After the Rings, Please

As I straightened my dress out, fluffing out the wrinkles caused by its near suffocating homicide moments before Edith came to my rescue, I started laughing nervously as I turned to face her. 

"I nearly died, Edith!" I joked. 

"Can't have that happening, can we now? You look gorgeous, Adeline." 

It wasn't Edith. The sound of a soothing voice confirmed it before I needed to use my eyes. 

My mouth dropped open as I tried to comprehend the prince's existence in front of me; my heart beating a million beats per second. If the dress wasn't going to kill me, Oliver was going to indirectly. 

"What are you doing here?" My whispers were sharp as I pushed him. I wasn't afraid of the fact he could order my execution on the spot if he pleased, but I couldn't have him interfering like this. I held strong. "You need to leave, Oliver. If someone were-" 

"I'll be quick," he interrupted, his back to the door as his hand rested on the bronze knob so he could leave in an instant. I remained quiet to let him explain himself. Was he going to ask me to run off with him. I would if he asked; I know I would. Wouldn't I? 

"The banishment doesn't send people away from the Kingdom," he nervously began, staring at my neck with a gaze of lust. "Ever since I found out who I really am... I've been noticing things." 

My forehead wrinkled slightly as I scrunched my eyebrows, confused. "What do you mean people don't leave when banished? Are they falsely executed instead?" I sat back down onto the circular, white cushioned chair of the vanity, attempting to put my white heels on; though miserably. 

Despite the skirt not having much volume to it, the amount of fabric alone made maneuvering to just see my toes abnormally difficult. 

Watching me struggle again, Oliver smirked, before walking the couple steps over to me and getting down to his knees to help put them on. "They might as well be," he continued, sliding one of my shoes on while I took the opportune moment to put my diamond earrings in. "They're instead taken to the castle where my parents had a few secret dungeons installed where they are used as fodder." 

"Fodder? Are you sure?" He only nodded, before rising to his feet after he finished helping with my heels. 

He exhaled, letting out a reluctant sigh. "I've been watching more carefully lately, and I've noticed that anyone who is banished, never steps out of the southern gate. On top of it, everything I eat or drink is disgusting, unless it's the red wine specifically. I'm not sure where they're hidden, but this is why I wanted to let you know." 

"Don't get banished." I reiterated what everyone's been telling me over and over again; though I knew only the prince had the real reason as to why I shouldn't be. 

"You'll be as good as dead." 

There was a short silence between us as we looked into each other's eyes. Since becoming a full-fledged vampire, his red eyes had since become brighter; even more beautiful, despite their meaning. 

I closed the gap between us, becoming so close to him that my body was against his. Once again, like I always used to do, I began tracing my left hand against his chiseled jaw that was heavily complimented with his dark, scratchy beard. He quickly moved his hand up to stop mine, kissing it as he lowered it back down with a sad smile. "I must leave now." 

Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.  

I inhaled deeply as I watched him leave, shutting the door without a sound. I fell back down onto the chair, nearly too far backwards as I had to quickly catch myself from falling onto the floor; I then swiveled my chair to face the mirror. I wasn't crying, but my eyes were red like they were about to. Great. 

After a few minutes of sitting alone in my own sorrow, Edith finally reentered with a red chain necklace in her hands. "Sorry," she quickly apologized. "It was apparently forgotten and he had to go back home to get it really quick" She huffed. 

"So, you went to?" I questioned her, my voice monotonous. She hesitated before saying she did. 

"If he lost it before even leaving the house, there was no way a man like that would find it before he was to stand at the altar," she reassured me, placing the red chain around my neck as she squatted down to look me in the eyes with her emerald beauties. I was trying my best to hide my eyes until the redness subsided, but I couldn't hide it. "He was here, wasn't he?" She stood up, angerly, before darting out the door. 

I wasn't sure where she was going, but I'm assuming it was to tell my fiance. 

"Wait!" I called out, chasing after her down the hall, but the moment I stepped through the wooden door frame, Gregory seemed to have come out of nowhere from the hall to left of it. I ended up bumping into him with so much force that he began to tumble to the floor, unable to stop himself because he raised both hands to his face to block his eyes. 

Edith immediately stopped, quickly turning around and running back to me, stepping between Gregory and I as she miserably failed at trying to hide my dress from him. 

I watched as my poor husband laid helpless on the floor, trying his best to get back to his feet while his hands were still over his eyes; he looked more like a turtle stuck on his shell. 

"You saw already, didn't you?" I chuckled, as I started to focus on other things that weren't the ones I couldn't have. 

"No, of course not," he tried to convince me, but he was a terrible liar. I could sense the sarcasm hooked to each syllable. 

I stepped around Edith, lifting the sides of my dress as I my white heels clicked against the wooden floors, making my way to where my turtle of a future husband laid. I then squatted next to him, his chain around my neck clinking together slightly as I shifted, while my earrings danced with my movements. "You might as well use your hands to get up then," I chuckled, "and have you forgotten you have eyelids?" 

"Oh, I'm using those too, I just wanted to be extra safe," he jested. I placed one of my now manicured hands upon his chest. He was wearing a black tailcoat that was buttoned up halfway, revealing a black undershirt and a burgundy waist coat. To match he was also wearing a simple pair of black trousers and black leather shoes. 

"You swear you didn't see anything?" I lovingly inquired, though my tone was what convinced him that I saw through his awful attempt at lying. 

"Just a small glance, but it was just a flash of white! I promise!" 

I then leaned down, kissing him softly upon his lips, before rising up back to my feet. "Then I shall see you at the altar." 

His mouth formed into one of the biggest smiles I've seen from him, "I'm looking forward to it." 

Edith grunted in disapproval, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "You'll have all the time in the world after you put a ring on each other's finger. But right now? We have to hurry!"