SLAP!
Qin Wei's eyes snapped open, stung by the sudden pain burning on his cheek. "Ugh…" His head jerked to the side slightly, and he blinked twice in confusion.
As his vision adjusted, Qin Wei caught the sight of a tall, slender figure standing beside his bed with her eyes wide with fury but her cheeks flushed in a deep shade of red.
"Who are you?" he asked, furrowing his brows. "You… you… Dare to hit me?"
"You..." Thea's voice cracked with disbelief, her hand trembling slightly as if she wanted to slap him again. "How dare you pull me and… and… and… speak a whore's name..."
Qin Wei rubbed the red mark on his cheek and exhaled slowly, remembering the feeling of hugging someone in sleep. "Sorry. It's a sleeping habit, Miss…"
But then, as he looked at her, he asked again, tilting his head. "Who are you again?"
"Thea Griffin…" She replied, her cheeks still flushing in embarrassment and anger. "You just hug whoever is around? You scoundrel…"
"Thea?" Qin Wei blinked in surprise. "My wife?"
But then, as something clicked inside his head, his lips widened into a playful smile. "If you are Thea, then I didn't do anything inappropriate. What's wrong with that, though? Aren't we going to be husband and wife tomorrow? And tomorrow night, we will do more than hug. We will be naked in front of each other and do unspeakable things."
Her face turned crimson at once, again in embarrassment. "You…" she sputtered, stepping back. "You... pervert..."
Qin Wei stretched his body, letting out a groan as his joints cracked. With a nod, he wiped off earlier playfulness and spoke. "Good, since you don't like this marriage and don't have a great opinion of me, then this becomes easier."
Thea blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in tone and his expression. "Eh?"
"Let's be honest. This was His Majesty's arrangement. No one likes it…" he gestured lazily between them. "I heard that you hate this marriage, too. And there is no House Phoenix to oppose your family either."
Letting his feet rest on the cold floor, he stared directly at her, "Frankly speaking, I lost everyone I loved, and those who are alive don't care about me either. I'm thankful for House Griffin's help, and someday, I will repay this debt, but you don't have to sacrifice yourself for someone like me with no future. My desire for revenge only brings up trouble for you and your family. So, let's not think about what people will think and just think about your own future, Lady Thea. Help me escape this city and stop your father from sending guards to search for me. Your life will be smooth afterwards. Most importantly, I don't like this marriage either."
Thea stared at him in silence. She looked as if she had stopped breathing for a moment. "Eh?"
"Umm… hello… Lady Thea… Oi Thea…" As Qin Wei waved his hand in front of her face, bringing her to reality, Thea blinked her eyes rapidly. "Eh? What?"
"Don't tell me you listened to nothing so far?" As Qin Wei asked innocently, Thea stepped back with her heart rate rapidly increased. "Why don't you like this marriage? You have everything to gain, right?"
Qin Wei blinked at her question. "That's obvious. You don't want to marry someone you don't love, right? We don't even know each other."
"But, you can get to know me and later develop feelings after the marriage," Thea said in a hurry; her heart rate was at its peak. A moment ago, she was all happy about getting married, despite maintaining a face of rejection in front of others. And suddenly, he was talking about marriage cancellation?
"Eh?" This time, it was Qin Wei's turn to get surprised. "You like this marriage or something? I heard you didn't."
Thea turned her head away at that question. Trying to stay calm, she replied. "Love marriages are for those who are free from responsibilities. Or for the commoners with minimal duties to society and their family. For nobles like us, a love marriage is a luxury. We first choose our life partner and learn how to love them. If lucky, we get a nice partner and it becomes easy. If unlucky, we can only blame our fate."
Qin Wei didn't answer immediately.
Thea also seemed like she didn't have anything to say and just turned around to walk away.
Just before leaving, she paused, hand on the frame. She gripped it tightly, glancing at Qin Wei for a moment. She didn't say anything else and just walked out.
Meanwhile, Qin Wei stared at her back, letting out a sigh. "Of course, these people are living in medieval times. How did I forget it? But if she doesn't hate this marriage, then it will be next to impossible for me to escape without facing consequences. With no House Phoenix left to protect me, people wouldn't even worry about consequences while killing me. It does look like I have no choice but to accept it. Hmm…"
*
The next day;
The morning sun rose, casting the entire Griffin Manor in a warm glow.
The courtyard had been swept thrice already, and the manor was decorated.
Rows of servants and maids bustled, laying out red satin carpets across the stone pathways.
Inside the bride's quarters, Thea sat before a bronze mirror, staring at her image a bit too much. No one knows what's going on in her head. She was in that state for a while.
A pair of maids carefully applied rouge to her cheeks, and another combed her long black hair. As a final touch, a tiara was set atop her head.
"Ahh, Lady Xue looked like a celestial goddess descended from heaven in her wedding robes," said a maid.
"Why does she look sad, though?" whispered another maid.
"Don't you know that no one likes this marriage apart from the Count?" Another maid scolded her in a hushed tone.
Down in the outer courtyards, the grounds grew crowded as important guests began to arrive.
The ministers of nearby cities, envoys from prestigious noble houses, and court officials passed through the gates under fluttering banners.
And then came the guests from the groom's side, well, only one person, the General of the Empire, Astreides Phoenix, who arrived with a unit of soldiers, supposedly escorting the Emperor, only that the latter wasn't seen anywhere, even though his carriage arrived.
Kaelen received him in person, as Astreides would be the future head of House Phoenix. The previous head refused the position of a Duke and settled for the revenue ministry. But since Astreides is already a general, he couldn't become a court official, but still has a high chance of receiving an offer of a Title, which would obviously be a Duke.
Clad in Tiger Armor and carrying a tough build underneath its armor, but still with a rough face, Astriedes stepped down from his mount, the pegasus. Kaelan greeted him with a smile. "Lord Phoenix…"
Astreides, however, responded sternly to that. "It's General Astreides, Lord Griffin."
Kaelan smiled, not minding the other party's tone toward a Grandmaster like him. "But you will be Lord Phoenix."
Astreides was about to refute once again, but before he could react, a maid stumbled into the courtyard with her face turning pale.
"Milord… Y-Young Master Icarus is missing!
At first, no one moved. The trumpet and drum players faltered; the dancers froze. Kaelan stiffly turned his head with twitching brows as if he hadn't heard correctly.
"What did you say?" he asked with almost a growl.
"The young master is not in his room. And not in the bath, either, Milord! We… we've searched the entire inner hall. He is gone."
A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd like wildfire. The wedding bells had yet to chime, and what he feared the most just happened.
"Fools." Kaelan roared in anger, making the maid flinch in fear. As she trembled and fell to her knees to apologize, Kaelan addressed an elder. "Lord Diran, mobilize the household's elite guards. I want every corner and every rooftop in the city. Now, Go."
Maids scrambled. Guards dashed off in every direction at once. The bridal music was silenced, and the estate plunged into chaos, all of a sudden.
Meanwhile, Astreides' face remained composed as if he wasn't bothered by the missing groom. "Lord Griffin, you do know that when His Majesty returns and if he doesn't find the missing, he will certainly hold you accountable, right?"
"We will find him," Kaelan replied in a hurry. "I swear on the ancestors of the House Griffin, whoever is behind this will be punished severely."
"No need to fret," General Astreides said calmly with his hands reaching to his back, "I don't think anyone would dare abduct him from your manor. Knowing my brother, he might have already escaped by now."
"Eh?" Kaelan blinked, taken aback by surprise.
Back in the bride's chamber, the news hit Thea harder than one would expect from her. She was momentarily shocked and then fainted unconscious as soon as she heard the news without any words.
Meanwhile, on Mt Philanos, a lone figure could be seen descending the rugged path at high speed. It's Qin Wei.
He trudged forward at a steady pace with his boots scuffing against gravel and damp earth. Meanwhile, a translucent holographic screen hovered silently before him while his eyes changed, one turned pitch black, and the other turned radiant white. The Eyes of Heaven remained active.
On the screen, Emergency Mission was displayed in bold, golden characters:
EMERGENCY MISSION: ESCAPE THE MARRIAGE
Time Remaining: 00:53:18
Objective: Exit House Griffin territory and descend Mount Philanos.
Reward: +10 Talent Points, Wood Element Affinity
Qin Wei let out a long sigh, dragging a hand through his disheveled hair, continuing to maintain his pace. "Tch. If it had mentioned only ten talent points, I wouldn't have taken this risk to run away, but the wood element… C'mon, for that, forget about House Griffin, I would offend even the damn Emperor." Staring ahead in a serious gaze, he further muttered. "The God's Eye. I need to attain that ability as fast as possible."