With the murmur of the clearing, the atmosphere loses some of its serenity, but its charm and beauty remain the same, people tend to spoil things with their crappy behavior without even realizing it. Or they know, but pretend not to notice.
For a while, they forgot how much the idea of signing with the ColdGuard meant to them, and it was the only thing on their lips for months.
There's a rumor that when the family patriarch is in a good mood, he tends to sign contracts and partnerships like he's throwing candy to children. They all wanted to enjoy the moment and use the wedding to sneak into Pekon's good graces.
But the thing is, they can't let a moment go by without trying to find a loophole with the ColdGuard, for them their righteousness is nothing but hot air. So if someone can shatter that mirror and expose the true face of the ColdGuard once and for all, they're not going to sit back and do nothing, otherwise they'll have nothing to brag about once the press gets involved.
Pékon, for his part, couldn't care less, and as soon as the message had been delivered, Pékon stepped aside to let Malayika through, deliberately blocking the way for Cerady, in front of whom he deliberately stood but pretended not to notice.
Malayika took advantage of this moment of distraction from her mother, who seemed offended by the audacity of Pékon, who not only failed to answer her when she spoke to him, but also acted as if she were invisible, not even looking in her direction. Was she invisible?
She's Cerady Locke, for God's sake!
Malayika didn't turn around even once, if he could run he would have done so to get away as quickly as possible, but he forced himself to walk calmly, a serene air around him that betrayed nothing of the turmoil in his mind.
He was a little conflicted, not sure if he should thank Xander or cry because he felt Xander had taken pity on him. Did his future stepfather understand that his mother was taking advantage of him while flashing a big smile for the guests and the cameras? many questions swirled around in his head without him being able to categorize them.
But it would be a disaster if his future in-laws found out that he was being abused by his own parents for their own amusement. What would he become in their eyes? And if they wanted to join in the fun, what would become of him?
And so Malayika's thoughts took a completely different turn: he had to come up with a plan to show that he was strong and that no one could mistreat him, least of all his in-laws. His face closed even more, his eyes taking on a disturbing coldness as he pondered.
Lost in his thoughts, he almost passed his future wife waiting for him at the other end of the clearing. The two Molosses following Kelsey, Snoopy and Locky, looked at him intensely and calculatingly as he passed their waiting mistress.
In a split second, they returned to their protective stance, ready to attack.
Kelsey calmed them down by whispering things that the audience couldn't possibly hear or even know she was saying. They calmed down, shifted their stance, and Snoopy left his position to go get Malayika, snapping him out of his reverie.
Malayika's eyes opened wide, but he quickly closed them when the hairball took his hand between its teeth.
The fear that ran through his body was a bit mixed, was it because he was afraid of the animal that was bigger than his hip when he was on all fours, or was it because he realized that he had done something stupid again for which he would have to pay later with his blood?
And frankly, with all those dangerously sharp teeth the animal possessed, which didn't hesitate for a moment to take his arm in its mouth like a piece of fresh meat, the animal was far more considerate than his mother.
Its teeth didn't exert even the slightest force on his arm, it took it gently between its mouth as if Malayika was made of soap bubbles. He looked at the animal, who waited a little for him to come out of his stupor, before dragging him towards Kelsey, who was waiting patiently with a very discreet smile on her lips hidden under her veil.
Malayika let Snoopy lead him to its mistress, who didn't seem to be the least bit upset by his clumsiness. The hound was all smiles, happy to have accomplished his mission, wagging his tail so frantically that Malayika smiled a little as he watched him walk proudly beside him, its eyes shining and its tail on fire.
They both stopped in front of Kelsey, who stroked Snoopy's head and congratulated him on a job well done, while Locky watched Malayika's every move as if he were a danger to its mistress.
Malayika, for his part, was content to watch Kelsey interact with the dog for a moment before turning her veiled gaze on him.
It was to be expected, he had indeed come after the dog, as he had expected since the Coldguards had a funny way of choosing their priorities, but this time it was forgivable because they had helped him by bringing him here before he made an even bigger fool of himself.
He swallowed his pride and apologized to the girl, who didn't even give him an offended, disapproving look for forgetting her. She was... he couldn't describe what she was like, but it wasn't at all what he'd expected from her.
He thought she'd be a lot more pissed off and even make a scene to make up for the comments that must be circulating about her family by now, but she was having none of it. He stared at her under her veil, close enough to see her face and the emotions she was feeling.
"I'm sorry, this whole wedding thing has got me a little out of sorts." His voice was a little hoarse but firm with all the emotions and funny ideas running through his head.
"Don't worry, let's hurry up and get this over with..." She stopped mid-sentence and looked around with a doubtful pout before returning her attention to Malayika, who didn't take his eyes off of her for a second.
Why did he have the feeling that the ColdGuards weren't at all what people said they were, why didn't his ready-made picture of Kelsey fit into the frame? Was he wrong to judge her so harshly without ever seeing her, or was she just pretending?
He wanted to look in the direction of his mother and Monsieur ColdGurad, who he had left standing in front of his mother to prevent her from following him.
He understood that Pekon had deliberately blocked his mother's path, because he didn't move a muscle when she tried to tell him that he was in her way.
All Pekon did was give him a look that said loud and clear, hurry up and get out of her grasp, and without thinking or looking at his mother, he tore his arm from her grasp and began to almost run toward the bride as if she were the door to freedom itself.
But he didn't do anything about it, he didn't look in his mother's direction for fear that she would give him a sign to tell him what to expect, he just stared at Kelsey as if she was the most interesting thing he had ever seen in his whole life.
He didn't even notice the height difference between them, too busy with other things to think about trivial things like beauty and size.
When Kelsey turned her eyes back to him, she almost smiled to see him looking at her so intensely. "What are you waiting for, why don't you take my arm and lead me down the aisle so we can get this over with?" The same little pout came over her face again.
It's not even stressful to talk to her, she doesn't act like the big shot she is. What's going on here? Malayika almost screamed.
Kelsey hadn't expected that just saying the word marriage could disgust her so much, but here she was, and she had decided not to question her mother's decision. Or maybe it wasn't the word marriage itself that disgusted her, but her mother's use of it.
Malayika emerged from his contemplation, his head filled with another wave of thoughts and ideas, each as absurd and contradictory as the last. He offered his arm to Kelsey, who took it without hesitation.
The moment their arms were joined, wedding music arose in the clearing, played by the seraphim and all the other creatures present in the clearing.
It burst forth from all sides, taking the humans somewhat by surprise. And so all the attention of those present and those watching was focused on the two young people.
Swans, peacocks, geese, hummingbirds, and all manner of exotic birds took flight in their wake, some simply spreading their wings in an enchanting, magnificent display as if to welcome their presence.
Kelsey loved animals, but her love leaned a little more toward the ones that seemed the most dangerous, like big felines, dogs, and wolves, but it was nice to see so much color and awe coming from the birds in the background.
They were magnificent, and she almost giggled as she watched them cutesy before her and her companion.
Her sudden giggle caught Malayka off guard and he almost laughed too, not knowing that smiling or giggling was so dangerous and contagious. He squeezed his empty right hand to remind himself that he wasn't there to fool around with the princess.
He really had to stay on his toes and keep his mind on his goal, which was to keep this charade as it was, to say that he was the one his mother always compared to a mermaid, a succubus, or whatever creature of lust she had in mind.
These ColdGuards are the embodiment of those things, they pull you in their wake without you even realizing it, but even the tabloids don't describe them that way.
He shook his head as if to dispel any intruding thoughts, blinking repeatedly, this is no time to think about that. Something more important was at work here, why didn't the girl's touch repel him?
He was stunned, not because he hated girls, but because he kept a certain distance from them after experiencing a very disturbing situation. Worse, he had to pay for the experience because he was the man in the story and he was richer than those involved.
So all the blame was on him, without anyone deigning to listen to him, not even his parents, and it was the first time he'd been disappointed in his parents.
It had been very upsetting for him, and he still had some aftereffects. If the girl hasn't been in his circle forever, he's careful not to even talk to them, and the slightest voluntary or involuntary friction sets him off.
This marriage will cost him his peace of mind and a few layers of skin along the way, he can already feel it in his bones.