Eclipse grinned widely, and for a second, her beauty seemed to light up the world. "I'll remember that."
Alastor nodded and held out his hand. "Let's go."
Eclipse knew he had agreed. She placed her small, pale hand in his, and one minute before the Civil Affairs Bureau closed, they walked in together.
Half an hour later, Eclipse had her marriage certificate and was sitting in her new husband's car.
She looked down at the two red booklets in her lap, still a little surprised she had managed to get married so quickly. It was all part of the plan, but still, being married felt... kind of unreal.
She had been waiting outside the bureau for hours, her hands and feet cold. Now, she tucked the certificates away and leaned back, closing her eyes, feeling a little sleepy.
Alastor's eyes were on her face, his expression unreadable but not cold. Eclipse felt his gaze and forced her eyes open, her voice soft and sleepy. "I've never slept with anyone. I'll clear up all those dumb rumors soon. I won't cause you any trouble."
She figured he cared about her reputation. After all, almost everyone in Star City thought badly of her. She was called all sorts of names: a fool, ugly, arrogant, and even accused of messing around with Robert Jade, her ex-fiancé.
When Robert publicly canceled their engagement, the rumors about her being evil and sneaky had spread everywhere, and now her reputation was at rock bottom.
Alastor's dark eyes narrowed in slight displeasure, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he took off his coat and gently draped it over her. "Sleep," he said in a soft voice.
Eclipse smiled, pulling his coat around her. It was still warm and smelled like him. She snuggled into it, feeling cozy, and quickly fell asleep like a tired kitten.
The car pulled up to a massive, hidden castle. Alastor carried the sleeping girl inside, and every servant they passed looked stunned. The young master, who never even looked at women, was carrying one? Their jaws practically dropped.
But the staff was well-trained, so even though they were dying to gossip, no one said a word in front of him.
Alastor carried Eclipse to a bedroom, gently laid her down, and covered her with a blanket. He stood there for a moment, watching her sleep, then quietly left the room.
"Master," the old butler was waiting outside, his face lit up with joy. "What does the young mistress like? I'll have everything prepared right away."
Alastor's eyes twinkled with mischief. He had already looked through all the information about Eclipse's past during the car ride. Apparently, she liked bold and flashy things.
But the girl he just met was dressed in simple white, looking elegant and calm, with a warm yet cool smile. Nothing like what the files had said.
The butler, seeing Alastor's silence, smiled and continued. "I'll prepare some rooms nearby for her, turn them into dressing rooms with all sorts of clothes and jewelry. She's young and energetic, so I'll make sure she has everything she could want."
Alastor's face remained hard to read, but then he said, almost like he wasn't sure why, "Lotus green."
The butler blinked in surprise. He thought it was something Eclipse must have mentioned. Smiling, he nodded. "Right away, I'll have every lotus green item in Star City sent here."
After giving his strange command, Alastor seemed to lose himself in thought for a moment, though his face stayed calm. He headed downstairs, saying, "Prepare another study room."
The butler eagerly went off to handle it.
Alastor settled into a chair in the living room. When he was quiet, he became even more breathtaking, his sharp features softened but still stunning.
He picked up his phone and made a call.
A voice, smooth and lazy, came from the other side. "Congrats on the wedding! How's Miss Clark? I heard she's beautiful. Even if she's not your type, don't mess this up. I don't want to clean up after you..."
"Henry," Alastor interrupted, his dark eyes gleaming with excitement he couldn't quite hide. "I've found a treasure."