101st Confession - Chapter 122

<CHAPTER 122

“Of course! Here comes the bride!”

The door opened, revealing a bride as beautiful as a painting. Everyone marveled at Lucia’s fair features as if a goddess had descended.

Herwin, in particular, could not take his eyes off Lucia as she walked down the aisle, holding John’s hand.

All of the imaginations he has been imagining have not been the blood of the current scene.

He couldn’t believe that such a beautiful woman, the cutest woman in the world, was now his wife.

Brian whispered to his friends as Herwin stared open-mouthed, forgetting to control his expression.

“He’s going to lose it.”

“It’s not that we don’t understand how he feels. If Lucia looks so beautiful to us, how can she not be in his eyes?”

Their friends weren’t the only ones who saw Herwin’s surprise.

Some of the young ladies, who had never forgotten how much they adored Herwin and were planning to catch a small pod at today’s wedding, couldn’t help but raise their hands and feet when they saw Herwin’s expression.

Lucia was the only one who could bring out that expression in him.

Everyone was stunned and confused as they watched the usually stoic Herwin break free. Henry smiled as he listened to the chatter.

After less than a minute, Lucia finally arrived in front of Herwin. John smirked when he saw that Herwin couldn’t take his eyes off Lucia.

“Herwin, take care of my daughter.”

The sound of John’s voice sobered him, and he straightened up. He grasped John’s hand tightly as he offered Lucia’s to him.

“I will make her happy for the rest of her life.”

“……Yes.”

John stepped back, finding his seat. Herwin felt a slender hand that fit right into his hand.

He caught a glimpse of Lucia’s face, hidden by the cotton cloth. Even when he couldn’t see her face properly, she was blindingly beautiful, and now that she was up close, he felt ecstatic all over again.

“Herwin, look ahead.”

Lucia laughed and called his attention to the stinging poke on his right cheek. Herwin responded immediately, turning his head straight ahead.

After the officiant and other formalities, the Pope, who stood at the front, recited the wedding vows.

Every time he called her Lucia Phoenaeus instead of Lucia Agnes, he realized that she was now his wife.

“Do you, Herwin Phoenaeus, the groom, promise to love and honor Lucia Phoenaeus, the bride, in joy and sorrow, and to be her constant pillar for life?”

“Yes!”

The confident, booming answer brought laughter among the guests, including Lucia.

The smiling Pope turned to Lucia.

“Do you, Lucia Phoenaeus, the bride, promise to love and honor Herwin Phoenaeus, the groom, in joy and sorrow, and to make him your home for life?”

“Yes, I do.”

At the soft, faltering answer, Herwin pressed his hand against Lucia’s.

“You do hereby solemnly swear, in the presence of your loved ones and friends, to be man and wife for life. As witnesses, all present today solemnly declare that this marriage is truly solemnized.”

Whoah!

Cheers and applause erupted everywhere. It was deafening. Lucia and Herwin looked at each other and smiled widely. The sight of them brought tears to the eyes of their parents.

The Pope raised his hand to calm the crowd. The ring bearer, who had been waiting by the Pope’s side, came forward with the ring.

“Then, there will be a ring exchange ceremony.”

Herwin slipped the ring on Lucia’s finger first. At first, it was a ring with more than 10 carats of diamonds, but Lucia found it too much for her, so he changed it.

Still, Herwin couldn’t give up the diamonds, so the entire ring was encrusted with them.

This time, Lucia put the ring on Herwin’s finger. It fits perfectly.

It seemed to cement their love even more.

“There will be a kiss of vows, Herwin Phoenaeus, the groom, please hand over the veil of the bride, Lucia Phoenaeus.”

With trembling hands, Herwin grasped the veil that had been hiding Lucia’s face, and as he pulled it back over her head, he could see her fair face.

Herwin froze in his position. The guests began to gossip.

As they craned their necks to see what was going on, they heard someone startle.

Upon closer inspection, a single tear fell from Herwin’s eye.

Not only the families and friends of both families sitting in the front row but also the Pope was surprised.

Herwin looked at Lucia with tears streaming down his face. Embarrassed, Lucia burst into laughter. Then she turned to the Pope.

“He’s supposed to give me a kiss of vows, right?”

“That… yes, it is.”

Lucia grinned and grabbed both of Herwin’s cheeks, pulling him toward her.

Herwin’s upper body leaned forward, and Lucia raised her magpie feet in response.

Lucia’s lips met Herwin’s. It was the first time they saw the bride kiss first.

After a moment of silence, the wedding hall erupted in cheers. There was also the occasional laugh.

Herwin, who finally returned to reality, blinked with a handsomely heated face.

“Lucia…….”

“I can’t have you crying already, people are going to think you’re a crybaby.”

“You’re so pretty, I can’t help it…….”

Drowned out by the cheers, the Pope was the only one who heard the couple’s conversation. In an aristocratic society where arranged marriages were rampant, it had been a long time since a couple had been so fond of each other.

“You love this woman so much that you weep for her. You have the lover of the century.”

The pope’s not-so-subtle joke quickly filled the wedding hall with laughter. For a moment, Herwin felt embarrassed, but then he saw Lucia’s smile and felt his heart fill.

This was happiness. Herwin swept Lucia into a quick hug and blew her another kiss. Whistling and clapping could be heard all around.

After a moment of surprise, Lucia wrapped her arms around Herwin’s face and returned his kiss.

After a successful ceremony, the reception began.

After the wedding dress, Lucia wore a light blue dress.

In keeping with the winter theme, the gown was so beautiful that it looked like snowflakes had fallen on the dress. She wrapped herself in a shawl made of snow-white fox fur that Herwin had caught himself to keep her warm and cozy.

As beautiful as the wedding dress was, it was also quite fitting for the reception.

It was no secret that when Lucia returned with her new outfit, Herwin was once again on the verge of tears.

Barely able to hold back the tears, Herwin could no longer control his expression and looked at Lucia with an unraveling face.

Lucia doesn’t know if this is the same man who rejected her confession a year ago.

‘At least he gave me the benefit of the doubt.’

There was, frankly, a little uneasiness when she accepted Herwin’s heart.

She thought deeply about him the other day and accepted him with the determination to endure everything, but not all the anxiety has disappeared.

She used to have negative thoughts about what if he suddenly changed his mind and broke up with her, or what if he told her it was all a mistake, but the more time she spent with him, the more those negative feelings melted away.

‘How could I doubt him with those eyes?’

Whenever Lucia turned to look at him, his red eyes would turn sweeter than chocolate, surprising her every time, like a new love.

Before she knew it, she realized that he had been crushing on her for years. She could see that he loves her more.

She had never thought of him as annoying, but she had to admit that sometimes she found his cheekiness annoying.

It was quite unthinkable, considering the last confession she made to Herwin this spring.

She had a feeling that there would be nothing but peace and happiness ahead.

Lucia looked up, feeling the warmth of his hand clasped tightly in hers. Herwin was still looking at her.

Lucia’s eyes softened, and Herwin’s face lit up with emotion.

Smiling sheepishly, she whispered to him.

“I love you, honey.”

It was the first time she’d ever called him that. Herwin shuddered as if struck by lightning and squeezed Lucia’s hand. It hurt a little from the ring on his finger, but she could handle it.

He looked like he wanted to pull Lucia into a hug and kiss her right then and there, but there were a lot of eyes on them, so he held back.

“……I love you too, baby.”

It was a satisfying enough answer. Lucia leaned her head on Herwin’s shoulder for a moment, then turned to face the people watching them.

They greeted them enthusiastically as they are in their wedding dresses.

“Today, I would like to thank you all for attending this reception, which we have organized to the best of our ability, so please enjoy it to the fullest.”

After Lucia’s brief greeting, the band began to play.

Then Herwin casually led Lucia out into the empty dance floor. Lucia and Herwin swayed to the music.

As the first song ended, people began to come out onto the dance floor with their partners, including Countess Agnes, Duke and Duchess Phoenaeus, and Brian and Christine.

As the crowd grew, Lucia’s vision caught two familiar faces. Surprise blossomed on her face.

Herwin, who had been staring at Lucia’s face, shook his head.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

The nickname sounded so natural coming out of his mouth, but Lucia couldn’t help but notice.

“Two o’clock here.”

“Two o’clock…….”

Turning his head to the two o’clock position to match Lucia’s view, Herwin could see why Lucia looked surprised.

Lucas and Arista were dancing together.

As he wondered if Arista had gained courage, he realized that Lucia had stopped paying attention to her dance and was watching them.

He wondered if Lucia was aware of their relationship, but he was more than a little annoyed that she was not paying attention to him.

Herwin quickly grabbed Lucia’s waist and spun her around so that the inside of her wall was facing him.

“Baby, where are you looking, can’t you see me?”

“……Phew! Are you pouting because I saw someone else?”

“Who’s pouting? I’m not that narrow-minded.”

No, he’s not.

Into Lucia’s eyes came Herwin, his lips pouting. Letting out a weak laugh, Lucia decided to focus on him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know the two were going to dance. I’m only telling you, but I think my brother is interested in Arista.”

“Ho-ho-“

The words were tantalizing. The next song was starting. The two excused themselves from the dance floor to observe Arista and Lucas.

Sure enough, after hearing Lucia’s words, it was transparent that Lucas couldn’t take his eyes off Arista.

“Baby, Arista likes him too.”

When he realized he couldn’t hide it any longer, Herwin told Lucia the truth. Lucia’s eyes widened and she let out a silent scream.

All their attention was focused on the future couple. As they whispered to each other, the people around them smiled at what they thought was a perfect couple.

However, those who knew Herwin and Lucia well had different reaction.

Agnes and Phoenaeus, in particular, shook their heads in disbelief.

“What on earth do they think they’re up to?”

“Julian, you can see it, right? It looks like there will be something happening.”

“I thought they’d grown up since they got married, but they’re still like that.”

“Well, maybe that’s because they’re relaxed now, and they’ve been busy planning their wedding.”

“Well, that is also true.”

Everyone nodded in agreement with Julian. By now, their faces were full of smiles.

For all their differences, the two of them looked great together.