Sleep never lasts long after Chris leaves but I laze in bed for a while longer, not willing to commit to a day yet. Today I have to deal with the final decisions for the coronation, but really, I just don't want to deal with the fall out from yesterday.

Thinking about yesterday's events, I realize one key point.

I never checked in with Mira.

'Psst,' I whisper directly to her, quietly enough that I won't wake her if she's sleeping.

'Hey, you're awake,' she links back immediately.

'Yeah, you up for company?' I finish getting ready as I chat with her, opting for comfort over style once more and slipping on yoga pants, a tank and hoodie.

'We're at Claire's. Hurry up, food's up soon!'

'Sold!'

Checking in with Claire has become part of my daily ritual anyways, so this is a perfect way to start my day. Her apartment is just a few doors down from mine, putting me there just in time to meet the room service attendant. The poor frazzled omega is more than happy to pass his cart off to me and take off, leaving me to bring it in.

Claire is propped up in bed once again, her hair being brushed and braided by Chloe as Willow moves her hands around Claire's giant stomach. Mira hovers next to Willow and they seem to be caught up in their own little world, probably talking about healing stuff.

"Thank God the food is here!" Claire announces. "Oh, and hi Jess." Her laughter reassures me that her spirits are still high, given the circumstances.

"Hi," I dryly reply, arching a brow.

"I was beginning to think we'd have to come get you," Chloe teases, walking over to help with the dishes. They ordered family-style breakfast so the platters are full of everything to share. Automatically, my eyes zero in on blueberry filled crêpes and I see nothing else.

"Oh my God, is that nutella filled? Gimmie," Claire pipes up.

"The food here is great," Willow says with a mouth full of chocolate muffin.

"That is the highlight," Mira mutters under her breath.

"Not wrong," Chloe agees.

"So how's the gremlin today?" I ask, changing the topic.

"Same old, same old," Claire says, sounding strained. This pregnancy has taken a toll on her, the bedrest even more, her regularly warm complexion has lost its colour and her eyes are deeply shadowed.

"He's very strong," Willow announces. "It won't be long now, he's resting for his grand exit."

"I'm so ready," Clare mumbles. "It'll all be worth it to hold my son in my arms."

"So what's going on today in the world outside my room?" she asks, changing the subject.

"Coronation prep..." I reply, not even fully knowing what it involves.

"You get to try on your dress!" Chloe replies, bouncing in her seat. "Oh, and crown jewel selection!"

"A what?" I ask, furrowing my brows.

"Have to figure out which crown you'll wear," Mira elaborates, leaning in with a mischievous grin.

"There's more than one?" I question, having realized that there would be a crown of some sort but that was as much thought as I had spared.

"Yes, there's more than one," Mira chides. "It's like shoes, over the years you get quite a collection and ones for every occasion... Speaking of which, that's on the list too." Her laughter at my suffering assures me that there's no lasting damage from yesterday.

"Oh, can I come too?" Willow asks, turning her puppy dog eyes on me.

"Of course, y'all are running interference today." I grab another crêpe and continue eating while the others chit chat about their dresses and how they plan to do their hair.

'We're ready for you in the salon when you have a moment,' Rebecca links unexpectedly.

"What?" Chloe asks, having picked up on my shift in mood immediately.

"Rebecca and presumably Leah and Anna are waiting for us in the salon..." I say with a resigned sigh.

"Where's that?" Willow asks, looking at me for direction.

"Fuck if I know," I laugh. "I didn't even know we had a pool 'till I stumbled upon it last night... I really need a map..."

"Salon is on the second floor above the throne room, so the east wing?" Claire offers, racking her brain for specifics.

"And we're?" I lead.

"In the western wing," she replies with a laugh, knowing me all too well. "You'd better go before Bridezilla starts up."

"We'll be back soon, link if you need anything." I give her one last hug while Chloe straightens the plates up.

"I just want video if Jess breaks her nose or Mira sets them on fire," Claire says to Chloe.

"Why would they?" Willow asks.

"You'll see," Claire deadpans. "Go on, I'm fine!"

Longer than I want to admit to, we finally make it to the salon. Passing through the sizable double doors, I feel like I'm back in time with the vaulted ceiling, large arched windows, complete with ostentatious artwork and sofas around a mirrored dressing stage.

This looks like it should be Marie Antoinette's dressing room.

"Highness," Anna greets, bowing her head in respect.

"Jess is fine Anna, sorry if I've kept you waiting," I apologize.

"Not at all, I was just-"

"We got everything set up and sorted in the meantime. I know you've got a lot on your plate right now," Rebecca cuts in, her gaze flickering to my stomach briefly with an empty smile on her face before she lifts them to Willow. "And you must be Willow! Such a beauty."

'I don't like her,' Willow links immediately.

"Hey Willow, come see what Anna whipped up," I call, wrapping a protective arm around her and walking away from the overbearing woman. Anna stands in front of a table with different place settings set up and flowers and to her right are three garment bags.

"They're beautiful," Willow cooes, drawn immediately to the flowers. The soft scent of citrus wafts around us, growing stronger as we approach the different bouquets.

"They are! Is that orange blossom?" I ask, touching the delicate white blooms with purple blush.

"Right you are High-Jess," Anna replies, catching herself mid-sentence. The white flowers arranged in different bunches represent every size and shape, each giving off a different texture and scent that blends beautifully with the orange blossom.

"Who knew white could be so pretty," I murmur, running my fingertips across a silky and fluffy hydrangea bloom.

"It's going to work wonderfully with the colour scheme..." Anna nods her approval. "I just need to know which ones you like and don't?"

"They're all beautiful, do you have recommendations?" I ask never having done this before. I've always loved flowers but picked them from my own garden, mixing and matching the colours to fit my mood on the day.

"Well, these would do great as centerpieces," she says, gesturing to a tall, elegant bouquet that I can only recognize gladiolus in, then shifts her attention to a fluffier, shorter one. "But these are also good, make an impact without obscuring the view."

"Roses always make an impact," Rebecca cuts in, walking over to the least interesting one of the lot. I catch Jenna hiding in the doorway, watching us.

"Which were the ones you liked?" I ask and she stiffens like a kid called to the principal's office. She takes unsteady steps towards Rebecca but a hard look from me sends her to an airy sprig of a flower I remember her pointing out before.

"Does it have to only be one type?" I ask, looking over the beautiful range of flowers.

"It's your day Jess, it can be whatever you'd like," Anna replies diplomatically.

"I'm asking you as the planner, is there something you like or don't like, and is there a reason we have to stick with one... Out of all of them, my only request is the orange for the fragrance, but really they're all pretty..."

"As the planner I'd say leave it with me and I promise not to disappoint!" The smile that spreads across her face is contagious and leaves me excited to see what she comes up with. "Though you do have to make a decision on the settings and dress. Literally walk up to them and pick the one you like best on first impression."

I move over to where the different settings are and before Rebecca can butt in, pick the far right set with its darker colours and silver utensils. She uses the moment to head over to the dresses before the rest of us can get there, however.

"You should try this one on first." Rebecca holds out a green, silver, and black chiffon gown that makes me inwardly groan but the guarded look in Anna's eyes has me biting my tongue.

"Sure," I clip, looking around for the change room.

"We're all girls here," she scoffs. Thankfully, before I snap at her, Jenna catches my eye, pointing off to the side.

The gown takes forever to get on and requires Anna to come in and zip me up while I hold my heavy breasts up and in place. Looking in the small mirror, the strapless gown is exquisite though it borders on wedding gown flair and isn't the most flattering on my body type. Anna's pursed lips tell me she sees it too but to appease the hyenas, I walk out to show it off.

Mira chokes on her water and proceeds to laugh, joined shortly after by Chloe. Willow and Jenna have more decorum and cover their mouths to try and stifle their giggles. Rebecca however lights up.

"Now that is a gown fit for a queen! It makes such a statement," she beems.

"What statement? That her boobs are gonna fall out if she takes a deep breath?!" Mira scoffs, rolling her eyes.

"Maybe we should try a different one on, hmm?" Anna says, practically shoving me back towards the changing room. A moment later, she returns with a sleeker material. "Sorry, at the time I didn't know about your condition." The pained look on her face leaves me feeling guilty.

She's just trying to do her job after all.

I slip on the second option and cringe. The material hugs ALL of my curves in both the best and worst ways. I was never small chested to begin with and the hormones have only added to what I already had but the fit makes my breasts look obscene. My ass is now in the Kardashian range but my baby bump is also accentuated.

"Are you coming out?" Rebecca calls from the other room as I exchange horrified looks with Anna. Without warning, she grabs the side of the dress by the armpit with both fists and rips the dress down the sides, leaving me slack-jawed.

"Oh darn," she says loud enough to carry. "Sorry, but I can't let you wear this with that damage. Can someone bring us the other one?"

I mouth 'thank you' to her, grateful for her save and she simply nods, looking as relieved as I feel.

Mira opens the door and drops her jaw. "Oh hell no," she scoffs, raking her blue-green gaze over me. "I mean, you might want to keep it for Chris... but he'd kill every male who looked at you in that."

'Not wrong,' Ember snickers.

Anna lights up as she takes the final dress from Mira. There looks to be enough fabric to make two more dresses from it, but the green satin and black velvet accents appeal to me the most.

"This is the one I had my money on," she says, hanging it on the wall and stepping out.

I shrug the clingy dress off, put the ample gown on, and open the door to let Anna back in. She goes about doing up the back and making adjustments to make it fit better. From the moment I first slip it on, it felt better than the previous two and with her fine tuning, it feels like the prettiest second skin I've ever had.

The neckline is wide open, leaving me feeling unrestricted and sits at that perfect line of showcasing my assets without making me worry they might pop out if I breathe wrong. Every seam and detail flatters my curvy body in the best way possible, from the fit on my waist to the flow around my hips. Depending on the light and angle, the dress can look more green or black and is done in such a way to make problem areas fade away.

"Should I take it from the look on your face that we've found our winner?" Anne asks, her fingers locked together at her chin like she's praying.

"It's stunning and I'd be honored to wear it," I whisper, unable to take my eyes off of the reflection. Mira is waiting on the other side of the door and grins like a fool when I step out. I can feel her gloating behind me as I walk out for the others to see and stand on the platform for Anna to finish her adjustments.

"It's so dark though," Leah pouts.

"Yes, a Queen should be seen," Rebecca complains, her face twisted in dislike.

Chloe pulls the clips from my hair, letting it cascade down my back and smiles. "I like it," she cuts in, staring at the bitties. "It suits her."

I stand there while she fusses with my hair and Anna looks me over, then I notice Jenna opening the doors from a knock I didn't hear to let Percival and Eli in.

The aged King's Advisor and Master of Lineage freeze just inside the doorway, their eyes locked on me as I regard them through the mirror's reflection. The way the men look at me leaves me uncomfortable, like they're seeing me for the first time.

Percival recovers first and coughs before bowing. "Apologize if we've interrupted you, we can come back later."

"No, it's fine," I say, straightening up. "What can we do for you?"

"We've come to help her Highness with the crown jewels," Percival announces, his formal tone making me anxious.

"Right, lead the way." I step down, feeling the dress swoosh around me as I walk over to the men as they go to a door on the far left. Percival pulls out a key from his inside breast pocket, unlocking the door with a heavy clunk and stands aside, gesturing for me to go ahead.

The moment I step through the door, I'm floored by dazzling jewels and jewelry displayed everywhere, the likes of Indiana Jones' dreams. I swallow hard, not knowing where to even begin.

"This way," Rebecca calls, barging past me, and walking into the room like she owns the place.

'Remind me, who is Queen again?' Chloe growls.

Good question...