His Majesty's Devious Sins

Song: Merry Go Round of Life by Joe Hisaishi.

The wedding went by like a blur. Everyone came up to greet her, wearing faux and real smiles, their gentle laughter, their mocking giggles. Eventually, everyone blended together, but she remembered their faces well. 

Adeline was always good at remembering people and the things they did to her. Amidst the people that hated her, she smiled brighter, just to scorn them even more. 

Adeline could feel the envious gazes poking at her skin, wishing she'd drop dead on the spot. She could feel the curious stares memorizing her features, her actions, and her words. 

Instead of the outdoor ceremony earlier, everyone was now seated inside a cavernous banquet hall. There were large tables with beautiful tall burgundy candles, white ribbons, golden and silver platters, chairs with presents, and the list went on. 

Crystal chandeliers hung over them, the domed ceiling sporting its usual paintings of high heaven and it's cupids and children.

"How is the food?" Elias suddenly asked, noticing half of it was untouched.

Adeline blinked. She turned her head towards him. They were seated on a raised platform, in a long table with Lydia on her side, and the twins on Elias's other side.

Elias sat beside her as everyone enjoyed the food. He quietly sipped his wine, like most of the vampires. She easily saw who was human and who wasn't, judging by who ate their food and who mainly drank. 

"I'm too nervous to eat," Adeline admitted. "But the chowder is delightful and the steak is exceptionally cooked."

Elias smiled at this. He knew these dishes must've been her favorites, judging by the way she still ate despite her anxiety. 

"A dance, darling?"

Adeline blinked. Her lips parted, a slight smile on her face. The festive melody of their first dance together softly drowned out the noises of chatter and laughter. 

"Wasn't this the song we danced to that night at the banquet?" Adeline asked. 

Elias smiled in response. He offered a hand to her, well aware that everyone was watching their every movement. 

If they were going to pretend to be in love, to keep her status as the Noble Flower, and his status as a changing man, then they'd have to play the role well. But somewhere down the line, he knew she didn't view it as pretend.

She wholeheartedly loved him, she said it herself. Adeline, innocent and naive, fell in love with the devil himself, and she did it with a smile. He glanced into her eyes, beautiful like the forest during midnight, under a star-speckled sky.

"Cute," Lydia muttered over the liquor she drank. 

Lydia watched the couple, smiling at Adeline's tiny one. Seeing Adeline happy like this made her happy. Who would've known Adeline was the first to get married?

Lydia's brows wrung together. Her parents had told her something startling yesterday. They were seated amongst the crowd and gave Adeline the most expensive of gifts, treating her like their own daughter.

Her parents had said Adeline Rose was promised to His Majesty, King Elias Luxton since birth. Crown Prince Kaline had promised Elias that Adeline was the Golden Rose. Kaline thought he had successfully tricked Elias, but Elias already knew the truth. Despite that, Elias still accepted Adeline.

It seemed all along, Elias had always known Adeline was the Noble Flower. 

"Liddy, can you watch my drink?" 

Lydia blinked back to reality. She saw the champagne glass of Adeline and softly laughed. 

Lydia smiled at Adeline. "Who'd dare poison it, in the presence of the King and the twins? But of course. I'll protect it with my life and shoot whoever comes near it."

Adeline thought it was a joke, so she innocuously laughed, her face brightening. Lydia's heart warmed at the sight, even though she had meant every word she said. 

Lydia watched as Adeline accepted the King's hand. He bent over it, softly kissing upon her knuckles, amidst the soft gasps and quiet murmur. Adeline was a stunning bride, in a dress that people would die to even touch. The cost alone could be the perfect down payment for an enormous mansion in the forests.

"My wife," Elias murmured, holding her hands tightly, as if she'd dare to run for the hills in her white dress.

She was promised to him, made a sacred vow before the people, and now, she was his forever, until the end of her eternity with him.

"My husband," Adeline said. 

Adeline wondered why he was holding her so close to him, why his fingers always swallowed her hand, and why he cherished her so. But she worried about none of these questions and allowed herself to be whisked through the dance floor.

Adeline's footsteps finally aligned perfectly with his. She had changed dresses into something with less train, but double the white and pure aesthetics. Feathers danced upon her shoulders, pearls and tiny crystals placed upon her collarbones and upper arm, and a small train of fabric trailing after her with each step. 

"Were you counting your steps earlier?" Elias teased, as he placed a hand up her lower back, bringing her even closer to him, until their chests practically grazed against each other with each step. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her, she was simply too breathtakingly beautiful.

"No…"

"This is the first time you lied to me, and over something so insignificant. Surely, you can do better than that, darling."

"I was deciding which step came afterward, left, right, left, right, but then I got too nervous and tripped. I hope no one else saw that," Adeline admitted. 

She glanced into his piercing eyes and was at loss for words. He was so handsome that he improved her vision. An eye-candy like him, who had laughed at her fear of disloyalty, and never swore an oath to her about keeping faithful.

"I've always told you my fears of losing you, Elias." 

Elias gently spun her in his arms. There was loose, flowy fabric tied around her lower waist, and when she spun with him, it resembled a heavenly cloud embracing the couple.

"You fret about the strangest things, my sweet," he said. "That stupid fear of yours will never happen."

Adeline felt like it would. What if she taught him compassion and love and he gives it to another woman?

"Then swear to me," Adeline declared. In the spin, she had shifted her hand from his upper arm to his shoulder, allowing for a more intimate position. The world became a blur to her, yet again, where he seemed to be the only man in this world.

Elias chuckled. He was humored by her words, but touched by the sincerity. She was sharing the same fear as him now, and it filled him with arrogance. He wanted to gloat about this to the world, but kept the thought to himself.

Bending his head, his lips brushed upon hers. He heard the quickening of her breath, the skip of heart, and witnessed her eyes fluttered shut. He kissed her briefly, capturing her sweet lips for only a second or two. 

"I solemly swear, darling, that you who taught me love, will be the only one to receive it. I'll cross my heart and hope to die before breaking such a vow to you." 

Adeline's entire body was filled with warmth. She could barely contain her large grin, which eventually broke out anyway. She stood upon her tippy-toes and kissed him again, just a small peck. But it was a small kiss too much, for his eyes flicked with hot, burning flames and he leaned down for more.

She turned her chin, and he kissed upon her cheek. He simply chuckled and stepped closer to her.

"And your vow?" he muttered, "Where is it?"

Adeline blinked. Surely, he didn't think she'd run off with another man? He was already a handful. 

"I solely swear that you who I gave my heart to will be the only one to possess it, until the very last breath I take."

Elias smirked. He grabbed the back of her neck and kissed her deeply, ignoring the wide-eyed glances from the people. His mouth passionately moved against hers, their bodies molding perfectly against each other, her nose brushing upon his.

She was his now, and for once, he was hers.