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The Unofficial Empress - Chapter 2
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Marco smirked. “Myra personally told you about their custom?”
“Custom? No. She said you’d know.”
“Right. People in Kalayaan have a weird tradition to give the groom some wine to drink before getting married. Do you know that?”
“Oh! I remember grandpa talking about Kalayaan’s wedding tradition. They even sign their copies of marriage contracts and exchange them to sign the other’s copy after the ceremony ended. Aren’t they afraid someone might tamper the names and signatures? Anyways,” Nico shrugged as Marco took two glasses of wine from the drawer before they opened the bottle to have a drink.
“Do we really need to do the tradition?” Alexandra asked her fiancé and soon to be husband.
“Of course. Kalayaan men who didn’t follow the custom didn’t have good marriages. They were doomed to fail, either their partner died or they didn’t last long and got divorced,” Janrey said. He is not a trustworthy man but Alexandra was too naïve and simple to tell that.
Alexandra felt guilty to her family. She is the only direct descendant of Marie Hong and the Hong family has high expectations from her. They want her to take the throne back from the Angenas. “What are you thinking, Alex?” Janrey asked when he noticed that Alexandra was lost in thoughts.
“Nothing,” she smiled. Janrey tapped her head.
“I have to leave so I can prepare as well.”
“Go,” Alexandra smiled.
“Don’t forget the wine,” Janrey reminded before stepping out of the room. As the door closed, Alexandra’s smile faded. She should be happy to marry the man of her dreams but she couldn’t rejoice as she could imagine how the Hong family would react.
Kalayaan is a foreign land where she worked as a volunteer helper to the poor and needy when she was in her teens. Now at 21, she is a palace maid assigned in the kitchen of the Katapangan palace.
The kitchen is one of the most isolated place in the palace. It is a place where very few or no nobles have wandered off to. Even so, she was able to see the crown prince and the second prince’s faces during banquets. Only the third prince was missing every time they held banquets.
Rumors say that he is the most handsome yet the most cold-blooded prince among the three. Handsome or not, she only cares about whether she can do the task or not. But so far, she couldn’t commence her plans. Any attempts were interrupted by a pair of flirting palace maid and palace guard, the head maid calling her for a task, or a coworker pulling her for a break.
Alexandra just shook her head and instead of getting a glass, she drunk the wine straight from the bottle. The burning sensation from the liquid made her feel uncomfortable but she continued to drink until it was halved.
She spilled a few drops on her gown but it didn’t leave any stain. “Ah white wine,” she grinned and hiccupped after a few seconds. Her head began to spin as her sight became blurry. She shook her head to gain her sanity but to no avail.
She grinned and left the room while looking for her groom. Janrey grinned upon seeing Alexandra’s drunken state. “You look beautiful but I can’t marry you,” he said as he led her towards the wedding hall.
“What are you saying? We’re getting married, aren’t we?”
“Oh yes. For the sake of the ceremony, I will stand in for the real groom,” he said as they entered the wedding hall. No one was surprised to see a drunk bride as it is the custom. Women have weaker alcohol tolerance so no one suspected Janrey’s schemes.
“By the power vested on me, I now pronounce you man and wife,” the priest declared. Marco grinned as he shook his head. Did he need to get so drunk to attend his own wedding ceremony? Marco squinted his eyes to focus his gaze on his bride but Myra remained doubled or tripled, even quadrupled.
Myra was sorry to Marco but she cannot back out now that her mission is almost complete. She can finally avenge her father who died during the rebellion ten years ago.
She assisted Marco towards the room she booked for Marco and a random woman. “You could be accused of sexual abuse or if you are lucky, you might meet an angel to invalidate your crime.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing,” Myra said as she helped Marco towards the bed. She placed the contract on the bedside table and a pen beside it.
Janrey carried Alexandra towards the bedroom his sister booked for the Angenas bastard. “Sorry Alex, my duty is more important than you. Blame your luck for not helping you,” Janrey said as he laid Alexandra on the bed. He placed the contract on top of the bedside table beside Marco’s contract.
He can hear the water splashing from the bathroom so he hurried to leave the room.
Alexandra frowned, feeling a little dizzy. She then woke up after a few minutes and checked the contract. Upon seeing her name on hers, she immediately grabbed the other one to sign her complete name. She stood up and went to the balcony to get some fresh air.
Marco was done bathing but the effect of the wine couldn’t be easily washed off. His sight is still blurry and his body feels hotter than earlier. His face is blushing but he couldn’t distinguish it in the mirror.
With his black robe on, he dried his hair with a small towel before heading out.
He grabbed the contract and signed his name on the blank without reading the spouse’s name. He lied down thinking he could suppress the heat arising from his body. But when he heard a woman’s voice who just came from the balcony, he jolted up and grabbed her when she came closer.
Marco pinned Alexandra down on the bed and kissed her forehead. “You are mine tonight, my wife,” he whispered and sniffed her neck. “You reek of alcohol yet you have a nice and sweet fragrance from your body.”
Alexandra smiled upon hearing that husky masculine voice whispering in her ear. It does not sound like Janrey but her body feels an unusual reaction to that. She, out of her character, pushed the man aside and she laid atop him.
She began to peel off the uncomfortable dress and threw whatever she took off piece by piece. The fresh scent of his soap is making her more intoxicated. His warm skin made her tremble at the slightest touch. Same things happened to Marco.