"Enough! Father-in-law, Julian! It is right to be mad and to want to kill them all. Just not today. It's Dain's wedding, please, hold it in!" Louis said as he stood in front of the angry father and grandfather. Duke Garcia's rage was at an all-time high; nobody in the Empire would dare stand in front of him, not to mention harm his angel of a granddaughter!
Yet now, Louis was standing there, and for the first time, he listened. Louis was a great general, calm and collected, as well as master of politics. He loved him like his own son. The bigger problem was now Julian.
Duke Garcia looked towards Julian, whose hands were bleeding from clenching his fists.
"Alexstraza. It is the first time we meet, and we would have been sisters if not for things going differently. Listen, it is your brother's wedding. Please, do not give your grandparents and parents any more worries, lest they massacre a whole March. Tell them the truth." Aurelia stepped forward as she covered her with her own silver robe, one of the many she had, before proceeding "If I am not wrong, it would also be the same person who is spreading rumours about you and Aurelian." She finished her words and passed a bottle of water to Alexstraza. Now, Grandma Rose had hidden all of them again.
Grandmother Rose was holding Julian's hands now, in a lock, so he would not move, while Duke Garcia was massaging his shoulders. Julian was so mad that he had gone red. Nobody in this Empire dared harm his daughter, yet someone actually did? For so long...
Chugging the bottle of wine, Alexstraza calmed down as Grandma Rose had cast a spell on her. A very needed spell, to say...the truth.
"Y-yes. Benjamin did this. He also spread the rumours that Aurelian and I slept together. His reasons are so that...Nobody wants my hand because of that...except him." Alexstraza wept as she spoke and realised that she could not hide the truth, due to the spell.
"Proceed." Grandma Rose cast another spell, her voice stone cold and filled with anger. By now, Marianne was weeping in Morgana's arms, while Louis was comforting Julian, who was calming down.
"H-he said that if I tell anyone...he would stop talking to me and make it impossible for me to marry anyone...as he would release evidence of Aurelian and me. H-his evidence is...some mage captured us on the beach, in front of his pink villa...Aurelian at that time was teaching me to swim. I swear, we did not do anything; we were just relaxing!" Alexstraza was fighting the spell, as she suddenly stopped speaking again.
"Proceed, Alexstraza. It is pointless to hide things now." Grandma Rose said as she stroked her Grandaughter's face.
"Grandmother...he stole Aurelian's letters from grandfather and father...the one warning Aurelian to be careful and not have babies with me yet 'sob...'sob'... He had someone steal them from his chambers, after Aurelian moved away... He said he would release them publicly as well...he beats me, grandmother! Nobody would marry me anymore; I have sullied our family's reputation! And 'sob...sob', even Aurelian does not speak to me after I said some things years ago...I insulted Uncle Louis...I am sorry..." Alexstraza broke down finally, as her legs gave in and tears flowed without end.
"What letters is she talking about?" Louis said, as it was directly tied to Aurelian.
Duke Garcia put a palm on his own forehead, his headache dwelling, yet he spoke..."Those letters were in gift boxes. I sent one, Julian and Marienne sent one, as did Rose. I told in these letters that he should not sleep with Alexstraza as it's early for babies...My son most likely said the same. At that time, Louis...We thought they would marry, yet ... Alexstraza...she..."
"Alexstraza Garcia. You are grounded to stay with me, in Aurelion City, until this is resolved. The matters of your marriage will be handled...eventually." Archmage Rose spoke, emphasising heavily on the last part, causing Alexstraza to break down even more.
There was not going to be such a thing as a marriage for her. Who would want her? It was said that Aurelian had slept with her, and then they never spoke, as she mocked his father. Such was the rumour, and the last part was true. Then again, those letters, they cemented this claim, even if the intimate part was false.
Then again, who was Aurelian, the ruler of Aurelion Holy City? He was the only Archduke on the whole continent, among two Empires. After the Gods, there were the Emperors, and after them was Aurelion - The Silver Overlord. Good luck trying to marry his ex-girlfriend, as the rumours stated. He could simply kill whoever dared to touch what was once his; it was normal. Men in power were possessive most of the time, and they had more than one wife or mistress.
So, in a sense, marrying her meant being compared to a divine man. You'd be simply politically crushed. Nobody would dare to do that, and mainly, risk offending the holy city's ruler.
"Ah...Ah...Alexstraza...you..." Julian's words carried anger, as she had ruined her life politically. It was fine not to marry Aurelian; she could be free; however, now her only salvation was marrying him - yet he did not speak to her even a single time after her insult.
Aurelian was not such a man, their son, their nephew - he was good; he would not do such a thing; everyone here knew those rumours were false...yet the public didn't, and they would hardly believe such things.
Thankfully, the invisibility spell hid everything and isolated them from the wedding outside. Such an event would have ruined it.
"Excuse me for butting in on a family matter; however, there is...maybe a solution to things," Aurelia spoke as she closed in towards Alexstraza's parents and grandparents. They let her speak gladly. If there was anyone that could convince Aurelian to do something he did not wish to do so, it was only her and...Louis, who now stepped next to his daughter-in-law.