Chapter 18: What Happened at the Wedding (2)
“Ah, my apologies. Since we’ll soon be family, I thought I should come and introduce myself.”
With a greasy smile, Oscar approached Aracila.
The closer he got, the more breathtaking her beauty became. Instead of fading, it only sharpened.
His gaze roamed over her delicate features with a lingering, almost sticky intensity.
“You’re far too beautiful for my younger brother…”
His voice was so disgustingly sweet that it made Aracila want to gag.
Oscar reached out, attempting to stroke her hair—
—but she effortlessly stepped aside, dodging his touch. Her voice was cold.
“I know.”
“Haha, and yet you’re marrying Damian? What a shame. You and I would be a much better match.”
What in the hell was he even talking about?
Aracila looked at him in utter disbelief.
But Oscar, completely serious, smiled as if his words were the most natural thing in the world.
…Does he really think that? How insulting.
“Lord Oscar, I have excellent vision. And I also know how to use a mirror.”
“Pardon? What does that have to do with anything?”
“It means I know exactly who I look best with.”
Oscar Vandermir wasn’t ugly, but compared to Damian, he was nothing.
There was a slight pause before Oscar finally caught on, letting out a small exclamation.
“Ah, so you prefer pretty boys. A real man should have a masculine charm—like me.”
He puffed out his chest and pounded it lightly.
Aracila stared at him like he had lost his mind.
Yes, Damian did have refined features, but standing next to him, it was obvious how broad and well-built he was.
She hadn’t seen him shirtless, of course, but she could guarantee that his physique was far superior to Oscar’s.
Oscar, on the other hand?
It was clear he hadn’t worked out a day in his life.
“It worries me how little my brother understands women. If you ever find yourself feeling lonely at night, you’re always welcome to come find me.”
He winked.
The sheer audacity.
He was so used to acting this way that he probably didn’t even realize how insanely inappropriate he was being.
“Lord Oscar, I believe you’re mistaken about something.”
“What do you mean…?”
Since he was so eager to act like family, Aracila decided to return the favor.
“To be honest, you look like a starfish clinging to a rock.”
“W-What?”
“So no matter how lonely I get, I’d never seek comfort in a starfish.”
She flashed him a brilliant smile.
“And I doubt any other woman would either.”
“……!”
Oscar’s face burned red.
For the first time, someone had completely shut him down.
As the eldest son of the Vandermir family and the implied heir, most women either put up with him or played along for personal gain.
But Aracila?
She had zero reason to tolerate him.
“Before I toss you back into the ocean, I suggest you return to your family, Lord Oscar. The ceremony is about to start.”
“Y-You…!”
Oscar trembled with rage, looking as if he might lash out.
But the moment his eyes met her unwavering blue gaze, he backed down.
Aracila sat down, adjusting her veil as if he wasn’t even worth acknowledging.
Humiliated, Oscar stormed out of the waiting room, his footsteps pounding against the floor.
Listening to him stomp away, Aracila tilted her head in thought.
“Starfish sure have a lot of energy.”
…How many legs do starfish even have, anyway?
The Moment of Reckoning
Still seething, Oscar turned a corner—
—and immediately tripped over someone’s foot.
“Ack!”
“You should really watch where you’re going, brother.”
With his hands in his pockets, Damian casually stomped his foot down—
—right between Oscar’s legs.
For a brief, horrifying moment, Oscar felt his future children flash before his eyes.
Sweating bullets, he scrambled backward like a cockroach.
“You bastard! You tripped me on purpose!”
“Oh? How could I have possibly known how many legs a starfish has?”
The moment that word left Damian’s mouth, Oscar flinched.
Then his face twisted in fury.
Damian remained perfectly composed, his posture impeccable, as he looked down at him.
“I quite enjoyed watching you get rejected just now.”
“You little—!”
“Consider this a warning. Do not go near my wife again.”
The chilling voice cut through the air like a blade.
Damian was smiling, but his eyes were as cold as ice.
“Not that it would matter anyway.”
Aracila was far too intelligent to fall for Oscar’s pathetic advances.
She knew her worth.
And on top of that—
—she had no intention of letting her sister marry him.
There was no reality in which she would ever associate with Oscar Vandermir.
“What the hell gives you the right to tell me what to do?! You don’t know anything!”
Oscar snapped, his fragile pride shattering.
Damian smirked.
“Isn’t it obvious? Look around you, brother. Even Mother couldn’t stop me this time.”
Oscar’s eyes widened.
“Without her, you’re nothing.”
That was the truth.
Without their mother constantly paving the way for him, Oscar had no power of his own.
“Shut up, Damian!”
Blinded by rage, Oscar lunged.
Damian effortlessly sidestepped him.
“Agh—!”
THUD!
Oscar crashed to the floor—again.
Grunting, he clutched his shoulder in pain.
Damian slowly approached, his movements deliberate.
Chapter 18: What Happened at the Wedding (2)
“Shut up and stay out of my sight, Oscar. You wouldn’t want to go back to the ocean, would you?”
“…Do you really think you’ll get away with this after hurting me?”
With his nose reddened from hitting the wall, Oscar ground his teeth in anger. Damian merely shrugged.
“It’s truly unfortunate that you injured yourself by tripping, brother. But I fail to see how that’s my fault.”
With an exaggeratedly polite bow, he turned away.
Oscar, still fuming, punched the wall—only to wince in pain as his knuckles throbbed.
Even without looking back, Damian could hear the pathetic sounds of his brother sulking.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he cast a glance toward the bride’s waiting room.
He had been on his way when he spotted Oscar sneaking down the hall, clearly up to something.
Following him discreetly, he had witnessed everything.
Just as he was about to intervene—
—Aracila had effortlessly taken care of Oscar all on her own.
“Starfish.”
Damian chuckled as he repeated the nickname she had given Oscar.
If Oscar was a starfish…
…he wondered what she would call him.
The Wedding Begins
The ceremony commenced as soon as the emperor arrived.
Damian entered first, taking his place at the altar.
Then, Aracila appeared, walking down the red carpet while holding her father’s hand.
The eccentric mage who once vowed never to marry—
—now approached the altar, looking every bit the radiant bride.
Damian stepped forward, reaching out to take her hand.
As Marquis Hugo placed Aracila’s hand in his, their eyes met.
For the first time, Damian fully registered the words he had so casually said to Oscar earlier.
“My bride.”
The phrase felt oddly real now.
‘Even if just temporarily… I have a new family.’
Not the Vandermir family—
—but someone else entirely.
Of course, to him, the concept of “family” never meant much to begin with.
As they stood before the high priest, the vows began.
“Damian Vandermir, do you swear before the gods to love and honor Aracila Hugo for the rest of your life?”
“Yes.”
“Aracila Hugo, do you swear before the gods to love and honor Damian Vandermir for the rest of your life?”
“Yes.”
In reality, this marriage already had an expiration date.
But neither of them showed it.
Right now, to the world—
—they were a couple deeply in love.
“Exchange the rings.”
Facing each other, they followed the priest’s command.
Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows, casting colorful patterns on their pale skin.
Damian slid the ring onto her delicate left ring finger.
Aracila did the same, placing his ring onto his larger hand.
“With this, Damian Vandermir and Aracila Hugo are now bound in holy matrimony.”
The priest solemnly declared their union.
And so, on a pleasant spring afternoon, they became husband and wife.
The Wedding Reception
Following the ceremony, the banquet began.
Damian changed into a charcoal-gray tailcoat, while Aracila donned a soft pink satin gown.
Moving through the hall together, they greeted guests with perfectly rehearsed smiles.
Soon, Vandermir’s grand matriarch approached, accompanied by her attendants.
“It has been a while, Grandmother.”
Damian inclined his head respectfully.
Aracila, who had not met the woman before, also offered a polite greeting.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Dowager Duchess. My name is Aracila. I look forward to your guidance.”
“You’re rather late with your introductions.”
The old woman’s tone was sharp, her piercing gaze scanning Aracila with clear disapproval.
Before the wedding, she had insisted that Aracila visit the Vandermir estate to formally present herself—
—but Damian had prevented it.
“The dowager duchess is more your grandmother than mine,” he had told her. “Unless you enjoy being insulted, don’t bother going.”
Aracila, already busy, had seen no reason to voluntarily walk into a lion’s den.
And so, today was her first time meeting Damian’s paternal grandmother.
“You were too busy to visit the Vandermir estate, yet you somehow had time for a grand wedding?”
“Yes, fortunately, I wasn’t too busy today,” Aracila said, smoothly redirecting the comment to Damian.
His sharp brows twitched.
It was a small reaction, but one that betrayed his surprise—
—because she had casually called him by name.
“I was speaking to you, Aracila Hugo.”
The dowager duchess made a point of emphasizing her maiden name, making it clear she did not consider her part of the Vandermir family.
If Aracila had actually married for love, such a rejection might have stung.
But she hadn’t, so it didn’t.
“Oh my, were you? My apologies, I can be quite dense at times. I’m sure the duchess can confirm that.”
Smiling sweetly, Aracila even gestured toward the duchess—Damian’s stepmother.
She was utterly unaffected.
“By the way, Dowager Duchess, my name is Aracila Vandermir now.”
She innocently corrected the old woman, as if the misnaming had been a mere mistake.
“I suppose you’re still getting used to it. That’s alright! I’ll keep reminding you so you don’t forget.”
It was a clear message—
Your petty insults don’t affect me.
The dowager duchess huffed before turning to Damian.
“You really did find a bride just like you.”
Damian, who had been watching in silence, shrugged.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You two are equally insufferable,” she spat.
“I’ll be watching closely to see how long this lasts.”
With that backhanded blessing, she stormed away, taking her people with her.
Damian let out a quiet chuckle—
—only to suddenly feel a warm breath at his ear.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
