AHEIAID Chapter 39: I'm Not the Bride, But I'm the Groom
| Previous | Table of Contents | Next |
Amidst the elegant music, flowers, and balloons, Joey held his arm up while Garius let his hand hang low.
Big hand holding a small hand, walking forward confidently—
Wait, what the hell? Stay on topic!
Anyway, the dreamy and dazed Joey was being led forward step by step by Garius.
He glanced at the crowd smiling at them and clapping, then at the final destination—the oath-taking platform. Finally, he looked up at the handsome man beside him, whose face was adorned with a rare smile.
Suddenly, a realization struck him.
"Holy sh—, it’s my dad who's getting married!!"
【……】 The system covered its face. 【…You finally figured it out. Took you long enough.】
But as soon as Joey realized, his heart felt like it was being clenched—aching and sour. He almost let out a pitiful wail.
"Then… then who’s the bride?"
The system was speechless. 【Who do you think it is?】 Obviously, it’s YOU!
Before it could say another word, Joey hung his head, heartbroken, and denied himself.
"It’s definitely not me…"
System: 【?】
Joey: "Look at how my dad is holding my hand. Look at my little black suit. And think about my status. I can’t be the bride!"
System: 【…Then what the hell are you? Did you just come to grab a free meal?】 If you dare say yes, I swear I'll delete myself right here to avoid catching your stupidity!
"Of course not." Joey frowned. "How could you even think that?"
Phew, at least he's not that dumb.
The system sighed in relief—
Only to hear Joey continue, "I must be the flower boy."
"…………"
"Or maybe the ring bearer. I saw in videos that Westerners sometimes let their pets bring the rings."
"…………"
The more Joey imagined, the sadder he became. Before the system, whose forehead veins were already popping, could even say a word, Joey started sobbing.
"Why is fate so cruel to me? Couldn't I have left before seeing this? I'm about to leave, and the man I love is getting married… and he actually made me the flower boy!"
"Ugh… beast! Scum!"
"System, tell me—if I chuck the rings at my dad’s face, will he kill me?"
No, your dad won’t.
But I will!!!
The system could no longer hold back. It wanted nothing more than to grab this idiot and shake him until all the stupidity spilled out of his curly head!
Enraged, it roared in his mind,
【Your dad is getting married, BUT THERE’S NO BRIDE! There’s no damn bride! Stop looking at Garius from the perspective of a damn dog son! The person he’s marrying is YOU! Holy sh—, damn it, it's YOU!!!】
Joey's eyes turned slightly red as he froze from the system's outburst.
"This... how could this be—"
【How could it NOT be?!】
"……"
【Look at him right now! Look at the way he’s looking at you! Is that how someone looks at their son or pet? You foolish shut-in! He freaking WANTS YOU! Do you get it? HE WANTS TO—!!】
"……"
That was too much… calling him a foolish shut-in was too much… Joey sulked internally, then hesitantly raised his head, looking at the young and handsome Lord Heine.
No more "pet owner" filter.
No more "father figure" filter.
As the fog in his mind slowly lifted, the truths hidden beneath, like gold coins buried in the dirt, shone brightly—shocking him into disbelief. He felt both thrilled and terrified.
"Garius…"
Joey called his name softly, and the man immediately lowered his head to meet his gaze.
Those uniquely golden-green eyes held an intense focus, as if capturing Joey’s face—his soft yet delicate features framed by messy black curls—deep into his mind and heart.
"Joey."
Garius tightened his grip on Joey’s small hand slightly, as if offering reassurance.
"Don't be afraid."
"………"
I’m not scared, Joey thought. I’m just shaking.
Under the blessings of the crowd, the two walked up to the oath-taking platform. Joey felt as if he were floating through a dream, his ears buzzing, unable to hear anything clearly. The only reason he moved properly was because Garius was guiding him.
When Lucian, acting as the officiant, finished reading the vows, Garius took Joey’s hand and slid a simple band onto his finger. Then, he bent down, his straight posture lowering slightly.
Suppressing the joy and excitement in his heart, he still spoke in that rich, pleasant voice:
"From this day forward, we will be partners. I am your husband, and I will give you everything I have to offer. You are my wife, my new family.
We will share our wealth and time, raise our children together, and no matter what happens, we will never abandon or give up on each other…
Joey, do you accept?"
The entire room fell silent, listening intently.
Meanwhile, Joey stood there, mouth slightly open, absolutely clueless about what Gallius had just said. It wasn't until the system Garius him to respond that he dryly stammered out, "I do."
The moment the words left his lips, the long-prepared Saxis and the others exchanged mischievous grins. The classical wedding music suddenly took a sharp turn—switching to an upbeat, fast-tempo dance track!
Then, amidst whistling and laughter, everyone grabbed bottles of sparkling champagne.
"Pop!"
With a loud burst, they pressed their fingers against the bottle necks, shaking them vigorously before spraying the newlyweds with a downpour of fizzing liquid!
Joey flinched in shock, but before he could react, Garius had already stepped in front of him, shielding him from the spray.
On this rare joyous occasion, even the usually cold and serious Garius loosened up, his face softening as he allowed the chaotic celebration to continue.
The only woman present, Reina, excitedly pulled Joey aside, whispering in his ear about how he managed to "conquer the ice mountain" and asking if they should go out to celebrate.
"Boss really kept this under wraps! He told us just yesterday to dress formally for the estate and forbade us from bringing any communication devices. I thought we had a mission, but holy sh— I get here and BAM! Boss is marrying you!"
Yeah, I just found out too.
"It's a shame we don’t have our communicators to take pictures. And not many people are here… But don't feel bad. That’s just how things are in District 13. Too many enemies. Boss is just trying to protect you."
I know that… But the secrecy was so good that even I didn’t believe I was getting married…
Rena handed Joey two pieces of cake, stuffing a bite into his mouth. She giggled as he blankly chewed like a wooden puppet.
"You look way too tense! Hahaha!"
Joey forced a stiff smile, eyes twitching as he glanced at the simple wedding band on his finger. His brain was practically trembling!
He cast a long gaze at Garius, who had been dragged away by Saxis and the others for a "men’s only" conversation.
"Boss, congratulations~"
Saxis, Shulman, and the others surrounded their superior, laughing and teasing.
Garius curled his lips slightly and nodded. "Thank you."
"But Boss, why did you suddenly decide to get married? You and Joey have only known each other for less than six months!" Bard asked curiously.
"Joey was in a hurry to have kids," Garius replied. At the mention of this, he pressed his lips together to suppress the growing smile on his face. Still, a hint of pride and amusement slipped into his tone. "He told me his wish was to have two children. Everything else didn't matter to him."
"Woah~~~"
"Woaaah~~~"
The men around him were shook.
In modern-day Ottoman, people valued independence. Even married couples typically waited over a decade before having kids.
"Poor Joey, though." Garius sighed.
"I don’t think Little Joey minds." Saxis, already a married man himself, patted Garius on the shoulder. "But Boss, you should keep your marriage a secret for as long as possible. The less people know, the better."
Saxis’ own marriage had been just as discreet.
At the time, only a handful of people even knew. No formal wedding, no grand ceremony—just a small private gathering over a meal.
Being part of District 13…
Sigh. There were too many sacrifices they had to make.
—
The wedding, which felt more like a family gathering, soon came to an end.
Amidst laughter and teasing, Joey was pushed into the bedroom.
Only now did the reality of the situation sink in.
Sitting stiffly on the edge of the bed, his black eyes darted around anxiously, sneaking peeks at the man who had gone from being his "guardian" to… whatever the hell this was.
Joey still couldn’t figure out where things had gone wrong.
Wasn’t today supposed to be the day he went to the hospital to start the child cultivation process?
How the hell did it turn into… him getting married to Garius?!
He turned to ask the system, which remained silent for a long moment before finally saying:
【Maybe there was some miscommunication. But either way, it works out. You were going to have kids regardless. Whether you… give birth or not doesn’t really matter.】
Joey: ?????
What the hell do you mean, "Whether I give birth or not"?!
GIVE BIRTH TO WHAT?!?
Joey panicked, but no matter how much he yelled, the system refused to answer, pretending to be dead.
Just as he was about to demand clarification, the bed beside him sank.
A foreign warmth and a heavy sense of pressure settled against his left shoulder, making him freeze. It felt like that entire side of his body had gone numb.
Wait—after a wedding, the next step is…
Oh.
The wedding night.
Joey: ……
Joey: HOLY SH—!!!
Joey, now trembling like a phone on vibrate mode, turned his head ever so slowly—only to see Garius casually loosening his collar. Then, the man handed him a small bag. His golden-green eyes glowed ominously in the dim light.
Joey gulped. "This… is…?"
Gallius’ Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he leaned in close, his nose brushing against Joey’s earlobe. Warm breath tickled his skin as a low voice murmured:
"Nutritional supplements. Pain relief gel. To keep you from passing out halfway through. You'll need them."
Pa—passing out halfway through?!
Joey shivered violently.
BUTT, IN DANGER.
T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi page, thank you🍊🍊🍊
Comments
Post a Comment