Chapter 2

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CHERRY BOMB\nChapter 2

 

 

 

Lauren looked down at the boy with a devastated gaze.

The wall he had built crumbled down again. His long eyelashes trembled. The more he looked at the boy’s face, the more confused he became.

……No matter how much he cast aside his prejudice, he couldn’t see him as an Alpha male at all.

 

‘Is he the groom’s aide? Or a little nephew instead of the sickly groom……?’

 

Regardless of Lauren’s chaotic inner thoughts, the bishop’s ceremony continued smoothly. The process was very simple, unlike a royal wedding.

As soon as the opening ceremony and short congratulatory speech—which weren’t done properly due to the guests’ disturbance—was done, the rings exchange ceremony of the bride and groom who just saw each other for the first time a few seconds ago was held.

Lauren looked absent-minded, turning around, trying to get himself together. He had to focus on the ceremony for now. If it weren’t for the guests’ gazes, he would’ve slapped himself and held onto his confused mind.

A priest approached the podium and offered a small jewelry box to the two of them. Lauren inadvertently tried to choose between the two rings lying in the box covered in silk, then his hand stopped.

 

“…….”

 

Lauren made eye contact with the boy looking up at him sharply. He picked up the small ring with a puzzled expression. The boy naturally picked up the remaining ring and stood facing Lauren.

The boy definitely seemed to be the main character of the ceremony.

While putting the wedding ring in the boy’s hand much smaller than his, Lauren thought blankly. The perfectly fit ring for such a slender hand was showing that this boy never came on behalf of anyone else.

This time, the shaky little hand approached him with the ring. A simple silver ring was placed over the engagement ring studded with blue jewel.

Lauren looked at the white forehead and fine, fluffy baby hair falling in a round curve without bending.

The platinum hair cut off the corners of his ears was neatly styled with only one side tucked behind the ear. A silver butterfly-shaped hairpin stuck next to his ear looked so cute.

He would’ve looked very lovely if it weren’t for that clumsy expression on those lips pouting.

Suddenly, the sweet scent of cherry came to the tip of Lauren’s nose. No, it was sweeter than cherry. It smelled like cherry candy with a lot of spices in it, and it only smelled sweet. It was a very sweet and childish scent that only children would like.

The boy’s cheeks turned red. With his lips clenched as if he didn’t know what to do, he rolled his eyes, busily looking around.

Lauren heard a small laughter in the guests’ seats.

 

Alpha, kid, recessive, pheromone…….

 

With those words caught by his ears, Lauren realized that this faint scent hovering at the tip of his nose was the boy’s pheromone. The boy was too nervous about the ceremony that he couldn’t control his pheromones and was spilling them instead.

None of the Omega here was attracted or agitated by the scent in the slightest. Not attractive at all. The weak pheromones of the young recessive Alpha were only getting laughed at.

It smelled like cherry tarts that kids would love. Someone’s teasing words popped out rudely in the buzzing noise.

Lauren glanced down at the boy next to him. He must’ve been very embarrassed, frowning, and clenching his lips hard. He seemed to be trying to hold back his pheromones.

 

“Fetch the wine, hurry up.”

 

The bishop watching them was now sweating and ordered the priest to bring it in haste. He couldn’t detect the Alpha’s pheromone because he was a Beta, but he had enough experience to roughly notice what the situation was due to the loudness of the guests.

The aged wine was poured into gold-rimmed glasses and brought to those two. As the wine’s scent drifted, the sweet cherry candy scent faded slightly.

His pheromone was so weak that it could be hidden by the scent of common wine……. The guests seemed to laugh even louder, but Lauren couldn’t afford to care less about it.

This was because the boy couldn’t be unaware of the obvious atmosphere of people laughing at him.

 

‘Please don’t cry……, don’t cry…….’

 

Lauren looked at the boy’s red chubby cheeks as if he was about to cry, and he had to soothe his nervous stomach.

However, contrary to his worries, the boy didn’t burst into tears. He bit his lips tight as if trying to suppress his emotions. Then he handed Lauren a glass filled with a little mouthful of wine.

The Campbell’s wine that would’ve been made on the day the boy was born smelled shallow and crisp because of its age. Usually, the wine served at this kind of ceremony was aged at least 20 years depending on the groom’s age and the scent was particularly strong. But of course, such a deep scent couldn’t be hoped for in this wine.

Swallowing the bitter aftertaste of the wine, Lauren felt strange again.

Was the Emperor out of his mind?

 

‘He is too young. He really is too young.’

 

Phew……. He heard a very quiet breath next to him. The boy’s lips that pouted like a bird’s beak trembled with a sigh, and the candle’s fire shook by the breeze.

The candlestick was only as high as his chest, but it fit the boy’s eye level.

 

‘He’s small……. he’s really small.’

 

Lauren sighed unconsciously. For this little boy, the ceremony must be very exhausting. His transparent thoughts were revealed on his face even if he didn’t ask for it.

 

“Next, there will be a reading of the sacred marriage vow, declaring the two of you to be a complete married couple.”

 

The bishop delivered the sacred vow rather hastily, judging that it was no good to take even more time.

Lauren and Aslan began to read their respective vows at the same time.

 

“Honor, indomitable will. I, Lauren of the Ismere family, will take Aslan of the Campbell family as my husband and share the joys and sorrows of a lifetime…….”

“Justice, infinite courage. I, Aslan of the Campbell family, will take Lauren of the Ismere family as my wife and share the joys and sorrows of a lifetime…….”

 

Unlike the adage of infinite courage, the groom’s voice was as small as the sound of an ant crawling. It was a voice that seemed to be long before adolescence.

 

‘But I’m glad this little boy didn’t stutter…….’

 

While reading the vow, Lauren suddenly felt something burning and quickly turned around.

At the end of the candlestick under the platform, Aslan’s vow paper was being touched by the flame and charred.

 

“We will always respect and love each other…….”

 

Aslan’s eyes narrowed from nervousness and he didn’t seem to notice the burning yet because he was so focused on reading the vows without making any mistakes. Only the bishop and Lauren discovering the disaster silently sensed the crisis.

The flame engulfing the tip of the paper spat out smoke and seemed to burn the vow paper at any moment.”

 

“Be a wise and fair companion…….”

 

Hurriedly, Lauren glanced at the bishop while continuing to read the vow, and then reached out quietly. He removed Aslan’s vow paper from the candlestick and threw the holy water in front of him to extinguish the flame that touched the paper.

 

“We will stand by each other’s side without change.”

“Stand by each, other’s side, without…….”

 

The immediate crisis that could lead to embarrassment was dodged, but when water suddenly splashed on the vow he was reading, Aslan took a deep breath in bewilderment.

 

“…… I pledge to the Lord.”

“…… I, I pledge to, the Lord.”

 

Unfortunately, Aslan stuttered a bit as he was trying to read through the smudged ink.

The smoldering smoke came up from the tip of the paper. The bishop leaned slightly forward and hurriedly blew his mouth, stopping the smoke and extinguishing the candle altogether.

The nobles watching them from the guests’ seats noticed the strange atmosphere and tilted their heads.

It was the moment when Lauren and Aslan, who had barely finished reading the vow, and the bishop watching the disturbance that only they knew, quietly swept their hearts.

Lauren sighed and looked at Aslan by his side. His face, stiffened by tension, still looked coy and chubby.

 

‘What a great start……’

 

A burnt pledge? What a start. Lauren was overwhelmed with indescribable fatigue and praying that the rest of the process would end soon.

 

“And the bride and groom may kiss each other on the covenant kiss.”

 

When the situation turned out to be like this, Lauren was grateful that Emperor had simplified the ceremony to the extreme. Instead of the bishop’s voice right in front of them, the laughter of the guests from both sides sounded even louder.

 

“…….”

 

Lauren suddenly came to his senses as if the whole area had become quiet.

 

“Please stand face to face.”

 

The bishop gestured quietly and made the two of them turn their bodies. Standing face-to-face, Aslan looked smaller due to his mistake just a moment ago.

The bishop clearly saw that Lauren didn’t seem to be listening, so he gestured to his lips and pointed to his forehead.

 

‘Ah, damn it….’

 

Lauren had only been the one to watch other people’s weddings so far, but now he started to realize the weight of this damn wedding little by little.

He managed to grab ahold of himself, gently lowered his body and slowly pressed his lips against Aslan’s forehead.

As his lips got closer, Aslan’s forehead frowned deeper and deeper.

The boy must’ve found it so difficult that he showed how disgusted he was…….

Aslan seemed like he was going to burst into tears when the lips touched his forehead, so Lauren pretended to kiss him and quickly pulled himself back.

At that moment, the nobles’ eyes were more focused. Now it was the groom’s turn to kiss the bride, out of their childish curiosity about how Aslan, who was much shorter than Lauren, would kiss his forehead.

Perhaps Lauren should bow down again or provide a foothold for the groom to step on. That would be a rare sight in any way.

Lauren glanced at the audience. His father’s stupid expression was not unusual, but the expression of the first prince Jayden sitting next to him was not.

He was smiling.

He really was laughing at them. As if it wasn’t his own brother.

 

 

 

 

 

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