People outside always thought their mother was a soft woman who only stood beside her husband, but that wasn't the case. Mother had a resilience deeply rooted in her, along with an independent mind, and now, even though it broke her heart, she still made a decision for the whole family.
For such a tender woman to personally marry her daughter into the Hallow Family, Charlotte already knew this was unavoidable for her. Or perhaps in the dim future ahead, she wouldn't even have time to experience a passionate romance to comfort this pitiful youth.
No time to think too much, no time to mourn for herself, the car had already reached the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau. Charlotte opened the car door and stepped out, suddenly feeling the backpack on her back was incredibly heavy, as if it was an inescapable shell.
Never having loved someone, yet about to plunge into marriage; the feeling was strange, like she was going blind, having never seen auroras, oceans, flowers, or fallen leaves—it felt such a pity.
She didn't stop for a moment as her mother pulled her into the hall of the Civil Affairs Bureau. Her always elegant mother actually seemed flustered at this time. Charlotte could even feel a slight sweat in her mother's soft hand. Had things become this serious?
Just as she hesitated, a stranger appeared in her sight, sudden and unexpected.
Actually, he was accompanied by two attendants, but he still stood out among them.
This was an excessively handsome man, with rugged brows and a tall nose under which were thin lips. His tall stature was a perfect clothes hanger. She could even see the distinct yet smooth contours beneath his black suit. The shoulders of the suit were stretched to the limit. A man who looks good in a suit surely has broad and sturdy shoulders. A man with such a perfectly rugged shoulder would also have chest muscles divided like channels. This man was clearly calm and reserved, yet when light shone on his face through that door, it gave him the aura of a radiant ruler.
He had always been a ruler, managing everything of the Hallow Clan, vast wealth, and numerous people's livelihoods, and he was about to register this marriage with her. Charlotte found it hard to believe everything was happening to her, secretly pinched herself, then watched as the man strode towards her direction.
As they passed each other, she caught his scent, a faint aroma difficult to describe, seemingly musk-like yet more layered. Charlotte was very sensitive to smells, feeling that everyone had a unique scent, a distinctive mark of existence in this world, disappearing when their scent faded.
He walked straight past her, and Atlas Hallow had never seen her, so he probably didn't know who he was going to register with?
Charlotte's father came out, having waited there, gesturing to Charlotte with a hand, his eyes filled with desolation and bitterness.
Walking behind this man, his steps were steady and powerful, each one seemingly stepping on the hearts of the Miller Family.
A man who holds the Miller Family's fate in his hands, each subtle move enough to make them tremble with fear.
When he walked past, Charlotte caught his eye, a gaze so calm and unwavering that it was hard to guess what he was thinking or what kind of person he was.
"Charlotte?" Atlas Hallow saw Charles Miller standing there, turned, and glanced at the woman behind him, slowly asking.
His voice was steady and magnetic, yet like a mysterious breeze rolling over the water's surface, stirring up waves that rushed towards her. Charlotte stood there fixedly, as if the name rolled out from his thin lips had rooted her in place.
"I am..." She lifted her eyes and met his gaze, a flash of white light crossing her mind. In the depths of his pupils was a cold light, incredibly noble.
"Let's go, I'm pressed for time." His voice sounded again, and only then did Charlotte collect herself.
Pressed for time? On the faces of the men and women going to and fro, there was almost always a look of sweet happiness. Perhaps they were the only ones meeting at the very last second before registration?
"Dad wants to say sorry, Charlotte, you've been wronged." Charles Miller's eyes turned red immediately when Charlotte quickened her pace to follow behind Atlas Hallow. He held Charlotte's hand and whispered.