Maery pretended to be fully concentrated on eating her salad, while in truth, she kept sneakily peeking towards her little brother sitting across from her.
No, it wasn’t because seeing Noah munching on crispy fried chicken made her feel bitter about being forced to eat a salad so as to not give away her previous lie of being on a diet… And it also wasn’t because she suddenly realized that her darling brother had this rather enchanting way of eating. (/≧ω\)
No, the reason why she kept looking over was to gauge her baby bro’s current value on the happiness meter as to strike when it reached its optimum.
Her wait didn’t take long – Noah hadn’t been that hungry in the first place. As soon as the first delicious piece of chicken went down his throat, his oil-covered pink lips curved up in a satisfied smile.
“Little brother,” Maery spoke up, “Earlier, I remember you asking whether Levi and I broke up?”
Noah nodded. He did seem to ask that when the two came out after their lengthy talk.
Maery wished to take Noah’s hands into her own, but seeing that the other’s hands were currently holding a chicken drumstick, she restrained the urge. “Did we break up? Honestly, no...”
Levi, who had been sitting on the third side of the four-sided table, in between Noah and Maery, jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on, with a facial expression of someone who’d just been stabbed in the back by a trusted comrade. The only things missing to turn this betrayal into a tear-jerking scene of tragedy were melodramatic background music and the dying words of ‘Et tu, Brute?’
Maery nearly bit off her tongue, despising this idiot for not living up to expectations. Feeling like she would not be able to resist the urge to clobber him if this continued any longer, she turned a blind eye to Levi’s exaggerated outrage and rapidly finished her words, “…because we’ve never been together in the first place! For six years now, Levi and I have been pretending to date for the sake of appearances.”
Levi, caught in the middle of a vehement protest to declare his innocence, choked on his spit. He abruptly stiffened and then tried to play off his sudden jerky jump as just stretching his legs due to a cramp.
It took every ounce of self-control in Maery’s body to prevent herself from facepalming.
Blackie didn’t need to control himself, so he freely facepalmed. Virtually, that is.
On the other hand, Noah, with wide eyes and gaping mouth, dropped the chicken drumstick he had been holding, “Huh??”
Maery struck while the iron was hot to further elaborate, “Honestly, little brother, Levi and I don’t have and never had even a smidgen of chemistry between us. We are really, really, really, not compatible in the slightest!”
“You–you–you were never together??” Noah stuttered out, his round eyes darting between his sister and Levi.
Both nodded in unison, perfectly synchronized. Maery confirmed it with “That’s right. Never!” while Levi, on the other hand, emphasized, “It was completely, entirely, 100% fake dating from start to end!”
Noah suddenly felt as if a shower of New Year’s firecrackers went inside his head in a loud boom of light and color. Many things that previously made no sense suddenly became clear.
Neither Maery nor Levi ever talked about each other unless asked, and even when they were asked, their answers were curt. The first time Noah had met Levi, he had wanted to brush up Levi’s good feelings by telling him how his sister had praised him in private, but in that awkward moment, Noah realized that his sister had never praised Levi for anything other than being handsome and good at his job!!!
Holy crap! If the two of them were lovey-dovey, how would it be possible for his chatty sister to never coyly praise her darling boyfriend through these long six years?! Not only did she not praise him, but she had also felt greatly apologetic that she had left Noah alone to entertain Levi as if this task of socializing with Levi was something horribly undesirable!
And Levi, too, from the first time they met, seemed to be avoiding inviting Maery out to join them as if Maery’s presence would ruin the mood of their pleasant outing! Even when Noah wanted to take the two out for a swim, Levi was not in the least interested in seeing Maery in a swimsuit and found all kinds of silly excuses to not invite her out!
Thinking back, Levi had actually been rather obvious about it this entire time! He had claimed the two never went on any dates and didn’t even kiss or have intimate relations! Even if Levi, this loner wolf, was too busy to remember to take his girlfriend on dates, how would his high-EQ sister not make her boyfriend set some time off for dating?!
At the time, Noah had thought the other was bullshitting, but it seemed that from beginning to end, Levi had never lied to him! He had displayed the truth in front of Noah openly, yet it was Noah who missed all these little clues!
Suddenly Noah’s heart clenched, and he thought he had really wronged Levi. The other wore his heart on his sleeve, yet Noah thought the other, at times, really had a thick face! Ah, ah, how could he wrong his honest and good brother like this?!
The only thing that comforted Noah’s injured little heart right now was the fact that Aris had been even more fooled than him. Checking out his memories, Aris had honestly believed his sister and Levi were happily dating even though he never saw the two acting intimate in person, and even though all the photos he saw in newspapers of the couple were just the two of them walking arm in arm!
Ah, ah! It wasn’t that he had been blind; it was Aris that had pitted him! If it wasn’t for his bias, Noah would have realized something so obvious much sooner!
The more Noah thought about it, the more previously ignored clues popped out of the woodworks. How come Noah didn’t find it super weird that Aris, as the brother of the bride, had only been officially introduced to the groom a week before the wedding?
And this morning, when Levi had told him that there were no feelings between the two, why did he not realize just how lacking in feelings their relationship really was? If the two had ever had something in the past, how would Levi have the balls to ‘play’ with his ex’s little brother so happily?! Noah had even felt guilty about doing this and that with his sister’s ex, yet it turned out there was no ex!
Blackie, (¬_¬;) ‘I hate to break it to you, host, but your brother-in-law’s balls are larger than the twin moons of Mars! Even if this relationship had been real, he would still have the balls to eat your tofu…’
Noah, (っ °Д °;)っ ‘Levi is a caring, conscientious and responsible adult! How would he ever mess around with his ex’s brother, even if that brother was his best bro?! Ah, how could I have been so blind?!’
Noah’s train of thought was interrupted by the sounds of vomiting coming from Blackie.
Noah, (눈_눈) “Blackie, can you try to NOT have one of your episodes while I am having a touching epiphany?”
Blackie, _(´ཀ`∠)_ “…Impossible. It’s your ‘touching epiphany’ that is causing the nausea…”
With his emotional mood completely spoiled, Noah returned back from his introspection to the present, where Maery and Levi were awaiting his reaction with bated breaths. Noah’s shocked expression slowly shifted into something… odd. It made sense that the two wanted the outside world to think that they got along well. This arranged marriage was of great importance and would influence the stability of the two cities. But… “Sister, I am not an outsider. So why did you keep the truth a secret from me all this time?” Maery sheepishly smiled and scratched her head, “We didn’t just keep it from you. We didn’t tell our parents either. We didn’t want you guys to worry. If you thought that Levi and I had a harmonious relationship, then you could rest your heart at ease regarding this arranged marriage.” She sighed, “Otherwise, how would our parents feel knowing that their children were sacrificing the best years of their life for politics and a loveless marriage? Dad w
With shaking hands, Noah picked up his drumstick, but suddenly he had no appetite. Ah, he really didn’t like horror stories! And to think this horror story nearly became a reality! He let out a long breath of relief. So glad the two had enough foresight to convince their parents not to go through with this catastrophe! But now he felt curious, what solution did the two manage to come up with that would be better for the union of two cities but didn’t involve them getting married? Noah’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud ringing of his communicator. Noah saw Case’s name light up on the screen and hesitated whether to answer. He was currently in the middle of a dinner with his sister and Levi; it didn’t feel right to chat with Case now. But on the other hand, he remembered telling Case he’d call him when he was free to hang out with him but ended up completely forgetting about him. Ai, he felt a bit guilty… Noah hesitated for a while, and the
The wronged Levi, (ꐦ °Д°) ‘What do you mean acting pitiful?! Thinking that my precious doesn’t want to marry me, my heart really hurts, ok?! You try being unwanted by your precious and let me see whether your expression will look less “pitiful”!!!’ Ah, ah! His chest felt really painful and stuffy! Levi’s shoulders slumped further, yet the look in his eyes grew obstinate. “If I am marrying, then… the bride can only be you…” Levi rasped out, sounding apologetic yet not. Sorry that his decision might have wronged Noah, but be that as it may, his resolution could not be shaken, nor would he regret it. Seeing Levi’s nervous yet unyielding demeanor of a martyr resolutely walking towards his demise, Noah couldn’t help but find it funny. And those words, ‘the bride can only be you’, made something warm and ticklish flutter through Noah’s insides, calming down his roiling blood. Ah, that sounded really too ambiguous! Like a love confession! No
Levi’s previously nervous and stiff expression slackened and then blossomed into a foolish grin of bliss. Sitting there with a bent fork in his hand, he should have looked like a lovestruck idiot, yet due to the virtue of his very handsome face, this bright smile didn’t look idiotic but actually had a heart-stopping boyish charm. There was really something very special in witnessing a fierce and cold man suddenly display the pure and clean happiness of a child. Even Maery, whose romantic interest in Levi was below zero, couldn’t help but feel her heart skip a beat at the sight. Then… she felt nausea climb up her throat. Bleurgh, how could she had gotten confused for a moment there?? This was clearly still that same scourge! Noah couldn’t see Levi’s bright smile, but he could feel the sheer bliss radiating off Levi in waves through his mental power. Knowing that the other was feeling happy, Noah couldn't help but feel happy too. Carried along with these feelin
“Then it’s settled,” Maery proclaimed, “I better go back to Concordia and help mother make all the necessary arrangements. And you”– she pointed towards Noah –“You need to decide on your best man and contact them immediately!” And with that, she heartlessly abandoned her barely eaten salad, waved her goodbyes, and with a speed of a hurricane, walked out of the private room. She needed to catch the first train back! Her stomach was grumbling in hunger! She needed meat!! Greasy and juicy meat!! This dog food was fiiine, but it wasn’t enough to fill her actual physical stomach! With her leave, the room fell into a long silence with the two resuming their, now almost cold, meal. Noah fidgeted in his seat, looking everywhere but at Levi. Being alone with this newly obtained fiancé of his was very awkward in itself, and Levi’s expression of utter bliss didn’t make it any less embarrassing! That being said… ‘Just look at him smiling so happily!’
Noah wanted to refuse, but he just couldn’t squeeze those words out of his throat. This… this was important, ah! He hesitated, his emotions and rationality waging war within. In the end, rationality won over. Even if it was embarrassing to death, this needed to be done! He absolutely couldn’t mess up their act on their wedding day! And so, Noah gritted his teeth and nodded his agreement with equal doses of reluctance and determination, a rather peculiar sight. Levi had expected such an outcome. His baby was cute that way. ❤ It was easy to get him to agree as long as he appealed to reason. Ah, his baby was really the cutest. (/≧ω\) So cute, so darn cute that Levi just wished to tease him and “bully” him until he puffed up like an angry yet cuddly little kitten. The urge proved to be too strong for Levi to resist, so instead of stopping while he was ahead, he greedily pushed onwards. “For a loving couple, endearments are also a must…” Levi’s eye
Looking very forlorn, Noah looked towards the ceiling as if he could see beyond the walls to the clear skies above. In the end, he gritted his teeth. What needed to be done still needed to be done. He opened up the light screen of his communicator, and with an attitude of a kamikaze soldier flying to his last battle, he bravely returned Case’s call. The other side immediately accepted, and soon enough, Noah was staring face to face with ruffled-looking Case. It would seem Case had been pacing back and forth ever since the last call, running his hands through his hair the entire time, because right now, his usually stylish hair resembled prairie after a fire. Seeing Case’s bloodshot eyes, Noah felt inexplicably guilty, “Sorry about that, Case…” He greeted awkwardly. Case shot him a look imbued with exasperation and incomprehension. And then he wordlessly shook the wedding invitation, which by now looked a bit worn out. Noah peeked at the shiny
Levi had been worried that his baby would suddenly think about all those years he had been friends with Case and decide to give him a chance. He had been worried that his baby would abruptly realize he also liked Case back. Even if Levi logically knew that the chance of that happening was low, he still wasn’t willing to risk it. Yet, how come this giant jar of vinegar he had been fed suddenly turned into a big bowl of sugar?? Unlike him, Case’s mouth wasn’t filled with sugar but by biting bitterness that left him unable to spit it out or swallow it down. He arduously squeezed out, “Don’t let yourself be pressured into marrying him in a rush!” Case took in a few shaky breaths, then spat, “Screw the alliance! You barely know him, and he has a reputation for being a cold-blooded asshole! If he was really gay, what had he been doing dating your sister for 6 years? I smell bullshit! Don’t get involved in this matter. Let your sister handle him. You are too kindhea