09

Caraline froze instantly when she saw Deric in front of her with one arm outstretched. The man's smile was like magic, turning her body into a statue embedded in the middle of a garden. The deeper Caraline sank into the man's azure bead, the more her heart raced.

Oh, come on, Caraline. He's just a useless like you said, Caraline thought.

As the wind picked up, Caraline's consciousness returned. Her eyes blinked a few times, and unexpectedly, her feet took a step toward the wedding altar. 

In another place, Helen was stunned by what she was seeing. Again and again, she turned to Caraline and the three men of the Aberald family. She stood up and took off her glasses to clarify what she was seeing.

Helen frowned, squinting as she saw Caraline and the man in the wheelchair facing the man who would marry them. Helen had no idea where the man had come from. She had checked the wedding preparations in great detail several times, but she hadn't seen the man in the black suit since earlier. It was as if he had appeared out of the blue.

Helen sat back in the chair as she held her heart that felt like it was going to jump out. Her guess had been wrong. She thought that one of the men sitting to her left was Caraline's future husband. But reality told her otherwise.

"What's the matter with you, Miss Caraline?" muttered Helen.

The wedding process went off without a hitch. Caraline and Deric took turns putting the rings on each other. A musical accompaniment followed, with flowers falling from the altar.

Helen missed the whole event. Instead of being immersed in the moment, she was lost in her thoughts. She had no idea that the man Caraline had been searching for all these years was physically imperfect.

Another guess came to Helen's mind. It was possible that knowing the man's circumstances had caused Caraline's state to change after returning from the man's residence.

One question arose. If the groom's circumstances were different from most people's, why was Caraline willing to commit her life and love to him? Is there something going on behind this event? Or was she witnessing true love in action? 

"Did this have to happen to you, Miss Caraline?" Helen whispered.

 Thinking about it all made her head spin. To that end, Helen took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. One thing she was certain of today was that despite her years with Caraline, she didn't know the woman at all.  

Helen stood back up. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the wedding altar. She smiled when she saw Caraline, who looked exceptional in her long white dress. The impression she gave was truly elegant, inviting admiration from everyone who saw her. There were no words that could describe her except perfect.

Turning towards the man in the wheelchair, Helen was again transfixed. Surprisingly, there was a strange tremor at the sight of the groom who was now Caraline's husband smiling, especially when those blue eyes caught her eye. Helen suddenly sat up so hard that three members of the Aberald family turned to her.

What happened to me? Helen thought to herself.

The event ended shortly afterward. Caraline and Deric took a picture together, then threw a bouquet which was caught by Helen.

As soon as the wedding ceremony was over, Caraline and Deric sat facing each other, separated by a round table on which a delicious meal was laid out. Not far away, Jeremy, Jonathan, and James were also eating.

"Miss, join us," Jeremy said as he saw Helen about to sit in an empty chair.

Hearing that, Helen immediately stopped walking. "Am I not going to trouble you?"

Jeremy stood up from his seat. "Of course not. It is our honor to be at the same table as Miss Caraline's trusted assistant."

Helen considered and nodded in agreement. When she was close to the table, Jeremy pulled out a chair for her. "Thank you."

"We should let them enjoy their time together," Jeremy said with a smile. When he saw Deric alone with Caraline, he cursed Deric silently. That man was good at acting.

Helen turned her head towards Deric and Caraline. She hastily averted her eyes as the strange throbbing returned. She could feel her cheeks heating up and her heart beating faster.    

Back to Deric and Caraline. The couple was still both preoccupied with their thoughts. They hadn't even touched any of the dishes on the table.

"Miss," Deric said, breaking the silence.

Caraline, who did not want to see Deric's face, did not respond at all. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest. Although she seemed unconcerned, Caraline was trying to normalize her heartbeat.

"Has my presence here lost your appetite?" asked Deric, "I can leave if you ask me to."

Caraline let out a long breath. As she turned to the man in front of her, she suddenly coughed.

"Drink up, Miss." Deric handed her a glass of water.

Caraline looked at the glass with one eye. Her eyes rolled around until for a few seconds the glass was in the air.

"I see." Deric smiled as he retracted his hand and returned the glass to its original place. "My hands must be too dirty."

Listening to that, Caraline closed her eyes as she breathed out softly.

Sensing that the atmosphere was awkward, Deric spoke up again to break the ice, "I've heard that women often choose silence to reject an invitation."

Caraline was still silent. She lifted her skirt slightly so that her right leg could rest on her left. Honestly, she was upset that this marriage was happening. However, she couldn't fully blame the deformed man in front of her, let alone have to say that she changed her decision just because she saw the smile of the man named Jacob Aberald. That didn't make sense.

"Well, please enjoy your meal." Deric backed up his wheelchair, then turned around to leave the banquet site.

"Wait," Caraline pleaded as she watched the man in front of her push the wheelchair. Her right hand suddenly stretched forward, as if to reach out to the man who had just married her. When she realized what she had just done, Caraline quickly retracted her hand.

"Listen to me," Caraline said.

Hearing Caraline's voice, Deric suddenly stopped.

"I did not order you to leave. So go back to where you were," Caraline ordered. Her sideways body was now completely facing Deric. The woman adjusted her skirt, then said without turning to the other person, "Eat in peace."

Deric cracked a faint smile, then pushed his wheelchair to the front of the banquet. After the conversation just now, the two of them drifted off to enjoy the meal.

"Miss," Deric called after cleaning the leftover food from his mouth. "Looks like I acted well. So, can I go back to where I came from after this? To be honest, there are some things I have to do."

Caraline, who was just about to pick up the glass, immediately retracted her hand. "What do you mean?" she asked in an angry tone.