Kidnapping the Bride

"STOP THAT SON OF A … DUKE!"

In a large, quiet hall decorated extravagantly, a loud voice from a middle-aged man echoed throughout, filled with a screeching noise like a pig being butchered.

His chest was heaving, and the anger in his eyes burned like hot coals. It was clear he'd reached the edge of restraint.

"F-Father!"

"Swish!"

However, although he shouted in anger, nobody stopped the young man carrying a beautiful bride, weakly struggling against unseen restraints, over his shoulder and out of the hall.

By the time everyone reacted, he had already disappeared.

"Edgar! What the fuck are you doing? Stop that bastard, right now!"

Seeing everyone gawking stupidly and nobody heeding his call, Count Henry Greymont fumed with anger. The ring on his finger glowed blue, almost ready to bombard with spells.

"My Lord, please stop. That… that is Liam Cromwell, only heir of the Duke Cromwell. How… how can we attack him?"

The butler, Edgar, quickly arrived near Lord Henry and stopped him just in time. His face was filled with bitterness.

"So what if he is the son of a duke? How can such a dignified person kidnap my daughter during her marriage? Do you have no shame?"

When Edgar stopped him, Henry grew even more enraged, suddenly breathing heavily as if struggling for air.

He clutched his chest and leaned against the butler, struggling even to stand.

"My Lord! Calm down, calm down."

Butler Edgar hurriedly grabbed Henry and slowly eased him into a chair.

"Henry, are you alright!"

Seeing his state, a beautiful, mature lady from the side asked with nervousness.

She was Lisa Everhart, stepmother of Fiora Greymont, who was kidnapped by Liam at her own wedding just now.

"Wait… I will bring you water."

She said nothing more and hurriedly left the hall, paying no attention to the crowd.

"Damn! That was unexpected!"

While Count Henry, Butler Edgar, and Countess Lisa were preoccupied, the crowd instead whispered among themselves.

"Wow, someone actually kidnapped the bride on her wedding day."

"Haha… and it was the son of Duke Cromwell! Wasn't he always just a useless dandy?"

"Tch, tch… I wonder how Count Henry will deal with Lord Kaelen now."

"Haha… serves him right for trying to marry a daughter from our kingdom. The Duskbanes can't even manage a wedding, let alone an alliance."

"Hahaha…"

The crowd burst into laughter, finding the situation quite hilarious.

Their Kingdom of Elarion borders two kingdoms to the east: Morlen and Redmere.

However, recent skirmishes and the threat of an expansionist attack from Redmere have made the situation between the two kingdoms precarious.

So, although it wasn't an official event, the marriage between the Duke of Morlen, Duskbane, and Count Henry of Elarion was seen as an attempt to forge an alliance.

That's why they held this grand wedding in the capital city, Elaris.

However, now that Liam Cromwell had directly kidnapped the bride, no one knew how things would unfold.

Regardless, it was quite funny. 

"Attention! The youngest son of Duke Duskbane of the Kingdom of Morlen, Lord Kaelen Duskbane, has arrived to receive his bride."

Suddenly, as everyone was lost in their thoughts, a loud voice echoed throughout the hall, followed by the grand entrance.

However, unlike the joyful and festive atmosphere outside, the mood inside was anything but cheerful, as evident from the grim expression on Henry Greymont's face.

"Fuck… your wife has already been stolen by someone. Who are you trying to show off to?"

Henry cursed but still stood up, knowing that no matter what, he had to deal with this fiasco. If he didn't handle it well, his family's name would go down the drain.

….

"Stop! Stop! Where are you taking me?"

In a deserted alleyway, a beautiful young woman in traditional bridal clothing struggled in the strong grip of a young man.

However, though she appeared to resist, her voice was low, as if afraid of being overheard.

"Where? Of course—to my mansion. Did you really think this was over?"

Despite her protests, the young man didn't stop. He marched straight toward an inconspicuous door hidden behind vines and moss.

Knock… Knock, Knock!

Upon reaching it, he knocked firmly in a rhythmic pattern, as if using some kind of code.

"Huh? Hey… h-hey, Liam! This wasn't what we discussed. Why are you taking me to your mansion? No—let me go!"

At his words, the girl on his shoulder visibly struggled harder, her expression shifting with unease.

They had only talked about faking a kidnapping to stop her from marrying that man. So why was he bringing her to his home now?

'Did he have other plans?'

She began to feel nervous. Now that she thought about it, she realized there had never been any talk about drugging her to suppress her mana either.

He had simply told her it was for better acting.

But now, she couldn't even resist him, even when Liam was weaker than her.

Just when her thoughts were getting haywire, she suddenly felt a strong flick on her glabella, eliciting a moan of pain from her mouth.

"Ouch!"

"What are you thinking, girl? If I left you now, wouldn't they just grab you back and marry you again? Stay at my house for a while until this storm is over."

Liam said speechlessly, accurately predicting what Fiora was thinking.

"Tsk… can't you say it with your mouth? Why are you flicking me for no reason?"

Fiora said annoyedly while rubbing her glabella. Then, as if remembering something, she suddenly asked Liam again,

"Okay, I understand why you're taking me home, but why are you still carrying me over your shoulder? Let me down, I feel uncomfortable."

She said, squirming restlessly on his shoulder but unable to budge, as her willow waist was grabbed quite strongly by Liam. Not to mention, his strong masculine smell and warm embrace made her feel weird.

"Don't move. I'll let you go once we enter the mansion. Aren't you the one asking me to kidnap you?"

Liam said, annoyed by Fiora's squirming body.

Although she wasn't heavy, carrying her such a long distance with no rest in between had already made him tired. He didn't want her to make it even harder.

"But… I—I can walk… there's no one here to see."

Fiora didn't understand and wanted to argue when the door in front suddenly opened slowly, followed by an anxious maid.

"Young Master! W-What did you do?"

She asked, seeing Fiora squirming in her wedding dress on her young master's shoulder. She had only been told to stay here before and didn't know what had happened, so she was surprised by the scene.

"Nothing! Just go, go. We don't have time."

Liam didn't bother to elaborate and made a beeline for the empty hidden corridor with Fiora without missing a beat.

"Hey… hey… Liam, let me down."

Fiora squirmed in embarrassment, trying to stop him, but it was useless.

Previously, Fiora hadn't thought much of it in the heat of the moment, but now, being seen like this by a maid, she squirmed in embarrassment, her face burning with shame.

In the midst of surprise, resistance, and low shouts, Liam quickly arrived at his mansion from the hidden corridor.

Then, without a shred of pity, he directly threw Fiora's squirming body onto the sofa while he himself plunged down beside it, breathing heavily.

'Damn! That almost killed me.'

He thought, feeling how weak his body was. If he hadn't taken the Strength Potion beforehand, he would never have been able to carry her for so long.

"Ouch!"

Fiora suddenly found herself on the sofa and cried out in pain as her head hit a hard edge.

"Idiot! Can't you drop me gently?"

She cursed, rubbing her head and adjusting her wedding dress, which had become crumpled during the entire escape.

However, Liam didn't care about her, as his entire attention was on the sudden screen and the neutral sound that appeared as soon as he dropped the girl on his sofa.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations on completing your First Unstoppable Quest—The Bridal Heist]

[The Bridal Heist: You have been invited by Fiora to kidnap her during the wedding. As a carrier of the Unstoppable system, you cannot be lame. Kidnap the daughter of Count Henry, Fiora, during her wedding before the groom appears and take her to your mansion within half an hour.]

[Condition: You have to carry her on your shoulder the entire time with no rest in between. The quest will be completed once you take her to your mansion.]

[Reward: ??]

[Penalty for Failure: Disappearance of the Unstoppable System forever.]

[Gained rewards: Strength +10, Agility+10, Charm: +2, Moonlit Physique (Lv. 1)]