Chapter 168 - Family heirlooms

Helplessly, her hands fluttered across Lily's face, looking for a place where she could safely pat her granddaughter's face without smearing the carefully applied make-up.

Lily reached for her grandmother's hand... "Grand-mère..."

"Oh, dear... don't cry, my darling, or we'll have to start all over again with your pretty make-up."

Lily smiled tentatively.

Sighing, her grandmother reached for a navy blue box handed to her by one of the hired girls. "Instead of crying, you have to smile." Her voice swayed a little uncertainly, her fingers gently stroking over the velvet fabric before she opened the box with a click. "A reason to smile is this beautiful gift. I got it from my mother-in-law when I married your grandfather." She paused while her gaze lingered on the contents of the box as if she remembered something. "Since we're not getting a daughter-in-law, but a son-in-law, we can't ask him to wear the jewelry. So, my love, you must wear it in his place." Her full lips formed a mischievous grin.

Transparent gemstones sparkled beautifully with each other, while they were surrounded by filigree white gold. Delicate garlands of flowers embraced the countless diamonds. The royal jewelry set of tiara, necklace, earrings and a fine bracelet rested gracefully on the blue velvet.

Lily looks up in amazement at her grandmother, who shrugged her shoulders. "Another heirloom of our family." Carefully, her grandmother picked up the sparkling tiara, which featured curved floral garlands of white gold enclosing rose-cut diamonds, and placed it on Lily's head. In astonishment, Lily looked at herself in the mirror while the stylist carefully took the other pieces of jewelry from the box to put them on her. Lily took a deep breath to calm down. A strange cocktail of emotions had brewed in her heart.

Her gaze turned away as her grandmother put another piece of jewelry around her neck. In the tapered center of the necklace, a large diamond was surrounded by cool shining white gold. Rose-cut diamonds added further points of light in a design composed of leaves rocailles and elegant arches to create a bright, glittering, glowing web. Carefully the matching earrings were attached to Lily, composed of a lavish drop-shaped pendulum which framed one diamond. As well as the radiant bracelet that wrapped around her wrist like a fine garland of flowers.

"Ready for the bride purchase?" Her maid of honor suddenly burst in and hummed in a charmingly flirtatious tone of voice, but there was a slightly rushed expression on her face. Lily looked confusedly at her friend's face, which also made her feel uneasy. They looked at each other. Questions burned on their lips...

"What is a bride purchase?" Adrian leaned his head to one side and looked at them with big eyes.

Nelli lowered her eyes, tried to push her thoughts into a dark corner of her head and gave Adrien a sugar-sweet smile. "We're testing your papa's love for your maman. "Your papa must pass a few tests and pay a lot if he wants to marry your maman today." A cruel pleasure was reflected on her face.

Lily got the feeling that her friend wanted to take revenge on someone else, but Alexandra now unfortunately had to face this anger.

The bride hesitated. "Perhaps we should..."

"Fiddlesticks!" Her grandmother interrupted her. "It's tradition. Let your husband show his good side. Today, many eyes are watching."

Lily nodded without a word.

"Addy, if your papa comes back later to get your maman. You can't give up your maman right away."

"Why?" asked the toddler innocently.

"Because your maman's the most important thing in the world to you."

The little boy nodded and answered seriously. "Yes!" As he wrapped his chubby little arms around his mother's waist. Lily felt warmth sweep over her heart. She leaned down and kissed Adrian gently on his forehead.

"Good!" Nelli giggled. "So when your dad comes and wants to take your maman, you have to say no, no, no. Got it?"

The toddler nodded immediately.

"And if your papa asks - why? You have to say that your maman is so important to you that no treasure in the world can replace her."

Adrien looked at his aunt with big eyes but kept nodding while he listened to her.

"If your papa starts giving you lots of presents, you can give your maman to your papa only."