101st Confession - Chapter 121

<CHAPTER 121

“My goodness…….”

“I thought the only people allowed to marry in the imperial palace were royalty…….”

“The Phoenaeus family has been grinding their teeth.”

It was December 1, the first day of winter, and the day of Lucia and Herwin’s wedding, the event that had the empire buzzing for a while.

Every noble of note was invited, and many walked down the aisle.

At best, those who thought the wedding would be held in the Great Hall in the capital rolled their eyes when they saw the address on the invitation.

It was the imperial palace where the wedding was taking place. At first, they thought it was a mistake, but it was all true.

Of course, the wedding would be held in the grand ballroom, which is only used for large banquets, but it was still an imperial palace.

A nobleman who had traveled from far away to attend the wedding stuck out his tongue.

He wasn’t the only one who stuck his tongue out. Most people’s mouths were agape at the extravagance of the wedding.

The wedding hall was filled with fresh flowers, even though the winter weather had made it difficult to find them. Even the clothes were drenched in their scent.

Arista, who had just walked down the aisle, couldn’t help but giggle. It occurred to her that Lucia was the darling of the Phoenaeus family.

“Herwin must have organized the most extravagant wedding in the world.”

“Arista, don’t you think Ares will be in trouble later?”

Just then, Brian, who had arrived at the ceremony with Christine, walked up to Arista and clicked his tongue.

“What about Ares?”

“Why, he’s marrying the princess in a few months, and it’s going to be pretty hard to pull off something this big, even for an imperial family.”

“From the sounds of it, it’s a lot bigger than Lucia had planned because at first, she said they were going to have the wedding in the Great Hall.”

“But how on earth is she going to get married in the imperial palace?”

“They say the Duchess had a lot to do with this wedding, and the budget more than doubled in the blink of an eye.”

Arista nodded, listening to Christine’s words. Sure enough, as the wedding approached, her face grew paler and paler.

She could see Lucia’s face in front of her as she talked about how much money was involved and how her hands were shaking.

“Lucia must be getting ready by now, and where is Herwin?”

“I’m sure he’s out greeting people.”

“Guys!”

They heard Ethan’s voice as they looked around the spacious wedding hall. They turned and saw him, his hair neatly coiffed, coming towards them.

“Oh, Ethan!”

Greetings for Ethan was interrupted by the sight of a beautiful woman at his side. His friends recognized her instantly. It was Lady Layla, the girl Ethan had been talking about.

She was short and cute like Lucia, but whereas Lucia was a squirrel with a bit of a mean streak, Layla was as vulnerable as a rabbit in the face of a predator.

Protective instincts kicked in.

“Guys, say hello. This is my girlfriend, Lady Layla.”

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Hella Layla.”

Hella greeted them with a stiff expression.

In truth, she had been nervous since she arrived.

She’d been nervous since she’d arrived because her lover had friends who were famous in the Empire. Imagine her surprise when she heard that the guests of honor at the Wedding of the Century were some of Ethan’s closest friends.

Whenever she asked Ethan about his friends, she could tell that he cared a lot about them and liked them, but he was also worried that he wasn’t good enough for them.

He worried that he wasn’t good enough for them, that he didn’t measure up to their fancy resumes and looks. He was worried that they would look down on him.

Hella clutched Ethan’s hand and barely lifted her head. She couldn’t help but shiver.

Everyone was smiling and welcoming, especially the famous Arista Lydia, who reached out to her first with a friendly smile.

“I’ve heard so much about you from Ethan. I’m Arista Lydia.”

“Yes, yes, it’s a pleasure!”

“Don’t be nervous, Ethan’s been bragging about you so I was curious to see what you’re like, and you’re just as cute as I’ve heard.”

“Ethan, you’re very talented. Where did you get someone so cute?”

“Haha, she’s the cutest thing in the world!”

Hella was surprised and pinched Ethan’s arm at the sight of what seemed to be a disaster. It hurt, but Ethan was grinning from ear to ear.

When she looked up in embarrassment, she saw that everyone was smiling at her with warmth. Somehow, she felt more accepted than she thought she would, and she was relieved.

“Well, this is good. We were thinking of going to look for Herwin, do you want to come?”

“Yeah, sure. Hella, are you okay?”

“Mm-hmm, I’m fine.”

Hella nervously walked alongside Ethan. Of all Ethan’s friends, the one she was most excited about was the man of the hour, Herwin Phoenaeus.

He was famous enough that everyone in her circle of friends had had a crush on him at some point.

She had seen him a few times at Academy. Of course, she had only seen him from a distance.

Recalling the stories she’d heard around her, Hella tightened her grip on Ethan’s arm. Feeling the strength, Ethan tilted his head toward her.

“Are you nervous?”

“……A little?”

“Don’t worry. Herwin may be cold on the outside, but he’s warm on the inside.”

Ethan patted Hella’s hand as if to say he understood. It relaxed her a little.

“There he is.”

They’d spotted Herwin just in time. Hella cautiously approached him with Ethan and his friends.

The closer they got to the dark-haired man, the more her mouth dropped open.

‘Oh my God, is that a person?’

Now she understood why her friends had been singing Phoenaeus and why so many women had shed tears when the announcement was made.

Her face glowed in a way that made her think that Herwin Phoenaeus was not of the same race as the people around him.

Herwin greeted his friends. Hella made eye contact with him, who was being congratulated. She stiffened involuntarily.

For a moment, those red eyes seemed as ferocious as a top predator.

“Herwin, this is my girlfriend, Hella Layla. It’s your first time seeing her, right?”

“Yeah. It’s my first time seeing her in person.”

As soon as the impression felt cold, Herwin’s mouth drew a soft curve.

“Nice to meet you, it’s Herwin Phoenaeus.”

“I’m ……Hella Layla.”

“Thank you for coming to the wedding today. Please make yourself at home and enjoy yourself.”

“Yes…….”

He looked so unreal that Hella couldn’t help but be mesmerized as if possessed by a ghost. Seeing her mesmerized, everyone teased Ethan saying she was going to fall for Herwin.

“Come on, honey, I’m the best, aren’t I? No matter how handsome Herwin is……!”

“It’s not like that, I’m just a little surprised.”

Hella tapped Ethan on the shoulder shyly. Everyone burst out laughing.

Watching the affectionate couple, Arista nudged Herwin.

“Are you nervous?”

He was smiling now, but his friends could see the corners of his mouth quivering. He was tensing up tightly.

“That’s… I feel like my heart is going to come out of my mouth.”

Herwin’s voice quavered slightly as he relaxed. Arista’s keen senses picked up the thumping of Herwin’s heart.

He was only next to her, but if she could feel his heartbeat, it was beating fast.

“Did you see Lucia in her dress?”

“No, I haven’t. Today is the first time.”

“Oh, well, if it’s your first time, you’re in trouble. At this rate, we’ll be able to see that Herwin is out of control in front of everyone.”

Brian, who was listening in, started to make fun of Herwin, using the excuse that he was worried.

Normally, Herwin would have been embarrassed, but on this day, the day of his big wedding, it didn’t matter, so he smiled benevolently.

Brian grumbled that it wasn’t funny and pulled away from him.

Then others approached. It was Mr. and Mrs. Casper Marquis. The friends stood aside.

Bern and Celine’s faces showed how well they were getting along.

Arista tore her gaze away from them and continued walking with her friends.

Suddenly, Arista caught sight of something.

“Hey, guys, why don’t you go ahead and save me a seat? I’m going to go meet someone for a minute.”

“Okay, okay.”

Arista rushed over and grabbed the person.

“Arista!”

It was Lucas. Today was his sister’s wedding, so he was dressed to impress. Lucas’ ears perked up at the sight of the beautiful Arista.

“You look… beautiful today…….”

He mustered up the courage to say it and meant it. Arista blushed and crossed her feet.

“My brother looks great today too.”

The two shared an embarrassed but genuine compliment. Lucas blushed and asked.

“Oh, by the way, why did you call me?”

“I just thought I’d say hello. I didn’t think we’d have time to talk later.”

“Yeah, I’m sure we won’t have much time to talk after the ceremony, with all the stuff we have to do.”

“And…….”

“Um?”

“If you don’t mind, would you like to partner up with me at the reception?”

“……?”

For a moment, Lucas was speechless. It was an offer he hadn’t thought of at all.

Even though they wouldn’t be dancing non-stop like at a normal party, there would be time to dance with a partner at the reception.

Lucas was just thinking about asking Arista to be his partner.

“Do you already have a partner?”

The longer the silence stretched, the darker Arista’s blush grew, and Lucas threw up his hands.

“Oh, no, no, no, absolutely not! Okay, partner with me!”

He raised his voice in case Arista misunderstood, but it sounded too flippant. Lucas blushed, and Arista burst out laughing.

“Okay. So you’re going to partner with me, okay?”

“……Yes.”

As Lucas stood transfixed, she heard her friends calling out to her in the distance, and Arista turned on her heel.

“I’m going to go now. I’ll see you later.”

Arista walked away, leaving Lucas lingering behind. Waving idly, Lucas saw the swaying blonde in the distance and pumped both fists in the air.

They both let out squeals of delight in different places.

* * *

Click-

The door opened to reveal John, who looked up, taking in the immaculately dressed suit. He felt his nose twitch at the sight of her.

“Lucia.”

A beautiful woman turned at her father’s call.

Lucia’s waist-length hair was braided and pulled back into a single braid, and she wore makeup to accentuate her natural beauty.

Lucia’s beauty was enhanced by the lace that started at her shoulders and ended at her wrists, the fullness of the dress at her waist, and the jewels that sparkled with every movement.

As if that weren’t beautiful enough, the sight of her wearing a cotton sash and carrying a bouquet made her look like a fairy, or perhaps a goddess.

The word ‘beautiful’ was beyond description.

He realized that his daughter was getting married. John choked back the lump in his throat and turned to Lucia.

“If you were to ask me who the most beautiful bride in the world is, I would have to say, without hesitation, Lucia Agnes.”

The words came out of John’s mouth, as blunt as Herwin’s with age.

Lucia burst out laughing and grabbed John’s outstretched hand.

“You know, you’re always getting beaten up by the new brides.”

“Let’s see what you look like and see if you’ll say that. And I don’t say that just because you’re my daughter.”

“Yes, I will think so.”

The voice full of laughter seemed to be disbelieving.

John’s unintentional laughter broke the tension. Lucia walked slowly forward, hand in hand with John.

The wedding they had been waiting for so long was just around the corner.

Just yesterday, she had been so excited and full of joy, but walking down the aisle, holding her father’s hand, made her think. It reminded her of how much her father, mother, and brother had loved and cared for her.

Now, if she open the door, she would be Lucia Phoenaeus, not Lucia Agnes.

Beyond the door, the officiant was introducing Herwin and warming up the crowd.

“And now, it’s time to meet the woman of the hour.”

Soon it was her turn. John, just as nervous as Lucia, took his daughter’s hand.

“Lucia.”

“Yes.”

“My daughter, whom I love more than anything in the world.”

With those words, the emotions Lucia had been holding in seemed to burst forth.

“Congratulations on your marriage.”

“Of course! Here comes the bride!”

A bright light streamed through the open door, and Lucia turned to look at John.

John embraced Lucia’s figure with all the love he could muster. She felt like she could burst into tears if anyone touched her.

But she couldn’t cry on such a beautiful day. Lucia took a deep breath and smiled at John.

“Thank you for raising me so well, Dad.”

Feeling John’s warmth as he squeezed her hand, Lucia looked ahead. In the distance, she could see Herwin, who would be her pillar of strength in the future.