CHAPTER 25: CALL OFF THE WEDDING

The air between us crackled, thick with tension, as if the boutique itself had shrunk around us. Our gazes locked, sharp and unyielding.

Auren’s expression remained calm, almost gentle. "We were having brunch nearby and heard you and your... bride were here. Thought we’d stop by and say hello."

"Not invited," Lucian replied, his voice cold, slicing through the charged atmosphere. "And a simple ’hello’ wouldn’t change anything, would it?"

Thalor leaned slightly, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Tch... harsh as always. I hope Lady Celeste can thaw some of this dragon ice for us."

Lucian’s eyes narrowed, though a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth betrayed the smallest hint of amusement. "And what does that have to do with you?"

Auren stepped closer, calm and steady. "I’m not here to provoke anyone. So... once again, congratulations, and see you at the ceremony."

"I told you... you’re not invited. Why would you even think to come tomorrow?" Lucian snapped, the cold edge in his voice barely masking something else.

"Stop with this stupid joke. Celeste looks like she’s about to cry..." Auren shook his head lightly, letting out a soft sigh.

I blinked, frozen, my chest tightening. Their words, their smirks, the way they all moved, it didn’t make sense. ’Was this... some kind of prank?’ My heart raced as confusion twisted inside me.

Thalor suddenly burst out laughing, eyes crinkling as he looked at my bewildered expression. "We are best buddies!" He clapped Lucian on the shoulder in a friendly, exaggerated gesture. "Oh but with Auren, it is like love-hate relationship?"

"Move..." Lucian murmured, his frown sharp, though the faint twitch at his lips betrayed that he wasn’t as annoyed as his words suggested.

"You’re saying... you’re not enemies?" My confusion slipped out before I could stop it.

"Why would we be?" Thalor arched an elegant brow. "We’ve been friends for as long as we can remember."

"But—but—" I stammered, completely at a loss. My mind spun in a jumble of half-remembered plots. ’Am I mixing this up with the other book I read?’ All I remembered was that in the story, Auren, the original male lead... was helping Lady Celeste escape an arranged marriage with Lucian, and in the end, they fell in love. And the Dragon and Pegasus clans... they were enemies.

I looked between them, my heart still racing. "So... you’re telling me everything I thought... all the rivalry, the tension... it was just... fake?"

Auren let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "Pretty much, yes. But it makes for a good story, doesn’t it?"

Thalor grinned, leaning casually against the counter. "And it’s fun to see you completely confused, Lady Celeste."

I pressed a hand to my forehead, blinking rapidly. "Wait... wait. So all this time, you’ve just been pranking me? But what about the other day," I looked at Auren, eyes wide, "the day I got engaged to Lucian... you and Lucian didn’t look close at all."

Auren’s eyes flicked toward Lucian, a small, almost imperceptible smirk tugging at his lips. "You know, Celeste, Lucian is always on guard. That night... he had a lot on his mind, probably thinking about how things should go. He sounded harsh, sure, but that’s just him. We might look like enemies, but that’s only on the surface."

"Ah, come on... just be honest... what you did the other day, I am not that petty to get mad at you just because I am always on guard..." Lucian said, squinting his eyes. For the first time since I arrived in this world a week ago, I saw a hint of his childish side peeking through.

I watched as Auren just shrugged his shoulders, a faint edge in his tone. "It’s not my fault. You should’ve been clear about what you were doing. I can’t exactly approve of that..."

Thalor quickly raised his hand before my frown could deepen. "Stop it, both of you... you’re giving Lady Celeste a headache," he said, shaking his head.

I blinked, confused, my gaze flicking between the two of them.

"I’ll leave for now..." Auren’s expression softened, a low sigh escaping his lips before he looked at me, "Sorry for disturbing your moment, but... anyway, you look beautiful in that gown..."

I could feel my cheeks warm at his words, my mind still reeling from the strange mix of teasing, tension, and unexpected compliments.

I bit my lip, glancing down for a moment before murmuring, "Thank you..."

I watched as Lucian let out a sharp, heavy exhale, and for a moment, I thought he was just annoyed. But then I caught the way his eyes lingered on Auren a second too long, the faint tightening of his jaw, the tension in his shoulders... and suddenly I realized, it was probably jealousy. My cheeks heated as I glanced away, trying to make sense of the storm brewing behind his calm mask.

The moment both Auren and Thalor left, I turned to him and asked, "How long have you been watching?"

His eyes flickered up, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, how long have you been behind the mirror...?" I arched my brow and titled my head a bit, "Is it fun to watch me crying?"

Lucian’s expression didn’t shift right away, but I caught the faint pause, the kind that gave him away. His gaze dropped to the floor briefly before meeting mine again, calm but unreadable.

"Crying?" he echoed, his tone soft, almost teasing. "You call that crying? You didn’t even shed a freaking tear."

I gasped in disbelief, though it hurts, I nodded my head and crossed my arms. "Huh? So you were watching."

A faint smirk curved his lips, the kind that both irritated and unsettled me. "Of course. Someone had to make sure my fiancée didn’t run away before the ceremony."

My mouth fell open. "I won’t! So you don’t need to do that!"

He only tilted his head slightly, the amusement in his eyes deepening. "How can I be sure just with your words?"

I stared at him, a mix of disbelief and exhaustion bubbling up. "What do you mean?" I muttered, crossing my arms. "I didn’t even have any other place to run away! Why would I do that?!"

Lucian chuckled quietly, raising a brow. "Really? Should I believe you? Since both of us didn’t trust each other, should we cancel off this marriage alliance?"