Micah did not think going to the jeweler was the best idea. Adeline could be in grave danger. And unlike those men who swore to avoid the company of women because of one bad experience in college, Micah was still comfortable with his sexuality.
In other words, he did not want to be Avery's "dear, dear Mr Welland."
If anything, he should be "dear, dear Mr Carrington" because while he did not mind marrying into the Welland family as the husband of the next Duchess of Kellynich, he very much minded doing so if his partner turned out to be the spare and not the heir.
Besides, he still hadn't given up on snatching the heir back from the clutches of that smooth criminal.
Micah faked a cough. "I don't think we should dilly-dally. There's no telling what Rhys may do to Adeline. If something untoward happens to her, the Duchess will never forgive u—"
"The Duchess," Avery echoed coldly, "will never hold us responsible for Adeline's piss poor judgment. My sister is her own person. She has made her bed, now she must lie in it. Rhys is not a stupid man either. He must know that she is most useful to him when she is a willing accomplice. I will not be dissuaded on this matter."
"And how are we going to find a trusted jeweler on such short notice? That ring was your grandmother's wedding ring! We cannot give it to any random jeweler."
"We summon Mr Needham. He has served the family for decades and is more than familiar with our heirloom pieces."
"Old Aurarius Needham? And what's the paparazzi going to say when they see his knobbly body hobbling towards the castle mere hours after the wedding? That Ms Agnetha Sorel is continuing her decades-long feud with the Duchess and gifted the newlyweds tacky costume jewelry? That the gemstones in the famous Kellynich Chapel Cross have been replaced by glass imitations? Or," Micah paused dramatically to catch his breath, "that I, the incorrigible groom, had proposed with a knock-off rhinestone ring, leaving the bride, poor thing, just so inconsolable?"
"..."
Avery pursed his already-thin lips and they disappeared almost completely into his face. His pale blue eyes were frosty with rage.
Micah cursed inwardly when the silence dragged on for more than a few seconds. 'Ah shit, I went overboard with the examples. Now he thinks I'm making a fool of him. He's going to throw a tantrum over a stupid ring that doesn't even belong to him.'
There's nothing Micah could do to dispel the awkwardness. Nothing, of course, except resolutely maintaining eye contact with the younger man.
As his eyes began to water from his refusal to blink, he only had one thought.
'This is not at all how I imagined my first post-nuptial lovers' tiff would go.'
Thankfully, Avery conceded defeat first. He looked away (Micah used this chance to quickly dab his eyes dry) and, through gritted teeth, asked, "So what do you propose?"
This sudden opening was what Micah needed to ease the tension. He was not letting it slip out of his hands like a runaway bride.
"Disguise."
"Pardon?"
"We disguise ourselves," Micah said with all the confidence that he did not feel. "We can pretend to be servants and leave discreetly through the side gate. Once we're out, we can visit a jeweler unconnected to nobility. I know just the guy for this. He's one of my father's oldest and dearest friends. We can trust him."
"Reporters have us surrounded," Avery replied glumly. "They're eyeing us like hawks. Or vultures. We're basically under siege."
"Yes, but if they've not suspected anything, and I don't think they have, their focus won't be on the side gate. Everyone knows that's for servants. The paparazzi are likely all waiting at the main gate for the newlyweds to leave in the getaway car. They won't give a damn about common, unglamorous servants who look just like them."
"This still seems far-fetched."
"Not if you consider the sheer number of people. This estate normally needs about forty employees to keep it up and running, but today there are more—probably twice more—because of the wedding. It'll be easy to blend in. I daresay that's how Adeline and Rhys got out too."
Avery's ambivalence swiftly gave way to a wide grin. "You're right! This can work, and I have just the thing for it. Follow me."
And that's how Micah found himself at an abandoned wing of the castle, standing before a door he had never seen.
He had been here once, briefly and only by accident. It was during his first time sneaking into the castle with Adeline's help. Soon after getting in, he (predictably) lost his way in the sprawling complex, eventually finding himself walking down this particular corridor.
It would've become Micah's final resting place if not for the timely appearance of Mr Reed. After being rescued, Micah swore he'd never go near this part of the castle again.
And yet, no thanks to Avery, he's back.
The corridor, like before, seemed to stretch endlessly into nothingness. It was utterly devoid of any furniture or decoration that could be used to mark distance. Its uniformity was as vast as it was absolute.
Even the door was painted to match the surrounding walls. Micah wondered if it's the only one.
His unease went unnoticed as Avery threw open the door in excitement. The resulting clouds of dust sent Micah into a coughing fit that would make any smoking addict proud.
When the dust settled and his respiratory system ceased to cause him grief, Micah could see a storage room filled with old, plain clothes. A pinafore here and a straw hat there, most of them seemed to be workwear.
The clothes certainly did not seem like things noble children would treasure and hide away. They were too mismatched, and too different in sizing, to belong to one person. They were…
'Pilfered,' Micah realized, 'from the servants.'
If Avery perceived his companion's change in mood, he did not show it. He was as bubbly as before. "This place is only known to Adeline and me! We used to disguise ourselves and wait for Mama to realize. Adeline's favorite costume was the gardener's!"
'Ah,' Micah thought, 'that's a story I've never heard before.' He looked silently around for something that could fit before picking up a pair of work boots that seemed promising. He raised it up to Avery, but Avery shook his head.
"Oh, that won't do. Think big, Micah, think big," he whispered with a toothy smile.
Micah was beginning to notice that Avery's smiles always made him feel more unnerved. For good reason too.
Half an hour later, Micah and Avery walked out of the side gate, not as husband and husband, but as mother and son.