A soul wedding.

It's exactly what it sounds like.

A ceremony to bind two souls in marriage.

That godforsaken wedding, forced upon us by filthy adults who tied us together for their own gain.

They tried to persuade me with bullshit about it being for the family, for the future of both houses.

Honestly, until I saw your face, I would have rather died than do it.

Why should I sacrifice my future to someone I don't even know for their sake?

But.

That thought vanished completely the moment I saw you.

I remember that day vividly.

You, so small and soft, toddling along while clutching the hand of the woman who seemed to be your mother.

Your round eyes wide, looking around as if you were scared of the large, unfamiliar place.

Then, those eyes that found me standing among the crowd and stared at me from half a step behind your mother, holding her hand tight.

I remember the weather that day.

The small breath you let out when you stopped in front of me.

Even the air that day, which felt strangely quiet.

It stayed in my memory that clearly.

That's how I had a soul wedding with you, so small and young.

Were you five years old then?

Your exact age doesn't matter anymore.

All I remember is one thing.

From that day on, you were mine.

At least, that's what I thought.

So when I heard the news that you were marrying another man,

At first, I thought I had misheard.

But I hadn't.

It really was today.

Not the wedding with me that I had remembered for so long,

But the day you stand beside another man to exchange vows.

I didn't do anything for a long time.

I tried to understand.

That, like the adults said, our wedding might have just been a ritual like a childhood prank.

That despite the grand name of a 'soul wedding,' it had no legal effect, so it was only natural for you to marry someone else.

Right.

I should have just thought that.

I should have just let it go.

But why.

Why does my stomach twist like this just by imagining you standing next to that man?

In the end, I couldn't hold back.

The doors to the wedding hall were thrown open violently.

Bang.

The noisy hall fell silent in an instant.

Countless gazes poured onto me all at once.

But I saw nothing.

Only one person entered my sight.

You, standing in the middle of the hall in pure white clothes.

And the man I'd never seen before standing beside you.

I walked slowly toward you.

Someone tried to block my path, but I pushed them aside.

I couldn't even hear who was shouting what.

A few steps.

And a few more.

Finally, I stood before you.

The same eyes you had when you looked at me as a child were now turned toward me.

I couldn't say anything for a moment.

I just looked at you.

Then, I opened my mouth and spoke in a low voice.