Party Prep & The First Guest.

"The party will be in two days. Your families will be in attendance."

When Bekka and Lailah heard this, their bodies instinctively trembled.

Even though they had grown up completely differently, the treatment they had received was virtually the same.

Bekka was scorned from the moment she was born due to her fear of blood that stemmed from childhood and her subsequent unwillingness to kill.

Lailah was treated harshly because even though she was a daughter of the witch queen, her talent for magic was far behind her sisters and her animus element, though rare only let her control snakes and take on some of their characteristics.

The bullying both girls faced was intense and never ending.

After their clans used them as bargaining chips, they hadn't seen or heard from them again.

Exedra knew and understand all too well the reason for his wives state and he quickly reassured them. "They will not be left alone with you, and I will remain by your side at all times."

The girl's felt slightly reassured upon hearing this but even still, they were nervous.

"This is Ruti." Exedra gestured to the unknown woman standing next to him. "She is here today to help you girls."

"Help us how?" Bekka asked but her voice was much quieter than normal.

"She's going to make you the most beautiful women on the face of the earth."

The three women cocked their heads in confusion like little kittens.

"Even though your families married you off for resources, I am going to show them you are living better lives than they could even imagine."

Lailah and Bekka's eyes widened.

"I am going to adorn you with the finest of jewels, silks, and gold we can find. You will be the very picture of elegance and let those beneath you know they aren't even worth your gaze."

Exedra turned to Lailah and said, "Even your mother will not have as high quality an outfit as the three of you."

Lailah was incredibly shocked.

When it came to witches, they were all very rich.

But they weren't quite the richest.

The treasure hoarding dragons with long lifespans and ferocious power naturally dominated the worlds economy.

The vampires were second since, like dragons, they had long life spans but they much preferred to use their divinely beautiful appearances to charm themselves into lavish living.

Surprisingly, dwarves were in third place as anything and everything that they made could be sold for a few million gold.

But dwarves are picky about their clientele, and they don't sell anything to witches or humans, effectively cutting down some of their potential business.

Despite all that, witches were still incredibly loaded and there wasn't much they couldn't obtain through one method or another.

So saying that she would be wearing items even her mother could not easily obtain, Lailah didn't feel worthy.

Bekka wasn't much better.

Her clan was never that wealthy to begin with, so even living in a castle was a huge improvement for her.

Now her husband was about to spend a few billion gold on each of them?! It was enough to make her head spin.

"Does Mira get a dress too?" The little dragon had finally finished her cookie and was now looking around the room admiring the most beautiful dresses she'd ever seen.

"Of course my daughter. Ruti has a selection picked out for you in the next room."

Ruti bowed deeply before finally speaking, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance princess Mira. If you'll follow me I can show you what we have for you today."

"Okay!"

Just like that, Exedra was left alone in the room with his three wives.

"I don't think I deserve all of this…" Bekka finally said.

"Me neither." Lisa muttered.

Lailah said nothing but it was clear she felt the same way.

Exedra nodded like he was expecting this before he stood up and walked towards the girls.

He stopped just in front of them and said in a voice that contained seriousness as well as sincerity, "If anyone deserves something like this, it'd be you three."

"You've all lived very hard lives. Something like this is in no way intended to erase the trauma of your past, but it is a promise for the future."

"A promise?" Lailah had tears welling up in her eyes.

Exedra nodded and brought his hand up to her eyes to wipe the tears that were beginning to fall. "A promise that in the future things like this will be commonplace."

"If you can't handle things like this then how will you handle the other things I'll give you?"

This earned a small chuckle from the girls and their mood lightened considerably.

Lailah : "This is… thank you."

Bekka :"You're really the best husband ever."

Both girls gave Exedra a kiss of thanks before Lisa stepped forward with a face full of complicated emotions.

"T-thank you." She finally managed to say.

"Oh? Is that all? Don't you want to kiss him as well?" Lailah teased.

"E-eh?" Lisa got flashbacks to the week before where she found Exedra asleep in the library.

She frantically looked around for help from Bekka but the hellhound was no longer paying attention and had started nibbling on the plate of cookies Mira was working on earlier.

"I…" she started to say

Exedra stepped forward and planted a small kiss on Lisa's lips.

Lisa felt her brain go numb temporarily.

She couldn't think, she barely remembered to breathe.

All she could do was savor the first real kiss she had with her new husband.

Naturally Exedra never would've kissed her if he wasn't sure she wanted it.

With his eyes allowing him to see the desire of the women around him, he could clearly see how much Lisa wanted him.

This was more than enough for him to act.

After they broke their kiss Exedra was the first to speak, "You are my wife too. You don't have to hide what you want from me. I hope one day you'll be comfortable enough to realize that."

When he began to walk away, Lisa had a lump in her throat.

Did all of that just happen?

Was she dreaming?

"So… who's going first?" Exedra asked as he sat back down on the couch.

- 2 Days later.

The castle was chaotically busy today.

The guest list for the young master's party was long and frightening.

Every servant assigned to work the party had been sweating since they woke up.

If they made a mistake and offended one of the guests in attendance today, they could start a war!

…not really, but that's how they felt anyway.

The reception room for the party was decorated to a tee.

Tables lined with exquisite food and drink, chairs made of wood from a world tree, gold and jewel encrusted silverware, the level of extravagance was simply overwhelming.

Yara had spared no expense ensuring that her son's birthday and announcement of his health would happen in the most ideal setting possible.

She was going to make this the most memorable night of her son's life!

Night had already fallen and guests were just now being let in.

While no one really noteworthy had yet to arrive, Yara was out in the crowd mingling and greeting guests all the same.

Everyone praised her for her beauty and attention to detail in planning this party.

Outwardly, she was graceful and charming and full of life.

Inwardly, she was anxiously awaiting the arrival of a certain someone.

"Ladies and gentlemen may I please have your attention..."

Yara's eyes lit up when she realized the arrival of an important guest was about to be announced.

She crossed her fingers hoping that it was the one she was waiting for!

"It is my highest honor to introduce to you..."