Smiling angel

A gentle breeze blew across the clearing as father and daughter walked close together, discussing something that made them smile and made everyone wonder what they were talking about, since no one could hear what they were saying. 

They presented a very different picture than Malayika and his mother. Contrary to what they thought, the mother-son duo seemed more fake than the father-daughter duo, and despite Cerady's smile, there was something disturbing and peculiar about her behavior.

The father didn't look like someone with a broom stuck up his butt, and the daughter, though her face was hidden under a veil from everyone's prying eyes, was more relaxed than anyone else in the clearing. There was this harmony that emanated from them, as if they were one.

Quens felt a pinch in her heart when she saw them so close and she couldn't explain the strange feeling she felt. She didn't want to think about it either; if she didn't understand it, then it didn't matter.

For his part, Malayika harbored a kind of hatred for the Coldguard girl, but it wasn't something he could control, it just came over him like a wave. Seeing her walk with her father, so close and so free in her actions, made him uneasy. 

There was something inside him that had broken or awoken from a long sleep, a self-consciousness, and he didn't like the way it made him feel one bit. 

He glanced at his mother for a moment, to see if she had any idea what was going through his mind as he watched the ColdGuards approach them. 

Cerady didn't look well, but she refrained from showing it to everyone; she was bitter, he could confirm. If nothing else, it gave Malayika courage and a kind of satisfaction to see her like that. 

He wasn't the only one looking back, and he was sure that his mother's reality was very different from his own, because instead of letting him go, she used both hands to inflict one last wave of pain, not caring that people could see the difference between the two families interacting. 

The ColdGuard approached and Malayika, instead of flinching from the pain, felt some kind of internal release; he was not and had never been the problem, but his mother certainly was. He couldn't remember a single day when he had done something to make her angry, but she always found something wrong with everything he did.

Sometimes he had the strange feeling that she was trying to correct her mistakes through him, mistakes that he hadn't made in any way, but for which he was still responsible. 

He was so beautiful, his smile so wonderful, that Pekon and his daughter stopped almost abruptly a few steps away from them. 

What a beautiful child!

Malayika almost chuckled at their astonished gaze, recognizing his own allure. Yes, he too had his little effects on people, even if a certain person attributed them to the charms of a slut, a low-class whore.

Pekon whispered something to his daughter, who almost burst out laughing, but she quickly composed herself with the help of her father, who reminded her to behave like a princess, otherwise her mother would certainly beat her up in front of all the guests if she dared to show them what an unbridled, shameless savage she was. 

If Kelsey could, she'd give her father a friendly shime-waza for saying something like that in the middle of all these people that almost made her lose control of her giggle. 

Of course she has taste, she knows what she wants, what does he think? She also knows a gem when she sees one. 

Even though Malayika's smile wasn't for something very joyful, the feeling that made him laugh was important to him, and the smile was sincere, which made it innocent, pure, and enchanting to the people looking at it. 

He's even more adorable when he smiles, although the ice prince charm fits him just as well.

He didn't know it, but his smile was very different from his mother's, who looks like a wolf trying to put on an act in front of a flock of sheep to better lure them away from their shepherd.

Pekon left his daughter standing halfway to the entrance of the clearing, where the angels continued to rain down a curtain of petals, red, pink, white, and yellow, like an uncontrollable waterfall. 

The spectacle was so magnificent. Had they been human, they would have been dropping in exhaustion by now, but they seemed to double in fervor as the crowd watched the pieces finally fall into place before them.

It was about damn time! 

These Coldguards and their goddamn divine beauty have almost reached the end of their hearts, and many of them have very strange and unholy ideas running amok in their minds by just watching the ColdGuard so confidently parading themselves before them in such provocative attire. 

Who knows what they'll do when they get home, these beasts in heat who act like guardians of righteousness and morality when they're out in public. 

Actually, it's not their fault that they feel certain urges and needs when they look at them, who told the ColdGaurds to look like mermaids who crawl out of the depths of the abyss. They already have such an effect on the people around them, so why don't they dress more modestly instead of exposing themselves?

Who told them to look like some vixen? It's totaly their fault if they are in such condition now.

With such beauty as theirs, they should know that modesty is the best option they can go with choosing their clothes so as not to provoke them in the wrong way.

Kelsey, after her father had whispered a few more words in her ear, causing more strange giggles between them, Pekon kissed the back of her hand with a look of tenderness and boundless affection for his daughter. 

A few onlookers even averted their gaze, as if they didn't want to witness such a heartwarming moment between father and daughter. Even though the act was done in public in front of everyone, they still felt they shouldn't witness such a thing, such genuine complicity.

Pekon then buried one hand in his pocket, a serene look on his face, something indecipherable enveloping him, as he moved away from his daughter toward the Lockes, who seemed so stiff they were about to bolt off somewhere, anywhere. 

Suddenly, Malayika felt the pressure on his shoulders again, the suffocation more intense than before. He stumbled forward, his momentum carrying him away from his mother's evil grasp. 

Cerady stood, speechless, as her son broke free and stumbled on his own feet, she was speechless at her son's audacity. What did he thinks he is doing now?

After all the lessons, all the digging, her good-for-nothing son had still found a way to humiliate her in front of everyone. Not to mention the fact that the Coldguards still keep him in the role of the bride, which was infuriating. 

He was supposed to be the one waiting for Kelsey at the entrance of the clearing, but here he was, panicking like a sissy.

She didn't even try to catch him or even help him steady himself. Instead, she just stood by and watched as he would crash to the ground or even drop dead, because it would be better for her to prepare his funeral than to face the humiliating headlines she would have to wipe off the tabloids in the wee hours of the morning. 

While his mother stared at him with a calculating look and an incessant ringing in her ears, she needed only one thing to express her displeasure and push Malayika to his demise. Malayika, for his part, struggled to keep himself together.

But he had been lost for too long in the infernal spiral of his suppressed emotions, which mercilessly engulfed him in a cold embrace, like a beast lurking in the shadows, patiently biding its time to reign in his emotions. It sucked every breath of life out of him. 

The Coldguard brothers who have taken their places at the foot of the altar bore a look of disdain on their faces. They don't understand why the princess is in such a state while their sister is doing everything she can to face this situation with her head held high.

This cursed marriage has been forced into their little sister's arms with no way to refuse yet here she is smiling. 

He's in luck!

Their sister decided to follow their mother's delusions and marry him, so he should count his blessings. He met someone like their sister, who chose to marry him in spite of everything, despite all the options she was given to elope with them.

So why is he rebelling against the decision now?Isn't it too late for him to change his mind? Wasn't he aware of his parents' decision before they brought him here?Why the long face? He's blissfully unaware of his good fortune, isn't he?

Does the princess think he's better than their sister? They're eager to go back and ask him, but they can't — it's their sister's choice.And there's a good chance that Malayika was forced into this marriage as well, so they're wary of judging him too harshly. 

Everyone has their own level of mental toughness, and this girl is a force of nature in her own right.