gnovel Chapter 281: Falling In Love, All Over Again
Chapter 281: Falling In Love, All Over Again
Elias left the burnt mansion with a grin he couldn’t quite suppress. He didn’t try to, either.Did he just... get married to Emma?
Yes. Yes, he did.
The thought echoed in his head, unreal and dizzying. Every step he took down the quiet road made it feel more real, and somehow even more absurd. He’d always known Emma was his family in his heart, but to have someone witness it, to say the words aloud... it felt solid now. Beautifully, terrifyingly solid.
But then...like a brick dropped from the heavens, it hit him.
He got married. Alone.
Shouldn’t Emma have been there? Shouldn’t they have shared that moment together? What would she think of him deciding something so important by himself? No betrothal gift, no ceremony, no question... just a man blurting out a vow in a burnt mansion, in front of one witness, like a fool in love.
He stopped dead in the middle of the road. Someone behind him cursed, another bumped into his shoulder, but Elias didn’t hear a word. He just crouched down, rubbing his hair in pure despair.
"What have I done?" he muttered.
After a long groan, he got up and kept walking, slower this time. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flower girl by the roadside. Her basket brimmed with bright blooms.
It had been a while since he’d given Emma flowers. Her face always lit up when he did. Maybe... maybe this would soften her before she yelled at him.
He bought every flower she had. The girl beamed, grateful for the sale. Elias walked away carrying a massive bouquet, and the nervous hope that maybe, just maybe... his bride wouldn’t kill him the moment he told her they were married.
Elias walked out of the bustling city market, past the noise and the shouting merchants, until the streets narrowed into a quiet, cobbled alleyway tucked deep into the city’s heart. The air here was still, faintly scented with bread and smoke. The houses were small, so small they looked fit for sparrows rather than people, but this was their home now.
He stopped in front of one of them. The plastered walls were cracked, the door crooked, yet to Elias, it looked warm. Lived in. Real. He took a deep breath and knocked.
"Who is it?" came Emma’s voice from inside. Her voice was gentle, familiar, and tinged with fatigue. She hadn’t been herself lately. The others said she was the one who gave the final order to have Cedric executed. Cedric had betrayed them, yes, but he had once been her friend. Grief lingered in her eyes like a ghost. Elias wanted to see her smile again.
"It’s me," he said.
After a pause, the latch clicked, and the door opened. Emma stood there, flour dusting her fingers and apron, a scarf tied loosely over her dark hair; the same scarf he’d given her. A small curl had escaped, brushing her cheek.
"You’re back," she said softly, tucking the curl away as she stepped aside to let him in. Her eyes lifted, finally meeting his. That’s when she noticed the grin on his face, the kind that didn’t belong to the stoic Elias she knew.
"What is it?" she asked, narrowing her eyes, amused. Then she blinked. "Wait... is that a dimple?"
Elias froze mid-step.o interrupt her work. He was acting strange, too restless, and too intent.
"Go, wash up. We’re going out," he insisted.
"Elias—" she began, but he wasn’t listening. His tone left no room for argument.
In the end, she gave up with a small sigh. He wasn’t an impulsive man, and that was exactly what unsettled her. Something had changed in him today... and though she didn’t understand it, she found herself wanting to follow wherever he led.
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The sun had settled softly over the cobbled streets, its light painting the city in gold and rose. The market was alive with chatter, with merchants calling, children darting between stalls, and women haggling over silks and spices. Elias walked beside Emma, his large hand protectively hovering near her back as if the bustle itself might bruise her.
Emma, for her part, was too busy counting coins.
Elias could only sigh.