Chapter 63 Childish Alaric
They sat quietly at the dining table, savoring their breakfast in companionable silence.
"By the way," Alaric suddenly remembered, fishing her phone out from under his newspaper. "Your phone, I forgot to give it to you last night."
Cecilia’s eyes lit up. Cecilia hadn't brought her phone with her during the wedding ceremony, and after it ended, she had left hastily, forgetting to retrieve it. She had assumed it was still at the banquet hall and had planned to collect it today. To her surprise, Alaric had it all along.
She accepted the phone from his hand, noting that it was still off, a habit he seemed to enjoy enforcing. As she powered it up, preparing to skim through the latest news, her thoughts drifted to Alaric once more.
She had always perceived Alaric as a bit too flamboyant, unrestrained, and unique—traits that made him seem like an untamed wild horse. She would have pegged him as an internet enthusiast, yet there he was, reading a printed newspaper, much like her father would.
Alaric, noticing her curiosity, glanced up and commented, "Some news is more accurate in print. Online articles often just aim to grab attention."
He wasn’t entirely wrong; much of the digital news was sensationalized to attract clicks and views. Yet, this didn't deter the growing number of people who preferred online updates, if only to pass the time.
As she opened a news app, her screen lit up with a call from Seraphina. It was just past 7 AM, an unusually early hour for Seraphina to be awake, considering how busy the previous day had been.
Answering quickly, she was met with Seraphina's roaring voice. "Cecilia!"
Even Alaric, immersed in his newspaper, could hear the agitated shout, though he barely flinched and continued reading.
"Calm down," Cecilia advised gently.
"I can't calm down. I've been abandoned by you time and time again. I can't calm down!" Seraphina's voice was fraught with exasperation. Anyone unaware of the context might have assumed they had a complicated, tangled relationship from the way Seraphina was reacting.
"Why did you leave right after your wedding at eight? I was left to handle the guests! Is it so easy to be a bride nowadays?" Seraphina’s indignation was palpable.
Cecilia felt a flush of embarrassment. No newlywed couple in the Yakurosean Empire was likely as willful as she and Alaric had been.
Correction: As willful as Alaric had been. After all, she felt somewhat coerced into this role.
"Why didn’t you leave earlier yourself?" Cecilia countered.
"I wanted to! But that friend of Alaric's, Cassius, wouldn't let me! I couldn’t overpower him," Seraphina fumed.
"I'm sorry you had to deal with that," Cecilia replied, her voice soft with genuine regret. There weren’t enough words to console Seraphina, so she kept her apology simple.
However, Seraphina was not easily mollified. Cecilia continued to offer words of comfort, glancing occasionally at Alaric, who watched her intently over his newspaper with an amused smile.
"By the way, did you have sex with Alaric last night?" Seraphina suddenly changed the topic, catching Cecilia completely off-guard.
Cecilia was momentarily speechless. She glanced at Alaric, who seemed engrossed in his reading but was undoubtedly listening.
"Why are you asking this?" Cecilia replied, trying to suppress her embarrassment.
"It's only natural for me to care about your happiness," Seraphina retorted.
Feeling flustered, Cecilia brushed her off, "We'll talk about it later."
"Is Alaric next to you?" Seraphina was sharp, immediately sensing the change in Cecilia's tone.
"Yeah," Cecilia responded.
"Are you still in bed?"
"No."
"Are you not dressed?"
"No."
"Am I interrupting you?" The excitement in Seraphina's voice was unmistakable. She seemed to completely miss the exasperation in Cecilia's tone.
"I said no," Cecilia repeated, trying to remain patient.
"You don't have to say it. I understand. I've seen enough to know the first time can leave a girl really tired and sore. You probably need more rest."
Cecilia really wanted to cover Seraphina's mouth.
"Then I'll hang up." With that, Seraphina hung up.
Cecilia thought, 'When will Seraphina stop being so reckless? When will she become mature?'
Just as she was about to set her phone down, it rang again. Seraphina’s name flashed on the screen.
Suppressing a groan, Cecilia answered, "Seraphina."
"I just wanted to say, remember to check the news. Your wedding with Alaric was was a sensation yesterday. The articles are extremely satisfying, especially since that cheating scumbag, Dominic, was utterly humiliated. I woke up early to use the bathroom, checked the news, and I’ve been delighted ever since. You should watch it together with Alaric. Who knows? It might lead to some morning fun."
Cecilia doubted if Seraphina had any sense of high society refinement left.
Seraphina hung up as abruptly as she'd called.
Cecilia sighed and reopened the news app.
"Did you sleep well last night?" Alaric’s voice cut through her thoughts.
"It was okay," Cecilia replied as she scanned the headlines. Despite her uncertainties, she had fallen asleep quickly.
"Good for you. I was restless," Alaric admitted, his tone blunt.
"What were you doing?" Cecilia glanced at Alaric.
"Thinking about you."
Cecilia rolled her eyes. "You look pretty good for someone who didn't sleep all night."
"Oh no, that was not what I meant."
Cecilia frowned. What else could he mean?
Alaric's smile seemed even more pronounced. He set down his now-finished newspaper and breakfast. "Finish your breakfast quickly. We'll head back to the Whitaker family."
Cecilia was too absorbed in the news to respond immediately. Alaric’s frown deepened as he got up and glanced at her phone screen. He saw a wedding photo of Dominic and Cecilia, creatively torn apart by special effects. The headline read, "Dominic's Disgraceful Exit: Becomes the Laughing Stock."
Without warning, Alaric snatched her phone. "Finish your food first; you can deal with that later."
Cecilia stifled her irritation. She reminded herself not to argue with a man younger than her, especially one so evidently immature.
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