duchess Elena gasped. “That's not… that's not you?” “Of course not, mom! How could you not recognize your own daughter?!” Mona snapped. The Duke's family were confused. Sure they had noticed a slight change in the girl’s figure and mannerisms but they assumed it was their daughter trying to be perfect.After all, she denied everyone the opportunity to see her three days before the wedding. She also mentioned something about going on dieting so her wedding dress would fit so how did she expect them to tell the difference?To crown it all, the girl had a veil over her face. Were they supposed to strip her off it to check if it was their daughter or not?Even the Prince had a mask on his face so no one could tell. Mona ignored her parents and matched them to the altar. “Highness, as you can see, I am the real Mona, the woman you desperately wanted to wed. This woman here is an imposter!” Gasps filled the air. “She is

When Cedric received the invitation to the council meeting, he did not expect they would be discussing his niece's coronation. With all five chiefs present in the council supporting the decision to coronate Prince Styles in three days, Cedric knew his opinions were likely going to be overlooked. “Three days sounds just appropriate. All that is kept is to assign duties and preparations begin,” Lord Orio said. Cedric looked at the man in disbelief, “Three days sounds appropriate? For a boy who ran away for four years? You are suddenly going to gift him the throne like it's nothing?” “Cedric, with all due respect, I ask that you watch the words you utter,” Lord Blane incepted. “What wrong have I done by pointing out this obvious mistake?” Cedric huffed. “You want to crown a boy who runs away at the first sight of danger? His father, the Emperor, God bless his soul, passed away. What did your prince do? He ran away. What do you think will happen when we are faced with a war?”The Lor

“You summoned me, your highness,” the maid bowed. “Liah, you know you are my most trusted aide, right?” Cedric straightened up. “Yes, Your Highness,” the girl bowed. “And your family promised that you would be there to fulfill whatever I desire of you, do you remember that?” He asked. “Yes, Your Highness.”“You remember that I am the only one who stood firmly with your family during their times of trial when they were unjustly sentenced by the previous Emperor,” he reminded.Liah couldn't help but look up this time. Why was he reminding her of that suddenly?“Yes, your highness,” she answered nonetheless., swallowing back the questions that arose within her. “Are you willing to do anything for me, no matter the cost?” He asked her. As much as she wanted to respond quickly, she couldn't. There were a lot of things involved in that statement that didn't sit well with her. Sure, she could do whatever he asked her to do but there were limits to it and she intended to make it clear.

“Are you alright?” Ivory asked when she noticed the girl's petrified expression. It seemed she was battling her inner thoughts. “I… the thing is that my tears dropped into your fruits and I'm not sure how you'd react if I asked that I present you with a new set of fruits. I'd add more pineapples this time,” Liah said. Styles didn't understand why such a small thing was making her tremble so much but Ivory understood the fear of doing something wrong before your masters.“It's alright, Liah. You can take it away,” Ivory said softly. The girl hurried out of the room almost immediately, thanking the gods that they didn't insist on making her eat it or scolding her.“She looked so pale. Is she alright?” Styles asked Ivory.“I don't know. I guess she is just overwhelmed. It's not every day someone offers to make your dream come true,” she shrugged.“Let's start with the shrimp soup, I'm sure you will love it,” Styles told her.“Let's see how crazy it drives my taste buds.” Liah reached

Ragi and Styles were on a stroll around the palace. “I will make sure all parameters are heavily guarded and I also the crowning ritual takes place in a very strategic corner to prevent both seen and unseen attacks,” Ragi informed Styles.“Is all that really necessary? It's our day, shouldn't we enjoy it?” Styles said. “We will enjoy it but it must be with caution. Your father had many enemies and there are still people who do not wish to see you on the throne. We need to make sure that no matter what happens, no harm befalls you,” Ragi pointed out.“You have a point. I'll let you do your thing then and please make sure to tell the guards that no one without an invite should be allowed in. The ceremony is strictly on invitation,” Styles said. “I will ensure that the information is conveyed, your highness. I suggest you get ready now. The ceremony begins in an hour. You can't be late to your own coronation.”“I won't even dream of it.”*****************Guests began trooping in from