|Who's the true teasing master??

Calm down....Don’t freak out. Let’s dissect the situation aptly. She undoubtedly heard me. If she did, then what was that reaction?? I couldn’t have made a wrong move, could I? Her heart was meant to go “doki doki” but all she said was “huh??” What was that for?? Was it not good enough? Somebody bury me alive already. What the hell is this situation? I’ve single handedly raised the tension between us in this confined space to dangerous levels.

She pursed her lips then sharply pushed them forward, her lips were now separated but she didn’t say anything yet. Perhaps she was too shy to say those words back. Yes, there’s no way she was weirded out by that line. I understand fully well there are limits to how cheesy one person can be but I haven’t surpassed that limit yet. That must be it. Don’t be silly. Who knew the dominatrix could have such a cute side.

“Umm I love you too, Voyan.”

“Eh? Sorry, I didn’t hear you.”

Hee hee.. Two can play that game.. I made a gesture with my ear and she looked down, all flustered. To my surprise, the band received the wrong message and only pumped up the noise. THESE BASTARDS!!! The leader is partially responsible for this headache I’m having. With the purest of intentions, he gave me a headache. Well, this one’s on me. The woman seated next to me is too problematic.In more ways than one. I’ll try keeping conversation to the barest minimum until I understand what the hell is going on.

“I said I love you……Voyan.”

“...I heard you loud and clear.”

She was beet red and her eyes were all over the place. One moment, her quick gaze rested on me and other moments, it was either the ground or anything other than my face. I noticed something important. There was an awkward silence between us, but that silence drowned out everything else. The awful band….the jobless locals…everything.. Before I realized it, even I was blushing. We sat there for what felt like an eternity. I obviously exaggerated but at least, we were now at the venue. It was a huge white building with firm pillars in front. The main door was brown and arc shaped. The arcs overlapped with each other and the pillars. It almost felt like a loop. 

Upon making our way out of the carriage, my feet suddenly felt numb, this weird sensation nearly brought me to my knees. I quickly regained composure and reassured everyone in shock that I was fine. This was the worst. Unknown people surrounded me as I got back up. I took the hands of my bride, entering the glamorous entrance without any hesitation. We were the last ones to arrive. I think it was part of the plan, having us be the final guests of our own party. Afterwards, the enormous,brown doors shut and no one was allowed to enter. I finally kissed that annoying marching band goodbye. Gosh, that was the opposite of elegant, their music that is.

It reminds me of my darker days in high school when I was in this rock band. I hardly bring it up since I hate remembering it. We called it “LiFe4DeAtH”… I don’t know if it was depression or an obsession with emo rockstars. I don’t know which got the better of me. All I knew was that I had some form of passion for it. I believed we could get out there and let everyone feel what we felt, you know? Of course, I received a wake up call.. Not from the heavens. No, no. Even for someone like me, that would have been too elegant. Rather, it was when I got blasted to oblivion by my best friend, Saito. We’ve been friends right from middle school and just like me, he took “honesty is the best policy” to heart.He listened to some of our songs and gave me his honest opinion. Well, the rest is history.. All I know is my electric guitar didn’t make it. Now that I look back, I wonder what was more surprising. The fact that I joined a rock band or the fact that I was capable of making bad music.

As we made our way in, there was a number reaching fifty..no…about a hundred people in front of us.They all stared at us like they just saw gold. With a smirk, I continued walking. The interior design reeked of elegance, the glass sparkled, their dresses sparkled, the walls sparkled. I was impressed by how everything seemed like something from a fairytale. My father was right in front of us, with an anxious look and a smile.. Hmm, father, shouldn’t you be filled with overwhelming pride and joy? That look is rather distasteful if you ask me.

“Voyan, you have arrived.”

“Yes, father.”

Calling this pot-bellied man father was still a bit weird to me. 

“Voyan, boy. You have certainly grown into a true man. The last time I saw you, your height didn’t get past my knee and now, you’re about to start your own family. Time flies.”

“You’re right about that, Albert. I’m proud of him.”

A tall, muscular figure popped up from behind my Father. His height and build were in perfect harmony. He looked like those villains in video games that you ended up running from till you had completely maxed out your stats. He had a long beard, too. If anything, him and my father looked like two versions of Santa Claus…One that went to the gym all day and one that became a NEET. I shouldn’t be putting my father down like this. Maybe his brain is the exceptional part of him.

“I appreciate the compliment. I’m just trying to be like my Father.”

“Well said, he’s certainly one you should emulate. Make him proud.Don’t be like this geezer right here..Hahahahaha. Hmm?”

He laughed or rather roared loudly and looked around when he finished. Of course, everyone will be staring at you. I’ve never heard any laugh as annoying as this before. Not even from One piece villains and that says a lot.. After a few seconds of observation, he cleared his throat and tapped my father on the shoulder. This man lacks manners but who am I to preach about such? To be fair, he seemed like someone of high status. Perhaps, he was someone close to my father??

“Why do you look like that?? It’s your son’s wedding, you should be happier. You look more anxious than him.”

Tell him, Mr Albert. My old man is annoying me with this dull mood, not like I care or anything………………………………..

“Oh, forgive me for this. Well, Voyan, let’s be going.”

“Going where??”

“Somewhere we can talk in private. I mean, you did say you had something incredibly urgent to discuss with me.”

“Haha..About that…”

Shit. I’m completely screwed now. If my memories were linked with this guy, maybe I could escape situations like this but unfortunately, my suffering had no alleviation. Should I wing it?? If I say something strange, that will arouse suspicion and I have no possible idea what could be so urgent. I have no idea what he considers “Urgent”. All I can say is….

“Don’t worry about it. We will have lots of opportunities to speak about it in the future.”

“You’re right. Well, if you excuse me.I will be taking my leave soon.”

“It’s perfectly fine,Father. You probably have lots of things you have to take care of so it’s understandable. I wouldn’t be selfish.”

“That’s great. Well, I can’t keep her waiting.”

Hmm?

“Well said, boy.”

As soon as Father left, the red haired man cut in yet again and clung to me.What’s the deal with this guy?? He just keeps butting in.I hate people like this. Have you ever had this one guy that tries too hard at building relationships??? I don’t know what or who he thinks I am, more precisely Voyan is, but I won’t open up to someone like you. Sorry, I’m not cold but I ain't a pushover either. I just hate unnecessary familiarity between people. It pisses me off and only proves the point that whatever you are doing or saying is just for appearances. You are probably still hiding your thoughts, your true thoughts under multiple layers. Which is why I consider the whole thing an act of sorts. You can’t fool me.

Wait a second….He doesn’t know the first thing about Voyan, that means he also doesn’t know the first thing about me, too. Which means…. I can use him to get some answers without coming off as suspicious. I can slip up to a certain extent without any consequence. Another brilliant plan, I never seem to run out of them. I’ll just have to deal with this guy for a while longer.

“Seems like anytime I reunite with your Father, there’s always one of you that’s absent. Anyway,you’ll have to keep me company for a while, let’s get a tall glass and talk for a bit, okay??”

“.…”

“Don’t give me that look. If it’s about all the delicious women here, I’ve seen better. Both dressed and undressed. Hahahahahaha.”

This guy is annoying. I’m definitely not laughing to that “joke” but I can at least chuckle a bit so I won’t completely discourage him. He looks like someone who doesn’t care either way. Honestly, as much as I hate to admit it, he is right, there are a dozen stunning beauties here. Blonde hair, dark hair, grey, white, blue, even caramel. Why the hell am I the one getting married in the first place?? Did these women come to congratulate me or tempt me?? They are too good to ignore, but what can I do? This is my own wedding celebration. I should at least get some useful info from this guy while I’m at it.

“Sounds like a plan. Wait a minute.”

I turned to my wife that had been silent for the past couple of minutes. Her eyes were on the huge stained glass dome that shone brightly on us all. If I didn’t follow her gaze, I might not have been able to notice it and acknowledge it’s beauty. It’s truly graceful and enthralling. Just like the ones I’ve seen in movies. Has she been looking at it this whole time?? she wasn’t addressed so her silence was intelligible. Quite frankly, she seemed like she was on a leash, like she wasn’t allowed to speak unless she was given permission. Was that really the case? All I knew was that she looked a bit lonely. Now, I really feel like staying here with her. Unfortunately, I just can’t… I need all the info I can get..

“Voyan, it’s fine. I will speak to the guests and enjoy the atmosphere.”

“Hear that? Let’s go…”

“Umm, all right.”

“By the way, what a catch.”

He held me by the neck with his arms and pulled me away. Although, I was convinced that I was just overreacting, from the corner of my eyes, when I saw her face again, I wanted to turn around and forget about my operation. I stared down at the shiny floor tiles. If the Hachiya of half a day ago saw the present me, he would have been utterly disappointed. There’s nothing special about her so why do I feel this way?? Love at first sight?? That’s crap.. I’m not one of those hopeless romantics that are engrossed in their own fantasies. That being said, I don’t over simplify it or consider it purely biology running its course. I have to snap out it immediately. This is not me……These feelings…These feelings are foreign.

The wedding reception was over before we even knew it. I’m not sure I saw my siblings. Were they also absent?? That aside,my father left midway through and I spent quite a while chatting away with my first target. It was a fruitless effort, however. I found out close to nothing useful about everything. Why?? Well, I couldn’t just start asking the basics. No matter how well I twisted the question, he just didn’t follow through with it. He must have thought of it as bothersome, meanwhile I was desperately waiting for his response. He even retaliated with questions of his own, questions about my childhood and some interests, along with some difficulties I faced. I hope he didn’t realize they were all fabricated. 

I wouldn’t call myself a masterful liar but I don’t think he has a reason to suspect me. About the information I got, well all of that was about him..Just him.. He’s a loose talker but he only goes on and on about things related to him. Unfortunately, he's a king, one from one of the kingdoms nearby, a land called Nell..He also claimed to be a childhood friend of my father. Apparently, they went to the same academy when growing up so they saw a lot of each other. Even more than they would have preferred. Well, if I was in my father’s shoes, I would want as much boundary as I can possibly get from this guy. 

He also told me a bit about my mother. My mother sure had it rough. She has been ill ever since she gave birth to me..I mean Voyan… I would have to check up on her in his place. I wonder what I will say to her. Well, there’s no use thinking about all that. Right now, I simply want to sleep. That old man drained all of my left over energy.

Now, we were in my bedroom and another problem had risen, literally…..

How we got here??? I was quite clueless when we arrived at what seemed like a very bland, plain-looking castle. Either that or my weary eyes were playing tricks on me. I wouldn’t put it past me when I’m at the deep end of exhaustion. You could literally ask me to marry you and I’ll say yes and collapse on the bed without giving your question a single thought. Never mind all that, I was contemplating falling asleep anywhere, and I really meant it. I had a reputation to keep, but my strength wouldn’t have lasted for long.. 

In this huge castle, how could I get to my room? We were both standing there, in an awkward silence. This was not something I thought about at all…She probably didn’t have the answers too.. Luckily, I spotted my solution right in front of me. As the maids and guards approached us, I simply asked for my room to get cleaned, claiming I was greatly irritated by the state it was in prior to leaving. Although, it turned out to be a lie, they cleaned it anyway and I successfully located the room..The bed was so massive, I could roll for a couple of seconds before reaching the edge. This was like the master bedroom of a master bedroom.

Damn.. My wife was more shocked at me being shocked at my own room. Staying in character was a tall order indeed.Perhaps acting was simply beyond me.. I never needed to act when I lived my days as Hachiya. My honesty shone at all times, even at times when it didn’t necessarily favour me. I always thought of it more as a cemented rule rather than a double edged sword. Anyway,how could I tell if she started developing venomous doubt in her mind? I couldn’t, all I could hope for was that my wife was not a very observant person.

“You seem exhausted.”

“Heh..Well, we had a long day, I’m pretty sure you’re pretty tired too.”

“Not really.”

She was the one that did most of the talking when the guests were looking for me. That’s pretty impressive.

“With the way you looked earlier, it was clear that you wanted to catch some sleep as soon as possible…”

As tired as I was, I sensed something off with her words. However, that turned out to be the least of my worries. In a matter of seconds, she took off her dress and stared at me, butt naked.

“Is that still the case??”