Rosaline slammed the newspaper onto the living room table with a force that made the porcelain teacups rattle. Her mother, Susan, froze mid-sip, startled by the anger on her daughter's face.
"What has happened, dear?" Susan asked, slowly lowering her cup.
"Mother, Eilika is having a grand wedding!" Rosaline hissed, her voice trembling with envy.
"What do you mean?" Susan frowned, her confusion deepening. "Why would she have a grand wedding? Aren't they already married?"
"The Duke has planned a magnificent celebration," Rosaline explained, her eyes scanning the headlines again as if the words might change. "Rumors had been circulating in Varos that he despised Eilika, but this article says the wedding plans have quashed those rumors entirely. It says only the most elite and inner circle are invited this time."
"What? Eilika didn't say a word to us about this," Susan muttered, her face turning pale.
