06. The Wedding Day
2132 Words
As morning turned to noon, the marriage ceremony went smoothly—too smoothly, as if it were a script perfectly memorized.
Prince recited the acceptance in one breath. The name “Celina Collins, daughter of the late Rodolfo Collins” came out of his lips without hesitation, as if the name was not unfamiliar to him.
Celina sighed silently. She knew this was just a contract. But still, hearing her name mentioned by the man in a sacred vow made her heart feel... odd.
The atmosphere around them was so calm and controlled. From Prince's side, his extended family and a few close friends were present. Meanwhile, from Celina's side, only Audrey came. What can you do? Not many were close to her. Her uncle and aunt had long distanced themselves—they felt ashamed of having a niece who had married and divorced multiple times.
“You're not pregnant, are you? Because this marriage is too sudden.”
That question came from one of Prince's aunts—from his father's side—not long after the ceremony ended and they received congratulations. Celina almost let out a scoff, but thankfully she managed to hold herself back.
“No, Aunt. I'm not pregnant.”
“We got married because we like each other,” Prince added with a thin smile. Not only that, he also wrapped his arm around Celina's waist—making Celina smoothly adapt, giving a gentle stroke on the back of Prince's hand that rested sweetly on her waist. “And we're not young anymore, Aunt. So it's better to make it official than to date for too long.”
“But isn't it too fast? Do you even know your wife's background?”
“Yes, I do. In fact, after knowing all that, I became more impressed and liked her even more.”
Celina turned to look at her husband—temporarily—for quite a while. Silently, she praised Prince's acting. This man had always been good with words. No wonder his answers sounded serious and sincere. And ... admittedly, Celina felt her heart skip a beat because of it.
“Oh dear, Prince. Don't let your feelings stop you from learning from experience. Look at Stephanie, who you dated for two years—even her family knew ours well—yet she still managed to cheat. Especially with a woman who...” Aunt Maria's gaze shifted, scanning Celina from head to toe. “...you've only known for a few months. And only one person from her family came.”
“My wife's presence is enough. Because what I chose was not her lineage or status, but her.”
Those words flowed smoothly from Prince's lips, and strangely, they sounded too sincere for a lie.
Aunt Maria tutted softly upon hearing it. “Be careful with your words. I don't want to hear about your marriage failing a second time, for any reason. It'll become sensational news again and impact the company and family.”
Prince didn't respond. Of course, because that failure was bound to come. Agreeing with Aunt Maria's words wasn't the right choice either, as his lie would be too obvious. So all he did was pull the corners of his lips into a polite smile, looking at Aunt Maria with respect without a hint of annoyance.
Meanwhile, Celina began to rack her brain for a way to escape this uncomfortable situation. Especially since, besides Aunt Maria, there were still a few of Prince's aunts and cousins stealing glances—seemingly waiting for their turn to probe into a similar topic.
“Honey, I'm hungry,” Celina whispered playfully, like the murmur of a new wife growing weary of family small talk.
Her voice was soft, but clear enough to divert the conversation—and her intention succeeded. “Will you join me for something to eat? Before the ceremony, I only had a glass of matcha. I was afraid my stomach would bloat if I had breakfast, and it would show in my kebaya.”
“Why are you telling me this just now, dear?” Prince quickly caught on to Celina's intention. “Alright, let's eat. This event could turn into a disaster if my bride collapses.”
The arm around Celina's waist was released, replaced by a warm, firm grip. Before leaving Aunt Maria's presence, they nodded briefly in unison—then walked away.
Their departure was accompanied by Aunt Maria's sharp gaze. But fortunately, it didn't last long, as Brent and his wife greeted them, automatically diverting that annoying aunt's focus.
At the buffet table with a variety of dishes, Celina first let go of Prince's hand. While looking at the food and deciding what to take, she asked quietly, “Besides Aunt Maria, who else will interrogate us?”
“Maybe two or three more people. But don't worry, they're from Dad's side. Meanwhile, from Mom's side, they're quite friendly.”
“Alright. In that case, I'll fuel up first, so I have the strength to face them,” Celina murmured as she picked up a plate.
A soft chuckle escaped Prince's lips. Celina immediately turned, one eyebrow raised suspiciously at seeing him laugh.
“What's so funny?” she asked flatly.
“Your response just sounded funny.”
“Your sense of humor is so basic.”
“Hasn't it always been that way?”
Celina let out a sigh. “I've told you, haven't I? Don't bring the past into the present. It has nothing to do with our contract marriage.”
“Okay, okay. I apologize.” Prince raised both hands, his expression amused but compliant. “Enjoy your meal, Celina. I'm going to step away for a bit. If anyone asks for me, just say I'm in the restroom.”
“Alright. But don't take too long. Don't leave me alone in this den of lions.”
“Of course. I'll be back before those lions devour you.”
Once Prince left, Celina picked up a plate and asked the chef to fill it with various pieces of fruit first before moving on to the main dishes. A few minutes later, Audrey's appearance beside her made her let out a spontaneous sigh of relief.
“I thought you were one of Prince's aunts or cousins,” she muttered, glancing sideways.
“Are you scared of them?” Audrey asked, amused.
“Not really. It's just that if I can, I'd rather avoid them. I'm afraid I'll slip up when answering their sharp questions.”
“Yeah, they seem really eager to dig into your relationship with Prince. They sense something's off about this intimate wedding.”
“Rich people have really sharp intuition, huh?”
“Of course,” Audrey replied while also grabbing a plate. “They don't want just anyone coming in. They'll assess whether someone will bring benefits or be a liability.”
“But Prince's immediate family seems quite welcome to me, even though I don't know their motive for accepting me so easily.”
“Maybe they want you to—”
“Hey, what are you guys talking about? Seems fun.”
Stella's arrival interrupted Audrey's words. She looked at Celina, biting her lower lip with a slight grimace, as if apologizing for almost slipping up in front of Prince's second sister.
“Just the usual. Just chatting about newlyweds.” Celina responded immediately, with a small laugh. “My friend here isn't married yet, so she's really curious.”
“Oh, Stella, are you looking for Prince? He just went to the bathroom for a moment,” she continued.
“No, I'm not. I wanted to eat and join you guys. Since my kid is with his dad, I'm quite free now.” Stella's gaze shifted between Celina and Audrey as she began to take a plate. “Mind if I join you?”
“Of course, that's totally fine,” Celina replied.
“Yes, please join us. Who knows, we might hit it off,” added Audrey.
They then moved to one of the empty tables and took the available seats. Celina and Audrey sat next to each other, while Stella sat directly across from Celina. Even though they were each busy with their food, the conversation flowed smoothly.
“Have you two been friends for a long time?” Stella asked while taking a bite of steak.
“Yes, maybe almost ten years,” Audrey answered first.
“That's a long time. Has Audrey always been the only family member to attend your weddings?” Stella asked, now looking at Celina.
Celina swallowed the melon she had just chewed, then nodded. “Yes, except for my first and second weddings. Back then, my uncle and aunt came because they were my marriage guardians. But for the subsequent weddings, they were all officiated by a court-appointed guardian.”
“Is there a specific reason they don't come anymore? Busy, or... because of something else?”
“Let's just say they're busy,” Celina replied briefly.
Realizing the topic was quite sensitive, Audrey quickly changed the direction of the conversation. “The Dalton family is pretty big, huh? The yard is this crowded even though there are no outside guests invited.”
“Yeah, that's right,” Stella replied with a smile. “There are many relatives from both my dad's and mom's sides. So it's no wonder there are many children and grandchildren too.”
“They seem pretty close-knit and harmonious.”
“Well... it looks that way.”
Stella let out a small laugh at the end of her sentence. Celina and Audrey exchanged curious glances, but no one pursued the question further. They returned to focusing on their meals.
A little while later, Prince came back. He waited for Celina to finish eating, then invited her to join his mom and dad, who were engrossed in conversation with their uncles and aunts. Prince did this to bring Celina closer to his extended family, to make their marriage appear realistic. Although, when thought about more deeply, many things about all this felt odd.
***
At ten o'clock, Celina and Prince finally got to their room. After removing their makeup, they took turns using the bathroom—which was perhaps as large as Celina's apartment room.
Without bothering to admire the interior of her contract husband's bedroom, Celina decided to lie down immediately after finishing her night skincare routine. She even sighed softly when her back touched the softness of Prince's king-size bed sheets.
“Sorry if it's presumptuous, but can I sleep in the bed tonight?” she asked as soon as she heard the bathroom door open. Her eyes remained closed because she didn't have the energy to open them. “Just for tonight, we'll share. After we move, our rooms will be separate.”
“No problem. Use it as much as you want. I'll sleep on the sofa.”
That statement immediately made Celina's eyelids open. Clearly, she was uncomfortable hearing that answer.
“Is it big enough for you? You're the owner of this room, you shouldn't have to sleep on the sofa.”
Prince combed his hair that had already dried with his fingers, then walked to the empty side of the bed, took a pillow, and moved to the long sofa in the corner of the room.
“It might not fully fit my body, but it's okay. I can still sleep.” After placing the pillow, Prince lay down. His hands were folded across his chest, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. “Sleep, Celina. You've worked hard today.”
Celina opened her mouth slightly, ready to respond, but she held back. She just pulled the bedcover and covered half of her body.
“Hm. I will sleep. Good night, Prince.”
“Yes.”
About three hours later, Celina woke up needing to use the bathroom. Afterwards, when she returned to the room, she paused for a moment seeing Prince asleep without a blanket.
Without a second thought, she took a spare blanket and carefully covered Prince's body up to his chest.
Her movements were slow, as if she were handling something precious. She even adjusted the fold on his shoulder, not for any clear reason—except to ensure he slept comfortably.
Strange. This wasn't love, yet it didn't feel like just a formality either. However, Celina didn't immediately return to bed. Instead, she stood for quite a while, silently watching his face. Impulsive, for reasons unknown.
It was only about seven minutes later that she lay back down. And before sleep overtook her again, one thought crossed her mind:
The next three months...
Will they end as planned, or will they bring completely unexpected surprises?
- Writer
