[Yappy Dog is barking at you]

Huh?

[Do you wish to listen?]

I glanced at the sides, focusing on the sounds. On my instincts.

Nothing.

“Do you sense anything? Any enemies, or something alike?” I whispered to Kaduna, my hand already gripping my sword.

She furrowed, closing her eyes for a couple of seconds before shaking her head.

“Why? Have you sensed something?”

“I didn’t…” My voice shared the same confusion as my mind.

[Yappy Dog is barking at you]

[Do you wish to listen?]

I was waiting for the best opportunity to use that skill. A moment where I needed it most, in this Trial.

[Yes]

The moment I pressed, I actually saw it.

Materializing right in front of me was a white Jindo dog, the animal form translucent—as if he was a ghost. It was clear no one else could see the spirit dog as he looked at me for a few seconds, as if to acknowledge my presence, before walking toward the seats.

I walked after the dog, almost in a trance, passing through the rows of chairs. The dog stopped in the first row, in front of one of the seats, and looked at me. I got closer, to have a better view of the guest, right before they jumped into the guest’s lap.

“Park Eun-Woo, what are you doing?” Kurosawa Touma whispered in a cold voice, as I stopped at his side.

Then the dog lowered their ears, whining once in a low voice.

[Yappy Dog cries]

It was as if I heard a click in my mind.

[Yappy Dog smells grief]

As, one by one, the pieces fit together.

[He smells tears]

“I asked you what are you doing.” Kurosawa’s voice became sharper, almost hostile.

Our eyes met. He furrowed at seeing my expression, and I could almost hear the man asking himself if I had finally gone insane.

“I need you to trust me.”

Anger filled his gaze, the man’s words burning as acid. “If you are thinking of causing any kind of confusion—”

I grabbed him by the shoulder, my grip almost desperate.

“I need you to trust me. Can you?”

He clenched his jaw, locking his eyes with me. Analyzing. Trying to get a glimpse of what was going on in my head.

“What are you going to do?” This time, his question was not coated with threats or animosity. It was genuine, almost curious. I grinned.

“Just follow my lead.”

There were a lot of things I did in the following seconds.

[The Priest asks if the Bride, firstborn of the Court of Swords, takes the Groom as her lawful spouse.]

[The Bride affirms she will.]

Wands: 15

Cups: 3

Swords: 30

Coins: 20

I invested more in my statuses, watching my points lowering as I increased my Swords by 9, Coins by 2, and Wands by 5. Then I opened one of the messages Aída had sent me, the one showing the map for the seats.

[The Priest asks if the Groom, firstborn and heir of the Court of Wands, takes the Bride, as his lawful spouse.]

[The Groom consents.]

Scenarios and plausibilities rushed into my mind, colliding, dividing, multiplying. As I dropped the letter on top of the guest’s lap, watching as the white dog slowly faded away, plans crumbled and formed one after the other as I considered all variables.

All possibilities and things I had to consider.

The guest glanced at the letter at first, before raising to face me.

[???? Is confused.]

As I walked toward the Bride, my fingers moved with an insane speed as I sent messages to four different people, my thoughts racing.

[The Priest is questioning your presence.]

[The Bride is suspicious of you.]

[The Groom is curious about your intentions.]

Many things happened simultaneously, almost as if on cue. Wind rushed into the Wedding Hall, the air chilling and ruthless. The light faded from the space, black flames sprouting from the ground every time I took a step forward.

With one punch, I sent the priest flying to the other end of the hall and before a single person could react, the Bride was already in my grasp. The sword’s blade was touching her neck, my arm firmly holding her my the waist—locking her.

[The guests are perplexed!]

[The Groom is astonished!]

[The Bride is in shock!]

In less than three seconds, guards surrounded me from all possible directions, yet as I tightened my grip on the Bride, pressing the blade even further on her neck, they all stopped. Frozen. Reluctant.

[The Groom demands an explanation!]

The Groom unsheathed his sword; the metal reflecting the eerie glow of the black flames that slowly burned around me.

A few meters below me, Kurosawa stared at me as if my head had been blown away and there was now monsters crawling from the inside.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“I can no longer bear to witness this foolery! To believe all the agents I hired to accomplish my plan failed so miserably…who would’ve thought I would be forced to act myself!”

Though I tried my best to change my voice somewhat, there was only so much I could do. Still, judging by the others’ reactions, my acting was convincing enough.

[The Bride and 2nd Prince are bewildered!]

[The guests are shaking!]

[They fear the presence of a foul force!]

In front of me, I saw as the Groom’s body became rigid.

[The Groom asks who he is speaking with.]

A laughter cracked from my throat, the black flames around me trembling and rising higher. The gusts of wind became stronger, chillier.

“You have no worth to demand such questions, boy! Same way you have no right to possess such a beautiful woman for a wife. I hoped the king and queen would know better, or perhaps their foolish sons. Yet apparently, hope is also a foolish thing to do.”

When the Groom tried to take a step forward, the black flames gave a small burst, startling him for a second.

From across the Hall, my eyes locked briefly with Kaduna’s—her eyes glowing as an amused smile played on her lips.

She spares no efforts, huh?

[The Groom is cautious.]

[The Groom commands you to let go of the Bride.]

I smiled, trying to put all the disdain and hate I could possibly fake into my voice.

“Forgive me, Your dear Highness, but that is the one thing I won’t be doing today. In case you failed to notice, there will be no wedding today. You shall never be married.”

At that moment, arrows came flying in my direction. I could dodge them with easy, without even needing to let go of my hostage. There was the risk of harming the Bride, however. Still, I didn’t have to lift a finger.

Black and silver stars sparkled for a brief second before a wall of ice rose around me, blocking all arrows.

I glanced at the guards, frowning.

“I guess you see me as a threat yet. Well, let’s change that, shall we?”

Black flames ran across the rows of seats, as if the fire hungered for blood and death. Then, multiple seats were engulfed in vicious winds, the air whirling and turning at insane speed as it imprisoned the guests.

Within my grasp, the Bride began to shake, her legs almost losing strength.

[The Bride is becoming desperate.]

[The 2nd Prince is shaken!]

[The guests fear for their lives!]

While the guests cowered and crumbled to the floor, shaking and afraid to move, the people from the Squads were at a complete loss. Some exchanged glances with one another, whispering and shaking their heads, while others looked completely puzzled.

[The Groom fears for his people.]

[The Groom asks what you want.]

Deep down, I thanked all the corny series and fantasy stories I read and played throughout my life. All the villain monologues I watched, all the cringe lines and overused tropes.

“Is it not obvious, little prince? I want what I already have in my hands—your Bride. Your pride. There is nothing else you can give me.”

Suddenly, the Bride started to fight in my grasp, her nails sinking into my arms. I could see her head was turned in one specific direction, toward one particular guest.

A guest who was invited almost at the last minute, and that was likely the reason for the seating rearrangement. The Bride's true lover, and the person she yearned to be with the most.

The 2nd princess of the Court of Cups.

I lowered my voice, whispering in her ear. “Do you want to be happy with her?”

The Bride froze.

“If you want to be happy, truly happy, just say the word. I will help you both.”

[The Bride is ambivalent about the proposal.]

[The Bride is conflicted.]

[The Bride whispers she does not wish to cause misfortune to the Groom and the 2nd Prince.]

My voice became softer, my grip on her weaker. “I know what you are afraid of. You have my word, no harm will come to them. Or your family. So put your trust in me. Let me help you achieve real happiness.”

[The Bride’s will is shaken!]

[The Groom is suspicious of your actions.]

Only a few meters in front of us, the Groom lowered his sword a bit. I wondered if he was able to hear anything.

I looked around the hall, over the faceless guests, servants, and guards, shouting like a megalomaniac.

“You will all tremble and bow before my power, witness my grandeur! And before you pathetic princes can even move a finger, I will kill everyone in here, and leave with my prize. Leaving you with nothing.”

The Groom’s body turned rigid again, the grip on his sword a bit tighter.

To the Bride, I whispered. “I need a reply now. ”

The Bride felt cold in my arms, even with the strange flames covering her features.

“You don’t need to worry about the Groom. If you let me help, I will make sure he won’t inherit the throne. I will fight for both your happiness.”

Staring at me from across was a man with a black trench coat.

[The Bride gives you a shaken nod. She cries and begs you to help.]

And the exact moment I gave him a small nod, he was gone.

I was sent flying by Kurosawa’s kick, colliding with the wall. For a moment I could swear I heard a few ribs crack.

That bastard—he didn’t need to kick me this hard!

“What are you all doing?! Protect the guests!” As Kurosawa shouted at the guards and the other members of the Royal Squad, the wind imprisoning some of the guests dissipated.

Before the guards could reach us, a wall of black fire rose between the guards and the wedding altar, blocking their passage.

I saw the Groom rushing toward the Bride, helping her stand. The system was not sending any notifications, yet it appeared they were communicating with each other.

Kurosawa was in front of me before I could do anything else, his gaze piercing and stoic.

“You better know exactly what you are doing, Park Eun-Woo,” he mumbled under his breath, cracking his knuckles.

I smirked. “And you better control your strength, you crazy bastard. Are you planning on killing me for real?”

He shrugged.

The fucking nerve…

I grabbed my fallen sword, spitting some blood on the ground before I started to exchange blows with my boss.

To those watching, our battle seemed quite fierce. And that was because that maniac was not holding much back. If I had to guess, I would say Wands was his highest status. Kurosawa Touma was ridiculously fast, in a way that I couldn’t keep up with his movements. What I did was try my best to block his punches and kicks with my sword, risking an attack every time an opportunity rose.

As sweat dripped from my face, my arms beginning to tire, I caught both Groom and Bride looking our way. Their bodies unmoving.

[You have received a message]

[You have received a message]

I opened them as I ducked Kurosawa’s fist, the blow brushing against my cheek.

[All done on my side.]

[Done, old man.]

“Whenever you are ready, Park Eun-Woo.” And not even two seconds later I heard Kaduna’s voice.

I stopped Kurosawa’s kick with both hands, the impact still pushing me back.

He raised his eyebrow.

“Let’s go for the grand finale?”

Then frowned at my words, his voice sour and harsh. “You better be right about this, otherwise I will reconsider the terms of your employmen—”

I rolled my eyes.

“Just do it.”

He pulled me closer with his leg—the one I was holding—and grabbed me by my shirt.

Then he threw me, making me collide with the Groom.

Before the prince could recover from the impact, I stood up. Ignoring the ringing in my ears, I blinked my eyes twice—my vision still a bit blurred. Then I grabbed the Bride by the arm, sword pointed at her neck as I slowly backtracked toward the nearest wall.

Didn’t take long for the Groom to be standing a few steps from us.

[The Groom says to let go of the Bride, otherwise you will regret it.]

I laughed, feeling my throat burn and crack due to its dryness. “Only losers carry regrets, little prince. The winners, however, earn the right to gloat.”

From across the wall of black fire, I met Aída’s gaze. She was holding a guest by the shoulders.

“So let’s fate decide, prince of Wands. Let's see which one of us is fated to be the winner, and which one is fated to regret.”

I extended my hand toward the wall of fire, a small opening appearing. A strong gush of air pushed the guest Aída was holding in my direction, my free hand grabbing them by the arm the second they came into reach.

[The Bride is nervous.]

[??? is confused.]

I pressed both princesses together, whispering close to their ears.

“Be happy, you two.”

The ceiling crumbled at the same time that black fire exploded around us, hints of golden dust surrounding it. As a cloud of dust rose, the princesses’ bodies started to dissolve, as if they had become mist. From the briefest of second, I met Hal’s gaze as his face disappeared, turning into smoke.

And then, before long, I was alone.