MGN | Chapter 23

“Give me the pen.” Maël blinked in confusion before reacting a beat too late.

“Are you crazy?”

At his angry words, Manon finally turned her head. Her gaze was so firm it felt like his heart was sinking.

He thought she’d realized by now. Every marriage is ultimately a contract, and Manon was on the verge of a particularly nasty one. Yet she was still going through with it.

“Are you scared? Is that why? It’s really not a big deal. Breaking off an engagement sounds huge, but people forget this kind of thing in a year. No, half a year. Just six months.”

“Why pretend not to know? In half a year, there’ll be more gossip!”

Manon’s thin hand clutched the lace over her belly. Unable to respond, Maël watched her grit her teeth.

“It’s obvious I won’t be able to raise this child. Even if you protect me with the law, they’ll pull something like this again.”

“Manon, but we can…”

“Stop saying ‘we’!”

Her distorted scream echoed in the car. The bride, who should have been shining, was gasping painfully.

“In the end, I’m the one who has to handle it. It’s just me, so why ‘we’?”

“We’re family. Why do you say you’re handling it alone?”

Manon was the only person Maël could call family. She stared at him, trying not to cry.

“Family? You want to find your real parents, don’t you? I saw the emails. Do you think I wouldn’t remember? What if you find your real family? You’ll be happy with them. And then… what about me? I’ll have no one.”

“Why would you have no one? Manon, I was just…”

“You don’t need to explain to me. It’s your choice. Do whatever you want.”

Her cutting words felt like a deep wound. Manon was on the verge of tears.

“I’ll just do what I want too. Even if my choice seems stupid and pathetic, I’m an adult. I don’t have to explain every decision.”

While Maël was speechless, the woman in the front seat handed over the pen again. Manon took it, signed each page, and handed the documents back to her.

No words were exchanged throughout the process.

Except for the fierce wind, it was a perfect morning, blessed as the sedan surrounded by four escort vehicles glided along the winding coastal road.

* * *

As soon as they entered Monaco, a huge cheer greeted them.

People waving small Monaco flags took photos with flashing cameras as the slow-moving car passed by. The gates of the Grand Ducal Palace were wide open, and as they stopped in front, the guards saluted Manon.

Surrounded by security, Manon, in her white dress, walked in first, followed by Maël.

Everyone they passed smiled brightly.

The courtyard of the Grand Ducal Palace, set for the wedding, was densely packed with chairs. The bride’s waiting time was long, and people came and went, blessing Manon.

During all this, Maël, the bride’s only family, didn’t exchange a single word with her. He couldn’t. Even as the ceremony began and they moved to the courtyard filled with celebrities, royals, and nobles, holding Manon’s hand and leading her to Philippe.

“Manon, I don’t think you’re stupid. Or pathetic. We’re family, so I hope you made a choice that makes you happy.”

Maël carefully chose his words. He swallowed the last-minute thought of saying it was okay to go home if she couldn’t go through with it.

“Thank you.”

That was all Manon said.

They walked down the path adorned with white flowers, handed Manon’s hand to a grinning Philippe, and Maël found his seat.

About five steps behind the bride. It was supposed to be the family seat, but with no family or partner, Maël sat alone.

He had no complaints until he saw who was sitting right behind him.

Yves Valois. It was him.

Yves stared at Maël with an almost rude intensity. It didn’t end there. He placed his arm on Maël’s chair back and dropped one of his black leather gloves.

Thud.

The smooth, shiny glove landed right where Maël would sit.

‘Why now, of all times?’

Already seething with anger over this ridiculous wedding, Maël didn’t want to decipher the meaning of this nonsense. He brushed the glove off the seat like dust.

The black glove fell forward, out of anyone’s reach. Maël sat down without a care. The seating was tight in the narrow courtyard, so Yves’s soft laughter was annoyingly clear.

Then suddenly, Yves’s presence was closer, accompanied by his signature scent of fresh roses.

“Is throwing things a hobby of yours?”

His low, grating voice spoke. Instead of turning, Maël stared intently at the long lace veil Manon wore. Yves whispered like a command from behind.

“Keep your expression in check. It’s not a funeral. You should bless your sister’s choice.”

Maël turned around at the voice that poured oil on the fire. Would choking this man end the wedding here? It didn’t seem like a bad idea.

“Don’t you think?”

But when he met those cold, ash-gray eyes, Maël remembered. The moment Manon signed that prenuptial agreement, Yves’s plans were ruined too.

Maël had used the photos Yves gave him for Manon’s prenuptial agreement. He couldn’t even help the victims, only acting for his sister’s sake.

He felt disgusted with himself. Even after swallowing his self-loathing, nothing had changed.

And now he had to confess this colossal, ridiculous failure to Yves.

‘Ha.’

If a black hole opened beneath him right now, he’d gladly fall in. Maël gritted his teeth and turned away. He didn’t need to look to know Yves’s gaze was on him.

He forced himself to look at Manon’s veil. It was truly long and beautiful. Was his sister smiling now? Maël really wanted to know.

* * *

Manon’s wedding was perfect. Unfortunately.

The newlyweds, following tradition, walked from the Grand Ducal Palace to the cathedral and placed a white bouquet made of seasonal flowers on the altar of the Virgin Mary. Then they walked to the city hall to sign the marriage certificate.

The people of the principality gathered around the procession, blessing the newlyweds.

Finally, back on the Grand Ducal Palace balcony, the couple kissed. From afar, they looked like a picture-perfect pair. To Maël, who saw them up close, it felt like the beginning of all sorts of tragedies.

“Oppa, just one of those pills now.”

And now. Everyone who attended the wedding was in the rose garden of the Riviera Hotel. The rich scent of blooming spring roses filled the night.

People, intoxicated by the rose scent and champagne, looked at Manon and Maël. It was almost dance time, and the first dance at a wedding reception was usually between the bride and her father.

Standing in as the father, Maël took out a morning sickness pill from his pocket. He handed it over as they held hands, and Manon approached a passing waiter, picked up a small cake, placed the white pill on the whipped cream, and swallowed it in one bite.

“Let’s go dance.”

Manon pulled Maël along.

The two danced in front of everyone. Soft music played, and they spun around, exchanging only a few awkward words.

“Do you have all the pills?”

“I don’t have a place to keep them in this dress. I don’t want to get caught. Can you bring them when I call?”

That was the extent of their conversation. Soon, Philippe came to take Manon away, and people gradually filled the dance floor.

With the sound of waves crashing against the cliffs below, the music changed to a lively tune. Having finished all his duties for the day, Maël stood to the side with a gloomy expression, swirling the champagne glass in his hand.

Diane approached him.

“Why the long face at your sister’s wedding? Isn’t today a big day? Thanks to that gift, the law will change by tomorrow morning. I saw an article saying Manon and Philippe requested it.”

“Oh, right, that too.”

Announcing something like that now probably wasn’t just a coincidence. Maybe it was a way to make it hard for Manon to refuse signing the prenuptial agreement.

As Maël downed his champagne, Diane chewed on cube-shaped cheese and olives.

“I heard from a journalist that one of His Highness the Hereditary Prince’s aides sold a video or recording to a broadcasting station. They wondered if it’s related to today’s announcement. Maybe some derogatory remarks were made.”

“Seems they don’t want to change the crown prince twice.”

Of course. Maël glared at Felix dancing with a famous actress across the room, then clenched his teeth when he saw Charles making his way through the crowd toward him.

Antoine, that damn bastard’s face came to mind.

Seeing the new prenuptial agreement made everything clear.

It wasn’t just the Grand Duke’s people who set the trap. It wasn’t just Bernardi; Antoine and all those bastards were the same. The trap was right there. Like a fool, Maël handed Manon over to someone who would push her into that trap.

“Maël, did you hear about today’s announcement?”

Charles reached out as he approached. What was today’s announcement? His blue eyes gleamed with strange imagination, and a wide smile spread across his face. Maël brushed off his hand and shared his decision with Diane.

“Diane, I’m quitting.”