The wronged Levi, (ꐦ °Д°) ‘What do you mean acting pitiful?! Thinking that my precious doesn’t want to marry me, my heart really hurts, ok?! You try being unwanted by your precious and let me see whether your expression will look less “pitiful”!!!’

Ah, ah! His chest felt really painful and stuffy!

Levi’s shoulders slumped further, yet the look in his eyes grew obstinate. “If I am marrying, then… the bride can only be you…” Levi rasped out, sounding apologetic yet not. Sorry that his decision might have wronged Noah, but be that as it may, his resolution could not be shaken, nor would he regret it.

Seeing Levi’s nervous yet unyielding demeanor of a martyr resolutely walking towards his demise, Noah couldn’t help but find it funny. And those words, ‘the bride can only be you’, made something warm and ticklish flutter through Noah’s insides, calming down his roiling blood.

Ah, that sounded really too ambiguous! Like a love confession!

Noah’s puffed-up self deflated like a punctured balloon, and he covered his pink face with his hands. This attacking power was too much! How could he withstand it? In the first place, he was angry due to being tricked and kept in the dark. Not due to the change itself.

He was mad because this matter had been settled behind his back, when obviously, as a replacement bride, he had every right to be a part of this discussion!

However, things have already reached this point, and it was no use to feel angry about it now. Besides, Noah could understand the ins and outs of the situation.

(Blackie, ‘…Can you? (≖_≖) Can you really?’)

This marriage needed to happen, and this duty fell on them as the children of their parents, whether they wanted it to or not. They could fight it and run away from this responsibility, or they could step up and sacrifice themselves for the greater good.

And Noah would never accept the benefits of his current identity and run away from the responsibilities. This wonderful new life of his was built upon the death of the original Aris. Seeing this through was the least he could do for the original Aris. Thus, if Noah needed to marry someone, he’d marry, no matter who the other person was. And if the person happened to be someone whom Noah liked, then he’d even feel blessed.

It was just that... this whole marriage matter fell on top of his head too suddenly! Ah, he was a pure little virgin who only just arrived in this world, and now they want him to marry a man?! And they didn’t even ask him about– wait… thinking about it… it wasn’t entirely true that he hadn’t been consulted on his opinion!

He remembered Cordia mommy asking him whether he’d be willing to marry Levi a few days ago! It was just that at the time, he had thought she was joking and not literally asking whether he’d be willing to marry Levi!!!

With the sudden realization that he had indeed been consulted on his opinion beforehand, the last remnants of Noah’s anger and dissatisfaction fizzled out. The way this matter had been handled was indeed a bit stupid, but his family and Levi had no bad intentions, and they did care about his opinion.

Noah let out a long and heavy sigh. Now he couldn’t even be mad for Levi’s sake. Initially, when this brick hit him from nowhere, besides feeling slighted, he also felt indignant on Levi’s behalf. How could they do such a thing?! Wasn’t this change unfair towards Levi? His big beauty of a bride suddenly turned into a big man!!

But then, he saw Levi’s reaction and realized his thinking had been wrong. It was clearly Levi who refused to marry if he was not marrying Noah. Maery could still swallow down this marriage if it was for the sake of her baby brother, but Levi couldn’t.

The previous days flashed in front of Noah’s eyes, and he understood. Levi didn’t like Maery, but Levi really liked him. Levi’s like might be a bit ambiguous and not entirely platonic, but this like was very loud and clear. Before the two of them had met, Levi had no qualms about marrying Maery to fulfill his responsibility as an heir of Astarea, but after meeting Noah, this marriage suddenly became unacceptable. How could Levi agree to marry a person whom he didn’t like when there was an alternative bride whom he liked very much?

How could he agree to spend the next twenty years chained to a person whom he didn’t get along with when he could be spending those twenty years happily playing with his good brother?

In the end, not only did Noah’s dissatisfaction completely evaporate, but he even felt a bit pleased. After all, why would he be displeased if such a highly-sought-after bachelor like Astar Levi wanted to marry him? Flattered, yes, but certainly not displeased.

Besides, what could he do? This adorkable brother-in-law of his occupied a soft spot in his heart, so even with a request like this, Noah really didn’t have the heart to say no… given the circumstances, even he thought that Levi marrying him made more sense than him marrying his sister… and since logically it made perfect sense, and emotionally he also wasn’t too conflicted about the matter, what else could he do but agree?

Speaking of which, not only was he not emotionally too conflicted about it, but he even felt a bit… delighted?

Noah quickly found a reasonable explanation for the bubbly happiness inside his chest. Since Levi had already taken liberties with him this morning, then wasn’t it just right to take responsibility for his brazen behavior with marriage? Or rather, if one put a label of a married couple on their head, suddenly this morning’s shameful actions became something natural. After all, if a husband had certain… needs, whom else could he seek out for help but his spouse?

Suddenly this morning’s brazen and naughty thing became just and righteous! In one swell swoop solving all the knots tangled up within Noah’s heart!

Marry, alright, no problem! But…

“The heir…” Noah sighed with resignation and removed the hands covering his face, “I understand the logic that friendship between the groom and the bride would make the alliance more secure, but the most important thing here is the heir!”

Hearing the obvious shift in Noah’s tone, both Maery’s and Levi’s heads snapped up in disbelief. Their little darling was like a deflated pufferfish, suddenly turning from a fierce hedgehog into a cuddly kitten!

Maery, after confirming with her own eyes that her little brother was no longer mad, felt her fujoshi heart bloom with splendor, and she could barely sit still in her seat.

“So what if both the bride and the groom are male?” Maery puffed up her chest in pride for her fujoshi culture, “It’s already this day and age; who discriminates between same-sex couples nowadays? Even the issue of a child is no longer an issue. With a day’s work in a lab, two men can also have a child just fine! Don’t you worry! Not just one! If you want, you can have a whole litter of little Levi-Arises running around!”

Noah didn’t quite know why, but that last statement made blood rush into his cheeks, and he quickly averted his eyes. Only to lock them with Levi’s resplendent gems of blue that were gleaming so dazzlingly bright with hopeful expectation. Noah’s breath caught in his throat, and he quickly covered up his face with his hands once again, like a little ostrich burying his head in the sand.

“One… one is enough…” Noah’s whimpering and nasally mewl of acquiescence made fireworks explode within Levi’s heart. Ah, ah! Baby agreed!! Baby agreed to marry him and have a child together!!!

- Author Note -

Did anyone else accidentally read ‘Levi-Arises’ as ‘Levi arises’? (￢◡￢)