Haruka The Wedding of Marielle Clarac

1. Auflage 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7183-2232-5
Verlag: J-Novel Heart
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 319 Seiten

Reihe: The Tales of Marielle Clarac

The wedding is just two days away! Despite her plain appearance and inferior social status, Marielle is finally about to marry the man of her dreams: Simeon, the Vice Captain of the Royal Order of Knights.
He's outwardly cold and vicious, but kind and pure on the inside-and the contrast sets her fangirl heart on fire. He's everything she could wish for and more. After many sleepless nights preparing the manuscript for her next novel, all the obstacles are cleared and only bliss awaits. Now nothing stands between Marielle and the altar.
Or so she thinks. While Marielle and Simeon are out shopping, a robbery takes place, revealing a conspiracy-and Marielle is kidnapped by the criminals!
The fourth volume in the adventures of the devious fangirl who secretly obsesses over her fiancé and everyone around him!

Autoren/Hrsg.

Haruka, Momo

Weitere Mitwirkende

Maro

Reuben, Philip

Leseproben

Chapter One

What girl hasn’t dreamed of being a bride?

Donning a pure white dress, holding a bouquet, and walking down the aisle. Pulling a long train and veil behind oneself accompanied by organ music. What girl hasn’t imagined that beautiful and solemn spectacle from a young age, thinking, “One day, that will be me”? Even I had genuine expectations, not mere delusions, of fulfilling this dream.

I thought to myself, given my plain and unremarkable nature, a storybook romance is too much to wish for, but even so, I can still expect to be someone’s bride. Even if the marriage itself is born purely out of obligation and calculated self-interest, I would still be able to wear a bridal gown one day, just as I had always longed to. That alone was enough for me to look forward to it with eager anticipation.

But I got far more.

The bells rang out. Flower petals rained down upon me. The man who awaited me at the holy altar was the precious object of my affections. A man of tall stature, with a strikingly beautiful face and a piercingly intelligent gaze. He stood there, as dignified as a white lily, overflowing with youthful charm. Our eyes met and joy welled up in me. I had to fight the urge to run straight to him. What a surprise—and what a pleasure. I was to be wedded to the man I loved. A storybook romance had found me after all.

The day had arrived at last for us to pledge ourselves to one another. He and I would finally be married. I made my way down the red carpet that lined the aisle in a graceful manner, but inside I was exhilarated, my heart pounding so fast it felt as though it might break into a dance. Even now I didn’t quite believe that I could truly be experiencing such joy. For one’s heart to be pounding with love—wasn’t that a sensation only felt by characters in books?

His smile was fixed directly on me. Even now, I thought, Despite his sweet smile that could melt any woman’s heart, a sense of him being somehow black-hearted still hung in the air. Was it because of his glasses, and the cold aura they conveyed? In any case, he was no ordinary young man. What was he thinking underneath that smile? What scheme was afoot? His smile hid his calculating mind the way his clothes hid his finely honed body. He was the Vice Captain of the Royal Order of Knights, feared by all. The concept of a man being a brutal black-hearted military officer, yet on the surface appearing to be such an upstanding bridegroom—how could I ever get enough of that?

Internally I was rolling on the floor in sheer agony, but I maintained the face of a virtuous bride at all costs. I was a bride at last, just as I had always yearned to be. I had to remain strong—to at least pure.

I kept my ladylike poise all the way to the altar, where he offered me his large hand. I offered mine in return, and we gently clasped them together.

Just then came a drawn out shriek as the doors opened forcefully. “STOP THE WEDDING!”

I turned around in shock. A lone man stumbled into the room looking highly agitated.

“Miss Vivier! Before getting married, you submit your manuscript!”

It was my editor at the publishing company. His hair and clothes looked disheveled, and his eyes were bloodshot; he appeared as though he might have been up all night.

“You’ll never meet your deadline! I can’t let you go on your honeymoon like this!”

“What?” I replied, blanching. “No, it can’t be. What deadline? When!?”

I tried to think. Hadn’t I already completed the submission? When was the next deadline after that? I had forgotten about it entirely. I hadn’t even written a single line!

“I’m sorry, but I can’t! Please delay the deadline until my return!”

“We can’t delay it any further! The printing presses are ready and waiting! We need you to submit the manuscript immediately!”

“But I told you, there’s no way!”

I drew back, retreating from the looming editor. I tried to hide behind my groom, but my arms found nothing but thin air. When I turned to look, he was nowhere to be seen.

“Lord Simeon!?”

In a panic I darted my head this way and that. Finally I saw him. At some point he had moved away to quite a distant spot. He was speaking words I could tell were directed at me, but I couldn’t hear them.

“Lord Simeon!”

I began dashing towards him. I hitched up my dress and ran with no concern for my appearance at all. But a number of people around me became determined to slow me down. They reached out their arms to obstruct me and cried out, “Manuscript!” “Deadline!”

“Noooo!” I yelled. “Lord Simeooon!”

I ran as if my life depended on it, and somehow I reached him again. I leapt forward, expecting his dependable embrace to await me as always, but his arms did not move at all.

“Lord Simeon?”

Driven by apprehension, I looked up at his face and was struck by the chilling glare of his light blue eyes. With a cruel smile on his beautiful face, he said, “First things first. I can hardly marry a woman who doesn’t keep to her deadlines.”

I froze.

“If you want the reward, you must prove that you deserve it. You’re a bad girl, begging for treats without even doing a trick first.”

At that point, I crumbled.

“I could die from this degree of joy. I would leave this world with no regrets.”

As I woke up, I uttered, “No you wouldn’t.” I couldn’t help arguing against my own final words in the dream. How could I not have regrets? I’d be full of them. I’d have died before getting married!

I heard a lethargic voice through the window. “My lady, is everything all right? I heard an...interesting noise.”

I noticed I had fallen onto the floor of the carriage. In a weary tone I replied, “Everything’s fine. I’m just a little sleepy, that’s all.”

“Rather a noisy way of being sleepy!” laughed the driver.

I sighed and lifted myself up off the floor. It seemed that when I fell I had hit myself in various places, particularly my leg.

But there was something more important than that. I looked around and located my handbag, which had indeed dropped to the floor as well. I quickly took out my notebook and pen from inside. The very instant I had climbed back up to my seat, I set my pen racing feverishly.

“‘You’re a bad girl’... How irresistible! It’s as sly and calculating as can be! How I’d love to hear the real Lord Simeon say it!”

I knew exactly why I’d had such a dream. Up till yesterday I had been desperately fighting to meet my deadline, and I had only barely made my submission in time. The part of the dream where my long-awaited wedding day had been ruined was terrible, of course, but that last line of his was simply so delicious. It was honestly hard for me to decide if it had been a pleasant dream or a nightmare.

I kept writing, struggling against the shaking of the carriage, as I rode on through the morning sunlight. My destination was the headquarters of the Royal Order of Knights on the palace grounds, where the real Lord Simeon awaited.

Today, with all our work and other tasks taken care of, we would finally be able to enjoy a day in the city together. As I woke up more fully, the memory of the dream drifted further and further away, and I began to feel a sense of excitement instead. I held my pen still and lifted my head to look through the window at the late spring scenery flying past. The weather was good today, so I could expect it to be slightly hot in the afternoon. The sun’s rays were so bright, one could almost think it was summer.

The grass and leaves were a vibrant shade of green, and flowers in full bloom rivaled one another with their beauty, drawing butterflies and honeybees to them. Chicks were hatching in swallows’ nests, while frogs croaked cheerfully by the waterside. The breeze rushing in through the open window was refreshing and carried a sweet scent.

In this splendid season filled with the breath of life, I was to experience my moment of bliss. Just two days hence—the day after tomorrow—my real wedding ceremony would take place.

A great deal had happened since we got engaged, but now that we were so close, there was nothing left to do but push toward the finish line. There...