Roselle’s POV
The four of us walked together through the long corridors.
As we made our way toward the wedding hall, I noticed something strange.
There were no workers.
The last time I had visited the estate, I had seen maids and other staff moving through the corridors.
But this time, the entire place seemed unusually quiet.
I wondered if they were already waiting inside the wedding hall.
Or perhaps there was another reason.
Before I could think too much about it, we stopped in front of a grand set of double doors.
I didn’t need anyone to tell me what was behind them.
This was where my wedding would take place.
I quickly handed Jasmine over to Eva before reaching up to adjust my veil.
I pulled it forward until it covered my face, just as it was supposed to.
The butler then reached toward a nearby stand and picked up a small arrangement of fresh lilies.
He turned toward me and extended them.
“Some fresh lilies for your bouquet.”
“That’s very thoughtful. Thank you.”
My voice was polite, but I couldn’t bring myself to smile.
I accepted the flowers and gave him a small nod.
Then the grand doors slowly opened.
The sound of a piano immediately filled my ears.
I took a slow breath and stepped inside.
The hall was magnificent.
On both sides of the aisle stood men and women dressed in elegant suits and formal clothing.
Everyone looked perfectly composed.
Yet, to me, it felt nothing like a wedding.
It felt like I was walking onto a decorated battlefield, surrounded by enemies who had simply chosen to dress well for the occasion.
I forced myself to calm my nerves.
One step at a time.
I refused to rush.
My eyes remained fixed ahead as I slowly walked down the aisle.
And then I saw him.
Silas stood at the end of the aisle, dressed in his usual suit.
Even on his wedding day, he looked as dangerous as ever.
A few steps beside him stood a man dressed in priestly robes.
With every step I took, the distance between us grew smaller.
Until finally, I stood before him.
The priest turned toward us before facing the gathered crowd.
His voice was calm and solemn as he began.
“We stand here today in the presence of this great assembly to witness the union of two people.” He paused briefly before continuing.
“Mr. Silas and Mrs. Roselle, you have come before God and these witnesses to be joined together in holy matrimony.”
He turned toward Silas.
“Do you, Mr. Silas, take Mrs. Roselle to be your lawful wife, to love her, honor her, and cherish her, in sickness and in health, in good times and difficult times, forsaking all others and remaining faithful to her for as long as you both shall live?”
“I do,” Silas answered.
The priest then turned toward me.
“And do you, Mrs. Roselle, take Mr. Silas to be your lawful husband, to love him, honor him, and cherish him, in sickness and in health, in good times and difficult times, forsaking all others and remaining faithful to him for as long as you both shall live?”
“I do.”
The words left my mouth before I could think too deeply about their meaning.
The priest smiled gently before raising his hand in blessing.
“By the authority entrusted to me, and before God and these witnesses, I now pronounce you husband and wife. What God has joined together, let no one separate.”
He lowered his hand.
“You may now seal your vows with a kiss.”
For a moment, I froze.
A kiss.
I suddenly realized something I had never really thought about before.
I had never kissed anyone.
Not once.
Back when I was a general, I had never allowed myself to indulge in such things.
Intimacy outside marriage was considered both dishonorable and unacceptable, and although I knew many men ignored those expectations, I had never dared to do so.
I had always been too careful.
But I barely had time to process the situation before Silas placed a hand around my waist and pulled me closer.
His lips met mine.
For the first few seconds, I had no idea what I was supposed to do.
My mind went completely blank.
Then, slowly, I followed his rhythm.
The unfamiliar sensation made my thoughts disappear for a moment, and I found myself getting lost in the kiss. The source of this chapter is g.com.
It was nothing like I had imagined.
Just as I began to lean into it, Silas pulled away.
The sound of cheers and applause immediately erupted throughout the hall.
I blinked, still slightly dazed.
Silas turned toward the crowd.
“Let’s all move to the reception.”
Then he looked at me.
“Darling, after you.”
He held out his hand.
I stared at it for a moment before placing mine in his.
As I stepped forward, the entire audience rose from their seats.
One after another, they followed us toward the reception hall.
My mind was still slightly clouded by the kiss.
I couldn’t help but remember my former life.
Back when I was a general, I had never engaged in anything intimate.
It was considered dishonorable for someone unmarried to defile the marriage bed, and I had always taken those rules seriously.
I knew many men didn’t.
But I had never dared to cross that line.
Even now, the thought of what would have happened if I had ever been caught made me shudder inwardly.
I pushed the memories aside as we entered the reception hall.
The room was filled with tables and chairs, all beautifully arranged for the guests.
Silas led me toward a table at the very front.
He walked around me, pulled out my chair, and looked at me.
“Sit.” His tone left no room for refusal.
Not that I intended to refuse.
I sat down.
Silas took the seat beside me, and almost immediately, food began to be served.
Soon, everyone had filled their seats.
The room came alive with conversation.
Laughter echoed through the hall as people talked and celebrated.
For anyone else, it might have looked like an ordinary wedding reception.
But I knew better.
My eyes drifted across the room.
Beneath the expensive suits and elegant dresses, I could clearly see the outlines of weapons.
Guns.
Knives.
People who were trained to kill.
If I hadn’t noticed the weapons hidden beneath their clothes, I might have believed this was simply a peaceful gathering celebrating the marriage of two people.
But this wasn’t an ordinary wedding.
It was a gathering of the Belladonna family.
And as I looked around the room, another thought crossed my mind.
Where was my daughter?
My eyes continued moving across the crowd, searching for my little girl.
“Who are you looking for?”
Silas’s sudden question caught me off guard.
I hadn’t expected him to speak to me, but I quickly composed myself and returned to my earlier demeanor.
“I’m looking for my daughter and her nanny.” As I spoke, I continued scanning the room.
“Oh, there they are.”
My eyes had finally found Eva.
She was standing a short distance away, watching me.
I beckoned for her to come closer.
Before she could reach us, however, a young voice caught my attention.
“Papa.”
I turned toward the voice.
A little boy stood beside Silas.
The resemblance between them was almost shocking.
He looked like a smaller version of his father.
“Jeremy, come here. Let me introduce you to your new mom.” Silas gestured toward me.
I looked at the boy.
He appeared to be around Jasmine’s age, perhaps eight years old.
A small sense of relief settled inside me.
At least he was still young.
God knew I would have had a much harder time if Silas had brought a teenager into my life.
For now, however, he was still just a child with an adorable face.
“Good day, Miss,” he said shyly, peeking at me from his father’s embrace as Silas lifted him onto his lap.
“Hello.” I smiled at him.
I immediately began searching my mind for something else to say.
Talking to Jasmine had been much easier.
She had accepted me almost immediately and had never seemed particularly wary of me.
Jeremy, on the other hand, was clearly more reserved.
Before the silence could become any more awkward, Jasmine’s voice suddenly broke through.
“Hey!”
I silently thanked the stars for her perfectly timed interruption.
I looked toward her and saw Eva standing beside her.
Jasmine quickly climbed down from Eva’s arms and hurried over to us.
Without any hesitation or ceremony, she climbed onto my lap and sat facing Jeremy directly.
“I’m Jasmine,” she announced proudly, pointing at herself.
She paused dramatically.
“But you shall call me Jass.”
Jeremy blinked.
Jasmine continued before he could say anything.
“But I must warn you, only close relatives, AKA my mom, are allowed to call me Jass.” She raised her chin proudly.
“So you should understand that I have bestowed upon you a great honor by allowing you to use a name that is reserved for someone very special to me.”
She finished and looked directly at him.
Jeremy’s face was already filled with amusement.
I, on the other hand, was completely stunned.
I had never seen Jasmine speak like this.
Then again, I had entered this body on the day of her father’s funeral.
I had barely known her back then.
Perhaps there were still many sides of my daughter that I hadn’t discovered yet.
“Do you know how truly lucky you are, young man?” Jasmine asked.
Jeremy smiled.
“How?”
“Obviously, dummy.”
I nearly choked.
“Only my mom calls me Jass, and now you get to call me that too. That means I hold you in very high regard.” She pointed a small finger at him.
“So you must show me the utmost respect.”
Jeremy’s smile disappeared slightly.
“Who is a dummy?”
“You are.” She said it as casually as if she were stating a fact everyone already knew.
“I am not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“I’m not!”
“You are.” She folded her arms.
“And remember, you are supposed to respect me. So far, I’m not hearing much respect in your tone, young man.” She spoke with such seriousness that she sounded as though she were decades older than him.
I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing.
Wasn’t this the same girl who had been worried only a few hours ago about whether Jeremy would like her?
Now she was deliberately annoying him.
Yet somehow, none of us could bring ourselves to stop them.
The people around us had begun watching their little argument with amused expressions as they continued eating.
Even I couldn’t stop myself from smiling.
There was something strangely peaceful about it.
For the first time since arriving at the Belladonna estate, the tension in my chest seemed to disappear.
Jeremy eventually climbed down from Silas’s lap.
“My name is Jeremy,” he declared.
He pointed toward himself.
“And you will call me that. Other people call me Young Master, but since I’m also allowing you to call me by my actual name, you should treat me with the highest respect and regard.”
He had clearly decided to fight back.
Jasmine stared at him for a moment.
Then she smiled.
“You see? You are a dummy.”
“No, I’m not!”
“Yes, you are.” She quickly added “If you weren’t then, you would have remembered that I gave you a nickname that only my mother calls me.” She paused, apparently waiting for him to understand.
“That makes it special.” She tilted her head.
“How many people call you Jeremy?”
Jeremy opened his mouth.
Jasmine didn’t give him the chance to answer.
“Exactly. More than one person, right?” She began nodding to herself.
“Which means it isn’t that special, is it?” She clicked her tongue and shook her head, looking him up and down as though she were inspecting something that had disappointed her.
Jeremy stared at her.
Then, suddenly, he turned toward Silas.
“Papa…” His voice was filled with genuine seriousness.
“Please give me a nickname.”