Chapter 95

JESSIE was looking at herself in the mirror where Lady Ivashkov was doing some altering to the wedding gown that the young queen has picked for the bride of the earl of Raine. She was sighing before the seamstress was smiling at her.
“You have a mermaid body type. It is very rare and you are most wonderful to adorn this dress that I have suggested,” Lady Ivashkov said as she was smiling at Jessie. She smiled back.
“But I don’t think that my husband will appreciate it,” Jessie said as she was looking at the wedding gown. It was most definitely wonderful on her skin and complexion. Jessie just doesn’t feel…the wedding jitters when she knew that she was smiling at her.
“Oh, I think the earl will adorn you tomorrow, dear. He has to or he might have to get his eyes to check because you are going to be the most beautiful bride tomorrow,” the seamstress said as Jessie was looking at herself. She felt conscious as she was skeptical before when she attended the ball and tried to capture the attention of the lords. But then, that one night…
She shook her head as she was remembering the uncanny eyes that the lord has. It was violet as well. So far, Jessie has seen two people that adorned the same color.
Could they be brothers? She mused before Lady Ivashkov was humming her tunes as she was fixing the dress for the wedding tomorrow. Jessie was not looking forward to it but if she wanted to uncover more of the gentry secrets, she has to marry one.
And who would be a better candidate than Tom, or whatever his real name was? Jessie realized that she did not know her fiancé’s full name before she turned to look at the seamstress. The middle-aged lady was humming before Jessie cleared her throat.
“You would not know the name of the earl right? Or did you?” She asked as Lady Ivashkov was smiling at her.
“Of course, I know my dear. We all are. He was the earl that rules the coastal city after all. His name is Thomas Rambova but everyone just called him Tom. And he has the rarest eyes, everyone, ever seen. I hope your children will inherit it,” she said as Jessie was blinking her eyes.
“Is there anyone that has the same eye color as his?” Jessie asked before the seamstress was smiling at her.
“Well, he was the only one that has that eye color. It was the uncanny eyes of Rambova and as far as I know, he was the only living descendant of the Rambova from the first settlers of the Origins,” she said before Jessie was gulping.
I have to marry someone from the Higher Court. Why can I just marry a lord that did not serve in the Higher Court? Jessie mused before the seamstress was tying the corset as Jessie was sighing at her fate.
Tomorrow, her fate will be sealed forever with Thomas Rambova, the stranger that she knew as a peer of the realm and a Vampyre, nonetheless.

“YOU just have to make it like your wedding, didn’t you?” Tom said as Ian was smirking at him. They were in the church right now as Tom was trying not to cringe when he was seeing the cross and the statues of the holy place.
It was a myth that a Vampyre would get scared by them but it wasn’t. They would only felt uncomfortable when facing God as they were the creation of an abomination. Which was created by God as well. It was weird philosophy anyway.
Tom was sitting at the end of the aisle as Ian was his best man with Niklaus as his guest. He did get to the coastal city with his duchess in time for the wedding. Tom did not know how they pulled it but he was glad that his friends were here.
Well, except for Baron of Fell, Marsh. He has been missing since 6 months ago when Niklaus was marrying his duchess.
“Where do you think Marsh went to?” Tom asked Ian as the marquis shrugged at him.
“I don’t keep tabs on him. I am not his partner or wife for that matter. For all I know, he might be doing something or maybe he was spending his time finding a bride as well,” Ian said as Tom was frowning at him. Then, they were looking at the priest that was coming onto the podium. Tom greeted him before he was clearing his throat.
“My lords,” he said as Tom and Ian were nodding their heads at them. The Wedding March was playing on the piano in this small church with the town coming to witness the wedding. Then, the oak doors opened and Tom was blinking his eyes at his bride.
What in the world is Jessie wearing?! Tom’s first thought came to his mind as he was looking at his bride. Jessie was adorning a red wedding gown with a black veil when she was walking down the aisle. Tom cannot believe that his wife would be pulling the same stunt as the duchess and marchioness.
“Well, that’s right. Welcome to the club, mate,” Ian whispered to him before Jessie was standing in front of him. He was blinking his eyes before the priest was clearing his throat again to address the audience.
“Dearly beloved Lords and Ladies, we gathered here today—“
Tom was blinking his eyes as he was staring at his bride. It was magnificent really. The dress was hugging Jessie’s lithe frame perfectly before Tom was eyeing her up and down. Then, the priest was clearing his throat.
“My lord, the ring,” he whispered to Tom before he snapped his head to the priest and he was looking at the wedding bands that he has picked when he was in town last night. The ring glistened as he was taking one ring and held his bride’s left hand.
The engagement ring glistened on her hand before the priest was asking Tom the question that normal marriage would entitle.
“Do you, Lord Thomas Rambova, the 6th Earl of Raine, to take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, in rich and poor, in sickness and health, for better or worse, as you both shall live?” He said as Tom was gripping Jessie’s hand before he slipped the ring on it as he answered the question.
“I DO,” he said before Jessie’s turn. The priest was turning to look at her before he was clearing his throat again. Jessie took the wedding band as her shaky hands were holding his hand and the band as the priest was asking her the question.
“And do you, Lady Jessica Cole, to take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, in rich and poor, in sickness and health, for better or worse, as you both shall live?” The priest said as Jessie was taking a deep breath. Then, she replied.
“I DO,”
Jessie slipped the wedding band to his finger as they were tied in this union. Tom groaned as he knows that the young queen of Niapachad Island will be hearing about this marriage later on. But for now, he will enjoy the cheers and applaud from the townspeople who were happy for them.
Tom smiled before the priest announced, “With the power vested to me by Queen Arabella Dragomir of Niapachad Island, I pronounce you husband and wife. Lord and Lady Raine. You may kiss your bride, my lord,’’ he said as he was lifting the veil of his bride. And he was shocked to see that Jessie was not black hair like she used to.
No, this time, she was a redhead.
Tom blinked his eyes before he was looking at the blue orbs of his wife as well as the orange strands that were shining under the dim gaslights before she was biting her lips. Tom knows that she was nervous as she just revealed her secret to him.
But of course, Tom was not mad, he overjoyed.
He recognized those strands everywhere, especially from the reception that he went to as the marquis and marchioness of Kain were celebrating their union. Yes, that has been the place where they first met.
Only, they did not know their names before.
Now, Tom was smirking as he was leaning closer to his wife. His bride, his Jessie. Their hot breaths were mingling before Tom was looking at her eyes. They were dilated as he smirked at his wife.
“Now, you’re mine forever, milady, as I have been eyeing since the reception,” he said before Jessie was furrowing her eyebrows.
“Wait,” she said as Tom was smirking then she gasped.
“You! You’re that lord—“
“Yes, my dear. And this time, you’re officially mine and can never run away from me,” he said before he was capturing her lips with his as they were sharing their second kiss in front of the crowd to be their witness.
Jessie was gripping the bouquet a little too tight that she can feel the flowers were being crushed by her hands. She cannot believe that the man, the lord that was coming up on her at the reception was the one that she was marrying.
So much for running away from him last week, she mused before Tom, her husband, was breaking the kiss and they were staring at the crowd. They were smiling at them before she spotted there was the new duchess of Belikov as well as Emily. They were smiling at her as Jessie smiled before Tom was pulling her to get out of the church and went to the reception that has been arranged at the estate.
Of course, there were perks of marrying a Lord but there will be consequences as well. Jessie just hoped that she will not encounter them earlier than she wanted to.
But of course, that would be her dream as the night just got better and better.