Steven’s POV
For one breath, I thought I had dreamed it.
The hill.
The sunset.
The lanterns glowing blue-white around the blanket.
Aqua’s hand trembling in mine.
The ring.
Her yes.
All of it hovered somewhere between sleep and waking, too bright to trust, too perfect to belong to the same world where my life usually happened.
Then morning light shifted across the room.
Soft gold spilled over the edge of the blanket and touched the pillow beside me.
Aqua was there.
Asleep.
Her pale hair rested across the pillow in loose waves, the light blue streaks catching the sun like strands of water. One hand lay near her cheek, relaxed and open.
Her left hand.
The aquamarine ring rested on her finger.
Real.
Not a dream.
Better than a dream.
Because dreams ended when I opened my eyes.
Aqua was still here.
My chest tightened so fast it almost hurt. I did not move at first. I barely breathed. I only stared at the ring as if it might vanish if I blinked too hard.
It looked right on her.
That was the strangest part.
Not normal, exactly. Nothing about Aqua had ever felt normal to me, not from the moment she climbed out of the lake and turned my entire life into something impossible.
But the ring looked like it belonged there.
Like it had been waiting for her hand longer than I had known how to ask.
Aqua shifted beneath the blanket.
I froze.
Her fingers curled slightly, and the ring caught the light.
A small blue flash crossed the ceiling.
She opened her eyes.
For a second, she only looked at me, sleepy and quiet, her face softer than it ever looked when she was awake and guarding her thoughts. Then her gaze followed mine to her hand.
Her mouth parted.
The smallest smile touched her lips.
“There it is,” she whispered.
My throat tightened.
“Yeah.”
She lifted her hand a little, watching the aquamarine catch the sunlight. The stone looked pale blue one moment and almost clear the next, like shallow water moving over sand.
Then her eyes slid back to me.
“You are staring.”
“I know.”
“Still?”
“I’m checking.”
Her brows drew together, but the smile stayed. “Checking what?”
“That it’s still there.”
“It is.”
“And that you still want it there.”
Aqua went still.
Not cold.
Not upset.
Just still enough that I felt my own words turn heavy in the space between us.
I hated that I had asked it.
I hated that some part of me still needed to.
Last night she had said yes. She had said it more than once. She had kissed me with the ring on her hand, touched my face, held me close, trusted me with parts of myself I still did not fully understand.
And still, morning came, and fear woke with me.
Aqua turned onto her side, facing me fully. The blanket slipped slightly from her shoulder, and she reached up with her ringed hand.
Her fingers touched my cheek.
Cool.
Gentle.
Real.
“Of course, Steven,” she whispered. “I still want to marry you.”
The words sank into me slowly.
Not because I did not believe her.
Because I did.
And believing her made something inside me ache.
I closed my eyes for one second, leaning into her touch.
“Okay,” I breathed.
Aqua’s thumb brushed my cheek.
“You do not sound okay.”
“I’m getting there.”
She smiled, then leaned forward and kissed me.
A morning kiss.
Soft. Warm. Sleepy.
Not desperate like last night. Not trembling under the weight of everything we had almost lost and everything we had chosen. This was quieter. A kiss that said the world had not ended while we slept. A kiss that said yes could survive sunrise.
When she pulled back, I wanted to chase her mouth.
I did not.
Mostly.
She noticed anyway.
Her smile widened. “You are thinking loudly.”
“That’s usually Fang’s complaint.”
“I am learning from him.”
“That is dangerous.”
“It is useful.”
I laughed under my breath, then caught her hand before she could pull it away. I turned it gently, looking at the ring again.
Aqua watched me.
The softness in her eyes made the hunger stir faintly beneath my ribs.
Not fire.
Not exactly.
The other thing.
The Salvatore thing.
The part of me that craved love the way a starving body craved food.
Last night, I had felt it rise between us. Felt the pull before it began taking. Felt Aqua choose to meet it instead of run from it.
And this morning, the memory still made my stomach twist.
“I still feel like I took something from you,” I said.
Aqua’s hand tightened around mine.
“You cannot take what I give willingly.”
I looked at her.
She did not look away.
“I know you said that.”
“I meant it.”
“I know.” My voice scraped. “I just… I don’t want to hide behind that if I hurt you.”
“You did not hurt me.”
“But the hunger—”
“Is part of you.”
“That doesn’t make it harmless.”
“No.” Her gaze softened, but her voice stayed steady. “It makes it something we learn. Together.”
The word together settled into my chest with the same impossible weight as wife.
I swallowed.
“Thanks for trying to soften the blow.”
“I am not softening it,” Aqua said. “I am telling you the truth. I chose you. I chose last night. I chose to trust you with that part of me.”
Her fingers slid between mine.
“And I will tell you if something frightens me.”
I believed that too.
Maybe not because Aqua never hid things.
She did.
She had been raised to survive by swallowing feelings until they turned into silence.
But she was trying.
And somehow, that made me want to try harder too.
I pressed my forehead lightly to hers.
“Then I’ll try not to panic every time you choose me.”
“That would be helpful.”
I huffed a quiet laugh.
She smiled again.
For a moment, we stayed like that, hands tangled together, the ring pressed lightly against my skin.
Then something shifted in the front room.
A faint rustle.
A familiar dry voice entered my mind.
So, Fang said, you finally found the courage.
I groaned.
Aqua blinked. “Fang?”
“He’s awake.”
I have been awake. Some of us do not sleep through historic incompetence.
I rubbed a hand over my face.
Aqua sat up, pulling the blanket around herself. “Is he criticizing you?”
“Yes.”
Accurately.
“He says accurately.”
Aqua’s mouth twitched.
I climbed out of bed and pulled on a shirt before opening the bedroom door.
Fang sat on the back of the sofa like he owned the house and merely allowed us to live in it. Morning light slid over his black scales, catching the yellow stripes along his body until they glowed like narrow bands of gold. His head lifted as I stepped into the room, eyes bright with the kind of smugness only a snake could make look regal.
Aqua followed me, tying her robe around her waist. The ring flashed as she adjusted the sleeve.
Fang’s gaze went straight to her hand.
For once, he did not immediately insult me.
The quiet lasted long enough for my chest to tighten again.
She chose? Fang asked.
His voice in my head had lost its sharp edge.
I looked at Aqua.
She could not hear him, but she seemed to feel the weight of the silence.
“He asked if you chose,” I said.
Aqua stepped closer to the sofa.
Her eyes softened.
“Yes, Fang,” she said. “I chose.”
Fang lowered his head slightly.
Not a bow.
Not quite.
But close enough that my throat went tight.
Then I approve.
I swallowed.
“He says he approves.”
Aqua smiled.
“I am honored.”
She should be. I am selective.
I sighed. “He says he’s selective.”
Aqua laughed softly, and the sound moved through the room like light.
Fang’s head tilted.
Did he ask properly?
I narrowed my eyes.
“He wants to know if I asked properly.”
Aqua’s smile turned wickedly gentle. “He almost fell into the snack tray.”
Fang’s body went very still.
Then his tongue flicked.
Excellent.
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“Do not encourage her.”
I encourage truth.
Aqua lifted her ringed hand, studying the stone again. “He asked perfectly.”
I stared at her.
She looked back at me. “For us.”
The words landed deeper than perfectly would have on its own.
For us.
Not polished.
Not noble.
Not smooth enough for Dylan to approve of without comment.
Ours.
Fang watched us both for a moment.
Then he slid down from the sofa back and curled neatly on the cushion, as if the emotional portion of the morning had exhausted him.
He was insufferable for three days, Fang said. Checking his pocket. Staring into nothing. Pacing. Thinking too loudly.
“That part does not need translating,” I said.
Aqua looked at me.
“It does now.”
I glared at Fang.
He looked pleased.
“He says I was obvious.”
Pathetic.
“Devoted,” I corrected.
Fang’s head lifted.
Pathetic in a devoted way.
I pointed at him. “That is not better.”
Aqua laughed again.
The sound made the hunger in me stir, but gently this time. Not a bite. Not a pull. Just warmth looking for somewhere to go.
Aqua moved closer and touched Fang lightly behind the head with two fingers.
“Thank you for watching over him.”
Fang froze.
His yellow eyes shifted toward me.
She is thanking me.
“She is.”
Why?
“Because you watch over me.”
He requires it, Fang said.
I translated, “He says I require watching.”
Aqua’s smile softened. “We all do sometimes.”
Fang went quiet.
For a second, I thought he might make some sharp comment to escape the tenderness.
He did not.
He only rested his head back down and watched the ring catch the light.
The morning should have stayed there.
Quiet.
Soft.
Ours.
But happiness, apparently, came with announcements.
And announcements came with people.
“We should tell Dylan,” Aqua said.
My stomach did a strange little flip.
“Before Fredrick?”
“I want to thank him first.”
“For the ring?”
“And the hilltop. And the lanterns. And helping you when you were nervous.”
“I was not that nervous.”
Aqua looked at me.
Fang lifted his head.
Do not lie in front of witnesses.
I exhaled. “Fine. I was a little nervous.”
Pathetic.
“Helpful, Fang.”
Aqua’s smile had not faded.
“I want him to know it mattered,” she said.
Something in my chest softened.
Dylan would hate that.
Which meant we absolutely had to do it.
“Then we tell Dylan first,” I said.
Aqua glanced toward the window, toward the far stretch of town and the lake beyond.
Her expression shifted in that subtle way it did when water answered her. Not quite distant. Not quite present. Listening.
“He is near the lake,” she said.
“Naturally. His usual brooding spot.”
Aqua gave me a look.
“What? It is.”
Fang’s voice slid through my mind.
The Worth boy broods with discipline. You brood like a kettle left too long over flame.
I opened the door.
“Not translating that.”
Coward.
We found Dylan near the lake, because apparently some people enjoyed proving me right.
He stood at the end of the small dock with his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, one hand lifted toward the water. A ribbon of lake water rose in front of him, twisted once, then lost shape and splashed back down with more force than he probably intended.
Dylan’s shoulders tightened.
He tried again.
This time the water lifted smoother, thin and bright in the morning sun.
Then it wobbled and collapsed.
I stopped at the edge of the dock.
“Should we clap or pretend we didn’t see that?”
Dylan did not turn around.
“You should learn silence.”
“I’ve been told that before.”
“By intelligent people, I assume.”
“Mostly snakes.”
“Then perhaps listen to the snake.”
Aqua stepped beside me, her eyes on the water.
“You are pulling from too wide a point,” she said.
Dylan finally looked back.
His gaze flicked to her hand.
The ring caught the sunlight.
For half a second, his expression changed.
Not much.
Dylan never gave away much unless he chose to.
But something softened around his eyes, quick as a door opening and closing.
Then his posture straightened.
“I assume congratulations are in order.”
I grinned before I could stop myself.
“I did it.”
“Yes,” Dylan said. “I can see that.”
“That’s it?”
“Congratulations.”
“You sound like you’re reading a weather report.”
“Would you prefer shouting?”
“No.”
“Then accept the congratulations.”
Aqua laughed softly.
Dylan’s gaze moved to her, and his tone shifted just slightly.
“The ring suits you.”
Aqua looked down at her hand.
“It does.”
My chest warmed.
I lifted her hand, probably unnecessarily, because I wanted to see it again.
Dylan noticed.
Naturally.
His mouth barely moved, but I could feel the judgment.
“What?” I said.
“Nothing.”
“That was not nothing.”
“It was restraint.”
Aqua smiled, then stepped forward.
“Thank you, Dylan.”
His expression stilled.
“For what?”
“For helping him. For the ring. For the hilltop. For the tideglass lanterns.”
Dylan looked at the lake.
“I arranged lanterns. Steven chose the important parts.”
“You helped make them real.”
His jaw tightened faintly.
“It was an arrangement.”
“It was effort,” Aqua said. “For us.”
Dylan said nothing.
The silence stretched long enough for even me to feel it.
Then he glanced at me.
“Do not make that expression.”
“What expression?”
“The one where you are about to become emotional.”
“I have no idea what you mean.”
“You do.”
Unfortunately, I did.
So I coughed and looked at the lake instead.
Aqua’s smile grew.
Dylan cleared his throat and lifted his hand toward the water again, clearly trying to move away from the fact that Aqua had thanked him like he mattered.
The water rose in a curved ribbon.
Aqua watched it for a moment.
“May I?”
Dylan hesitated, then gave one small nod.
“You are forcing the lake to follow the shape you decided on before it moves,” she said. “Let it choose the curve first. Then lift.”
Dylan’s brows drew together, but he tried.
This time, the water came up slower. Softer. It curved naturally before rising, like the lake itself had breathed upward.
The ribbon held.
Only for a few seconds.
But it held.
Dylan looked at it.
Then at Aqua.
“Thank you.”
“You are welcome.”
I blinked.
Dylan Worth had just accepted help without making it sound like a treaty negotiation.
The world was changing too fast.
Dylan released the water, and it fell back into the lake with a softer splash this time.
I looked him over.
Rolled sleeves.
Pressed shirt.
Dark trousers.
Shoes that probably cost more than everything I owned before Worthington.
“You know,” I said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear casual clothes.”
Dylan glanced at me. “These are casual clothes.”
“No, they’re not.”
“They are not formal.”
“That doesn’t make them casual.”
Aqua looked between us, lips curving.
Dylan lowered his hand. “What, exactly, would you prefer I wear while practicing?”
“I don’t know. A T-shirt? Sweatpants? Something that says you’re not about to attend a private school interview?”
“My mother chooses most of my wardrobe,” Dylan said.
That stopped me for half a second.
“She does?”
“Yes.”
“And you just… wear it?”
“I do not mind it.”
“You don’t want to pick your own clothes?”
“I know nothing different.”
He said it without embarrassment. Like the sentence was simple. Like it did not carry anything behind it.
Aqua’s smile softened a little.
Mine did too, but I tried not to make it obvious.
“Still,” I said, “you own nothing casual?”
Dylan looked at my shirt.
Then back at my face.
“Do you own anything other than heather gray?”
Aqua covered her mouth.
I looked down at myself.
My shirt was, unfortunately, heather gray.
“That is not the point.”
“It seems relevant.”
“I have other shirts.”
“Do they know?”
Aqua laughed.
I pointed at him. “You have been spending too much time with me.”
“Clearly,” Dylan said. “My standards are suffering.”
I was still trying to decide whether to defend my shirt when Dylan’s gaze dropped to Aqua’s hand again.
The teasing faded from his face.
The aquamarine ring caught the morning light.
He straightened slightly.
“You should tell my father.”
“There it is,” I said.
“There what is?”
“The lecture.”
“It is not a lecture. It is advice.”
“You sound exactly like him.”
Dylan looked offended.
Aqua smiled. “He does.”
“I do not,” Dylan said.
“You do,” I said.
His eyes narrowed. “You are newly engaged. I will allow that insult once.”
“How generous.”
“It is.”
Aqua lifted her ringed hand, and the aquamarine flashed.
“We do need to speak with Fredrick,” she said.
Dylan nodded. “Especially if you want the marriage recognized properly.”
“I do,” I said.
The answer came faster than I expected.
Aqua looked at me.
I turned toward her fully.
“I want it official,” I said. “Not just here. Not just with the Four Families. If we ever go into the human world together, I want people to know you’re my wife. Legally. Properly. I don’t want anyone acting like our marriage doesn’t count because I didn’t know what paperwork to sign.”
Aqua’s eyes softened.
“If you want that, I want it too,” she said. “I want to stand beside you in that world as your wife.”
My heart did something painful and bright.
Dylan cleared his throat.
“Then when you speak to my father, ask if he can officiate.”
I frowned. “Isn’t that the same thing as asking him to marry us?”
Dylan looked at me like I had personally disappointed every Worth ancestor.
“No.”
“It sounds the same.”
“It is not.”
Aqua tilted her head. “What is the difference?”
Dylan’s expression eased slightly when answering her.
“To officiate means to perform the ceremony. To marry you, in careless phrasing, sounds as though Steven is asking my father to become the groom.”
I stared at him.
Aqua blinked.
Then she laughed.
I groaned and dragged a hand down my face.
“I hate that you’re right.”
“I am preventing disaster.”
“You’re enjoying it.”
“Both can be true.”
Aqua squeezed my hand.
“We will ask him to officiate.”
“Thank you,” Dylan said.
Then he looked back at the water, clearly deciding his duty as emotional witness had been fulfilled.
I hesitated.
There was one more thing.
“Dylan.”
He glanced at me.
“Would you… stand with me?”
His brow shifted.
“At the ceremony?”
“Yeah. As a witness. Or whatever Fredrick says the proper word is.”
The lake moved beneath the dock.
Dylan looked at me for too long.
Long enough that I started to regret asking in front of Aqua.
Not because I did not want her there.
Because Dylan looked like he needed somewhere to hide and could not find it.
Then he looked at the water.
“If my father approves the arrangement, yes.”
I smiled.
“You know that’s basically a yes.”
“It is a conditional yes.”
“Still a yes.”
“Do not become unbearable.”
“Too late,” Aqua said.
I turned toward her.
She looked perfectly innocent.
Dylan’s mouth twitched.
Barely.
But it happened.
I saw it.
Aqua saw it too.
Neither of us said anything, because sometimes friendship had to be left alone long enough to survive.
We left Dylan at the dock with his water ribbon and his mother’s exercises.
As we stepped back onto the path, I looked over my shoulder.
The lake rose in front of him again.
This time, the ribbon held longer.
By the time we reached Fredrick’s house, my confidence had started to collapse.
It had been terrifying to ask Aqua to marry me.
But asking Fredrick Worth to officiate a wedding somehow felt like asking a king, a judge, and someone’s disappointed father all at once.
The door opened before I knocked.
I stopped with my hand still halfway raised.
Aqua looked at me.
I lowered my hand.
“Does he just know?”
The man at the door inclined his head with perfect calm.
“Master Steven. Miss Aqua. Lord Fredrick is expecting you.”
“Right,” I said. “That’s not unsettling at all.”
His expression did not change.
I hesitated, then cleared my throat.
“I don’t think I ever formally asked your name.”
“No, sir.”
That made me feel worse.
“Oh. Sorry. What is it?”
“Henry, sir.”
Aqua smiled gently. “It is nice to meet you properly, Henry.”
Henry inclined his head again. “And you as well, Miss Aqua.”
I glanced at Aqua, then back at him.
“I feel like I should have asked sooner.”
“Unnecessary, sir.”
“That somehow makes me feel worse.”
For the first time, Henry’s mouth almost moved.
Almost.
“Lord Fredrick is in his office,” he said. “Please follow me.”
We stepped inside, and Henry led us down the first-floor hall.
The house smelled faintly of polished wood, old paper, and tea. Portraits lined the walls, their painted eyes watching with the quiet judgment of people who had probably never said officiate incorrectly in their lives.
Henry stopped before a door and knocked once.
“Lord Fredrick,” he said. “Master Steven and Miss Aqua are here.”
“Send them in,” Fredrick’s voice answered.
Henry opened the door.
Fredrick sat behind his desk in a dark suit, composed as ever, like he had been expecting this exact moment down to the second.
Maybe he had.
His gaze lifted to us.
Then it lowered to Aqua’s hand.
The ring caught the light.
Fredrick’s expression softened by the smallest degree.
“Ah,” he said.
My stomach flipped.
Aqua stepped beside me.
I held her hand before I could think better of it.
Fredrick rose from his chair.
“Congratulations, Steven. Miss Aqua.”
“Thank you,” Aqua said.
I nodded. “Thanks.”
Fredrick’s gaze moved between us.
“You both seem pleased.”
“We are,” I said.
Aqua squeezed my hand. “Very.”
Fredrick inclined his head once, then gestured to the chairs in front of his desk.
“Sit.”
We did.
I tried not to look like I was about to be judged and sentenced.
Aqua sat much better than I did, calm and straight-backed, her ringed hand resting in her lap. But I knew her well enough now to see the slight tension in her fingers.
Fredrick sat across from us.
“I assume this visit is not merely to share the news.”
I cleared my throat.
“No. I mean, yes, we wanted to tell you. But also…”
Dylan’s warning flashed in my head.
Officiate.
Not marry.
Definitely not marry.
“We wanted to ask if you would officiate our wedding.”
Fredrick’s brow lifted slightly.
Only slightly.
Still, I felt like I had passed a test I did not know I was taking.
“I would be honored,” he said.
Air left my chest.
Aqua smiled.
“Thank you,” she said.
Fredrick’s attention turned to her more fully.
“Before I agree to anything beyond the word itself, I want to be clear. The Four Families rite would record your choice. It would not bind you against your will, Miss Aqua.”
Aqua’s face shifted.
The words touched something in her.
I felt it through her hand.
A small tightening.
A quiet ache.
Then she nodded.
“I understand.”
“Do you want that rite?” Fredrick asked.
Aqua looked at me.
Not for permission.
For presence.
Then she looked back at Fredrick.
“Yes.”
Fredrick nodded.
“Then I will perform it.”
My shoulders loosened.
Then tightened again.
“There’s also the human-world part.”
“Yes,” Fredrick said. “There would need to be legal preparations.”
“I want that too,” I said. “I want it to be official there. For both of us.”
Fredrick studied me.
Not coldly.
Carefully.
Like he was measuring whether I understood what I was asking.
“Human legality requires documents,” he said. “A date. A license. Proper authority. Witnesses present at the ceremony.”
I nodded, then glanced at Aqua. “We want to do it right.”
Aqua’s hand tightened in mine.
Fredrick’s gaze softened faintly.
“Then we will.”
My heart kicked.
“We will?”
“Yes.”
“That sounded easier than I expected.”
“It will not be effortless,” Fredrick said. “But it is possible.”
I glanced at Aqua.
She looked hopeful.
That made me brave enough to ask the next question.
“How soon?”
Fredrick leaned back slightly.
“How soon do you want it?”
I looked at Aqua again.
This was not a question I wanted to answer first.
Aqua’s eyes lowered to her ring.
For a moment, she was quiet.
Then she said, “Soon.”
My chest tightened.
“How soon?” Fredrick asked.
Aqua looked up.
“One week?” she asked.
My mouth went dry.
One week.
Seven days.
That was nothing.
That was everything.
Fredrick did not react immediately.
He looked from Aqua to me.
“Is that what you both want?”
Aqua turned to me.
“Is that too soon?”
I looked at her hand.
The ring.
The girl who had arrived in my life like lake water and storm light and somehow become the person I could not imagine waking without.
“No,” I said. “Not if you still want it.”
“I do.”
“Then I do too.”
Fredrick watched us for another breath.
Then he nodded.
“One week is possible.”
My stomach dropped and rose at the same time.
“Possible,” I repeated.
“Yes.”
“That means difficult, doesn’t it?”
“It means quick.”
“That also means difficult.”
“In human terms, yes.”
A knock came lightly at the door.
Henry entered with a tea tray as if summoned by timing itself.
Fredrick did not look surprised.
Henry set the tray down, then glanced once at us.
“Tea, my lord.”
“Thank you, Henry.”
Henry began pouring.
I was still stuck on one week.
“One week feels fast,” I said.
“It is fast,” Fredrick replied.
Aqua’s brows drew together slightly. “Can preparations truly be done that quickly?”
Henry set a teacup in front of her.
“In Worthington, Miss Aqua, wedding preparations may be completed faster than in ordinary towns.”
I looked at him.
“Because everyone here is frighteningly organized?”
Henry’s eyes flicked toward Fredrick.
“That helps, sir.”
Fredrick’s mouth did not move, but I got the feeling he was amused.
Henry continued, “Also because many here are magical people.”
I blinked.
“Oh.”
Aqua’s lips parted with a small smile.
I sat back in my chair.
“Right. Magic.”
Fredrick’s brow lifted.
“You forgot magic was part of the equation.”
“I was thinking about licenses.”
“A rare but useful focus.”
“I’m trying to be responsible.”
“Then continue.”
Aqua laughed softly, and even Henry’s expression nearly betrayed him.
I pointed at Fredrick. “You all are enjoying this.”
“Only mildly,” Fredrick said.
“That means yes.”
Henry placed a cup in front of me.
“Dresses, flowers, and ceremony arrangements can be handled quickly with the proper people,” Fredrick said. “Legal documents require more care, but I have channels for that.”
“Channels,” I repeated.
“Proper ones.”
“That sounded suspiciously specific.”
“It was intended to.”
Aqua touched the edge of her teacup.
“And the witnesses?”
Fredrick looked at us both.
“You will need witnesses present at the ceremony. They are not written into the legal record before the wedding. They stand with you and sign when the marriage is performed.”
“Oh,” I said. “That makes sense.”
Fredrick’s gaze settled on me.
“Dylan?”
My chest tightened.
“I asked him.”
“And?”
“He said yes.”
Fredrick’s expression shifted.
Barely.
But I saw it.
A pause.
A stillness.
Something behind his eyes moved and then disappeared under control.
“As your witness?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
Aqua looked from me to Fredrick.
“He helped with the proposal,” she said. “And he has helped Steven.”
Fredrick’s gaze returned to me.
I swallowed.
“He’s my friend,” I said.
The words felt heavy in my mouth.
Not bad.
Just new.
Fredrick did not answer right away.
His fingers rested against the side of his teacup.
Then he said, “Hmm.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“That’s it?”
“It is a sound.”
“I know it’s a sound.”
“It seemed appropriate.”
“What does it mean?”
“That I find the development interesting.”
I shifted in my seat. “Interesting how?”
Fredrick took a slow sip of tea.
“Dylan is selective.”
“That is one word for it.”
“He does not allow many people close.”
“I noticed.”
Fredrick set the cup down.
“Then if he agreed, I suggest you honor the trust behind it.”
The defensiveness in my chest softened before it could become anything sharp.
I looked down at my hands.
“I will.”
Aqua’s fingers found mine again.
Fredrick glanced at her.
“And your witness, Miss Aqua?”
Aqua’s expression changed.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
But uncertainty.
She looked at the ring in her lap.
“I do not know yet.”
“That is acceptable,” Fredrick said. “You do not need to know this morning.”
Aqua exhaled quietly.
I wanted to say my mother could do it.
Then I stopped.
Mom was safe now, but complicated.
Atlantis was worse.
Fang could stand with us in every way that mattered, but probably not in the way human paperwork required unless Georgia suddenly accepted snake signatures.
I hated that thought a little.
Fredrick seemed to read more than I said.
“There is time,” he said. “Engagements do not collapse because one witness remains undecided before breakfast.”
I looked at him.
“Is that a common Worth saying?”
“No.”
“It sounded like one.”
“I have many talents.”
Aqua smiled faintly.
The tension in her shoulders eased.
One week.
A wedding.
A witness still unknown.
Documents, rites, magic, flowers, dresses, legal records, family politics, and probably Dylan judging my vocabulary.
It should have overwhelmed me.
Maybe it did.
But Aqua’s hand was in mine, and the ring was on her finger, and Fredrick had said it was possible.
Possible had become one of my favorite words.
Fredrick folded his hands neatly on the desk.
“I will begin the necessary arrangements,” he said. “For now, focus on what the two of you want the ceremony to be. Not what Atlantis would expect. Not what the Salvatore Clan might demand. Yours.”
Aqua looked at him.
Something in her face softened so deeply that my throat tightened.
“Ours,” she repeated.
“Yes,” Fredrick said. “That is the point.”
I looked at her.
She looked at me.
For one second, the office disappeared.
No documents.
No old families.
No legal systems I barely understood.
Just Aqua.
My fiancée.
My future wife.
Then Henry cleared his throat gently near the tea tray.
The room returned.
Fredrick stood.
“I will not keep you any longer.”
I stood too, still holding Aqua’s hand.
“Thank you,” I said.
Fredrick’s gaze settled on me.
“Do not thank me yet. You have one week to prepare for a wedding.”
My stomach flipped again.
Aqua smiled.
I groaned. “That sounds worse when you say it.”
“It will likely sound worse every day until the ceremony.”
“That was not comforting.”
“It was not meant to be.”
Henry opened the office door.
We stepped into the hall.
Aqua looked down at her ring as we walked, then at me.
“One week,” she said.
“One week,” I repeated.
Her smile was small, bright, and a little nervous.
“We have much to do.”
“Yeah.”
“And apparently magic helps.”
“I almost forgot.”
“How?”
“I was panicking responsibly.”
Aqua laughed, and the sound followed us out of Fredrick’s house and into the morning.
Outside, Worthington shone under the sun.
The same cobblestone streets.
The same warm bakery scent.
The same lake air drifting faintly through town.
But everything looked different now.
Or maybe I did.
Aqua’s ring caught the light as she slipped her hand into mine.
“You are staring again,” she said.
“At the future.”
Her fingers tightened around mine.
“We have a wedding to prepare for.”
My stomach dropped.
My heart rose.
One week.
Still yes.
Still real.
Still ours.