Page 125 of Mermaid on Heels

“Are you sure about that?” Liriya found herself asking in unison with Cedric.

“Positive.” Luke’s eyes twinkled. “But first…” He paused and pulled Liriya with him towards her family. Reaching them, he bowed. “Your Majesties.”

“Oh, stop that, Luke. We are family,” Ella admonished him with a playful smile from where she stood hugged to her father’s side. “And if you do not mind,” she paused and grabbed Liriya’s other hand, pulling her towards them. “We would like to share a family hug with our sister.”

“Of course,” Luke said with a laugh, letting go of Liriya’s hand.

Liriya immediately found herself squeezed in a family hug, Ella and Sessa practically clinging onto her.

“I missed you, Liriya,” Sessa mumbled into Liriya’s dress.

“You did not even realize I was gone, little fish,” Liriya teased her light-heartedly.

Sessa looked up at her, eyes brimming with tears and lips trembling.

Liriya’s heart clenched. “Oh sweetheart, I did not mean it like that! Come on, you couldnothave known it was not me.”

“But we are your sisters, the ones who have spent all our life at your side. We weresupposedto know.” Ella’s voice broke, and she hid her face in Liriya’s shoulder. “Oh, Liriya, I feel so, so bad!”

“Oh, do not, angelfishes. I love you both. I do not want you to feel bad. Please, let us forget it.” Liriya rubbed their backs in comfort and wished she could truly make them feel better.

“I hate her—Faelina. But… but she had not beenallbad…” Sessa admitted hesitantly.

“Oh please, you know it as well as I do that it was all an act so we will not get suspicious,” Ella spat bitterly.

“She—she told me that I was a great little sister,” Sessa said uncertainly. “Why would she say that? I do not understand…”

Liriya waited for the jealousy to strike, but it never came. She sighed. “For all I believe, she was not born evil. She lacked love, she did not have a family. Moreover, she did not have you two in her life. Who would ever become evil when they have someone like you two for sisters?”

“Oh, Liriya…” Ella began, but Liriya spoke again.

“She needs us,” Liriya blurted out, and waited for either of her sisters, Ella especially, to protest. When they didn’t, she continued, “We are going to show her what family is, what it is like having a sisterhood.”

“But… is she going to come with us?” Sessa asked in her innocent, small voice. Oh, how Liriya had missed hearing it!

“She would not come, Papa wouldbringher. King Valdemar wanted us to hand her over to his people, to keep her in their prison, but Papa said that he wanted to keep his daughters at his side.”

“And who is King Valdemar?”

“The siren king who helped us—”

“SirenKing?” her sisters hissed together in astonishment.

Liriya laughed lightly. “Right, you girls do not know the story yet.”

“And are we the only ones who do not?”

Liriya tried to hide her smile as her sisters looked up at her through narrowed eyes. “Um, maybe?” she said, before adding, “Oh, and Luke too.”

“Good. Or else I will not let you get wed until you told us everything.”

Liriya opened her mouth just when she heard Luke speak to their guests, and clamped it shut.

She turned to him, registering only then that her parents had left their side to go to Luke and had been talking with him while she caught up with her sisters. Papa smiled at her and Mama winked. Liriya realized that they had given him their blessing.

After apologizing to the guests for Faelina’s drama and briefly explaining the misunderstanding that she had caused all of them, Luke announced the restart of the ceremony and turned to Liriya.

He was glowing with infectious joy inside and out as he stepped towards her, looking at her the way that always made her heart soar—like she was the sun, the moon, and the stars in the heavens.

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