Free Web NovelChapter 1: Wedding
’I’m going to be late for class!’
Lucius’s eyes shot open, but instead of seeing a familiar dark room, he found bright lights shining above him.
’I must be dreaming.’
With this realization, he started to look around, finding himself sitting on a brown leather couch. The room wasn’t very large. It was just big enough to hold a couch, desk, and a large full-length mirror in the corner.
Lucius stood up, but stumbled. When he looked down at his legs, he found his point of view being a few centimeters taller than before. His legs were longer, covered by high-quality dress pants. Something that he definitely didn’t own.
The steps toward the mirror were awkward, every step felt like he was walking in clown shoes. When he reached the mirror, Lucius audibly gasped.
’That’s me, but taller. Wait, why am I wearing a suit? This is something grooms would wear at weddings.’
The suit was void black. A purple flower rested in the front pocket, it was offset by a white button-up undershirt. Lucius stood there dumbfounded. Even for a dream, this was another kind of weird.
After staring at his reflection for a few moments, Lucius moved towards the desk in the opposite corner.
The desk was arranged neatly.
On one side was a cup that held multiple different types of pens and pencils. In the middle was a singular sheet of paper.
When he picked it up, he expected it to be some kind of schedule or maybe a card, but the paper had been folded neatly with two creases. What caught his attention wasn’t the folds or the paper itself, but what was written on the front.
To my parents,
I am sorry.
Lucius carefully unfurled the folded paper revealing a letter. They had the same stylish handwriting as the front, yet the dark tone from the front continued to the contents on the inside.
I know what this marriage means to our family.
I know how much the Chamberlin’s have offered.
I know that accepting their proposal will solve problems that have burdened our house for years.
But I cannot do this.
Ever since the agreement was reached, it feels as though neither of you have looked at me the same way.
Father speaks of contracts.
Mother speaks of debt.
Servants speak of opportunity.
Yet no one has asked whether I wished for any of this.
Perhaps that is selfish of me.
Perhaps I should be grateful.
After all, I am only Lucius Kreuger, while Lady Valeria Chamberlin is one of the greatest heroes our nation has ever known.
Even now, after everything that has happened to her, she deserves better than a man who cannot even find the courage to stand before the altar.
I am tired.
Tired of disappointing everyone.
Tired of being measured against what I can provide.
Tired of feeling like a burden to those around me.
So I have chosen to leave.
I only hope that, in time, the two of you can forgive me.
Your son,
Lucius Kreuger
’What the hell. That’s my name, but I didn’t write this.’
The author of the note shared the same name as Lucius and yet the contents of the letter were foreign. He didn’t even have parents and yet it specifically mentioned them.
’This is becoming too much of a coincidence to be a dream. Maybe I actually woke up in the body of someone who shares my name and looks identical to me’
At that moment the large oak door swung open, revealing two people. Lucius panicked and reflexively balled up the paper into his hand.
"You look amazing, Luke. I’m sure even Lady Valeria will fall for those looks." An older woman spoke, she was aged but her beauty was still apparent.
"It is time, son. Put a smile on, this is your big day." The man stood next to the woman. His voice was hoarse with age. He couldn’t help but see the physical similarity with himself. Dark brown hair, blue eyes that looked almost gray, and a well groomed beard just like himself.
’These must be the parents that were mentioned in the letter’
Unlike the letter, Lucius felt that the two in front of him were nothing but caring for the writer of the note. They looked at him affectionately and just seemed to want him to be happy.
But what could he know, he wasn’t the one who had planned to run away from the wedding.
"Come on, son. It’s time for the ceremony to start."
Lucius simply nodded, while his parents smiled brightly. His mother grabbed his hand and dragged him from the room. They walked through white corridors, wood trim and similar oak doors lined the walls. He could see crosses sporadically hung as decoration.
After a few moments of walking they opened a door and went through. On the other side was a large room, there was a banner hanging that read: Wedding of Lady Valeria Chamberlin and Sir Lucius Krueger.
As they walked, Lucius noticed other people. They were dressed in Victorian era maid and butler work wear, reinforcing his idea of being in another world.
Lucius and his parents continued to walk, before reaching a large wooden gate-like door. It was reinforced with metal and hand crosses shaped into the planks.
"I will have one of the servants cue the organist to start playing. Once we hear the music start, then we will enter."
His mother signaled for one of the maids to step closer, then commanded her to notify the organist, before the maid swiftly walking up a nearby set of stairs.
As they waited, Lucius could hear the servants attempt to quietly whisper around him.
"I can’t believe that the Kreuger’s and Chamberlin’s will be joined through marriage. With this our salaries may even be increased." A butler loudly whispered to a nearby maid.
"To be married to Lady Valeria of all people, an SSS-Rank explorer. Even though she may have been left crippled after the accident, people say her peerless beauty still remains." Two maids spoke, facing away from their masters.
Lucius could finally put the pieces together. His soon-to-be wife was some kind of hero in this world, but was left injured after some kind of incident. His parents, in serious debt, needed money and he ended up getting married in exchange for their debt being cleared. Now, he would be the one getting married.
Lucius wasn’t sure how he felt. In his original body, he was just a nobody college student, just trying to get by; but in this body, he was going to marry a noble, crippled or not.
’Couldn’t be more like the start of a romance web novel.’ He let out a heavy sigh.
Familiar notes rang out from behind the large doors. It was the exact same song that his cousin had played during his wedding, just two months ago.
Lucius felt his stomach churn and butterflies bounced around inside his stomach. His mother noticed this and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"I know you are nervous, but just make it through the ceremony, okay?"
Even with her gentle words, there was no stopping the anxiety.
Without a moment to calm down, the large gate swung open inward, revealing tens of rows of pews. Stained glass lined the walls, which dazzled in the sunlight. At the front was a stage and in the middle was an altar. Behind the altar was an old man in robes.
A priest.
’This really is a wedding, huh. I’ve never even held a girl’s hand before and now I’m getting married.’
Lucius and his parents walked down the aisle slowly, stepping to the rhythm of the music, but he wasn’t focused on the walk. Instead, his attention was on the completely empty pews. Not a single soul was sitting down.
After hearing that his soon-to-be wife was some kind of hero, he had expected a ceremony full of hundreds of people. Yet it was just him, his parents, the priest, and a few servants along the walls.
He walked down the aisle, lost in thought, before he reached the end of the pews. His parents stopped and walked to the pew on his left, then sat down.
Losing the little moral support he had, Lucius continued to walk up the stage. In a blink, he reached the altar and stood to the left, turning his body to face sideways.
The doors shut loudly and the music started to quiet down before coming to an end.
The priest leaned over slightly and spoke to Lucius:
"Take it easy. The more nervous you are, the worse it’ll be."
He was a little flabbergasted that the priest spoke to him during a wedding ceremony. Lucius always thought that priests were only supposed to speak once both the groom and bride were at the altar, to officiate the marriage.
Not being able to think clearly due to the nerves, Lucius chuckled quietly.
Fortunately, the awkward moment didn’t last long as the organist began playing a new song. This time it was unfamiliar, but just the start of the song was emotional. It reminded him of walking through a quiet field on a summer afternoon.. As he listened, the nerves in his stomach seemed to quell, giving him time to take a deep breath.
As he did so, the large doors were pulled open by the servants from inside. He held his breath as he turned to look down the aisle.
He could hear the wheelchair before his eyes had registered it. The chair sparkled in the rays of light pouring in from the stained glass. It glinted and gleamed, with the bronze-colored metal immediately popping out. The wheels were metal, but instead of rubber on the outside a foreign red material rolled along the ground.
Then there was the flowing white dress that draped from the wheelchair. Its intricate floral patterns were visible even from the altar. Lucius followed the dress with his eyes, moving from bottom to top. As he observed, his eyes lingered on her figure before looking away.
Upon her face was a white veil that did little to cover the platinum color of her hair. Through the semi-translucent material, Lucius could see her silver eyes peer through, but they weren’t looking at him. He watched as her eyes darted from pew to pew, as if looking for someone. When she realized the target of her gaze wasn’t to be seen, she looked down at her legs where her vision rested.
Lucius studied her face. He tried to think of a comparison from his original world, but he had never seen someone so beautiful. No idol or actress could come close to her clear skin. The platinum hair that freely draped down her shoulders. Completely symmetrical facial features that would make any woman jealous.
But the most fascinating thing wasn’t her beauty at all, it was the distant gaze she had after her hopeful search around the wedding hall. Her eyes held disappointment that felt natural to her, like it had become familiar to her.
Lucius would have continued analyzing the girl, if not for the fact he had forgotten to breathe. He took a large gasping breath and decided to face forward until the ceremony began.
The wheelchair clunked against the wooden steps, as the maid pushing the wheelchair dragged the girl up the stairs to the altar, before wheeling her across from Lucius and stepping back.
The priest waited until the wheelchair came to a stop before starting the ceremony.
"We are gathered here today..."
Lucius heard the words, but they barely registered.
His attention was on the girl in front of him.
Valeria sat quietly in her wheelchair. Her gaze remained lowered, focused on anything that wasn’t Lucius or the wedding.
"... through hardship and prosperity..." The priest continued.
Lucius couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking.
Was she angry at him? Nervous? Or simply uninterested?
A loud clap of a book shutting snapped him back to reality.
"Lady Valeria Chamberlin, do you accept Sir Lucius Kreuger as your husband?"
She paused for a second, before forming her hand into a fist and moving it up and down a few times.
"Lady Valeria accepts." The maid behind her spoke.
The priest then turned to Lucius.
"Do you, Sir Lucius Kreuger, accept Lady Valeria Chamberlin to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
"I do."
"Then by the authority granted to me." The priest paused for a moment.
"You may now kiss the bride."
His heart stopped. He didn’t even know the girl and now he was supposed to kiss her. Lucius glanced back at his parents, his mother was wiping tears from her eyes and his father gave him an encouraging smile.
’Just man up.’
Lucius took a step towards Valeria and bent down, peeling back her veil.
For the first time since entering the hall, she looked into his eyes.
He froze, her gaze was cold, yet it looked almost scared.
In the end, using his best judgement Lucius went in for a kiss.
And pecked her on the cheek.
