Earlier that day, at the break of the dawn.
When Kyte came back to Aartals after he won the war on the border, there was a celebration arranged by the royal family. And all along in the crowd, he kept searching for Janice. Soon enough he got to know that the only son of Gilbert duchy was marrying someone.
"Your highness, did you hear the news floating around in the air?" one of his comrades asked him.
"Hmm?" Kyte raised his eyebrows as he turned his head to listen.
"They say the daughter of some Tyler family from the countryside is the bride." He said as he casually shrugged his shoulder. "What?" Kyte was confused.
"I'll be leaving the procession, handle it for me. I'll be back shortly." Saying this Kyte took off with his horse in the opposite direction to where the wedding was supposed to be.
"What is this sudden sense of anxiety I'm feeling? My Janice will never do this. I know, I told her I will return from the war as soon as possible with victory, and then we can marry. She won't marry anyone just like that, those things can very well be rumors." All kinds of things rushed to his head as he rode closer to his destination.
The chapel was decorated with beautiful white flowers and the sun shone perfectly in the background. But Kyte's eyes didn't want to see the duke or the Tyler's or anyone. He didn't want the anxiety in his heart and the doubts in his mind to become reality. And just as he reached close he saw the carriage of The Gilbert Duchy.
"So, guess Noah is really getting married huh?" he smirked as he mounted off from his horse. "Fancy not calling the royal family."
He walked through the entrance and heard someone talking to the other side near the bride's room.
"What do you think master, will she accept this ring? It is indeed very rare and expensive. And you specially acquired it to give it to her." asked Rupert with excitement in his eyes.
"I guess so.." said Noah with uncertainty but hopes in his words.
"Hmm? Why?" asked Rupert.
"Because Janice proposed to this marriage but I'm not very sure why?" replied Noah without being much sure but with happiness in his eyes.
"Anyway, I have to go and talk to her before the ceremony commences." Said Noah as he took a turn and walked towards the bridal chamber.
Rupert went on his way toon.
"What?" Kyte was shocked. As if someone robbed him and he couldn't do anything. He felt utterly helpless.
He watched the whole ceremony and saw Janice getting married to Noah.
He didn't feel betrayed. He didn't feel anger. All he felt was that he deserved to know all the answers.
Why did Janice marry Noah? What was all the fuss about her not seeing and knowing him and mistaking Noah for him? And why did Noah, his childhood friend do this to him? Why didn't his family oppose this? Why didn't the Tylers did this so shamelessly? And why is it all happening so swiftly?
As if the arrow that long left the bow, knowing well enough where the target was. With a speed that no one can catch and stop it. Everything was like the sand that was just leaving his hand, not giving him a single chance to hold it.
He approached Zen Belor who was standing at the entrance of the groom's room with a mask. Zen got alerted quickly and was about to draw a sword,
"I desire to see Noah and his bride." Commanded Kyte as he removed his mask. "Your highness, I respect your words but …" Zen was hesitating.
"I mean no harm Zen." Said Kyte with his promise and cunning smile.
"Yes, your highness." He bowed and went to tell Noah.
It was reception time.
"Your highness, his highness the crown prince is here. He wants to meet you at the groom's chamber." Zen approached Noah and whispered in his ears. "He also wants to meet madam." Zen glanced at Janice. Noah smirks.
"Call Rupert," Noah instructed.
Noah along with Janice leaves the reception and went to the groom's chamber.
And they saw Kyte waiting there in his battle victory uniform.
The atmosphere suddenly changed.
"You were engaged to me. I told you I will win and come back. Why did you have to do this to me?" Kyte had a pitiful and betrayed look in his eyes. Noah was expecting some kind of reaction from Janice, but she didn't react at all.
Janice's eyes went down with fear and guilt. Both Noah and Kyte didn't know what she was thinking.
"What was supposed to happen, happened. Now I'm with Noah. And that's all that matters." Said Janice as she looked away from Kyte's pitiful eyes.
Noah was taken aback by Janice's words. But he didn't feel as happy as he should've had. "Why am I not happy? Or rather what is this sense of fear that is creeping inside my heart?" Noah thought to himself.
Kyte's nervous and heartbroken expressions quickly changed. "Well, if it's put like that, then I don't have any other option other than feeling happy for you both. I wish you both a happy life ahead." Said Kyte with a cunning smile. "That was a very smooth change of expressions." Thought Janice to herself.
Noah felt shivers running down his spine. Janice was guilty but she smiled with a look of deep apology.
At that moment everyone was wearing masks hiding their true selves. No one knew what the truth was supposed to be or how their hearts felt. They just planned for the future. The three of them.
"Well by the way Noah, my sister wants to meet you. Shall we go to the garden?" Kyte insisted. "Wait, what sister?" Janice asked instinctively.
"The one who was supposed.." Kyte wanted to comment but Noah interrupted and said, "She is the eldest daughter of count Brooks. Wendy Brooks." Kyte sighed.
"I will be back Janice." Said Noah with a stern face.
"Farwell Janice.", Kyte said with a bittersweet smile and quickly turned around and left.
Both of them disappeared from the range of her sight. But she had this unknown feeling of anxiety that was killing her bit by bit. Maybe it was guilt for she tricked so many people at once.
But was a love that big of a sin? To marry the man that made her dream of paradise every time she thought of the day when she met him? Maybe that wasn't the crime in itself. But something made her heart still feel distant from Noah's. She thought she will be the happiest woman to have Noah's love after marriage.
She did make the marriage part true with her cunningness, sheer smartness, and cruel scheming. But the happy and the love part was missing. She felt it and couldn't deny it.
The wedding got over rather smoothly. It was now the time of their honeymoon, and a villa in the countryside, owned by the Gilberts was decided. It was like a summer home far away from the main city.
Right after the marriage ceremony, Noah was announced to be Duke Noah Gilbert. All in all the whole picture was a happy and warm love story.
But on the day when Noah and Janice left for the villa in their carriage, in mid-road during the afternoon, Janice started feeling dizzy.
Noah was busy reading the newspaper but suddenly noticed Janice who was clearly pale.
"Hey Janice, can you hear me? Don't faint, have some water." He said as he immediately went to her and held her in his arms. She drank a few drops of the water and got felt a little better.
The carriage suddenly stopped.
"Hmm?" Janice was feeling weak. "Why did he stop?" Noah was getting down from the carriage to look for the coachman. "Stay inside, safely." He unconsciously stroked Janice before getting down.
"Huh? My heart is beating so fast. Is he finally ready to break the wall among us? I'm so excited to talk to him like a true lover." Janice was getting more and more excited.
And suddenly an assassin came with his arrow coming inside from the carriage's window. Janice was alert. She got down the carriage and took out the knife she always hid in her gown sleeves. Slicing each and every assassin's neck swiftly with just one cut. She was like a piece of the white feather that was lightly falling on the ground after every jump. She had the poise, grace, and more importantly the technique.
Well, she was a talented witch, to begin with.
And suddenly she heard someone slap from behind her.
"Wow duchess, I must say I am impressed." Said a lady with an evil and cunning smile, Wendy Brooks.
"What do you want?" asked Janice while being completely on guard.
"Oh well well, I am impressed by your no trash talk attitude too. I mean I guess why he loves you?" said Wendy sarcastically.
"What about Noah?" asks Janice as she starts panting heavily.
A man emerges from the bushes. Under the sunlight, though the roads were getting shadowed by the tress, she saw him standing there with only malice in his eyes. He looked down on her. Janice was panting heavily and also her chest started paining.
"Feeling good?" asked Wendy with a smirk.
"Where is the real Noah?" she asked with a glare in her eyes. Noah walked towards Janice and hugged her tightly.
"I am Noah." He whispered in Janice's ears as he pulled the dagger he put in Janice's stomach while hugging.
"Kuk, why? You are not him?" she said it with wavering voice but strong intention.
"Because you are destined to die at his hands, Janice." Said Wendy.
"And I asked them to do so, my dear little sister." A woman who shapeshifted from Wendy to someone else said with the most malicious intent.
"Louis…Louisa?" Janice said as she fell on her knees and held her stomach.
"You are always destined to die at the hands of Kinodas. Noah is the living 'Curse of Kinodas'. I am the only witch who can control him." She said as she had an outburst of laughter.
"My goodness, I feel good. How do you feel, huh? How does it feel to get betrayed and stabbed by the hands of your loved one?" she asked sarcastically.
"You are a joke, Louisa. I never loved Noah. At least not the one who stands beside you right now. He is just a shell, an empty shell." Said Janice as she smirked and coughed out blood.
"I will have him. I love him and that's enough reason for me to search for him in all my lives." Said Janice with pride.
"What a joke duchess. Let me tell you one thing .." Louisa leaned towards Janice's ears and said, "You will die at his hands always. You are parallel lines, the ones that can never meet."
"But there was no order, to begin with. It was all chaos, a beautiful chaos Louisa. You failed to love the chaos even then and even now." Said Janice as she finally rested her back on the ground.
"Where ever you are Noah, I am willing to wait and meet you. When the time is right and when the moment is right. Can we meet someday again?" she mumbled.
"I'll be waiting at the end of the chaos, somewhere." She took her last breath.