"Where is it? Where is it?" I chanted to myself as I pulled all the covers off our freshly made bed. "It has to be around here somewhere. Engagement rings don't just grow legs and walk off."

I'd spent the past hour scouring Jimin's and my suite in the palace. Somehow, I had lost the engagement ring he had given to me eight months ago—a month after the Dissolution Ceremony. Getting a ring from my now-fiancé was special and I hated not knowing where it was. What added to my stress, however, was that it was a priceless family heirloom.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit."

"Eomma's saying a lot of naughty words, isn't she," I heard my fiancé coo to one of our sons. I didn't know which one he had but I was sure the second twin wouldn't be too far away.

I looked up and my heart blossomed as I saw Jimin holding Kwang-Sun in his arms. Little Kwang was the second of our twins to come into the world, born about 20 minutes after his brother. Jimin and I had many debates about what to name our sons; we didn't start thinking of names until they'd been born. The one thing we could agree on was that we wanted to name them in a way that would hopefully influence their lives in the future. Jimin wanted to continue to tradition by having 'Ji' at the start of the name, whereas I wanted us to start our own family traditions. In the end, we both agreed on Park Kwang-Sun (meaning wide goodness) and Park Seo-Yun (meaning auspicious softness).

Where Seo had come into the world first with a head full of blonde hair, my youngest son had luscious auburn locks. Both boys looked like a perfect combination between Jimin and me since Esther and I looked so similar. While they both had Esther's hazel eyes instead of my green ones, there was no doubt that they had each inherited their father's lips.

"I'm sorry, Honey," I apologised to my fiancé with a quick kiss, followed by a lingering peck on Kwang's head. "It just slipped out."

"What's got you so stressed, Nell?" he asked as he placed the baby on the rug we used for tummy time.

I shook my head, not wanting to tell him. But when Jimin came over and wrapped me into his arms, my defences fell. "You're going to hate me."

"You know I could never hate you, My Love."

"Even if I told you I lost my engagement ring?"

I was seething when Jimin suddenly started laughing. I tried to pull myself out of his embrace but the man would have no part in it. "Did you forget? I took the ring to the jeweller so he could clean it."

I didn't know whether I wanted to bash my head against the bedroom wall or cry in relief. It had completely slipped my mind that Jimin took the ring in last week. I relaxed into Jimin's body as the stress from this morning washed off me.

"Let's put it back where it belongs, shall we?" I looked at my hand that Jimin had taken into his own. I smiled as he slipped the emerald and diamond ring back onto the ring finger of my left hand.

I loved how shiny it was now, and how gemstones sparkled under the lights. The floral design was perfect for us as a couple, particularly since one of our initial dates involved gardening together. It turns out his grandmother had designed and landscaped the numerous gardens at the palace. It seemed like destiny that I was chosen to wear such a treasure. I vowed the moment Jimin placed it on my finger after his incredibly romantic proposal, that I would forever cherish and protect the ring.

"It looks good, My Love," Jimin murmured, bringing my hand to his lips as he pressed a kiss to the ring. "It will look even better once the wedding band is beside it tomorrow."

Being reminded that tomorrow I would be the wife of Park Jimin had me giggling in glee. By the enormous smile that overtook his entire face, I could tell my fiancé was also excited. Jimin kissed the ring again and then my lips before he grabbed Kwang and headed out of the room so I could get ready.

When Jimin had asked me to marry him, I didn't even hesitate for a second to agree. Although, I did have one stipulation for when I wanted the wedding to happen. I wanted the boys to be big enough that we didn't need to nurse them the entire time. So, we ended up having a much longer engagement than any of the other Seed Bearers.

Seokjin and Soon-Bok had been wed about a month after the Dissolution Ceremony. Their wedding was a grand occasion since he was the first of the Seoul Seed Bearers to get married. While there had been a lot of talk from both of them about wanting to try for another baby, there had been no news yet confirming a pregnancy.

Jungkook and Da-Eun had been the next couple to tie the knot. The occasion was a little less grand than the Kim's but with a wild party afterwards. Like Soon-Bok, Da-Eun had asked me to make their wedding cake. I decorated the three-tier cake with sugared flowers to create a whimsical look. Little Minjun had looked so adorable being held by his father, and when Jungkook married his wife, he made sure their son was also included.

About six weeks ago, we celebrated the marriage of Yoongi and Ari. Like them, their wedding was relaxed and more on the casual side. I had also been tasked with making their wedding cake—something by now I had expected would happen with each couple in the future. I kept it simple with some fancy piping and a couple of buttercream flowers as decorations. Ari looked so stunning in her wedding hanbok. The entire time I was at their wedding, I kept telling myself it was mine and Jimin's next.

"Can I come in, Squish?" my sister called out after a series of knocks at the bedroom door. When Jimin and I moved back into the palace after the Dissolution Ceremony, Esther came too. It felt good not having to keep her a secret anymore.

"Yeah, come in!" I replied from in the closet, hoping I was loud enough that she would hear me. I heard the door close and a few seconds later, the footsteps ended as Esther joined me. "I don't know what to wear, Bubbles. What does one wear to their pre-wedding dinner when they are marrying one of the most handsome men in all the universes?"

"It's a good thing your fiancé has taken that stress from you, isn't it?" I turned and saw a garment bag slung over one of Esther's arms. "Hoseok thought I was exaggerating when I told him I needed to end our date early so I could help you get dressed."

I smiled at the happy and adoring look that came over my sister's face as she thought of her boyfriend. Not long after the two had met, sparks began to fly. I couldn't imagine anyone I would love having as my potential future brother-in-law than my bias.

"How's he coping now that he's officially withdrawn from being a Seed Bearer?" I asked as I unzipped the garment bag on the large bed.

Words disappeared as I took in the dress that Jimin had bought for me. It was stunning and sexy; I knew I would feel beautiful in it. The dress was made of the softest velvet that I couldn't stop touching. The garment appeared to be midi-length; as I held it up against my chest, the hem settled somewhere between my knee and ankle.

I adored the high halter neckline secured with a bow at the back. The adornment complemented the black silk and silver-plated belt that highlighted my waistline. My fiancé would be getting a very long and intimate thank you from me tonight for choosing such a stunning dress.

Since I didn't want to dirty the dress, Esther and I started on my hair and makeup first. While she tackled my locks, I began applying foundation.

"He's doing much better," she said, answering my question. "The last few months had been really hard for Hoseok. Having Bong-Cha as his assigned female did a number on him, especially with trust issues."

I reached over my shoulder and grabbed hold of Esther's hand. "I don't blame him for having problems with trust, especially when we found out why they had done the things they had."

"Fuck, Squish. I still have trouble wrapping my head around their reasoning." Esther sighed and shook her head. "Wanting to be a mother doesn't excuse you from manipulating and gaslighting those around you. Bong-Cha was deluded... I can't believe she tried to put the moz on Hoseok like that."

During their public executions, Ma-Ri, Bong-Cha, and Binna were given the chance to explain the reasoning behind their crimes. Binna said she was pulled in by two manipulative women who sought to use her for their agendas. I saw red when Taehyung and Hoseok's assigned females tried to defend themselves. Bong-Cha was a manipulative gaslighter who was only out for herself. The person I couldn't believe was Ma-Ri. She had done everything because her dibling was Jimin's previous assigned female, whom he'd left broken when he rejected her. My heart went out to Ma-Ri's sister, especially when it came out that she had killed herself to numb the pain of losing the man she fell in love with. Losing her sister did not excuse her from the suffering inflicted on Jimin, Taehyung and me.

"In a way, I'm lucky, though. Because this was the Oracle's doing, Hoseok faced no consequences for withdrawing his name from all future Rotations. If he wasn't able to pull out as a Seed Bearer, I wouldn't be with him now."

It wasn't only the pink-haired Seed Bearer who had suffered in the aftermath that was Bong-Cha. My sister had also been affected because of his lack of trust towards women. It had taken her many months to convince Hoseok that she was nothing like Bong-Cha. They should have been together much longer than their current four months. It had taken Esther nearly that amount of time trying to help the Seed Bearer heal from his trauma.

"You know, I thought Taehyung would go the same route as Hoseok," I mused. I picked up the pink blush and started applying it to my cheeks. "He really got the rough end of the pineapple, especially when he found that powder and written plans... Who on earth would write down an outline on how to drug and rape someone?"

"Just shows she'd gone troppo by doing that." Esther shivered at the thought of all those heinous things that had been done to the poor man. "Ooh, I don't know if I told you this... Taehyung crashed a date I was having with Hoseok. He said that it was the Oracle who convinced him to do another Rotation."

I looked into the mirror in shock. I hadn't heard that piece of information before. "I think Namjoon, Hoseok and you are the only ones who have met Taehyung's new assigned female. What's she like?"

We were all eager to support the orange- and mint-haired Seed Bearers at the recent Allocation Ceremony. However, Namjoon and Taehyung said they wanted to get to know their assigned females before they were introduced to the rest of us. Despite the women being assigned over a month ago, tonight would be the first time that we'd get to meet them. I'd heard a little about Kang Nabi from Namjoon, but I had yet to hear anything about Taehyung's. All I knew of the mint-haired man's female was her name: Yun Da-Hye.

"Da-Hye is everything Ma-Ri was not," Esther said with a bright smile. Even though she has not known the guys as long as I have, she considers them all to be like brothers to her. Except Hoseok—for obvious reasons. "I have a feeling that, like her name, their relationship will end up being a good love... Especially since he told Hoseok and me something last night."

My eyes widened and I bounced with excitement on the stool I was sitting on. I wouldn't ask Esther to divulge something that had been told to her and Hoseok in confidence. But I really, really hoped it was news that Taehyung and his female were expecting a baby.

"I'm all done with your hair," Esther declared as she smiled into the mirror. "You look so beautiful, Squish. I know you're missing our family right now. But I also know that Mum, Dad, Aiden, Christof, Caleb and little Nellie would all be so happy knowing that you are about to marry the love of your life."

"Esther Bennett, you'd better not be trying to make me cry!" I fake scowled at my twin, which earned me a poke to my ribs as Esther pulled a funny face. The both of us burst out laughing. Even though I missed the rest of my family every day, I was so grateful that Fate had brought my sister with me. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here today. "Come on, Bubbles, help me put on the second last dress I'll wear as a single lady."

* I love a happy ending. After all of the hardships, it all worked out well. Did you see the Estseok ship coming?