Chapter 271 Three Days of Chaos

It’s official, the universe has made a grave mistake. Selene herself has trusted me with planning a coronation. Me. The woman whose idea

of a “well–balanced dinner” these days is whiskey and marshmallows. But honestly? I’ve never been more excited in my life. After my very

enthusiastic wake–up call, I’m halfway down the corridor of the packhouse with a clipboard in one hand, a half–drunk coffee in the other,

and all four of my mates trailing behind me like confused bodyguards.

“You’re walking too fast,” Levi complains.

“You’re talking too slow,” I shoot back, nearly tripping over a rug as I turn the corner. “We have three days to transform the Underworld

from a realm of eternal death into a venue worthy of divine royalty.”

Haiden mutters, “Those words should not exist in the same sentence.”

Xavier catches my elbow before I barrel into the next wall. “Do you even have a plan?”

I lift the clipboard proudly. “Of course I have a plan.”

He peers over my shoulder. “That’s a doodle of a throne with sparkles.”

“It’s conceptual.”

Noah groans. “We’re doomed.”

I ignore him completely, marching up to the west wing and rapping on Aleisha and Tommy’s door. There’s a muffled crash, followed by

Aleisha’s voice yelling, “If that’s one of the quads again, I swear to god-”

“It’s not!” I yell back. “It’s me! Open up!”

The door swings open, revealing Aleisha in her pyjamas, hair in a messy bun, holding a piece of toast in one hand and a dagger in the

other.

“Envy?” she blinks. “What are you doing here at–what is it–seven in the morning?”

“Important goddess business.”

Her eyes light up immediately. “Oh my gods. What happened? Who are we killing?”

“No one!” I laugh. “This time, we’re celebrating!”

She lowers the dagger slowly, “…Come again?”

“Macey and Elliot!” I say, bouncing on my toes. “They’ve mated and marked, the whole divine bond thing. Selene came to me personally

last night and said it’s time for their formal coronation!”

Aleisha’s jaw drops. “Holy shit.”

“I know!”

“Holy shit!” she yells again, spinning toward Tommy’s room. “TOM! WAKE UP! ENVY’S LOSING HER MIND AND I THINK IT’S IN A GOOD

WAY!”

Tommy stumbles out of his room shirtless, rubbing his eyes. “We’re not dying again, right?”

“Better,” Aleisha says, grinning. “We’re decorating.”

“Decorating,” he repeats flatly. “…like, for what?”

“The King and Queen of the Underworld!” I shout. “Selene herself asked me to plan the coronation.”

Tommy just blinks, clearly trying to process this. “Of course she did.”

Aleisha grabs my shoulders. “You’re not doing this without me.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” I say, grinning. “You’re my right–hand chaos.”

Behind me, Levi sighs. “And what are we? The chaos clean–up crew?”

“Exactly,” I say sweetly.

Haiden groans. “Gods help us all.”

The rest of the morning blurs into movement. By the time the sun hits the treetops, I’ve commandeered the entire dining hall in the

underworld as our planning base. Blueprints cover every surface, scraps of shimmering fabric drape over chairs, and Aleisha is standing on

the table, enthusiastically arguing with Noah about lighting angles.

“I’m telling you,” she says, waving a strand of silver cloth like a sword, “if we hang it higher, it’ll reflect the moonlight better.”

“We’re in the Underworld,” Noah says, pinching the bridge of his nose. “There is no moonlight.”

“Then we’ll make some!” she retorts.

I beam at her. “That’s the spirit.”

Haiden sets down a crate of candles beside me. “Please tell me you’re not seriously using all of these.”

I smirk. “You know me, Haiden. I like things bright enough to make ghosts squint.”

He mutters something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like, “We’re all going to catch fire.”

Levi appears beside him, carrying rolls of enchanted silk that flicker between black and gold. “The seamstress said these came from the

last veil–bloom harvest. Perfect for the banners.”

“Perfect!” I say, clapping my hands. “You’re all doing amazing. Now we just need-

Xavier clears his throat behind me. “-to sleep? Eat? Take a breath?”

”

I whirl on him. “Excuse me, Mr broody Alpha, but this is divine business. There will be no sleeping until every corner of that throne room

looks like it could make a goddess cry.”

He stares at me for a long second, then sighs. “I mated a maniac.”

I grin. “And you’re welcome for it.”

Aleisha cackles. “She’s right. You’re lucky. I’d kill to have her energy.”

Noah mutters, “She nearly killed us with it.”

I roll my eyes dramatically. “Fine. You can all have a break. Fifteen minutes.”

Levi laughs under his breath. “Fifteen minutes, she says, like it’s generous.”

But the truth is, as I stand there, surrounded by laughter, by chaos, by life, something inside me settles. For years, I was the weapon, the

saviour, the one holding the balance together by sheer will. Now, for once, I just get to be Envy. A mate. A mother. A woman planning her

daughter’s coronation with too much glitter and too much love. And damn it, it feels good.

By nightfall, the hall is already unrecognisable. Banners of obsidian silk and silver thread hang from the rafters, flickering with soft,

magical light. The great river that cuts through the Underworld palace now glows gently beneath a bridge of glass and the walls shimmer with constellations that pulse like living stars. Haiden and Xavier are bickering about centrepiece arrangements. Levi’s fixing the lighting

runes. Aleisha is halfway up a ladder, braiding enchanted vines across the archway, humming something loud and off–key. And me? I

stand in the middle of it all, clipboard pressed to my chest and heart so full I could burst. Selene chose me for this moment, and now I

understand why. Not because I’m perfect, or powerful, or divine, but because I’ve spent my whole life learning how to rebuild what’s been

broken. This isn’t war anymore. It’s legacy.

“Envy!” Aleisha shouts from the ladder. “Do you think Macey will cry?”

I grin. “Oh, she’s going to sob.”

“Good,” Aleisha says, satisfied. “Then we’ve done it right.”

Bringing Down the House.