"Have you heard? Prince Sir Ray is getting married!" Passerby A greeted Acquaintance B with the latest gossip. In Lamipor, this had replaced "Have you eaten?" as the standard greeting.
"Of course! I heard the bride is the owner of 'Magic Dolls'!" Acquaintance B replied.
"Really? I've seen her—she's as beautiful as a fairy! But isn't she already a mother?" Passerby C chimed in skeptically.
"Don't be ridiculous! She's too young to have kids that old. I've met them—the older one's over ten, the younger around five. She must've adopted them!" Passerby A defended Sophie loyally.
"Ah, so she's kind-hearted too! Kirisya is blessed!" Passerby C marveled.
"Exactly! Don't forget to attend the ceremony—it'll be spectacular!" Acquaintance B reminded.
"Wouldn't miss it! This is the kingdom's first royal wedding in over a decade!"
Meanwhile, the subject of their discussion was...
"Miss Sophie..."
"Has anyone seen Miss Sophie?"
"No! We've been searching for over an hour!"
"Where could she be? We're running out of time!"
"Sir Ray, where's your wife?" Second Prince Todd stormed into the fitting room, where Sir Ray was adjusting his ceremonial robes.
"Haven't seen her today. Isn't she in her chambers?" Sir Ray frowned. She should've been practicing etiquette by now.
"If she were, I wouldn't be swarmed by frantic maids! Everyone's asking me—like *I'm* her keeper!" Todd grumbled.
"That's because you're the most approachable prince. If anyone knows everything in the palace, it's you!" Sir Ray's flattery soothed Todd's temper.
"Enough! Stop buttering me up and find your bride! What if she's still missing when the ceremony starts?" Todd huffed, unaware of his accidental foreshadowing.
---
"Mom, why are we hiding?" Agatha mumbled through a mouthful of cake.
"Obviously, Mom's slacking off," Charles said sagely before biting into a honeydew melon—his favorite.
"Nuh-uh! This is a *test*! If Dad finds us here, it proves he's perfectly in sync with our family!" Sophie declared between bites. In truth, etiquette lessons had left her legs sore and head spinning. Seizing this chance to rest, she'd dragged the kids under a bed with a stash of snacks.
"What if he can't find us? Does that mean he can't be our dad?" Agatha worried. She *liked* Sir Ray!
"Of course not! Then he'll just treat you to a feast!" Sophie compromised.
"Boring. We feast every day—that's no punishment," Charles scoffed.
"Fine, *you* get nothing! Besides, he'll find us—I know it!" Sophie grinned confidently.
Charles eyed the luxurious bed frame above them. *Who looks under a bed?* The palace was in chaos outside—doors flung open, voices calling—yet no one had peeked beneath here.
---
After scouring the palace with no sign of Sophie or the kids, Sir Ray grew frantic. Had they left? But everything was fine last night!
Then he noticed the phoenix egg still safe in its incubator—Sophie wouldn't abandon it. She was hiding, likely avoiding etiquette drills. If he didn't find her soon, she'd tease him about their "lack of默契" forever.
*Think. Where would she go with the children? Somewhere spacious, with food—especially melon.*
Summoning a scarlet butterfly, he let it sniff honeydew before releasing it. The insect fluttered straight to Sophie's bed—and vanished underneath.
Sir Ray knelt and lifted the draping covers.
"Wow, pretty butterfly!" Sophie's whisper.
"Go away! Don't touch my melon!" Charles' grumble.
"Mom, catch it for me!" Agatha's plea.
"Need help?" Sir Ray's amused voice.
Three stunned faces gaped at him.
"You *found* us?!" Charles gasped.
"Dad! Get the butterfly!" Agatha ordered, unfazed.
With a deft motion, Sir Ray coaxed the insect onto his finger, then transferred it to Agatha's hand.
"Husband! How'd you know we were here?" Sophie beamed.
"We're soulmates, aren't we?" He winked, giving her the answer she loved—even if it was a white lie.
Sophie kissed him soundly, only to find two pairs of wide eyes watching.
"Kisses are... encouragement! Go on, kiss your dad!" she improvised.
*Mwah! Mwah!* The children obliged, cementing Sir Ray's place in the family—and accidentally creating two little mischief-makers. (*Charles & Agatha: We've been corrupted!*)
"Should we go? Your wedding gown's arrived," Sir Ray hinted, careful not to mention *etiquette*.
"My dress? Is it the design I wanted?" Sophie scrambled out, forgetting her hiding spot entirely.
---
Thanks to Sir Ray's intervention, Sophie's grueling etiquette training ended prematurely—though her manners remained worse than young Yakes', who'd traveled just for the wedding.
The palace became a playground for Charles, Agatha, Yakes, Princess Milta, Jones, and Goodman. With Sophie's fearless influence, even timid Milta shrieked with laughter. Prank victims among the staff multiplied, and Prince Todd's complaint pile reached a meter high—but no one dared reprimand the bride-to-be.
---
At last, the grand ceremony commenced!
Lamipor's Crystal Square opened to the public as crowds gathered to witness the kingdom's first royal wedding in years.
A white carpet strewn with red petals stretched across the square, flanked by 999 pairs of children casting glowing light spells. The effect was dazzling.
Music swelled as Sir Ray waited anxiously at one end.
At the other, the king—beaming like a grandfather—led Sophie forward. Her long train trailed behind, held dutifully by Charles and Agatha.
*This is my 'honorable duty'?* Charles thought, unimpressed. *Mom tricked us again.*
Midway down the aisle, Sophie locked eyes with Sir Ray. Her heart raced. *I'm really getting married!*
Then—
"Come with me, beauty!" A towering figure materialized beside her, yanking her skyward.
Before she could react, Sophie was airborne, Sir Ray shrinking below. "SIR RAY—!"
A massive shadow engulfed Lamipor as the abductor soared away with the screaming bride.
**Who dared steal the princess-to-be—and why?**