"Hah...well, it looks like things are going to start soon...so I'm going to head off to where I am supposed to be...okay?" I said awkwardly to my brother, Ash, as I quickly waved him goodbye.

"Oh? Yeah, sure. It's not like I wanted you here with me anyway," Ash muttered as he shooed me away with his hands.

Ash seemed upset somehow but, since I had an angry Ace behind me, I decided to not worry about it too much.

"I'll see you later then," I nodded as I quickly turned around, grabbed Ace by the hand, and led him away with me.

We walked to an open terrace together, where the afternoon sun could be seen high above the glorious sea of lazy clouds.

I peered my eyes upward a little to see what expression Ace would have on his face and chuckled a little when I noticed that he was pouting adorably with his lips.

"What's wrong, Ace?" I asked as I poked his puffed-out cheeks a little with my finger.

"..."

"Are you mad?"

"...no."

It was such an obvious lie that I giggled a little childishly before giving a deep sigh.

There was a warm feeling that was continually growing somewhere in the depths of my chest.

Waves upon waves of joy were constantly crashing down on one another, especially

Honestly, I almost didn't know how to contain myself anymore.

"Today's finally the day...my father's getting remarried," I murmured as I rested my head against my palm which was positioned on the railing of the terrace.

"..."

"Do you remember my birth mother, Ace?" I asked.

"...I would never forget her."

"She was a bit cruel...in many ways. Just thinking about her makes me sick," I said through slightly gritted teeth.

My birth mother, Amelia de Boren Cyllia, was the one who first taught me how it felt to kill another human being.

Of course, until this day, I have never felt a single ounce of regret or guilt in the fact that I, alone, killed her.

She deserved it all.

"But, in the end, she wasn't even the worst person that I would have the...pleasure...of meeting," I sighed.

Certainly, from then on, I had to learn the hard way that...this world was just full of terrible people.

There were terrible people no matter where I went.

Earth and here.

"...I won't let anyone hurt you, Cordelia. I won't ever hurt you either. I promise," Ace said as he wrapped his arms around me from behind.

"I'm not worried about that though," I laughed as I embraced him as well.

"But, either way, I want you to know...I'll make you happy for the rest of your life," he insisted.

I smiled.

These were such horribly cheesy lines...

Just as expected from an otome game world.

"Thank you. And I'll promise the same as well...that I'll never hurt you," I smiled.

At that moment, the palace's silver bells rung, indicating that it was time for guests to arrive and that the gates would soon open.

"Ah...look at the time. Let's go...or else we might be late," I nodded to Ace as we quickly left the terrace to the front hall to greet guests and the like.

This was the second promise I had made to Ace.

And the one I would break.

.

.

.

.

For hours, I kept a perfect smile on my face as I greeted every single last person who arrived.

At some point, my cheeks began to hurt so I secretly gently massaged them when no one was looking.

Ah...this was tiring.

And the worst part was that I had to do this job with Florence by my side...

Since it was publically known that we were still engaged and had quite a "happy and lovely relationship," we were expected to work together throughout the whole wedding, side-by-side.

I recalled how I slapped him before.

Tch.

This was giving me a headache.

"Ah...I need a break..." my brother said as he walked up behind me.

My brother, Ash, was walking here and there to carefully check everything and make sure all of his plans were running smoothly.

Every once and a while, he would pop in to give a quick hello before scurrying away somewhere.

"You can always sit down. There's not much to do right now anyway," I told him.

"No...Father trusted me enough to let me manage all of this...I can't let him down now," Ash sighed.

"Well then, good luck," I chuckled as he quickly left somewhere again.

It was at that moment, I felt Florence's hand wrap around my waist.

I shuddered.

"Pay attention to your job, Cordelia," Florence whispered sharply into my ear before turning away to continue welcoming guests into the palace.

Unfortunately, since we were in public, I wasn't able to brush his hand off of me.

But, fortunately, familiar faces soon passed through the door.

"Lin. Min. It's great to see you two again," I smiled as I gave a perfect curtsy to both of them.

They were dressed in classy, expensive clothes that almost seemed to be oozing in shiny prestige.

This was expected, of course, because, out of everybody in attendance of today's wedding, they were certainly the wealthiest.

In their arms was Sin, the small teddy bear, who was dressed fashionably in a black tuxedo, that also seemed to be made of fine materials.

Even though Sin was still and lifeless—most likely because he was in public—I could vividly imagine him cursing over the fact that he needed to wear such unnecessary clothes.

"Good evening, Cowdelia," Lin nodded.

"It's a pleasure to see you again," Min continued.

"Ah...please make your way down this hall. The venue should be in the fifth door to the right," I said as I pointed them in the direction they needed to go.

Things were going quite smoothly until...

"This is quite sad...won't you two say anything to me as well?" Florence asked with an unreadable smile on his face

"No, we don't want to," the twins replied.

They stared at Florence for a while and then looked down at his hands wrapped around my waist.

"Well that must be awkward..." the twins said as they looked up at me, "...right, Cordelia?"

"Huh? Uh...well..." I stuttered.

Soon, Lin stepped up and brushed away Florence's hand around my waist.

"There, that's better now," Min nodded with a smile.

"A-Ah...yes, thank you," I stammered as I looked around to make sure no one was watching us.

But who was I kidding?

Of course, the entire venue was eyeing me, the shining prince next to me, and the two rich and handsome bachelors that were standing by the front door.

Without a doubt, there would likely be rumors about this tomorrow...

Ugh...

And, when I looked up, I could see the smiling faces of the twins, begging to be praised for their good deeds.

"It's time for you two to head inside," I sighed as I gave up on trying to scold them.

Today was meant to be a good day anyway.

I can't let myself become mad at my friends and ruin it all...

"Okayyyy," the twins both nodded as they did as I asked and left.

And, after that, I was trapped in a deep pit of empty silence with Florence, who was clenching his hands tightly by his sides.

If looks could kill, the twins would already have been dead.

He was so angry, in fact, that a few small storm clouds began to appear in the sky, which was a sign of him losing control of his powerful lightning magic.

"F--k. Did they think that was funny?" Florence chuckled as he gave me a downward side glance and grinned.

His eyes were glittering red.

I flinched a bit and then promptly moved to cast a simple spell over Florence's eyes with my illusion magic to make them appear to be their usual shade of green.

It would be a disaster if anyone found out that the crown prince was enraged on the day of the duke's wedding.

"Calm down. You know it isn't good to lose control like that," I said sharply.

For a moment, Florence was still as he touched his eyes with his hands.

"Were they red?" Florence asked with the cock of his head.

"Yes. So, calm down," I nodded.

But, contrary to what I would have imagined him to act, he began to chuckle as if though he had come across something extremely humorous.

"Ah. Our next guest is here. It's the..." I said, ignoring Florence's momentary insaneness, as a delicate, white carriage rolled up to the palace gates.

It was easy to tell who the carriage belonged to because I had seen it once or twice before.

"...hah. The Holy Priest," Florence said in a dazed voice.

"Do you not like him?" I asked, knowing that the odds of them having met before were quite high.

"I...despise him," Florence said strangely without explaining why.

"Is there a reason—"

"Oh, my dear Cordelia! And if it isn't little Florence~ You've grown up so much since I've last seen you!" the Holy Priest interrupted as he stepped out from his carriage.

As soon as his two feet touched the ground, long lines of maids and servants came to line up on both sides of the pathway leading up all the way to the palace doors.

And everyone gave a deep bow of respect for the man in front of them.

The Holy Priest, the most powerful man in the world, was here.

"We greet the Holy Priest," everyone announced with our head lowered.

"Thank you. Please raise your heads," Gideon said and everyone complied.

Today, instead of his usual pure white robes, he wore a silvery cloak, which was likely out of respect for Sophie, who was the only woman with the right to wear white today.

He looked up at Florence and me, who stood at the top of the stairs leading to the palace, and gave a smile.

With a few bishops and priests behind him, he moved gracefully toward us and eventually stopped by our feet.

"Good evening, my dear Cordelia and little Florence," the Holy Priest smiled as he gave us both a light pat on the head.

"Good evening, Holy Priest Gideon. There are no words I can use to express my gratitude to you, who offered to oversee my father's wedding today," I said respectfully as I gave a deep curtsy.

"Oh. There's no need to be so formal, my dear Cordelia. I'm the one who offered, to begin with. I didn't expect any thanks in return," Gideon smiled as he ushered me to stand up again.

"But still, thank you," I repeated to make sure that he and everyone else in the room understood that the entire dukedom would not take this for granted.

"Yes, yes. You're quite welcome, my dear Cordelia," Gideon replied with an apologetic smile as if though he understood why I was going to such great lengths to do this.

"Please allow me to escort you personally to the venue-"

"No. I will," Florence immediately intercepted as he stepped in between the Holy Priest and me.

"Oh? You will, little Florence?" the Holy Priest asked with a surprised look on his face, "But I thought you didn't like me..."

"I don't," Florence growled.

"Fufu~ You were so cute when you were little...I wonder what happened to you now," the Holy Priest sighed as he raised his hand and ruffled Florence's hair.

"Stop it..." he muttered under his breath but did nothing to brush away Gideon's hand.

As I watched the two of them, I realized that they seemed to have a close relationship with one another.

Or at least...

It seemed like they did.

Because, the whole time, Florence was staring daggers at the Holy Priest.

"You two seem very close," I commented.

"Ah, yes, I watched over little Florence when he was still only a few years old...You could say I was his second father of sorts," the Holy Priest chuckled as he gave Florence a warm smile.

"Let's go," Florence replied in an irritated voice and the Holy Priest, who was brightly smiling the whole time, complied.

And, with that, the two of them left and I stood at the front doors alone, greeting anyone else who came in.

.

.

.

.

Soon, the venue was full of all sorts of noble families and it was time for the main event to start.

...the actual wedding.

The venue, where the event would take place, was pristine, full of white chrysanthemums and genestas, and was sparkling with delicate, diamond ornaments.

It was beautiful.

The silver bells of the palace began to swing, creating a wonderful melody that signaled all of the wedding guests to become quiet.

"Ahem," a familiar face announced as he stood up from his seat, "Before we begin, I would like to be able to express my overwhelming emotions, as the bride's father..."

And for the next while, Sophie's father made a short but emotional speech.

At times, Sophie's mother would join too and they would both talk about fond memories of when Sophie was just a young lady.

"...and this is why we extend our warmest congratulations and blessings to the bride and the groom tonight. Thank you," the Baron finally concluded.

Both him and Sophie's mother already had tears in their eyes but, at the same time, they had the warmest smiles on their faces.

Ah...what a warm family.

In my case, I didn't have any living grandparents so there was technically no need for another speech from my side of the family.

But, still, Ash and I, the Duke's children, stood up from our seats and began to speak.

And from there, everything went by like a blur.

The wedding guests laughed, they cried and applauded the words that we spoke tenderly.

And, when it was over, we sat down with smiles on our faces and waited for the sweet jingle of bells to signify the entrance of an important individual, the wedding officiant...otherwise known as the Holy Priest.

The room was completely and utterly silent for a moment as Gideon opened his mouth.

"We are here today to commemorate the union of Sophie and Alastair de Boren Cyllia..." he began.

Noble weddings were usually long and drawn out since there were many unskippable formalities and traditions that needed to be followed.

In other words, Gideon spoke continuously for the next hour.

At some point, I zoned out and was lost in hundreds of different thoughts made from my own fantasies.

I had already heard the same speech dozens of times before during our wedding rehearsals anyway.

And when I zoned back in, everyone was clapping...so I did the same as well.

"Now, I present to you the bride and groom!" Gideon announced loudly as the two grand doors at the back of the venue opened up slowly.

Behind the doors were my father and Sophie standing side-by-side.

In this world, the bride and the groom entered together during the wedding ceremony with their hands clasped gently together.

My father was dressed in a clean and perfectly fitted suit.

His aqua blue hair was parted cleanly like the swirling waves of the sea.

He was already an extremely handsome man but his attire only enhanced his perfect figure, making him seem more spectacular than he already was.

On the other hand, Sophie was dressed in a snowy white dress that draped over her hips like the petals of a nearly blooming rosebud.

Her lips were painted in a ripe shade of strawberry red and her hair was braided and tied into the shape of an intricate bun.

She had a mature, yet warm, appeal to her which drew all eyes toward her.

In other words, she was absolutely captivating.

I smiled in satisfaction.

This was my father's wedding after all.

Everything needed to be absolutely perfect!

He and Sophie carefully walked through the center aisle toward Gideon and, when they reached him, they stopped and smiled at each other.

It was such a genuine smile that anyone in the room could immediately tell they were deeply and undeniably in love.

"Now, I am sure that this is the moment that everyone here has been eagerly waiting for. Isn't that right?" Gideon asked the audience.

A burst of lighthearted laughter responded to him in return.

"Ahem," he coughed slightly, "Now, Alastair de Boren Cyllia, do you, of your own free will, take Sophie, as your lawful, wedded wife, to love, protect, and defend—as long as you both shall live?"

And with the brightest smile on his face, my father replied, "I do."

Gideon also gave a grin.

"Now, Sophie, do you, of your own free will, take Alastair de Boren Cyllia, as your lawful, wedded husband, to love, protect, and defend—as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Sophie nodded as her nose became a light shade of pink.

There were tears threatening to fall from her eyes and she held her breath.

"You may now exchange rings," Gideon said.

Carefully presented in front of them was a velvet pillow with two silver rings, decorated uniquely with diamonds in the shape of the duchy's symbol, the blue rose.

With a slightly shaky breath, my father picked up a ring and placed it securely around Sophie's finger.

And with that, my father, who was smiling the whole time, suddenly burst into tears and let waterfalls of emotions out.

"I-I love...y-you...Sophieee..." my father cried in a trembling, pitched voice.

Everyone laughed at this, of course, and I, who was watching from the audience, suddenly felt the urge to cry as well.

Sophie gave a small breathy laugh at my father's sudden confession and picked up a ring as well to place on his finger.

"I love you too, Alastair," Sophie replied as tears began to drip like glittering streams from her eyes.

They held each other's hand carefully and braced themselves for Gideon's next words.

"With the symbolic exchange of silver rings, I now pronounce you, by the power vested in me by the Holy Church and by my power as the supreme Holy Priest, husband and wife!" Gideon called out and everyone applauded.

I clapped my hands together as tears dripped from my eyes.

Oops.

It looks like I got a bit too emotional as well...

"You may now kiss the bride," Gideon smiled as he gestured to my father to take the lead.

And, my father, who was impatiently waiting for this moment, immediately looped his arms around Sophie's waist and brought her in for a tender kiss on the lips.

"I love you, Sophie," my father said, a bit clearer this time.

"I love you too, Alastair," Sophie replied.

With that, the wedding ceremony was finally over.

---------------------------------------------------------

A/N: HAPPINESS~ SUGAR~ RAINBOWS~ LOVE~

*blegh*

Sorry, I just got a bit disgusted by the excess amount of happiness I put into this chapter's ending. But...you guys deserve it. I did skip the update last week after all...

And, on that note, FORGIVE ME! My schedule has just been so...hectic lately that it has become hard for me to properly update like I used to...

I'm still trying to figure things out so I can continue consistently updating for you guys...

After all, I think we can ALL agree that it would suck if the qualities of my chapters went down. And that it would suck EVEN MORE if I went on HIATUS...(which, hopefully, will never happen!!)

Again, I'm super sorry for not being able to update last week!! I don't know how I can make it up to you guys...but I wrote an extra-long happy chapter as an apology to you all~

Thanks, again, to my readers/voters/commenters for everything you do! I really really really love you all~ And I'd like to give an extra thanks to those of you who wished me to get better these past two weeks~ I really appreciate it!!

Stay safe, everyone~

Okie byeee!

Word Count: 3305