Reincarnated as a step-dad in a fantasy world

Chapter 308 : Wedding story

"So, what's the play about?" Alex asked, taking a sip from his glass of wine. His smoke mask was nowhere in sight, allowing his strikingly handsome face to be fully revealed. Fortunately, the room was empty with Freya being the only one present. Her gaze lingered on his features, subtly admiring the rare opportunity to see him unmasked without the prying eyes of others to interrupt the moment.

The room in which they sat was brightly lit, though not to the point of being overbearing. Instead, the lighting created a warm, inviting ambiance that naturally heightened one's appetite and comfort. The subtle golden glow from the lamps complemented the elegant décor, making it an ideal space for casual dining or intimate conversations.

Despite its cozy charm, this room wasn’t the venue for their date. In fact, its purpose wasn't designed to cater to guests like a typical restaurant. It served more as a preparatory lounge for those attending events, providing a quiet space to relax before the main attraction.

The reason the two of them had come here was to watch a play scheduled for today. From what Freya had explained to him, each year during the Drazen auction, a series of plays were performed nightly for an entire month. These plays were highly anticipated cultural events, often serving as preludes to the grandeur of the auction itself.

As he had come to learn, Freya was someone who had a deep appreciation for theater plays. Unfortunately, her demanding work schedule didn’t allow her the luxury of attending regularly. Instead, she made it a point to visit the theater whenever her time permitted, savoring the experience whenever she could.

Alex, on the other hand, was genuinely excited. The previous Alex had never attended a play, and by the time Jack was born, Earth's societies had long abandoned traditional forms of entertainment like live theater.

Freya swirled the wine in her glass with a practiced elegance before taking a sip. "I don’t know," she replied with a light shrug. "When I come to the theater, I never look into what the play is about beforehand. I prefer to figure it out as the story unfolds—it makes the experience more engaging."

"Fair enough," Alex smiled. "Then we’ll just have to wait and see what this play is about."

"Yes, it should start in a few minutes," Freya replied.

The very reason they were here, enjoying fine food and wine, was because they had arrived a little too early for the play. When the theater director learned that the matriarch of the Drazen family was in attendance, he’d gone into a frenzy of excitement. Not wanting to risk offending her or her companion, he quickly arranged a private space for them to dine and refresh themselves, ensuring they would remain comfortable while they waited.

"Umm..." Freya began hesitantly. She swirled her glass, watching the wine catch the light, before taking another sip and clamping her lips shut.

"What is it?" Alex inquired, offering her a reassuring smile. "You can ask me anything."

Freya nodded, her expression softening slightly. "From what I’ve gathered, you already have a wife—her name is Lilia, correct?"

Alex raised a brow, surprised by the question. 'I didn’t see that coming,' he thought. "Yes, I do have a wife named Lilia."

He paused briefly, a teasing smile curling his lips as an idea formed in his mind. "What, are you wondering if I could take another wife?"

Contrary to the flustered reaction Alex had expected, Freya simply nodded her head. "Yes, that’s exactly what I was wondering."

'Not fun,' Alex grumbled mentally. He already had a doubt, but it seemed that Freya was too honest, brutally so. Just as she didn't try to hide her disdain for Frieda, she also didn't try to hide her interest in him. Alex quite liked that aspect of her personality. What was bothering him was the fact that due to this personality trait, he couldn't tease her!

If there was one thing that he liked to do, that was teasing people and while he might have done it when they met, he was feeling that the more time they passed together, the harder it would be to tease Freya. He wanted to do so while she asked him out by asking if it was a date and instead of denying the facts, she just nodded yes. 'At least at that time she had blushed, now she is looking at me curiously,' Alex chuckled to himself.

As of right now, he decided that he wouldn't miss a single opportunity to tease her!

"Regarding your question, yes, I can take another wife. In fact, I currently have three wives," Alex declared with a meaningful smile.

Freya seemed to be surprised by his answer, especially when he mentioned having three wives, but after a second, Alex would have sworn that he caught a hint of a smile appearing on her face.

"What about your husband?" Alex inquired.

"What about him?" Freya responded, her tone neutral, though her face briefly darkened. 

"I haven't heard either you or Maya mention her father, where's he?"

"Dead," Freya answered succinctly, "he had been assassinated a year after Maya's birth," she explained.

"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss," Alex muttered. He was just saying it to be polite, though. In truth, he didn't really care what happened to Maya's dad. From his perspective, it was even good news that he wasn't around; otherwise, he would have had to deal with the hassle of stealing the man's wife.

Freya snorted in response, her expression hardly changing. "When he died, the family lost its patriarch, so I guess it was a loss," she said, her voice heavy with a certain indifference. She sighed, looking down into her wine glass before continuing, "But personally, it wasn't much of a loss. To tell you the truth, I often caught myself thinking that it was for the best of everyone that he died."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem to hold your deceased husband in your heart," he remarked.

"Not really," Freya nodded. "Our wedding was more of an arrangement by the elders than a true marriage."

She took a gulp of wine and continued, her gaze distant as if lost in thought. "My late husband came from the main branch, and much like everyone from that branch, they think themselves superior to the second branch. In a word, he was a supremacist of the main branch. After he became the patriarch, the pressure on the second branch gradually intensified. However, that changed when I became the head of the second branch."

"Suddenly, the income generated from our side of the family increased, and it even reached a point where we contributed more financially than the main branch despite the pressure of the patriarch. At the same time, this success further accelerated the division within the family, and the conflict between the two branches quickly escalated," Freya explained, her tone carrying a mix of pride and bitterness.

"Let me guess, to appease the conflict between the two branches, the elders decided to marry the heads of the two respective branches," Alex speculated, leaning forward slightly.

"Exactly!" Freya chuckled lightly, swirling the wine in her glass. "To the surprise of those old fogies, though, this decision only exacerbated the conflict. Neither branch approved of the union. However, as you will come to understand if the cooperation between your organization and our family lasts, the word of the elders is absolute. Whether we were on board or against it, the wedding happened, and I became the patriarch’s second wife."

"Second wife? Who was his first wife—Frieda?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow as his curiosity deepened.

"Once again, you're right," Freya chuckled. "Frieda was indeed his first wife, and she absolutely did not approve of our marriage. Her disapproval was the main reason she became so hostile toward me. Ironically, before that, we were actually friends. We shared the same ambition: uniting the Drazen family into a single, cohesive unit."

She sighed deeply, her gaze softening. "Her hostility toward me only grew worse when I became pregnant with Maya, while she, unfortunately, couldn’t conceive a child of her own. After our ‘husband’ died, I was determined to become the next matriarch, while she was ‘merely’ promoted to head of the first branch. Her resentment took a darker turn, and she began scheming to undermine me at every step."

Freya glanced at Alex and offered a faint smile. "That’s the gist of my wedding story. Not exactly the most fascinating tale," she added with a light chuckle, as if amused by her own words.

At that moment, a soft knock came at the door, and a servant informed them that the play would begin in just a few minutes.

Freya downed the rest of her wine in one smooth motion and stood up with a radiant smile. "Well then, shall we go see what this play is all about?"