The 3 B's- Beauty, Brains and Bravery

The next morning, Xi Yuan took a day off from work, so as to accompany Rong Xinghe for the most essential wedding shopping. The couple was yet to select their ceremonial outfits and considering the fact that this particular wedding was literally a globally awaited event, they couldn't go for anything ordinary. That was just how the fame politics worked, unfortunately. Despite their efforts of keeping the wedding as simple as possible, Rong Xinghe and Xi Yuan couldn't turn a blind eye to their and their families' statuses, whatsoever. 

'Do not let her look at the price tags, alright?', Lu Wei had warned Xi Yuan the night before, 'And make an online payment via my account.', he'd added next. 

'I can pay as well.", Xi Yuan had offered, confused. 

'As much as I'd love to watch you loosen your purse strings, Yuan...', the man smiled, 'The Bride's side of the family is supposed to do this. Besides, it's not every day that we get to spoil Kiddo like that.'

'Hey! Give me the phone.', Ningtao had said to the man then, snatching the device from her husband, 'One very important thing, Yuan. No matter what, do not watch her in the wedding dress, okay? They say it's bad luck.'

'That won't be an issue.', Xi Yuan said assuringly, 'Fang and Ying are joining us, for just that. Mom and Dad have been freaking out about that too, you see.'

As the SUV wheeled over the highway, Xi Yuan glanced at the girl beside him. Rong Xinghe had turned around in the passenger seat, and crossed her legs like a child, holding onto the headrest she'd gotten rid of about five minutes after they'd left the Elite residential expance so that she could comfortably chat with the Xi twins sitting behind them. Adorable.

"I can't believe you guys are actually getting married.", Xi Ying laughed, "And that too, in Duke Raphael and Princess Pearl's Palace! The only English monument standing upon Country X's grounds today. I thought that their descendants were extremely private about the historic castle."

"They are.", Rong Xinghe nodded, "But Bro Mo is great at doing people favors. They owed him one. You do the math now."

"Wow.", Xi Fang nodded, impressed, "So what's the story behind this venue anyway?"

"You seriously don't know!?", Xi Ying turned to stare at her twin with disbelief evident in her eyes, "It's the most heartwarming love story that ever took birth on this land.

"Duke Raphael was a valorous warrior during the dark ages, who was sent to rule over the now Country X, which had been occupied by the foreign powers back then. Haunted by the demons of his own past, Raphael was said to be one of the most admired men back then. He was an intellectual, a noteworthy artist, and an excellent nobility, at that. 

"But he believed for himself to be utterly incapable of love. At least, until he saw Princess Pearl, right here on the soil of Country X. There were two worrisome hindrances in his path, but."

"What were they?", Xi Fang questioned, genuinely intrigued now.

Rong Xinghe giggled, taking over from Xi Ying, as she resumed the story, "Princess Pearl was the daughter to Duke and his King's primary enemy. Hence, she was but a nemesis to him. And secondly, she was an excellent medical professional, who had sworn to serve her patients until her very last breath. Forbidden to do so in her own country, Pearl had escaped from her own home and arrived here in Country X. She was one passionate woman.

"But, Raphael, in spite of knowing that just how ridiculous an idea it was to love an enemy, chose to pursue her still. Not only that, he helped her advance Country X's medical conditions back then. Many believe that Pearl was the reason Country X never underwent the destructive viral disease that'd spread throughout our neighboring countries a millennia ago. 

"Even so, it is said that Pearl had turned Raphael down multiple times before she'd finally acknowledged his feelings for her. There was an uproar when they'd gotten married, you know. The King wanted Raphael to kill Pearl, for he was worried about losing a loyal soldier to his enemies. But being the lover he was, Raphael not only protected her firmly, but he also ensured that she lived her dream as a doctor to the end. And she did.

"Raphael and Pearl were inseparable. The public was crazy for them and their love. So when the King sent over an entire army to exterminate the couple, the whole of this land had put on a united front, swearing on their lives to shield the two. In the end, the King had to let go of his narrow mindset and leave the nation to its rightful rulers. 

"Four years down the line, they had two sons, both remarkably wise. It is even said that the Princess and the Duke breathed their last together, right there in that Palace, where we're supposed to marry now."

"This story is somewhat like that of brother and you, don't you think?", Xi Fang clicked his tongue, coming to a conclusion after a while. Xi Yuan glimpsed at the man from the car's rear-view mirror before he reverted his gaze back to the road, his mouth stretching to form a relaxed smile.

"I do.", Rong Xinghe shrugged, "In fact, their love story was one of the reasons I selected that palace out of all the 348 regal locations in Country X, Sweetie. I didn't want to get married in a place with doomed marriages, and an unending trail of violence. This castle is immensely breathtaking, both in appearance and sanctity. Not a drop of blood was ever shed in that palace throughout the years of its establishment, you know? Not once."

"But I am nothing like Raphael.", Xi Yuan said solemnly, "My Queen doesn't need a King to hold onto her own crown. She's capable of it herself."

"Raphael quoted the same!", Xi Ying almost jumped up, clasping her hands with excitement, "My God! You are Duke 2.0."

"He really is.", Rong Xinghe laughed, planting a tender peck against the man's cheek. Surprised by the girl's sudden affection, the man let out a short but hearty laugh. She really looked up to him, didn't she? It was warmly flattering, really. The emotion overwhelming him, at the moment. But as long as it was her on the other end, he could be anything she needed him to be. Her Romeo, her Raphael, her Augustus Waters. Only if, it was her.