Stand By Me Darling
Chapter 456: The Wedding (3)

Chapter 456: The Wedding (3)

Without being able to control himself anymore, Arthur turned back. What he saw, surprised him too. Louis was walking towards Talia at a faster pace as if he was going to start a fight.

All the guests were stunned and Arthur bowed his head hiding his smile. There are cameras everywhere and he didn’t want to be seen as rude or indecent.

He is doing it for real!

As the wedding preparations went on, Arthur found out that being an actual King wearing a crown is pretty difficult. Even though he is the Monarch, he couldn’t do what he pleases. Louis wanted to be ’a brother attending my sister’s wedding’. But his wish was immediately rejected.

All he wanted was to wear a formal suit than his Kingly garb. But he was refused. Even Talia was against that idea.

"The King of Esteria and even that hypocritical Prince will be there in all their pompousness and I don’t want my brother to stand like a boy beside them," were her exact words.

He was a Monarch first and foremost, and the rest are only secondary as explained by the aides. Louis was clearly displeased, but he maintained his composure. And Talia refusing his offer to walk her down the aisle gave him a bigger blow.

"Artie," he called him one night he was drunk, " Her grandfather... I respect him a lot, but she was with him until she was sixteen. After that, it was I who took care of her. How can she refuse me? I am going to walk her down the aisle nonetheless. Will she hold it against me?" he asked.

Arthur believed Talia won’t get angry at Louis. Lambert is a different case, but she respected Louis more since he is older than her. And so he replied the same to Louis. Since it never came up again, Arthur dismissed his call as some drunken mistake, but now it seems like Louis indeed was serious.

Eh... Just move aside, Louis... Let me see my bride!

Talia was a little startled seeing the fast-approaching man through her veil. The veil was very filmsy since it was silk tulle and she could fairly see everything, but she couldn’t see the face of the man approaching.

But the blue military dress uniform with purple sash, golden braids, the various badges and orders pinned on his chest, all gave away who it was. Plus, only the King could walk this fast towards her without getting shot. So there is that...

Ah! Louis...

"I’m not going to apologize for being petty," Louis whispered so that both she and her grandpa would hear, as she held his hand.

"I should be glad," Talia said with a smile and Louis stood straight. "Just try and walk slower."

She didn’t expect Louis would do something like this, but she was not angry at him for it. She didn’t know Louis could be this persistent.

With her grandpa and Louis on either side, walking her, Talia looked to the front and in the distance saw Arthur looking in her direction. She couldn’t see him clearly because of the distance and the misty whiteness surrounding her. Her heart started to pound at an alarming rate and she bowed her head subconsciously.

She couldn’t understand why she is acting like a shy, blushing teenager seeing her crush, but she couldn’t raise her eyelids. She felt her face heating up and she knew she was blushing hard.

"Chin up, Mary," Louis reminded her and she raised her head a little bit, but her eyes were still on the floor. She wetted her lips and walked carefully fearing she might trip as her mind was racing with excitement just like her heart.

I’m getting married!

Arthur saw her floating towards him. He thought they met eyes even in this distance, but then she bowed her head.

Ba-bump...Ba-bump... Ba-bump...

His heart started to beat faster and his eyes ended up focusing only on her. As he observed her, everything around her blurred, and slowly all the sound got muted. He thought he felt Jordan pulling him to turn to the front, but his legs were firm as they followed his heart to only look at her.

He tried to control his breathing as he started like there was no air around him as she approached closer. He could see her face a little more clearly now and ... it was her – His Iris! He subconsciously held his breath seeing how mesmerising she looked.

She looked like he remembered her from their final year of high school. The length of her hair, her makeup... It reminded him of that pretty girl he fell in love with. The big dress, the veil with the added tiara... It didn’t remind him of their previous wedding as he thought, but this appearance erased her past appearance.

This is our wedding! But I am the girl you fell in love with twelve years ago.

She seemed to be saying that with her appearance.

Breathe... Don’t faint... Breathe... Don’t faint...

Ah, Iris...You’re so pretty... I love you so much...

Breathe...Don’t faint... Don’t cry...Don’t faint...Don’t cry...

He could see his eyes clouding. He couldn’t say if he was fainting or crying or both...

Ugh! Arthur! Get a grip! You cannot miss watching her coming towards you...

Arthur sniffed and took in a deep breath. He had forgotten about the cameras by now. The three minutes walk seemed like it was happening forever.

All he had in his eyes was her figure walking towards him and all he had in his heart were thoughts of her and the memories they shared that brought them here.

He felt the corners of his eyes were wet and wiped them with the back of his palm. Gritting his teeth, he watched her getting really closer to him. After climbing the three stairs, she’d be by his side.

He wanted to get to her, but he felt a strong hold by his arm. More than a hold, it could be called a pinch. Jordan’s pinch did work.

Only after that Arthur came to his senses and he knew by now he had broken half a dozen rules the Bishop asked him to follow.

Forgive me God for I love her too much.

Talia just being three feet away from him could see him clearly. By now she had calmed herself down and prepared to look at his face.

Ah...Look how handsome he is... He waited for me this long. I love you, Fred.

The Archbishop was confused as to who’d do the custom of giving the bride to the groom since the bride had two men bringing her to the altar. But Louis backed off, nodding at Jerome and whispered in Arthur’s ears.

"For every drop of her tear, you’ll pay with a litre of your blood!"

Talia didn’t expect Louis to make such a mafioso statement and wondered if Arthur was offended. But seeing Arthur grinning war to ear nodding, she realised that Arthur didn’t even listen to the threat.

Not surprising!

She was about to turn at her grandpa to let him lift the veil, but Arthur stepped in and he lifted the veil, revealing her face.

Talia told him at least a hundred times in the past week that her grandpa should be lifting her veil and just like she thought, Arthur lifted the veil.

I’m marrying an impatient guy! Lovely!

Seeing his face brimming with joy, she was glad that he was the first person to see her face. It was very reassuring for her.

But Talia didn’t know at that time there are other meanings behind the groom lifting the veil which she learnt only after hearing the commentary of her wedding.

If the bride is a virgin, the groom lifts the veil to symbolise that the bride has been faithful to the last day and that her purity belongs to her partner. The other sign is ownership, as the groom feels like a prince who has finally met the beautiful princess, the love of his life. It is fair to give the groom a chance to express his true feelings to his love.

"You’re breathtaking, Iris," Arthur tried to hold her hand, but the Archbishop intervened with a cough.

Talia who was mesmerised in his green-eyes, came to her senses.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.