On the very day Miss Mia was found, the clan leader sent a swift messenger to the estate, instructing Solar and the head steward to immediately begin preparations for his wedding to Mia. They would return in two weeks, and he would formally marry Miss Mia, making her a member of the Moore family.
To be honest, organizing a grand wedding in just two weeks was chaotic, to say the least—an overwhelming frenzy of activity. Even without the leader's explicit order to "hold a truly magnificent wedding," everyone poured their heart and soul into creating a ceremony that would leave people in awe. Despite the tight timeline, no effort was spared.
There was no helping it—they had been anticipating the leader's wedding for centuries. This was likely to be the only wedding banquet in their great king's lifetime, and it absolutely could not be done haphazardly.
With time short and the task immense, the entire clan was in constant motion for those two weeks. From top to bottom, every member united as one, pouring all their energy into the wedding preparations. Through their collective efforts, this seemingly impossible task was completed on time. Though everyone was utterly exhausted, they couldn't contain their overwhelming excitement. The day had finally arrived, and their joy and exhilaration were beyond words. This was the fox clan's happiest moment!
And on this day, they would finally meet the mysterious Miss Mia, whom the leader had guarded so closely. Today, she would become the revered Fox Queen—Mia, Queen of the Foxes!
Thus, all the clan members who usually resided in other parts of the Arthur Estate gathered joyfully in the massive main hall. The hall was bustling, packed to the brim with people.
When Mia saw the crowd—hundreds of people filling the hall—she was utterly stunned. She could hardly believe the Moore family consisted of so many people—so many fox shapeshifters.
As it dawned on her that she was the central figure in this event that had sent the entire Moore clan into a frenzy, only one thought filled Mia's mind: Escape!
Jenny looked helplessly at Mia, whose body was stiff with tension, and let out a deep sigh. "Miss Mia, things are already like this. You can't run away anymore. Be good, okay?"
Mia's face flushed bright red at Jenny's words. "What do you mean, 'things are like this'?"
"Isn't it what we're all thinking?" Jenny smirked slyly. "You've long been the leader's woman. The wedding was bound to happen sooner or later. No need to be embarrassed or shy, right?"
"I—I—I!" Faced with the undeniable truth, Mia didn't know how to retort, her face growing even redder.
"No way, I'm not shy!" she finally blurted out, both embarrassed and exasperated. "Arthur didn't tell me anything! He didn't even mention something this big. I'm really upset!"
"Miss Mia, if you decided to leave the leader, why didn't you tell him about something that big?" Jenny stared at her pointedly.
Mia lowered her head, guilt washing over her at Jenny's words. "I'm sorry. I acted on my own and lacked confidence, making all of you worry."
"Miss Mia, today is your wedding day. You're not allowed to be sad!" Jenny lifted Mia's chin, smiling sweetly. "I only said that to remind you—don't doubt the leader's love for you. The only belief in his life is his love for you. So…"
Mia cut her off, her eyes now clear of any doubt, shining with absolute purity and resolve. "Jenny, I admit… at first, I doubted Arthur for many reasons. But ever since he opened up and told me everything, my heart has been set. I will never leave the man who endured one thousand years of loneliness just to wait for me! Jenny, I promise you, I won't let your leader suffer even the slightest pain ever again!"
Seeing Mia's determined expression, Jenny smiled genuinely, from the depths of her heart.
"Hey, what are you two doing? Why's the mood so weird?" Tina walked in, holding a vibrant red wedding dress, and noticed the strange expressions on their faces, her curiosity piqued.
Jenny shot her an exasperated glance. "Weird? I think it's your eyes that are weird. Obviously, I'm helping Miss Mia change into her dress. And you—what took you so long to grab a coat?"
Tina bristled at Jenny's words but held back her temper, given the special occasion. Stiffly, she walked over to Mia. "You think I wanted to take forever? I wanted Miss Mia to get ready quickly and look stunning for the ceremony. But those aunts, sisters-in-law, and grandmothers outside Snow Haven insisted on coming in to help Miss Mia change, claiming they're more experienced and could do better than us. Please, we all know they just want to get a close look at Miss Mia. If they'd barged in, the wedding would've been delayed for sure. Snow Haven's entrance is so packed, I could barely get out, let alone come back in. That's why it took so long!"
With that, Tina handed the dress to Jenny and turned to start arranging the accompanying accessories.
"I see!" Jenny nodded in understanding, taking the dress. As she prepared to help Mia put it on, she noticed…
"Miss Mia, why are you still so stiff? Relax a little! It's hard to change when you're like this!" Jenny sighed helplessly again.
Tina couldn't help but poke Mia's stiff body with her finger. "Hey, Miss Mia's really frozen stiff, huh!"
Her words made Jenny wave her hands frantically. "Shush, Tina, what nonsense are you spouting! You can't say things like that today—or ever! If the leader heard you, you'd be in big trouble!"
Realizing she'd spoken out of turn again, Tina stuck out her tongue. "Sorry, sorry, it just slipped out, just slipped out."
"Slipped out?!" Jenny shot her a glare. "You'd better keep that mouth of yours shut, or one day you'll offend someone and not even know how you ended up in trouble." She rolled her eyes. "Alright, enough of this. Hurry up and help Miss Mia get into her dress, do her hair, and put on all these accessories properly. The leader's already waiting in the main hall!"
"Oh, right!" Knowing time was of the essence, Tina quickly stepped in to help.
But getting someone dressed required their cooperation too.
"Miss Mia!" Both Tina and Jenny sighed in unison.
Mia stared at the elaborate gown before her, still hesitating, unwilling to comply.
"Miss Mia, just think of it as putting on this dress to meet your family. That should do the trick, right?" Jenny suggested.
"My relatives are few—not nearly this many." The sheer number of people was staggering. Just standing in the main hall made her want to dig a hole and hide, let alone today being—
"Miss Mia, if you're worried about the crowd, the leader will be by your side. What's there to fear?" Jenny added.
Mia gave Jenny a meaningful look. "Tina, Jenny, when I was with Arthur, I never thought much of it. Back in the South, wealthy gentlemen and young masters often kept beautiful women or actresses as mistresses, and those relationships rarely lasted more than three years. I always assumed you all saw my relationship with Arthur the same way. Even though Arthur and I are together because we love each other, the gap between our statuses is like heaven and earth. I always thought our love was just a fleeting, hidden affair. Now, with this grand wedding of the century, a lowly former maid like me is about to become the only queen of your great fox king. Doesn't that seem mismatched to your entire clan? Don't you think I'm unworthy of this position?"