Marriage - Part 3

"Everyone, please calm down," he said, his voice clear and amplified, instantly cutting through the rising panic.

Everyone looked at Hiroto in confusion.

"There's no attack. It's just an element of the event."

They were baffled. Hiroto signaled, and the venue's projection from outside could be seen. They watched a light shot vertically into the sky, then boom, another sound, blasting into a flower shape.

Yes, it was fireworks, another spectacle Hiroto recreated with Coral and Hammer's help. Hiroto smiled, looking at everyone's stunned expressions. One face in particular, Dart Leo, looked at Hiroto as if he'd found a treasure, a hesitant smile inching onto his face.

The fireworks show continued for a few minutes. After the last blast, the room fell silent, guests too stunned to speak. Even Emma and Carl stood dumbly.

Hiroto broke the silence.

"I hope you liked the firework show."

Everyone snapped back to their senses and burst into applause. Meanwhile, the marriage couple walked to the center.

Carl stood face to face with Hiroto.

"You prepared a lot of things," Carl remarked.

Hiroto just smiled. He handed the mic to Carl.

"You seemed happy with this marriage, that's why you went all out," Carl spoke sarcastically, his eyes glinting.

Hiroto didn't say anything and started walking away. He looked at Emma, but she was staring down at the floor. Hiroto shrugged and took a seat on the sidelines.

"Good evening, everyone," Carl announced, his voice amplified by the mic. "I am Carl Rodrick, and this is Emma Rodrick. You must have liked the show, my dear brother Hemal prepared." Everyone's gaze turned towards Hiroto, but he smiled at Carl.

"Although he was not a bright child since he was little, I am happy to see how grown up he is now." Carl paused. "On that note, I hope you all can bless us so we can live a happy life after marriage, especially... My brother Hemal."

He smirked. It was clear to anyone that he was trying to pick a fight with Hemal. Carl then addressed the guests and took his seat beside Emma.

One at a time, Nobles began to stand up and greet the married couple, while others had dinner. The musical group played a melodic, easy-to-dance-to tune. Many couples could be seen dancing.

Hiroto stayed alone on the sideline, watching everyone like a distant memory. Suddenly, Carl and Emma stood up and walked towards the center. They took a dancing pose. The musical group changed their music, and a warmer, slower melody began to play. They danced slowly. It was like a fairy tale, where a princess meets her prince and they have a happy ending.

Everyone's focus was on them. Carl and Emma both had bright smiles, which Hiroto didn't like for some reason. When they stopped, everyone started clapping. Seeing that, they both bowed and thanked everyone. 

The projectors installed showed the couple every moment. The sound of fireworks could be heard once again. But this time, everyone stayed silent. Many moved to the terrace to see with their own eyes. It was a beautiful sight. Many fireworks blasted, and different colors sparkled in the sky. The light orbs floating around the venue also added to the vibe.

The first day was over, and everyone went to their room to rest. Hiroto stayed behind to check on preparations for tomorrow. It was before midnight that he was finally free. He was walking back to his room. He could feel the cold breeze brushing past him. Hiroto looked around; it was dead silent, starkly contrasting with the previous scenery.

He saw someone standing in the garden. He recalled the first time he met the Shaman girl. He wondered if it was her. He stopped, thinking whether he should check it out. But if it were someone else, he would just be wasting his time.

Before he knew it, he was walking towards the person. As he got closer, he realized that the person was someone else. He thought about just returning to his room, but then he saw someone else down on the ground, holding the legs of the person standing.

Hiroto felt like something was off. As he moved closer, he realized that the person standing was Carl, and the person on the ground was crying.

"Please... give it to me..."

"Give it..."

"I did everything."

Hiroto hid behind a tree and observed the situation. His other self wanted to ignore it and go to his room. The person below finally looked up at Carl. It was Emma. She was crying, and looking at them, it felt like she was begging Carl about something.

She was holding his leg and begging. Carl then kicked her, and she was thrown off.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Wait for a little while." He walked towards the fallen Emma and caught her hair to look her in the eyes, "Can't you just wait until this marriage is over?"

"But you said that we would never marry."

Hiroto didn't know what was going on here. He felt it was time for him to leave.

"Hahaha," Carl started laughing. "How naive. My brother had really colored you in his colors."

Hiroto stopped.

"Did you really think I would... No, can I abolish this marriage now... now that every family's eye is on us? It's not my fault, you know. If you want to blame someone, blame your ex. He brought one thing after another. Things that we have never seen, used, or built before. Every family is eyeing that technology... Isn't the Shaw family the same? Do you really think your father, someone who once tried to get you to marry my brother, would back off now? No... No, he won't."

Emma was still on the ground. 

"I also don't want to marry you."

Hiroto just wanted to return to his room. He was taken aback. The couple who danced happily together didn't even want to marry each other. So why did they agree to begin with? 

Wait, he thought. They were never asked and were given the final decision, just like how Hemal's marriage was pulled up. 

But didn't that mean that it was all Emma's fault? She was the one who played the victim and framed Hemal. But was this marriage something that she didn't expect? The main question should be what pushed Emma to put on such an act against Hemal. What was her end goal? Hiroto wanted to come out and ask Emma directly, but then again, Hiroto thought it wasn't related to him.

"You know what..." Carl spoke, his voice cutting through the night. "If you were to disappear tonight, there wouldn't be any marriage." 

Emma's eyes widened. Carl pulled the sword out of its cover. 

"If you die here, there wouldn't be any problem."

"Wh-what are you saying? Think rationally, you can't do it!" Emma cried, starting to crawl back on the ground. Carl was following her. 

"Help! Someone help!"

"Don't shout, you bitch!" 

Carl rushed towards Emma and swung the sword. Emma closed her eyes and brought her arms in front to block the sword. But the sword never came. When Emma opened her eyes, she saw someone standing before her. She could see his back, but his white hair proved who he was. 

Hiroto had blocked the sword with his arms. The blade bit deep, slicing across his forearms. A searing agony ripped through him, hot blood instantly welling up, soaking his sleeves, and dripping steadily onto the grass. He couldn't even lift his arms. They felt like dead weights, useless. Carl was surprised to find Hemal there.

"What are you doing?" Carl shouted.

"I should be the one asking that," Hiroto retorted.

"Shouldn't you be on my side? That bitch even framed you, yet you're protecting her?" Carl barked.

"How do you know that I was framed?"

"That... that..." Before Carl could answer, guards rushed in.

"Stop!" There were four guards. The one who shouted looked like their leader. 

"What is happening here?" he demanded.

It was apparent what had happened. But because Carl held the sword, the leader used words instead of just taking him down. But before Hiroto could explain anything, Carl spoke, "Can't you see? This guy tried to attack Emma again just because he couldn't marry her. I was protecting her. Go arrest him!"

"No, he..." Hiroto tried to deny that, but the guards started rushing in. Hiroto knew that if he got caught here, he would be punished for something he didn't do, and no one would believe him. Emma would again try to play victim, leaving Carl unscathed. Emma should have defended him here if she had a little conscience, but she didn't. She just sat down like a fool.

Hiroto regretted coming here. He started running.