Raguel, as per Father's orders, had made sure that the palace was both consecrated and ready to be used for the ceremony.
Not only was the ceremony held to crown a new ruler, but it was a ceremony of such symbolic significance that even Raguel would have shed a tear.
False king replaced by a queen of the almighty Father's choice.
It was wonderful news for the world itself.
And horrible news for demons.
Despite their efforts to push humanity further from Father, they had inevitably failed.
Those who resist the father's will would fail.
It was inevitable.
There was no force greater than Father.
Be it Chrunus or the Demon Emperor, they were merely specks before Father's justice.
The kingdom of Valar was his land, by his will chosen.
By his hand consecrated.
No impurity was to be allowed to fester or exist.
Raguel crossed her arms as she tilted her head slightly.
Aurelia's maids worked truly diligently to prepare everything, which frankly surprised her.
Raguel had expected to have to manage and even scold them.
And yet they performed their duties with due diligence.
"Make sure decorations are properly aligned, only perfection is acceptable for Father's new queen," Raguel shouted, before she caught movement from the corner of her eye.
Her face twitched, "You do know that sneaking out is against Father's Will?"
Aurelia's eyes widened. How did Raguel know already?
She let out a nervous chuckle.
"How did I know?" She turned to her. "I saw you leave the palace alone."
She took a step towards Aurelia, prompting her to lean back.
Aurelia winced as Raguel quickly closed the distance.
She closed her eyes, but the hit she expected never came; instead warm feeling of gentle embrace filled her.
She felt Raguel's fingers gently glide through her hair, "I am not angry, do not get me wrong. But you must notify your guardians, it is a mission assigned by Father that they need to be at your side."
Aurelia's eyes fluttered open as she found herself in a warm, motherly embrace.
Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around Raguel.
She had expected Raguel to scold her, or even slap her, but instead she was welcomed into a forgiving embrace befitting a mother.
"I'm sorry... I just wanted to surprise Cedric..." She let out a soft, muffled whisper.
"Surprise, Father? How?" Raguel tilted her head while gently peeling Aurelia away from herself.
Aurelia pushed Raguel's hands off her shoulders before rushing to her quarters, leaving Raguel staring at her distant form.
Soon after, she returned with a collection of carvings and sculptures.
With pride, she picked up a small wooden cross.
"I ordered some of these made as a gift for Cedric!" Her lips curled into a wide smile as she twirled the cross in her hand.
Raguel raised her eyebrow.
Aurelia of course, did not wish to show the largest sculpture.
Despite everything that one was specifically for her, and possibly Cedric's eyes.
While she was tempted to make it depict her and her husband in a more 'carnal' pose, she had decided to depict Cedric's heroism and her as a fair maiden whom the hero saved.
She truly felt like a princess of legends... despite the fact that she was about to graduate to a queen.
Raguel's golden eyes sparkled for a moment before she regained her usual demeanor. "Is that what I think it is?"
"Yep, they are crosses. This one is for Cedric, but I also got a necklace for you, Mom." She grinned before retrieving a small beaded necklace, a small wooden cross hanging from it.
Aurelia stretched her hand forward, "Please take it, it's a token of appreciation."
Raguel wrapped and picked up the necklace from Aurelia's hands before putting it on her neck.
She smiled warmly, "Thank you, Aurelia."
"Of course, Mom. You and Cedric mean so much to me..." Her eyes wandered to the ground as her face turned slightly red.
"I will cherish this." Raguel lifted her chin.
Mwah
To Aurelia's great shock, Raguel kissed her on the forehead.
However, just as she was about to speak, Raguel shook her head. "Go prepare. In a couple of hours, you will become an official queen. Do not fail the Almighty Father."
Aurelia's body shook for a moment, "I promise. I will do my best!"
"Good." With those words, Raguel disappeared, leaving her alone with servants rushing around her, making sure everything was ready.
Aurelia placed her fingers on her forehead.
'... She really is my mother in a way, huh?'
With a sigh, she walked towards the throne.
Despite coronation being merely hours away, she still had to fulfill duties before then.
Of course, duties that remained were only the most urgent priority ones, which made her workload almost nonexistent.
As she approached the throne, she placed the remaining sculptures and crosses on the armrest.
She had expected Cedric to arrive soon, or that he already was here and yet something seemed to have kept him busy.
A small bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. "I still feel so nervous..."
She wiped it quickly before taking a dignified position as Raguel taught her.
However, she did not need to wait for too long before she saw large frame of her beloved approaching her.
'Resist... Resist... Can't pounce now...' She had to keep it in right now, just for today, she couldn't cling to her hero.
"Cedric!" Her lips formed a wide smile as they always have when she found herself near Cedric.
Before meeting him, she hadn't smiled much, but ever since she fell in love, it changed.
"Ah, Queen Aurelia, I see you are ready. Forgive me for being late, but I had... business to take care of."
Aurelia nodded. It was not her place to question her beloved.
"Of course." She stopped for a moment, "But I want to gift you something!"
Cedric tilted his head slightly, while his face was obstructed, she was sure he gave her a confused gaze.
She procured a cross and a small sculpture from the armrest before rising from the throne.
She stretched her arms towards Cedric.
"I ordered these made by the Carpenter's Guild... I thought you would like them." Aurelia smiled.
"Is that?..." Cedric's arms hovered above hers.