A Wedding with Aemeath

Kexi's expression went blank for a second, then she revealed a very smug smile.

Aemeath realized she had said the wrong thing, her face flushed red, and she grabbed the chopsticks on the table and threw them at him.

Kexi turned his head to dodge, and the chopsticks flew past his ear and embedded themselves deeply in the wall behind him.

"Have you gotten a little stronger?" Kexi turned around and looked at the two chopsticks nailed into the wall.

"Eat yours." Aemeath pushed the last egg tart on her plate toward him and turned her head away.

"The wedding tomorrow is a lie. Don't overthink it. I'll still kill you."

"I know."

"I'll make my move once I become stronger."

"Good."

Don't agree so quickly.

"Then what should I say?"

"... Aren't you afraid?"

"What are you afraid of? Afraid you'll kill me? You can't even drop chopsticks properly now."

Aemeath was so angry that she opened her mouth and bit him, biting his collarbone through his clothes. The bite wasn't hard, and it didn't even leave a mark.

Then she didn't say anything more, buried her face in his chest, and fell asleep soon after.

Her breathing became even, her body softened, and she felt like a plush animal curled up in his arms.

Kexi picked up Aemeath was already asleep.

She gave a muffled hum in his arms, nuzzled her face against his chest, and mumbled something indistinctly, which was hard to understand.

Kexi carried her through the corridor and towards the room.

She looked completely harmless while sleeping, a stark contrast to the pink-haired girl who had poked him with chopsticks, bit him, and threatened to kill him.

He glanced down at her, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

I'm getting married tomorrow.

Although it's fake, although everything in this world is fake.

But the person in my arms was really breathing, really sleeping, and really burying her face in his chest, rubbing against him.

At the corner of the corridor, a small head peeked out silently.

Carlotta was still wearing her daytime dress, only she had changed her high heels for soft-soled slippers, which made no sound as she walked on the wooden floor.

She watched as Kexi carried Aemeath into the room, the door closing gently behind her. Then she tiptoed to the door and pressed her ear against it.

There was a rustling sound inside for a while, then it fell silent.

Carlotta stood outside the door for a few more moments, making sure there was no more sound coming from inside, then took two steps back and silently cursed at the door.

"Useless, a 'second-rate' guy."

Then she lifted her skirt and tiptoed away.

Dawn broke quickly.

Kexi was awakened by a deafening knocking on the door.

Carlotta's voice pierced through the door, sharp and full of energy, creating a stark contrast with her height.

"Get up! Put on your makeup! Change your clothes! Today is your wedding, and you're still sleeping?!"

Before Kexi could respond, the person in her arms stirred.

Aemeath groggily crawled out of bed, her hair disheveled, her eyes half-closed, and a dried drool mark on the corner of her mouth.

Her expression shifted from confusion to bewilderment, then to a belated sense of alertness. She looked down at herself—her clothes were askew, her collar was half-open, and she was lying in Kexi's arms in an extremely undignified position.

Her face flushed crimson in an instant, turning the color of a boiled shrimp. She sprang up and pressed herself against the wall, wrapping herself tightly in the blanket like a silkworm cocoon.

"You, you, you—what did you do to me last night?!"

"I didn't do anything." Kexi lay motionless on the bed, her tone as calm as if she were stating a weather forecast.

"Then why are my clothes messed up!" Aemeath looked down and checked her clothes, finding that apart from the collar being a little crooked, there was no actual damage, but her vigilance did not diminish at all.

"You rolled over on your own. You were rolling all over the bed after you fell asleep, and you almost kicked me off."

Aemeath thought for a moment.

She has indeed had a bad sleeping posture since she was a child, and her mother used to nag about it a lot.

She opened her mouth, but the words of rebuttal swirled on her tongue without finding the right words, and in the end, she could only let out a weak "humph."

The door rang again, this time kicked open.

"Did you hear me?!"

A stunning transition.

Kexi had his hair combed by Carlotta herself.

She called it combing his hair, but she was actually pulling his hair back with force, each tug carrying the weight of a personal vendetta.

The groom's suit he was forced to wear was probably made overnight by some tailor; it fit fairly well, except the collar was a bit tight, making his neck uncomfortable.

"That's right, it should be tight," Carlotta said expressionlessly as she straightened his collar. "Just a reminder of what day it is today."

Kexi stared at her slicked-back hair in the mirror, momentarily lost in thought.

He's getting married.

And Aemeath.

Although he kept telling himself it was fake, the image of himself in the mirror, dressed in a groom's suit and having his second sister tug at his hair to fix his appearance, did indeed look like someone about to get married.

The dressing room on Aemeath's side was much quieter than the one on Kexi's side.

Yaoyue stood behind her, holding a peach wood comb, gently stroking her long hair.

Her touch was very light and gentle, as dignified and mild as her voice.

Aemeath looked at the woman combing her hair behind her in the mirror, a complex emotion flashing in her golden eyes.

"Miss Aemeath," Yaoyue tucked her long hair behind her ear and secured it with a pearl hairpin, her voice carrying a faint hint of amusement, "Are you nervous?"

"I'm not nervous," Aemeath replied instantly.

Yaoyue smiled but didn't expose her.

She looked at her face, lightly made up, in the mirror and gently patted Aemeath's shoulder. "All done. Looks great."

Meanwhile, at the Daswei House mansion, Rosinante pushed open Danika's door.

"Girl, it's about time to go to the Montelli Family." He had changed into a presentable long robe, and his gray hair was neatly combed, making him look much more energetic.

Although yesterday's annulment of the engagement left him somewhat disappointed, since his granddaughter had let it go, he had nothing more to say.

Today I'm attending a wedding. Our two families still have a good relationship, so I can't be too formal.

Danika stood by the window, her back to him.

She didn't wear the pink dress she wore yesterday; instead, she changed into a black dress.

Hearing Rosinante's voice, she slowly turned around, her face bearing that sweet smile as always.

"Grandpa," her voice was soft and gentle, exactly the same as yesterday, the day before, and every time she had ever acted spoiled since childhood, "Do you love me?"

Rosinante paused for a moment, then laughed.

He stepped forward and patted her head, his palm resting on the top of her pink hair, his tone full of affection. "Of course I love you. You are Grandpa's most beloved granddaughter, who else would I love but you?"

Danika closed her eyes and snuggled against that broad, warm palm like a docile kitten.

Then she reached out and gently hugged Rosinante.

The moment her fingers touched his back, a strange, dark red light surged from her fingertips, like countless extremely fine threads, silently seeping into his body.

Rosinante's smile froze on his face, his body stiffened for a moment, and then began to shrink.

He turned into a rag doll and silently fell into Danika's palm.

Danika looked down at the small rag doll in her palm.

"That way you'll love me forever and never leave me, Grandpa."

She carefully placed the doll into her lace pouch, patted the pouch, then lifted her skirt and walked towards the door. "Let's go, we're going to Kexi's wedding."

"Whee."

The front hall of the Montelli Family has been completely transformed by the red silk and lanterns.

The courtyard was filled with guests. Although time was short, it was not surprising that the Montelli Family could gather so many guests in half a day, given their status.

A large red carpet was laid in the center of the main hall, and fresh flowers were placed on both sides. The incense burner was filled with the finest sandalwood.

Francis was wheeled to the head seat by two servants. Although he was pale, he was in much better spirits than yesterday. His thin fingers rested on the armrests of the wheelchair, and a rare smile appeared on his lips.

Kexi stood at the end of the red carpet. The groom's suit looked quite good on him, except that the collar made it a little hard for him to breathe.

He looked at the other end of the red carpet, where Aemeath, supported by Yaoyue, slowly walked towards them.

She wore a white wedding dress with a train trailing on the carpet, her long pink hair cascading over her shoulders, and a white veil covering most of her face, revealing only her golden eyes that twinkled brightly behind the veil.

She stopped in front of Kexi.

Yaoyue placed one of her hands in Kexi's hand. The hand was slightly cool, and her fingertips trembled slightly in his palm.

Kexi squeezed her hand tightly, but she didn't pull away.

Yaoyue took two steps back, turned to face the guests, and presided over the ceremony as the eldest sister.

Her voice remained dignified and gentle, neither too loud nor too soft, perfectly silencing the whispers from the audience.

"Today, my younger brother Kexi and Aemeath are united in marriage. All our relatives and friends are our witnesses." She turned to Kexi, "Kexi, will you take Aemeath as your wife?"

"I do."

Yaoyue turned to Aemeath: "Miss Aemeath, would you be willing to marry Kexi?"

Aemeath was silent for a second.

Kexi felt that one second was as long as an entire winter.

Then I heard her voice.

"I do."

Yaoyue nodded slightly, then turned to all the guests and announced loudly, "If anyone has any objections to this marriage, please raise them now—"

I object.