I took off the straw hat as my body grew hot from the panic.
I had stopped hearing Uel's voice, and I was completely clueless about what to do next.
I walked slowly toward the nearby cabin; my world was starting to blur.
A hand reached for my eyes out of nowhere, palm resting on my face in a way that blocked my vision.
I tried to grab it immediately, preparing not to be intimidated by whatever I might encounter... but then a calm voice spoke.
"Hi, Honey."
I pushed the hand away, stepping back. The words I heard sounded unusual.
"Ouch, so rough," the man in front of me said, pretending to be in serious pain. "Genessa, you're so mean to the man you love."
The man I... love? I stopped my mouth from hanging open in shock, trying to understand who this man was and how he knew my name.
He was dressed formally, in white and yellow, as if he was meeting someone. He had short blonde hair and light green eyes.
He moved closer, placing a hand on my neck. "Honey, are you okay? You look worried. If I didn't know better, I’d say you look a bit scared of me."
"Who are you?" That was the question I desperately wanted to ask. But something held me back—the awareness of what might happen afterward.
The only answer was that Uel created a world where I was someone's bride. After all, he’s a god; he can do that.
I just had to play along. But how could I easily live in a fake, undesirable reality?
"I'm okay," I said, smiling, taking his hand, something I always saw couples do. "You're worrying over nothing, dear. I was just surprised to see you, that's all."
He pouted. "Are you sure, Honey? If someone's troubling you, I'll kill them in a second."
I giggled, as fake as I could manage. "You don't need to do that, love. Nobody would dare hurt me knowing I have you."
He grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers. "Your parents are waiting in the living room—that's why I came to fetch you. Your brother wouldn't do it."
Brother?
"Ignore that zygote," I said as we both laughed. Even if I didn't truly have a brother, I remembered hearing this sentence from a nurse talking about her brother.
I looked at our intertwined hands, wondering how I was pulling this off.
The sweet words I’d spoken, the gestures—all these things, I seemed to have gathered over the years without realizing.
It was strange, though. The butterflies, warm feeling, red cheeks—all the things I expected to feel in this situation—I hadn't felt a single one.
Maybe it's because we just met.
"Is it Michael?" he suddenly said, looking up at me. "Before I came, you looked like you were deep in thought—that rarely happens. Is Michael still bothering you to marry him even though we're engaged?"
He seemed slightly angry, a protective kind. Who exactly was Michael?
"Michael, um... He isn't bothering me anymore. I was just thinking about when we would get married—that's why I was lost in thought."
He held my hand tighter. "Why would you worry about that? We'll be married soon, then we'll finally become one."
He slipped his fingers away from mine, placing them around my neck instead as he pulled me closer, letting my head fall on his shoulder.
It was awkward, only to me. I didn't even know him, but he seemed to be in love with me.
In love with me? That was a hard scenario to imagine in real life.
We arrived at a taller building, not far from the cabin. It was shaped almost like a church, but it was clearly someone's home.
There was a staircase immediately after the front door. We went up together, his hand still making sure my head stayed on his shoulder.
"Is it because this is all fake?" I thought. "Can someone truly do all this for another just because of love?"
We reached a room—a living room. A young boy with black hair and eyes the same color as mine had his head on a woman's lap, a woman who looked like his female version.
A man sat next to them, his hair white and eyes a soft shade of brown, playfully threatening the boy.
The young boy scoffed once he saw me. "Here comes the little witch that wants to leave her brother for a stranger."
My fiancé laughed, hitting him on the head. "Give me back all those dumplings I bought you, then. You shouldn't collect things from strangers."
Their conversation continued, the woman joining in with a very beautiful smile. I would have said it was like Briel's, but somehow, it was purer.
I looked to the side, feeling like an alien among people I should belong with.
A large mirror was on the wall; its wooden frame looked ancient and elegant. I wanted to smile, but my breath was cut short as I finally saw my reflection.
It was me, but... my hair was longer, with neat side bangs, even tied up in a ponytail. I was taller than usual, and it wasn't because of heels.
I wasn't so thin that I appeared malnourished.
"Honey".
I held my chest, startled by his voice, holding in the tear I almost let out. "Y-Yes, is something wrong?"
He smirked. "You seem to be lost in your reflection, though I can't really blame you. I also fell in love with that face."
I lightly hit him on the shoulder, not really knowing how to respond. "Don't say things like that."
"It's enough with the love nonsense. Everyone here does not need more."
The words came from the man with white hair, probably the boy's father, and possibly my father too.
Uel did a good job with their features; they looked just like my supposed brother and me.
The man relaxed on the sofa. "Do you want our final blessings or not?"
My fiancé nodded, brushing off any dust on his suit. "We are ready, Sir."
I looked down at my dress, pulling it down a bit. I didn't know what was about to happen, so I just did something similar to what he did.
The man got up, along with his wife, her expression joyful, but the man seemed to be trying to hold back his feelings.
They stood in front of us, the woman in front of me and the man in front of my fiancé.
The man spoke first, his eyes on us both. "I, Clerick Till, give Zion Caurd and Genessa Till my blessings. May you two be forever guarded by the light."
The woman smiled, suddenly winking at me before she started. "I, Juliette Till, give Zion Caurd and Genessa Till my blessings. May you two be forever guarded by the light."
She brought our hands together. "Forever use each other as a guide in this life."
Her voice was enchanting, her beauty even stronger; I felt a weird bond towards her, one I hadn't felt since I got here.
Then it made me realize what I had been missing.
It finally hit me: what I was meant to do here.