Chapter 2

The Hall family sent out even more bodyguards to search for her.

The five of us sat in the front hall, staring at each other in silence.

Five or six hours passed in the blink of an eye.

It was almost two in the morning, and still no one found Vivian.

Eventually, the four parents started arguing.

The Halls accused the Dean family of not being sincere about the marriage alliance.

The Deans blamed the Halls for losing their heir at the worst possible moment.

The tension between both sides became so sharp it felt like someone could pull a gun at any second.

“Ahem.” I cleared my throat and stepped forward to remind them, “We can wait, but the longer he stays like this, the lower the chances of retrieving viable sperm.”

The arguing stopped instantly.

“Then, should we retrieve it first?” Carol asked tearfully.

“Yes, retrieve it first and preserve it. Once we find Vivian, we can still proceed later,” Vivian’s mother, Crystal Dean, agreed immediately.

“That works. Tomorrow’s engagement banquet cannot be canceled anyway. Too many important people are attending,” Richard Hall said with a nod.

“Both our families already have leverage over each other. Backing out of this marriage isn’t an option anymore.”

Sean looked furious, but he clearly had no better solution.

Four pairs of eyes turned toward me at the same time.

I flipped open my pricing booklet.

“That part isn’t a problem. But because the procedure involves intimate physical contact, if I perform it in Miss Dean’s place, it counts as standing in as the bride.

“A legal marital agreement would have to be signed, recognizing me as Blake Hall’s posthumous wife. So…”

Sean cut me off sharply.

“Drop the creepy supernatural nonsense. Just tell us how much you want.”

Seeing that Sean looked ready to flip the table at any moment, Crystal hurriedly tugged at his sleeve and gave me an apologetic smile.

“Please don’t mind him. Just charge whatever you normally would.”

“Ten million for a substitute bride. To be paid by the bride’s family.”

I closed my pricing booklet.

The original price written inside had actually been four million.

Sean let out a cold snort, while Crystal paid without hesitation.

“Some traditions exist for a reason. People who break the rules usually end up regretting it.”

I shot Sean a glance, put away my phone, and turned to head back into the bridal chamber.

I completed the ceremony again and lit three candles beside the bed.

Then, on the twenty-seventh line of the marriage document, I carefully wrote Blake’s name.

Once everything was finished, I changed into a thin silk slip and turned toward the man lying on the bed.

Blake lay there motionless, utterly devoid of life.

This wasn’t my first time dealing with the dead. Before this, I had already acted as a substitute bride twenty-six times. I had seen all kinds of bodies.

So instead of feeling afraid, I found myself completely absorbed in admiring how handsome this man was.

He was absurdly handsome—the kind of face that looked like it belonged on a movie screen.

And his body was exactly the type women loved most—lean in clothes, built underneath them.

I honestly couldn’t understand how Vivian had gotten scared enough to run away after seeing a face like his.

My fingers traced slowly down Blake’s jawline before lingering a little longer over the sharp curve of his throat.

“Well, lucky me. Looks like I’m the one sharing your bed tonight, Your Majesty. So, try to take good care of me, okay?”

His skin was ice-cold.

Even with the electric blanket turned on, the front of his body still carried almost no warmth.

I patiently removed his clothes and lay against his chest for a while to warm him up.

“Your chest is ridiculously firm, Your Majesty. It almost makes me want to bite you.”

After a long while, some warmth finally began returning to his body.

My fingers moved over the firm muscles of his chest before slowly sliding lower.

At that moment, I treated him like any other man as I continued touching him and removed the rest of his clothing.

Once Blake was completely uncovered, I began massaging his body to loosen the stiffness and prepare for the next step.

“Your Majesty, those abs of yours are unbelievable. Even lying down, they still look this good. Are you trying to seduce me?”

Words carried power. Even if someone was dead, their soul still deserved respect.

Besides, he was technically my husband now.

Naturally, I didn’t mind flattering him a little. Emotional support mattered too.

After complimenting his long legs, my fingers slowly moved lower.

“Wow… you’re seriously impressive down there, Your Majesty. I don’t think any other women besides me could handle you.”

I opened the small jar beside me and guided the Revival Worm toward him.

With my other hand holding the collection tube, I confidently waited for the results five minutes later.

But the worm kept circling aimlessly as though it couldn’t find where it was supposed to go.

So, I picked it up and placed it directly at the entrance.

This time, it seemed to sense something. The Revival Worm paused at the entrance, wriggled slightly, then suddenly turned and crawled away.

I tried another one and got the same result.

Had he been dead too long? Was his body already too stiff for the process to work?

I massaged him there with both hands before trying again, but the Revival Worm still kept running away.

What was going on?

I was getting so anxious my palms started sweating.

Finally, I steeled myself and lowered my head, deciding to check for myself what condition he was really in.

After struggling with it for a while, I suddenly froze.

Unless I was imagining things, something there had just twitched.