Compared to the vows that we exchanged in the cave, the traditional vows in a church paled completely in comparison. Unlike the honest and original vows where we picked the words that best expresses our feelings, these vows seem bounded by tradition. Not like there were no upsides, it definitely made things easier.
After saying our ‘I do’s in part of the traditional vow, we exchanged rings. The crowd cheered loudly as romantic music played in the background. For formality’s sake, Reiner placed a chaste and very ceremonial kiss on my lips. I found that a little funny compared to how hot and demanding his kisses usually are and I couldn’t help but giggle a little to myself. Reiner smiled at me with a hint of laughter in his eyes and I figured that he must have found it a little amusing as well.
“You look more like a bride…than before…” he whispered as he stood next to me.
“Are you trying to say that I look stunningly beautiful?” I asked, trying to decode his words.
“Yeah…” he replied as his blue eyes held mine.
Our wedding was the simplest, yet the sweetest thing and I would always hold the memories from that day dear to me. Just as I had wanted, Reiner suffered hours of posing next to me as we got our photos taken with various guests.
“Can the groom look this way and smile please?” the camera man said.
“It’s ok. He’s fine as is,” I called out in reply.
Of course, I knew that it was completely unrealistic for someone like Reiner to smile a lot in photos and no matter how much he wanted to please me, he couldn’t keep up his smile for hours on end. Honestly, I was surprised that he didn’t complain even once throughout the events of our wedding.
…
Being a bride was one tough job. That was what I found out when the wedding finally came to an end. I was so exhausted from my own excitement while Reiner seemed tired from dealing with the overloaded number of guests, most of which were King’s guests.
By the time we made it back to the mansion, I could barely take a step anymore. Although I had chosen shoes that were quite comfortable and not too high, my feet still ended up hurting from standing up for hours.
“My feet are killing me…” I complained in a hoarse voice as I sat down on the bed in our bedroom.
Reiner emerged from the bathroom with a basin in his arms. I looked at him questioningly as he placed the basin down close to my feet.
“Soak your feet…” Reiner instructed as he grabbed my ankle with his hand.
“You’re really the best husband, huh?” I whispered in awe as I watched him dip my feet into the warm water.
“Your feet have been hurting for a while now, right?” Reiner said knowingly.
“What about you? Aren’t you tired?” I asked with concern.
“Not physically but a little mentally…” Reiner admitted softly.
“Too many guests to entertain?” I put in my best guess.
Reiner just nodded his head before sitting next to me on the bed. The warm water made my feet slowly feel better. I leaned my head against his arm as he stroked my hair with one hand comfortingly. It felt like there were many things that I wanted to say to him, but peaceful silence wasn’t bad either. I was happy enough just enjoying his company.
“Did you know that Lucien was here?” I asked what came to my mind.
“Yes, but I was told to keep it a secret from you as of like a surprise…” Reiner admitted readily.
“I see. So, I was the one who didn’t know,” I muttered.
“I didn’t know that King reached out to Lucien after our wedding ceremony on that day until he told me that we should have a proper wedding to celebrate our union. He told me quite frankly that Lucien was adamant about it, and he also thought that it was a good idea,” Reiner provided more details as his hand continued to stroke my hair.
“It sounds like something that Lucien would want…” I replied as I thought about what Lucien said when he gave me away.
It didn’t seem like Lucien was willing to cut ties with me and that wasn’t surprising. I was surprised at how relieved I was at how Lucien had decided to take the news of my marriage to Reiner. However, I wasn’t sure what he meant when he said that he wouldn’t leave me without any means of my own.
“Let me know when you’re feeling better. Apparently, Lucien wants to talk to us,” Reiner said calmly.
“He wants to talk to us? About what?” I asked while feeling slightly panicked.
“I don’t know but it probably has to do with making sure that you are well looked after. Well, that’s my best guess,” Reiner said without any stress.
“I see. We should go. I don’t want to keep him waiting for long,” I said as I got up from the bed.
“You don’t need to rush. He’s sleeping over here for tonight anyways,” Reiner told me as he got up from the bed as well.
“Really? I didn’t know that. No one tells me anything…you included…” I complained as I narrowed my eyes at him in displeasure.
“He’s King’s guest now. It’s strange but those two seem to get along…” Reiner said as if he wanted nothing to do with the two of them.
“Really? Well, let’s go. I really want to know what Lucien wants to talk about,” I said as I tug on Reiner’s hand before leading him out of the bedroom.
…
We met Lucien in one of the study rooms where he was waiting for us. As if from old habits, I felt intimidated once I stepped into the study room. It felt like I was meeting Lucien in his study back at his mansion. However, today Lucien seemed like he was in a good mood. I prayed silently that what he wanted to talk about wouldn’t have any negative impact on my life with Reiner. I didn’t care about anything else, but I hope that our relationship would be spared if nothing else.
–To be continued…