Chapter 2.2

A surprised Annette turned her head unconsciously and stared at Rafael. Beyond a thin veil, she saw a handsome man with black hair. Rafael, who was much taller than Annette, was stubbornly looking ahead. His red plump lips, under his cold, sleek nose were mesmerizing. A low voice came out of them, which could only be heard by her.

“Keep smiling, and don’t stop again. There is nowhere to escape.”

Annette laughed bitterly at the oppressive tone of the man. Rafael was right. Thanks to his warning, Annette was able to walk comfortably down the wedding aisle without much effort.

Maybe it’s because he thought she was dizzy, he grabbed her arms more tightly. His grip was rather reassuring. Annette looked ahead with a more sincere heart. Then she saw her father in the distance. The Duke of Bavaria was as perfect as ever.

Annette’s mother was already dead, and her brother was unable to attend her wedding as he was in an another country. That’s why her father was the only one from her family that was present here. Allamand Bavaria, with a sleek face and striking platinum blond hair, looked incredibly young. It was hard to believe that this man had fathered two grown up children.

The expression of the Duke of Bavaria was so calm, that no one was able to know what was going on in his mind. Because of this, the guests gossiped as they liked.

“…Well, look at the Duke’s face. I think he’s sad since his daughter is getting married. I guess she’s lucky. She’s such a pretty daughter, who wouldn’t feel sad to part from her.”

“Look at Annette on the other hand. She is smiling like a blooming flower. She looks so cute. Maybe the young bride has a crush on the groom. Looking at them like this, they look much better together than I thought.”

The gossips of the ignorant guests worked towards her favour this time. Although Annette became an immature young lady who had fallen for Rafael, this was indeed not bad. Because of this, Rafael’s expression as he walked next to her became much softer. Just because she didn’t upset him in anyway, the wedding was a success.

As she listened to the pastor’s speech, she sneaked a glance over at the place where the guests were sitting. Fortunately, the prince and his new fiancée were not there. Just like her previous life, he didn’t attend Annette’s wedding this time too. It was rather a good thing.

Annette was relieved to know that the prince and his fiancée didn’t attend her wedding. They sure would have made the whole ceremony awkward. The guests didn’t know anything about this as the Duke had made sure to silence this matter.

If it continues like this, the wedding would end well. If only the last procedure of the ceremony could also go well.

“Now, the groom may kiss the bride and then take your vows.”

The words coming from the pastor’s mouth sounded like a death sentence. At least it did for Annette.

Annette, who was very nervous, grabbed the bouquet tightly without realizing it. She was unsure whether Rafael would kiss her this time.

Rafael, in her previous life….was very angry. And it was somewhat her fault.

When the pastor said the words, Annette cried during the wedding ceremony. It was a marriage that neither of them wanted, but Annette couldn’t control her facial expression. Because of this, Rafael became very angry and responded coldly to the pastor’s request to kiss her.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Just finish the vows.”

So their first wedding ended up becoming a joke. Annette became the first bride to be never kissed by the groom and this made her father, Allamand very angry. Of course it wasn’t because he loved Annette.

Allamand considered this as an insult as the status of Bavaria was ignored in public and that too by an illegitimate child like Rafael. Naturally, an angry Allamand had a big fight with Rafael at the reception. Annette, who became the cause of the fight, was so ashamed that she just wanted to die.

‘Please….I hope my marriage doesn’t end up like that, this time.’

Annette bit her lips tightly, and nervously waited for Rafael’s next move. Soon, the transparent veil on her head was lifted and Rafael’s face came in front of her eyes.

With a white, handsome face and dark black hair hanging down, he was a very attractive man. However, his dark blue eyes looking at her were very cold. Even though he had hardened his face not to reveal his emotions, Annette could still clearly see a look of reluctance on his face. He was unwilling to kiss her. The moment she saw the cold expression, Annette had a bad hunch.

‘Oh, Rafael won’t kiss me this time.’

Annette lowered her eyes to hide her disappointment. She was worried about how to stop her father, who would blame Rafael and fight with him at the reception.

At that moment, a crazy idea flashed through Annette’s mind.

‘Wait a minute, is it necessary to wait for the groom to kiss first? If I do it first, will it not serve the purpose?’