CH 116

<CHAPTER 116

“Hey, Herwin, Lucia! Let me tell you what happened!”

“We decided to date.”

“We decided to go out… Brian!”

Christine, who was about to say something, was overtaken by Brian and couldn’t find a word of excuse.

She fidgeted, wondering if her friends would think it was weird. But despite her worries, the two congratulated them.

“Congratulations, you finally made it!”

“You’ve been seeing each other, but you’re not getting married, you’re just dating, what’s going on?”

They were surprised to hear that it was just a casual relationship.

Expecting her friends to feel betrayed, Christine couldn’t finish her sentence.

Brian spoke up, trying to calm her down.

“Christine said she think it was too sudden, and that we should take it slow.”

“What? I thought you were going to get married right away.”

“Yeah, you said you wanted to get married sooner rather than later. You’ve known Brian for a long time, don’t you think it’s okay to marry him right away?”

Lucia gave strength to Herwin’s words. It certainly wasn’t wrong. When Christine went to see her, she even imagined marrying a man she didn’t even know.

But the moment she laid eyes on Brian, she knew it was all wrong.

“It’s not as easy as it sounds!”

She suddenly felt sorry for her friends who made everything sound so easy. Lucia and Herwin’s eyes widened as Christine huffed and puffed.

Tears began to form in Christine’s eyes.

“I don’t know how anyone could suddenly ask me to marry someone I’ve been friends with for over five years! You two may have had feelings for each other, but I don’t!”

Christine was still confused. She had once had a crush on Brian, but it was only for a moment when she first met him.

It was confusing to have someone you’d been friends with for so long suddenly come out and say they had a crush on you.

She tried to dismiss it as a joke, but Brian was too serious to ignore.

In the end, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and started dating him for a while, spending time together and getting to know each other. Not as friends, but as a man and a woman.

She was embarrassed by the comments her friends made about her feelings.

Lucia and Herwin were embarrassed when Christine’s mouth fell open and tears streamed down her face. 

“I’m sorry, Christine. We didn’t mean to make fun of you.”

“That’s right, we were just wondering…….”

“Stop. I’ll take care of it.”

Before they could finish their apologies, Brian stopped them. He held Christine in his arms with a soft touch and whispered something.

They don’t know what he was saying, but it felt so natural as he lovingly wiped Christine’s tears and patted her back.

After a while, Christine stopped crying and looked up at Lucia with reddened eyes.

“I’m sorry, I just burst out crying…….”

“No, no, no, we’re the ones who are sorry…….”

“……I’m sorry, Christine.”

Even Herwin seemed to relax a bit when he said he was sorry, and Christine smiled, saying she was fine now. 

They’re glad she’s feeling better, but they can’t help but notice how quickly Brian soothes her. It was like he’d worked some kind of magic.

In the awkwardness of the room, Christine was the only one who felt comfortable talking to Brian. Brian listened to her, letting his ash-colored hair fall back as it naturally flowed forward.

The way they talked about things was no different than when they were friends, but somehow it seemed more intimate.

Like a pair of lovers.

“……I thought Christine said she didn’t have a crush on Brian yet?”

Herwin whispered to Lucia. 

“Yes, she said it with that nuance.”

“But considering she said she doesn’t have a crush, it sounds like she’s treating him like more than a friend.”

“Maybe Brian did something. I mean, he’s got a way with words.”

As they whispered to each other, they both shuddered as their eyes met Brian’s. He grinned at them, then turned his attention to Christine.

Herwin muttered something about being a bastard.

“Ah, ah. The wedding ceremony will now begin if you’ll all please take your seats.”

Just in time, the master of ceremonies calmed the unruly guests. The wedding would soon begin.

Lucia and Herwin looked ahead and waited for the ceremony to begin.

A few people were gossiping about Herwin and herself, but she didn’t mind them. They would quiet down later anyway.

Usually at weddings, the bride walks down the aisle with her father, but it started with Celine and Bern walking down the aisle together. The ceremony went well, except for the beginning.

They exchanged rings, made vows to love each other for the rest of their lives, and shared a kiss.

At one point, she would have been proud to be that bride, but now Lucia’s glad she’s standing next to Herwin and not there.

Lucia applauded, feeling the warmth of his hand on her shoulder.

When the ceremony was over, it was immediately followed by the reception. They tried to stay for the ceremony only, but Celine held them back.

Lucia and Herwin decided to stay a while longer and enjoyed the reception.

Lucia had been planning her wedding, and the details of weddings and receptions caught her eye.

“Wow, I love this idea. Herwin, do you think we should set the tables like this later?”

“Do whatever you want, I’ll follow your lead.”

“Hmm, I’ll have to think about it.”

“What? Why think about it? If you want to do it, do it.”

“You know, that’s what my mom and dad say, and that’s what I hear, but it’s a waste of money. It makes me look for something better.”

“You don’t have to do that. Your wedding is the most important day of your life, and I want to do everything you want.”

“I know that, but…….”

Still, she couldn’t help but feel pressured. Somehow, she knew that if she said yes to this, yes to that, she was scared that he would do anything for her.

Herwin’s shoulders sagged as Lucia shook her head, adamant that she could handle it. 

“Lady Agnes.”

Just then, Celine, who had left to greet the others, returned. This time with Bern.

“Lady Jayson… no, I should call you the Marquise of Casper now, shouldn’t I?”

Celine smiled shyly at that.

“Yes, I am a little embarrassed, but yes, it is very kind of you to come here, and I wanted to make sure I thanked the young lady again.”

Celine gently squeezed Lucia’s hand.

“If you ever need our help in the future, please don’t hesitate to ask. We’d be happy to do anything for Lady Agnes.”

“I don’t know what I’ve done for you two, you’ve greeted me so many times now, and I don’t want to feel embarrassed if you keep doing this.”

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry, I’m being silly…….”

“I’m so sorry if we’ve put you under any pressure, Lucia, but everything Celine said is true, and if it’s your job, Lucia, we can roll up our sleeves and get to work.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not like Lucia will ever be in a situation where she’ll need help in the first place.”

As the Marquis and Marquise of Casper squirmed against Lucia, Herwin pulled her away from them.

The Marquis and Marquise chuckled at his wariness.

“Well, there’s Phoenaeus, so I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

“And even if it did, I think it would be over before we could help you.”

Herwin couldn’t tell if they were mocking or complimenting him, and Herwin gave them an odd look. Lucia stifled a laugh at the sight.

As they talked about things, she suddenly felt someone tugging at the hem of her dress.

It was Christine. Lucia wondered when she, who was with Brian, appeared alone with a fat face.

“Christine, why? Where’s Brian?”

“I don’t know, such a man.”

“He’s ……, huh?”

Why was Christine so upset when they had gotten along so well just a few minutes ago? Judging by her pouting mouth, something must have happened. 

Lucia took a moment to excuse herself and walked away with Christine.

“What happened?”

“This guy …… said he likes me, but he’s got a lot of girls.”

Not knowing what was going on, Lucia was confused.

Surely Brian would have sorted it all out?

Lucia looked around, and just then, she saw Brian in the distance.

He was with a woman. She was holding onto him, and he looked like he wanted to come where they are.

It was clear to Lucia what was going on.

“She hit on him, didn’t she?”

Christine’s body shuddered. It was the right answer.

“So, did you leave Brian behind?”

“Yes. ……Yes, because she kept pretending to know him and wanted to talk to him alone.”

“But you’re the one he’s dating now, you should have just told her straight up that you two are dating.”

“That’s what I said!”

Christine’s face crumpled even more. It was clear from her frustrated expression that she’d done as much as she could.

“But then she said something to me that we hadn’t been dating long and that he was going to break up with me soon……!”

“Did Brian hear that?”

“……I don’t know, he just walked away.”

It’s a little early to say that Brian was in the wrong, but if things had gotten that far, he should have been chasing her back here right now.

But from the way things were going in the distance, it looked like he was getting pretty frustrated. The man who normally never got annoyed by women was rolling his eyes.

“Good job, that was Brian’s fault.”

“But it wasn’t my fault, was it?”

“Of course not. At least if he was thinking of marrying you, he should have sorted it out on his own. That guy is in karma because of the actions he’d done in the past. There must be women who approach him easily, but why does he do that every time… … .”

“He… he doesn’t do it every time. Last time he flat-out rejected them, telling them I was his girlfriend.”

Lucia sided with Christine, but Christine stood by Brian. It was clear that she had feelings for him.

Lucia chuckled at the curious turn of events in their relationship.

“Okay, okay. I won’t look at Brian’s bust.”

“Oh, no, I don’t mean that. I mean……!”

“Celine, where are you!”

Suddenly, they heard a straggling voice from somewhere. Everyone turned, including Lucia and Christine, at the sound of Celine’s name in the middle.

A man appeared, grunting.

“Who is that?”

“……I don’t know.”

Lucia and Christine lowered their voices because they were less than three meters away.

The lively mood of the reception quickly subsided.

“Dad……!”

Celine’s voice burst out. It was Baron Jayson.

“How can you marry and not call any of your family, after all, I’ve done to raise you!”

Baron Jayson stepped forward menacingly, but the guards standing nearby were quick to stop him. The Baron hesitated for a moment, then turned to Celine, his face red with anger.

“You unfaithful bastard! If you were going to marry the Marquis, you should have told me, and the same goes for you! If you were going to be my son-in-law, you should have come to me at once and told me! How can people do that!”

The more he ranted and raved, the more chaotic the atmosphere became. People began to gossip and stare at the Baron’s disrespect.

This wedding was going to be a big deal, and if the world knew that something like this had happened, they might have to live with the stigma for the rest of their lives. 

Turning his head, Bern saw Celine, pale as a sheet, looking as if she might collapse at any moment. Bern scooped her into his arms and glared at the baron.

“Go back at once. We never invited you.”

Just then, a woman appeared with a deep voice. It was Bern’s mother from the wedding, Tiana, the first Marquise.

She stared down at the Baron with a sharp expression. Her intimidating presence made him shrink back.

“Who in the world allowed this man to enter, have him removed at once.”

“Yes, my lady.”

The knights grabbed the baron’s arms and tried to drag him away, but he struggled. 

The baron was quite large, and the knights could not easily subdue him.

“Get off me!”

The Baron finally shook off the knights and stalked toward Tiana, who didn’t bat an eye at the potentially dangerous situation.