CH343

CH342
Ryuu

He shut his mouth and glared at me and just as I thought he would, he said nothing because I was right. Whatever alternative he had in mind, he could still ask for it. It wasn't too late for that, but whatever benefits he saw probably did not outweigh the fact that I would be his son-in-law, at least on paper. It was a better deal for him, and he didn't really care that much about Morgan's feelings. If he did, he wouldn't have let this go on in the first place.
The funny thing was that there was no way forward that would lead to anything good for either of them. Even if I just killed Morgan here, he’d be dead soon after, and if I let them live? If I went through with this... I’d spend the rest of the time we were married or they were alive making them regret it.
Why he thought that meant he would have my loyalty or I would have his best interest at heart, I have no idea. I thoroughly intended to ruin him. Painfully. It was starting to feel like a better option than killing him just for the pure spiteful nature of it.
“It is a transaction,” I said coolly, brushing past him. “One you two insisted on, not me. I agreed to the transaction, but the terms haven’t been decided yet, now have they?”
He turned purple, sputtering, but I ignored him and stepped to the front of the altar, handing the officiant the folder I’d been carrying. The thick paper inside was crisp, neatly printed, and legally binding.
“There won’t be a wedding until we get this settled.”
Tora went still. “What is that?”
“Where’s your daughter?”
The band started to play. Morgan’s footsteps echoed before her. The doors opened and closed behind her. She strode in wearing a veil, carrying flowers and that irritating confidence. Her outfit was all white: tailored pants, silk shirt, a cape draped on her shoulders. So glad she was wearing the appropriate thing to be buried in. She even brought her own flowers. Lovely. They were garish. A bouquet of bright red roses, as if she thought that was romantic. I gestured to Yusuke, who shot out the speakers at the edge of the room. Morgan went still before her feet hit the long red carpet.
“What--”
“Don’t waste my time,” I said. “We have business to handle first.”
She flushed. “Ryuu--”
“Now.” I snarled, my voice echoing through the hall.
She hesitated but soon she stomped her way up the long carpet to where we stood, her jaw set. Before she could open her mouth, I took the folder from the officiant and held it out to her.
“Sign this,” I said. “Or we don’t proceed.”
Her eyes flashed, and her father looked like he might faint.
“This is absurd!” he barked. “You’d insult our family this way?”
“I’m doing your daughter a favor by showing up at all,” I growled. “You want this marriage? You’ve done all this scheming. Sign it, or I’m leaving.”
Morgan stared at me with a hard, furious glint in her eyes. Her breath was shallow, like she couldn’t believe I was still pushing back. But then… she stepped forward. Snatched the pen from the officiant without even reading it and signed page after page.
“Daughter--”
“You’ll still be my husband,” she hissed as she finished signing it. “On paper or not, you’ll be mine now.”
I didn’t reply, glancing at Yusuke, who nodded and took the folder, tucking it in his pocket. But just as the officiant began to speak, there was a sudden shout outside, then another, and I knew from how stiff Morgan was that all of this was about to come crashing down.
Ren was coming.
“What’s wrong, Morgan?” I asked, smiling down at her. “Forgotten something?”

Ren
The moment my feet touched the stone leading down the corridor of the ballroom, I felt it. The shift in air. The tug of something ancient and burning just beneath my skin. I rested my hand on my sword hilt as I walked down the corridor, draped in our colors and ready for a fight, because Anzo was never so yielding nor so stupid to think that getting rid of me was easy. She’d have guards by the ton.
And she didn’t disappoint.
There had to be at least fifty men between me and the doors of the ballroom where I could feel Tsuneo and Tarofu’s presence radiating out, reaching for me. I walked steadily toward the doors as one of the guards stepped forward.
“Hold it right there,” one barked, hand on his blade. “The bride’s already inside. Who the hell are you?”
“Step aside,” I said coldly. “You’re in my way.”
The nearest one scoffed. “You think because you have a sword we’re—"
I darted forward. He didn’t even know I was that close by the time steel met silk, slicing through his neck. Blood spurted in a great fountain overhead. The others screamed and surged forward. I drove my elbow into a man’s ribs. He went down hard. Another reached for his gun, but I knocked it from his hand and slammed the hilt of my dagger against his temple. They were trained, but so was I, and I was much faster. I rammed a group of them back, snarling and slicing into them. They had started to retreat, to call for backup, when I heard it.
The music.
The soft, ceremonial swell of the wedding procession echoed faintly through the stone hall.
That wench.
I surged forward, catching one man off guard and sending him crashing into the wall. The others cursed and shouted, but I kept pushing towards the door. I heard the music stop abruptly as I broke through a large group of them and several others had scattered.
“That’s not really my taste.”
I looked up seeing Hotaru there standing between me and a group of Hangui associates like a damn mountain that had decided to grow legs and block my path.
“Turtle Queen said you might come,” he said, stepping into the aisle with a sick sort of calm. “Said I could do as I pleased so long as I let you live long enough for her to kill you.”
He licked his lips. “You want to do this the easy way or—”
I drew my sword. He lunged, throwing his arm between us. The clang of metal echoed as I struck his forearm. Sparks flew and I could see the armor he was wearing. He was stronger than I anticipated and he shoved me back with brute force, my feet sliding across the ground.
But I didn’t fall.
I dodged his next blow and spun around as he whirled around and came at me, lunging again with what looked like metal claws. His swipes were quick. I barely got out of the way in time, waiting for an opening.
“You’ve gotten faster,” he hissed. “You’re really starting to piss me off, you know!”
He roared, rushing me again, leaving himself open for just a moment, but a moment was all I needed.