I’m Not Doing This With A Friend Chapter 166 - Side Story 5

“This, this, this is what happened…”

 

I couldn’t get the words out. I felt like my legs would give out at any moment.

 

The faces were so old that I was slowly forgetting them.

 

Standing side by side, my parents looked the same as they did when I was younger, in the faintest of memories.

 

I slowly approached them.

 

Then I reached out, my face a mixture of anticipation and fear.

 

The moment my hand touched my mom’s cheek, I gasped.

 

“Uh…?”

 

I must have been dreaming, but why did I feel her warm body so clearly?

 

My parents laughed at my bewilderment. I wondered why their faces looked so bitter.

 

It didn’t make sense, but I was happy just to be able to see their faces.

 

“Mom, Dad…”

 

I missed them.

 

Fearing that if I missed them, they would disappear, I squeezed the hem of their clothes hard.

 

They hugged me affectionately as if to reassure me.

 

“Congratulations on your marriage, Leen.”

 

Ah.

 

As soon as I heard that voice, I realized what had happened.

 

My Aunt sounds like my late mother. But my uncle, the Count, was completely different from my father.

 

It wasn’t my parents who were hugging me warmly now, but my aunt and uncle.

 

I buried my face in my aunt’s arms, strengthening my grip on the hem of their dress.

 

“You two, what is that face…”

 

“I wanted to make your wedding day perfect.”

 

“Because it’s the only thing we can do for you.”

 

Wearing someone else’s face to a wedding for me.

 

I realized how much my aunt and uncle cared about me.

 

I shouldn’t be crying.

 

Jane’s makeup would be ruined. Even though I knew that, tears kept leaking out.

 

Noticing my shoulders quivering, my aunt patted me gently on the back.

 

“You look very frightened, Leen.”

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you beforehand. I wanted to give you a surprise.”

 

They both apologized to me, stunned. I shook my head to clear up their misunderstanding.

 

“I’m not crying because I’m scared.”

 

I struggled out of my aunt’s arms and spoke with tears streaming down my face.

 

“I want my aunt and the Count to be present at my wedding, just as they are.”

 

“Leen…”

 

Both of their eyes widened.

 

“It’s not that I don’t miss my parents, but I have two parents now.”

 

I said.

 

“Please come back to be who you were and join me at my wedding.”

 

My aunt and uncle pulled me into another hug, their faces contorted as if they were holding back tears.

 

“I’m so glad you said that.”

 

“Yes… you are our only and precious daughter.”

 

Finally, the motherly aunt burst into tears.

 

“If you’re going to pretend, you’d better do it right, my mom isn’t this glazed over.”

 

After some time passed.

 

I calmed down and sat down with my aunt and uncle.

 

It was an odd feeling to realize that they still resembled my late parents.

 

“How did you do it?”

 

I realized they were my aunt and, unbelievably, they looked exactly like my parents.

 

Who could have done such an exquisite job of recreating the faces of my parents, whom I would never see again?

 

It was like a magic trick that someone who had actually met them had put their heart and soul into it.

 

In response to my question, my aunt and uncle looked at each other and exchanged glances for a moment. Then they looked at me and pursed their lips.

 

“I’m afraid you might not like it if I tell you the truth.”

 

“…What did you do?”

 

“You told me the other day that your parents died and that Arcandus came to us to hand over their inheritance.”

 

At the mention of the name Arcandus again, my eyes rippled.

 

Why did he keep hovering over me, even in death?

 

My aunt waited until I calmed down before speaking slowly.

 

“It was handed to me then, along with your mother’s legacy. She instructed us to drink the potion and be there for Leen when she needed them.”

 

“The potion was made by the Arcandus?”

 

My voice quavered.

 

Regardless of his purpose, the fact that my aunt and uncle drank the potion he’d given them was deeply disturbing.

 

There was no telling what might have been in the potion.

 

Fortunately, my aunt shook her head and explained the potion.

 

“To be precise, it’s a potion that Lisa made with Arcandus before she died.”

 

“Oh…”

 

My head spun.

 

Even as my mom was dying, she was trying to make sure I wasn’t alone.

 

I was… I was… loved beyond measure.

 

My vision blurred. I don’t remember much of what I did after that.

 

I think I just sobbed like a child in my aunt’s arms.

 

If I had known this would happen, I would have put on a good face when I visited my parents’ graves the other day.

 

That they’re living happily ever after.

 

After a long time of crying, sobbing, and catching my breath, I suddenly remembered Arcandus.

 

I wonder what he was thinking when he made the potion with my mom, and then dutifully handed it over to my aunt after her death.

 

To this day, I still don’t know what he was thinking, but maybe he was…

 

I wonder if he, too, might have been bitterly regretful that he had chosen my parents as his first target.

 

I have not forgiven Arcandus.

 

Even now, the thought of him makes my blood run cold.

 

But if he hadn’t killed my parents, if he hadn’t dreamed of revenge on the Empire.

 

Maybe now he would be at my wedding, blessing our marriage. I couldn’t help but wonder if we could have a happier ending.

 

Arcandus.

 

In your next life, may you live your life, not your revenge.

 

💫

 

After being scolded by Jane for ruining my makeup, I stood at the altar with a fresh complexion.

 

Thanks to the emergency, last-minute magic of the Duchess and Jane’s magical makeup skills.

 

The Duchess’s heel spell healed my puffy eyes, and Jane’s makeup quickly fixed the mess.

 

I was about to call out to the groom, Carson, when I realized how lucky I was that Lysianthus was a family of wizards.

 

Pulling a smile from my lips, I tilted my head.

 

“Are you ready, Count?”

 

“Oh, of course. Don’t worry about making a mistake, Leen. Your uncle will take care of everything.”

 

I smiled sheepishly at the Count, who seemed even more nervous than I was.

 

For some reason, even his fatherly demeanor felt so comforting.

 

“I’ll count on it.”

 

In response, the Count held out his hand to me in a stiff motion. I placed my hand on top of it, gently.

 

“I’ve been hugged many times, but I’ve never held your hand like this.”

 

“…That makes me even more reluctant to hand it over.”

 

The Count gazed wistfully down at my interlocked hands with longing in his eyes.

 

Not unaware of his feelings, I changed the tone with a playful remark.

 

“What, you’re not going to hand it over to Caon? Those are just a few of the wines you’ve received so far.”

 

“Leen. If anyone overhears, they’ll think I’ve sold you to the Duke.”

 

“How can a bride being sold be so happy?”

 

Just then, the officiant’s voice came from inside, announcing the entrance.

 

“Then, the bride will be entering!”

 

I stopped talking to the Count and walked slowly into the ceremony, and several sounds rushed into my ears at once.

 

A burst of applause and whistling as I walked down the aisle.

 

Among them were words of congratulations and sobs that I couldn’t tell if they were joyful or sad.

 

But amidst all the chaos, there was only one person who caught my eye.

 

It was Carson, dressed in the suit Jane had made for him, smiling wickedly at me.

 

Fortunately, thanks to countless hours of practice and control magic, he seemed more relaxed than I expected.

 

Once I was in front of him, I waited for the Count to offer him my hand.

 

But instead.

 

The Count stared at Carson, unwilling to give him the hand.

 

I poked him in the back with my elbow, trying to get his attention, and his mouth opened slowly.

 

“Your Grace, I know it’s ungrateful of me to ask, but please make my Leen happy.”

 

Carson’s eyes curved into a crescent at the Count’s request.

 

“You have nothing to worry about.”

 

The Count’s face softened at the answer, and he offered my hand.

 

Carson’s hand closed tightly between my fingers.

 

“Let’s go, Leen.”

 

We slowly made our way toward Professor George, who was officiating today.

 

The white petals fluttering around us seemed to bless Carson and my marriage.

 

Overwhelmed, my heart was pounding frantically.

 

I don’t know how the ceremony went after that.

 

The next thing I knew, Professor George was reciting our vows.

 

“Do you take this day to promise to love each other for life, to support each other through hardships and sorrows?”

 

My eyes met Carson’s at the same time. The answer was fixed.

 

We smiled and pronounced the long-awaited vows.

 

“I do.”

 

“I do.”

 

Professor George’s lips curved into a gentle smile.

 

“I hereby solemnly declare that you are now officially husband and wife.”

 

💫

 

Exhausted after all the ceremony, I washed up with the help of the attendant, changed into a lightweight slip, and stretched out on the bed.

 

Part of me wants to sleep like this, but it’s our first night together.

 

Stretching out, I rolled my eyes and looked over at Carson.

 

He stood off to one side of the room, not even tired, still feeling the afterglow of the wedding.

 

“Married… I’m Leen’s husband…”

 

He buried his face in his hands, both cheeks flushed, and mumbled something to himself.

 

His mood had definitely changed since the wedding, probably due to the release of the control spell.

 

“Oh my goodness, is it legal for me to share a bedroom with Leen every day now?”

 

…Didn’t we just sleep together yesterday?

 

It’s not illegal to sleep together even if you’re not married, and even if it was, I’m sure Carson would’ve been all over it.

 

I smirked and called him out of his cute thoughts.

 

“Caon.”

 

Carson’s gaze snapped to mine. He smirks and nudges closer to me.

 

“You called me, Leen?”

 

“Do you know what the dictionary meaning of clothes is, Caon?”

 

《Clothing》 ［noun］ 

➺ An item made of fabric or other material is worn to wrap, cover, or protect the body. Called a garment.

 

But I’m wearing something under my slip that doesn’t do the job.

 

“Actually, I don’t know, but I don’t care.”

 

I smiled slowly and lifted the slip I was wearing.

 

Carson’s gaze followed instinctively. His face flushed red, as if he hadn’t realized I’d prepared such a gift, and he swallowed hard.

 

“…Leen!”

 

“The important thing is that it’s just the two of us now.”

 

Closing his eyes tightly, Carson’s face was bright red.

 

We’re newlyweds, everyone would understand if we woke up late.