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Chapter 103: The Grand Wedding
Ding-a-ling, the phone rang.
"George, it's Alice. You said you'd come to see me recently, but you haven't arrived yet?" A gentle female voice came from the other end of the line.
"Heh heh, my dear Alice. I'm preparing a gift for you, so how about tomorrow? I'll come to see you then," George replied.
"Are you coming to Britain tomorrow? Then I'll pick you up at the airport!" Hearing that her beloved was coming to see her, Alice no longer cared about any gifts.
"No need, Alice. It's more convenient for me to go directly. Just wait for me at Buckingham Palace."
"Mm, then I'll wait for you!"
...
The public announcement may have come swiftly, but behind the scenes, it had taken time—time, and serious, heartfelt conversations.
It was a quiet evening at Orwell Estate. Yui sat on the wide stone railing of the west balcony, the skyline glowing orange from the fading sun.
Below, the gardens stretched out into the distance. She wore a modest dark dress, her long hair tied back loosely. George stood beside her, hands in his pockets, watching the wind rustle through the trees.
"You've heard, I assume," George said gently.
"That Buckingham Palace wants a decision? Yes," Yui replied calmly.
She didn't need to say more. She'd known this day was coming.
The moment the papers spun their scandal and Alice's name began to trend on both sides of the Atlantic, the world had taken notice. The British Crown would never allow endless ambiguity.
"I wanted to talk to you before anything moved forward," George said. "Not because I owe you a formality. But because... You were here first. And you matter."
Yui smiled faintly. "You didn't need to say that. But thank you."
George sat beside her. "This isn't a matter of choosing. I'm not replacing you. And I'm not hiding you either. You and I we built something real. Quiet, yes. But not secret. Everyone close to me knows. The children. The staff. Fred. Even Alice."
"She knows?" Yui raised an eyebrow.
"We talked." He looked at her, searching her expression. "She asked me plainly if there was someone before her. I didn't lie. And I told her what you mean to me."
"And she still agreed?"
George smiled. "She's strong in her own way. She said love is no less real just because it shares space."
Yui nodded, slowly. "Then I suppose it's time I stop worrying about what the world thinks and start thinking about how many extra guests we'll need to feed."
"I told the Royal Family: I will marry Alice. But I will not let anyone erase what I already have. No one gets to call her my 'only' wife. They can say 'wife.' That's all. The rest is ours to know."
There was a long pause. Then Yui exhaled with a soft laugh. "You've always been terrible at politics."
"I know."
"But maybe that's why I trust you."
...
Half a month ago, Duke Mountbatten, who had a good relationship with George, called privately to convey Buckingham Palace's attitude.
He inquired about George's stance on a potential marriage announcement, as Princess Alice was already eighteen years old, no longer considered young for the British Royal Family. \
George himself was over thirty, and both parties were willing, making the wedding a natural progression.
The next day, the news of Earl Swinton's visit to Buckingham Palace appeared once again in The Times. The British Royal Family officially announced the date of the wedding.
There were no twists and turns in their relationship. Among both the U.S. public and the British aristocracy, George's current status and position made them a perfect match.
Even in the always-picky aristocratic circles, George, as the nominal speaker of the Arabian United Nations and a U.S. magnate, was certainly a young talent. Compared to him, many British aristocratic heirs seemed lackluster.
The British Royal Family reported George and Alice's marriage to both the Church and the British government, which granted their consent and blessings.
Since the scandal, Alice had been very happy. In the British Royal Family, it was rare to date someone you liked, let alone end up with them.
Her upcoming marriage could truly be said to have received everyone's blessings—the Church, the British Royal Family, the government, and both the British and U.S. public all expressed their optimism.
The wedding banquet was scheduled for a month later, to be held at Buckingham Palace. The British Royal Family would handle the ceremony, ensuring all procedures and specifications met the highest standards of royal weddings.
Custom wedding items and attire were arranged, and George even organized staff to help coordinate the wedding details.
"My dear, where shall we live after we're married?" Alice asked.
"Hmm, wherever you like. But we'll live in the United States for a few years first," George replied.
"Mm, okay, I'll listen to you." Alice gently snuggled next to George as they sat quietly on a bench in the garden, allowing sunlight to filter through the leaves and fall upon them.
...
On May 1, 1936, the wedding of the two newlyweds took place at St. Paul's Cathedral. Alice radiated happiness throughout the ceremony.
Congratulatory messages poured in from all British colonies, and many countries sent ambassadors to offer their congratulations. Families with business ties to George, such as the Rockefellers and Morgans, were also invited.
Compared to their simple yet grand engagement, this wedding was undoubtedly the event of the century.
Members of the British Royal Family, the Prime Minister's cabinet, and the entire nobility attended. Countless reporters captured photos and videos of the occasion.
A carriage procession followed, and after receiving the blessings of the British citizens, the carriage slowly drove into George's luxurious villa. From that day onward, Alice became George's wife.
King George V also attended the wedding, offering his blessings to the couple. Despite being gravely ill, the old king insisted on being present, stating that a wedding without a king's blessing isn't a complete British Royal Family wedding.
...
After the marriage, George accompanied Alice in Britain for a month before they embarked on a world tour. In October 1937, George and Alice finally completed their travels and returned to New York City.
Ever since the tragic shipwreck that claimed her parents' lives, Alice had harbored a deep fear of the sea. However, after this trip, she was finally able to let go of that fear.
During their year of living together, George revealed many of his secrets to Alice, including the existence of magic, a power she found both incredible and mysterious. He remembered her wide-eyed astonishment the night he first performed real magic for her.
Thanks to George's earlier novels, many children's homes still possessed little "magic wands." He even revealed the artificial intelligence known as Monday. Alice, to her credit, accepted it all in stride.
Out of curiosity, she asked for a magical tattoo—an angel-shaped mark on her back, a symbol of energy transfer. From that moment on, she studied magic beside George, never as powerful, but always willing to learn.
George never called Yui by any lesser title. Never referred to Alice as his first. There was no numbering. Just lives, woven quietly but tightly around each other.
Only those within the inner household truly knew. And none of them spoke carelessly.
The rest of the world? They saw only what they wanted to see: a prince and princess, perfect in every way.
But behind that polished story lay a truth far more human—and far more honest.
____________________________________________________________________________
Side Story: Yui and Old Fred
The morning sun spilled warmly through the grand windows of Orwell Hall, casting long golden beams across the polished marble floors.
It was still early, before the footmen stirred and before breakfast had been set in the great dining chamber. But two figures moved through the hushed stillness: Old Fred, cane in hand, his steps slow but deliberate; and beside him, Yui—or Yuna, as she was known in the official household registry.
The two walked side by side, their footsteps echoing faintly through the halls. There was no rush.
Fred had long since retired from active service, but he liked to visit the estate every now and then, as if to reassure himself that it was still standing, that the people inside still remembered his time.
"Never thought I'd be spending my old days listening to chambermaids talk about royal weddings and newspaper scandals," Fred muttered, giving the leg of a carved table a sharp rap with his cane.
Yui smiled softly. "It's a different time, Fred. The world moves fast."
"Too fast sometimes. If I had still been around full-time, I might've kept that boy in check," he said, referring to George. "Princess or no, a man has to know what promises mean."
Yui didn't respond at once. She glanced up at a mural that ran the length of the corridor, a depiction of the first immigrants arriving at the Orwell Settlement, some with nothing more than ragged clothes and tired eyes.
"George didn't break anything, Fred. Not truly. You know how complicated life can be."
"Hmph. Complicated. You love the man. Anyone with eyes can see it. And if you were my daughter, I wouldn't call it complicated. I'd call it foolish."
That earned a quiet laugh from Yui. "I was foolish once. When I stepped off that freighter into New York Harbor, I thought I was invisible. Just another girl with a battered suitcase and no future. I didn't even speak the language."
Fred glanced at her, his expression softening. "You got through."
"Because I was lucky," she said, her tone thoughtful.
"The Orwell Foundation was trying to extend its influence among immigrants. Someone handed me a flyer outside the shelter. I didn't even know what it said. But I followed the arrow on it, and that's how I got in."
She paused at a hallway window, looking out over the neatly trimmed gardens. "They taught me here. Language. Math. Basic trade work. When I showed some aptitude for numbers, they made me a clerk. Later, someone suggested I try teaching the new girls. Then George came along."
Fred leaned on the windowsill beside her. "That was before the money, before the titles. He was already special. But not yet the man he is now."
"He talked to me like I mattered. Not like someone lucky to be breathing American air. That's rare. Especially back then."
She turned to him, eyes clear. "I don't see myself as second to anyone. Not Alice. Not anyone. I gained a family here. These children. The cooks, the guards, the aunties in the kitchen. You. George. It's more than I ever dreamed possible."
Fred grunted. "Sounds like you're making peace with leftovers. You're a wise woman, Yui. About to enter your thirties, sharp as a razor, patient like a monk. But don't confuse 'enough' with 'everything you deserve.'"
Yui chuckled, easing the tension in the air. "That sounds like something George would say."
"Well, he gets it from me. Don't forget that."
They continued walking, approaching the classrooms. Inside, the children were still asleep, their lesson hours away.
Yui lingered at the doorway of her classroom, smiling at the tiny chairs and drawings tacked to the wall.
"Alice isn't so bad," Yui said quietly. "I think she might even enjoy helping out here. Maybe she could teach history. The kids would love her accent."
Fred raised an eyebrow. "You planning to train your replacement already?"
"Not at all. But a bigger family means more hands to carry the weight."
He nodded, slowly. "She's coming today?"
"Likely. Preparations are underway. I'll be attending the wedding, of course. Just not in front of the cameras."
"I'll walk with you," Fred said, after a pause. "Someone ought to."
Yui looked at him and smiled. "Thank you, Fred."
The old man patted her shoulder. "You remind me of my late wife. She had the same kind of backbone. Knew how to survive without making a fuss."
Together, they turned down the hall once more. Outside, the castle staff were already bustling about, preparing for a wedding the world would soon call legendary. Inside, two souls moved quietly through the morning, finding in each other a shared dignity that didn't need to shout to be seen.
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