The Mordesin family. A family that has a lot of power and influence in the Coger Empire, the strongest empire in the world. Unlike most empires and kingdoms, the Coger Empire is not ruled by a royal family or any monarch figure. Instead, it is overseen by a council of wise elders that make important decisions. Many historians believe that this key difference is what allowed the empire to grow so powerful.
Power of the empire aside, the story starts with Faulkner Mordesin and Sophia Adinilini. Faulkner is a blonde-haired, green-eyed man. His sharp eyes often flash with cleverness and ruthlessness. A cold-blooded man to say the least. Yet all traces of the emotionless man is gone facing Sophia. Instead, a nervous smile took its place.
Faulkner got down on one knee and took out a ring with distinctive runes carved on it. With a slight tremor in his arms, he offered the ring to Sophia and asked "Will you marry me, my dear?"
One second. Two seconds. Then three. Sophia just stared at Faulkner with a blank face. Sweat started to form on his back as Faulkner knelt there in this awkward atmosphere. A couple more seconds pass by before his brain starts to race with random thoughts.
"What if she doesn't like me?"
"Am I too hasty?"
"Why is she looking at me like I am a clown?"
"Did she find out something and wants to break up with me?"
"Could it be the fact that I killed my enemies too ruthlessly and she does not like such people?"
"Or the fact that I followed her around on her free day and she thinks I am too creepy or have stalker tendencies?"
As Faulkner reached that thought, Sophia's brows frowned. Panic started to settle in as Faulkner's mind reached the worst thought. The scariest thing he did. The thing that, if known, may end this relationship once and for all.
"No. There is no way she found out about that. I even bribed her old man not to tell her."
As this thought formed, Faulkner used all his brain power to think of a remedy for the situation he found himself in. After a tedious scrying of his brain cells, he arrived at the only solution he can fathom. He would have to come out clean.
"Look Sophia, if I did something wrong, I apologize. I promise I won't -"
At this sentence, Sophia burst out laughing. Her crisp voice, like that of a hummingbird, rang through the park. Although Faulkner was relieved at the easy-going mood, his panic intensified the next second as he realized that she might be mocking him for his thoughts. After all, he is interacting with THE Sophia Adinilini, one of the smartest mages in the Coger empire. Beautiful as she is with her long, black hair, black eyes, and clear face, she is not to be trifled with. Just her power alone can strike fear into the hearts of many, yet this is not even taking into account her background. Her family, the Adinilini, is among the strongest families with power rivaling even his own. Should she be angered, her father might very well cause his family a lot of losses in the area of business, especially in the area of magic supplies. With a limited amount of supplies, his family would not have a good time. But all of these thoughts disappeared into the wind as her next sentence calmed his hyperactive mind.
"Man, you should have seen the look on your face, Faulkner. I just stare at you for a few seconds and you start to panic and overthink."
"Ha ha," Faulkner laughed with less nervousness than before. "I thought you were actually going to reject me so I thought I should try to figure out why you would do so."
"Well, what would you have done if you did figure out the reason?"
"Of course, I would change. I don't want you to hate me. That would not be good for either me or my family."
"Now why would I do that? It was not like we only knew each other for a couple of days. We have been dating for years by now."
"Well.... I thought you figured out something." *cough* *cough* "Something a little embarrassing."
"Oh? Do tell."
"I would rather not."
"Then I won't agree to marry you until you tell me."
At this outrageous statement, Faulkner thought of a way to get out of this situation. "How about I tell you after you marry me? That way, I have some assurance that you won't reject me."
"So serious?"
"Yes. This is something I don't want to say. If you reject me, I would rather bring this secret to the grave."
Driven by her curiosity at what could make such a cool-headed man like Faulkner so embarrassed, she said "Sure. I Sophia Adinilini agree to marry the man before me known as Faulkner Mordesin. Now can you tell me about it?"
"..."
"..."
More awkward silence. Then, "Well that was easier than I thought."
"I never said I would reject you. The secret is just something extra that you spouted along the way."
"Oh me and my fast mind."
"Yeah. That and your big mouth."
"The only flaw when it comes to you."
"Okay enough taking. Get to the secret already."
"Well, you are not the only one that has a mind lapse when it comes to love. If you listened to my words carefully at the time, I said that I would tell you the secret after you marry me."
Thinking back to what he said, Sophia realized her blunder. "Clever. And the part after that is to just make me think that you will tell me the secret after I agree to your proposal, not when we get married."
"Well, I would prefer to delay this as long as possible."
"Even if it delays your wedding?"
"Even if it delays my wedding."
"Now this just makes me more curious."
"Don't worry, I will make sure to make elaborate preparations for our wedding. It should be ready in, let's say 6 months."
Now even a stranger can figure out something is wrong with that statement. As one of the wealthiest families in a world of advanced magic, it would take 6 MONTHS to prepare a simple wedding. Who is he trying to kid? At this thought, Sophia realized the lengths Faulkner would go to keep this secret.
"You really intend to delay this wedding as much as possible, won't you?"
"Yes, I just told you that."
"Well, worry not, with my family getting involved, I will make sure the wedding is prepared in at most 1 week. That way, you won't be able to find a way to cover up that precious secret of yours."
With this sentence, she started walking away in the direction of her family mansion.
"Wait, wait. How can we not have a grand wedding when it is the marriage between the eldest son of the Mordesin family, one of the richest families in Coger, and the princess of the Adinilini, the family that has a monopoly over the best magical materials?"
Sophia paused. He's right. Even if she wants a simple wedding, her family would not allow such a chance to pamper her slip. Especially at such an important event in her life. "Fine 1 month. No more."
---1 Month later---
In a grand hall of one of the many Mordesin mansions, the priest asked "Do you, Faulkner Mordesin, agree to take Sophia Adinilini as your wife, to love her with all your heart no matter what?"
"I do."
"Do you, Sophia Adinilini, agree to take Faulkner Mordesin as your husband, to love him with all your heart no matter what?"
"I do."
"You may now kiss."
The crowd cheered as the two finished the ceremony.
"I hearby declare you as husband and wife. May not even time, space, or fate do you apart."
To an unknowing spectator, this sentence may sound weird because the normal sentence would normally be 'May death do you part' or 'Until death' or some other phrase that ends the relationship at death. This logic, though does not apply to the world of Adnea because space magic is so developed that teleportation across the world is of no difficulty and can be easily achieved within seconds. The time part is also pretty simple. With great power, comes great... urg I want to say responsibility, but that is not true. Instead, with great power, comes great longevity. Mages in this world can easily live hundreds of years. Some legendary mages like the Elders can break 4 digits. The part about fate is a little more complicated. It says nothing is absolute. No matter what happens, there is a way to undo it. Your partner becomes braindead? Find a way to awaken him through magic. Incurable disease? The cure just hasn't been found. This is the mindset of the people of Coger. Anything can be done if one works hard enough. As a result, nothing can stand in the way of a dedicated lover.
As the ceremony ended, Faulkner and Sophia walked out of the hall towards their master bedroom. Their backs turned to the bright lights and loud partying that is happening between the two families. Faulkner was walking at a leisurely pace with hints of slowing down while Sophia was rushing to get to a private space while dragging the stumbling Faulkner.
"You don't have to be in such a hurry you know?"
"Yes, I do. I have waited a whole month for this."
As they finally reached the master bedroom, Sophia pulled Faulkner into the room, slammed the door shut, and with a quick flick of her wrist, locked the door. Sophia turned around and pushed him onto the large bed. Then she stared intensely at Faulkner without blinking. This stare can only be described as full of desire. The desire to know. A desire so intense that-
"Oh my. Master and mistress are so eager to get started. Maybe I will see a young master or lady in 10 months."
At this sentence, both Sophia and Faulkner's heads whipped in the direction of the voice. A young woman in maid apparel with blond, shoulder-long, curly hair appeared in their sight. Holding a cleaning brush and a tongue sticking out her mouth, she said in a mischievous tone, "Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt but I want to be the third wheel even less."
"What are you doing here, Beatrice?"
"Well I was cleaning the room for the newlyweds but I didn't realize that the lady was so eager for action that she would ignore the party and come straight here."
At that comment, Sophia's cheeks started turning red. "Alright. You can call it a night. "
"Okay. I will make sure to come back tomorrow to clean up any messes that might happen overnight"
"Alright Beatrice, stop teasing your lady." Faulkner cut in, to stop any more embarrassment that might form in Sophia.
After Beatrice left, Sophia turned to Faulkner and said, "All the distractions are gone. Now can you tell me the secret that you have been keeping from me as you agreed upon?"
"Can I not and you can just have a favor from me?"
"No"
"One time, no questions, no matter what?"
"A good deal, but my curiosity needs to be satisfied."
"But curiosity killed the-"
"Faulkner," Sophia interrupted with a dangerous glint in her eyes. Seeing this, Faulkner knew that he couldn't try to worm his way out of his end of the deal any longer.
"Promise me you won't get mad?"
"I already married you so unless you want a divorce the first night-"
"I'm serious," Faulkner said in a deadpan expression.
Seeing how serious Faulkner is, Sophia promised.
"Fine. The secret is that I bribed your parents to tell me your likes and stuff so I can psychologically manipulate you into liking me. Then, I acted in such a way so that when I proposed, you would be the one to push the wedding along."
"WAIT WHAT?!?"
