Chapter 786: Stopping a Wedding
"What’s the holdup?" Emma asked, her voice tinged with impatience as she glanced around the civil affairs bureau. The room felt stifling, not because of its size, but because of the weight of what they were about to do—or at least, what they were supposed to be doing. They had been waiting far longer than she’d expected. First, the staff had been utterly speechless, gawking at the fact that their prince—their Prince Rafe—was marrying quietly, without the grand fanfare everyone no doubt expected. They’d seemed so dumbfounded that they couldn’t even manage a proper response.
And then came the complication: apparently, the local civil affairs bureau did not have the proper jurisdiction to marry royalty. That revelation had made Emma’s stomach drop. Marrying a prince wasn’t as simple as walking in, signing a paper, and walking out—there were legalities, traditions, protocols. Rafe had kept his cool, though, quickly arranging for the necessary signatures of priests and high-ranking officers. Yet here they still were, sitting around, waiting.
Emma glanced at Rafe, who seemed unusually calm. If anything, it was his hesitance that concerned her now. Why was he stalling? She could not afford this! Hadn’t he been eager to marry her? So much so that he’t thrown the contract papers for marriage at her the moment he knew that she was alive? Was he hesitating now because she’d proposed to marry him immediately?
"Rafe," she sighed, tugging gently at his sleeve. "If it’s not convenient for them, we can just come back another day. This was all so impulsive, anyway." She bit her lip, pretending to second-guess the very idea that had brought them here in the first place. "Honestly, I’m starting to get cold feet. Maybe we should take some time... I don’t know, a year or two of dating, and then we can plan the perfect wedding." She forced a soft smile, hoping her casual suggestion sounded convincing.
Rafe, however, wasn’t buying it. His dark eyes softened, but his grip on her hand tightened ever so slightly.
Slowly, he intertwined their fingers, his thumb tracing gentle circles across her knuckles.
"We’re not waiting a year or two, Emma," he said firmly, his deep voice soothing but unyielding. He brought her hand up to his lips, pressing a kiss to her fingers, his gaze never leaving hers. "This is happening today. We just need a few more minutes. The witnesses are on their way."
His words were final, leaving no room for negotiation. Before she could respond, Rafe let go of her hand and stood up, brushing imaginary dust off his jacket. "I’ll go check on the timing, see how long they’ll be," he added, casting her a reassuring smile before walking toward the front desk.
Emma nodded, watching his retreating form, but her mind was racing. Of course, they weren’t waiting. How could they? She couldn’t afford to wait any longer. It was now or never. And Rafe, thankfully, had taken the bait she’d thrown so skillfully. Her mention of cold feet had been nothing more than a test, and he had passed—no hesitation, no second-guessing. He was all in, and that was exactly what she needed to guarantee her safety.