"I just reversed time, but it seems I've abused this vessel too much. I couldn't immediately restore my appearance to the way it was," Shin continued.
Yeri somehow understood.
Reversing time was easy for him, but overusing his demonic abilities was something his human vessel simply couldn't withstand. That was why he now looked like this.
"What about everyone else? They don't seem to notice your current appearance," she said.
Shin smiled and glanced at Xati, who had returned to his human appearance. However, three orbs still floated around him, indicating that his abilities remained intact.
"Our son is doing a good job creating an illusion."
Xati glared at him before immediately transforming into an adorable little puppy when he turned toward Yeri.
"Empress Mother, you can rest assured that, to the humans, everything looks perfectly normal!"
Yeri "..."
So that explained why everyone was acting so calmly. In their eyes, Shin looked like Shin, and Xati looked like Xati.
Just then, two police officers approached Ellis Keir and announced, to everyone's shock, that they needed him to accompany them to the police station to assist with the investigation into the plane crash and Bryce Gate.
Ellis was so shocked he looked ready to explode.
However, when his gaze shifted toward Shin, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over him.
"How dare you accuse my husband!" his wife screamed.
Hiro also appeared out of nowhere. It was at this moment he was supposed to shoved Yeri.
Yet, the moment he and his mother looked at Shin, both were overcome by an inexplicable, overwhelming sense of fear.
"Aunt Grandma, do you like snakes?" Xati suddenly asked.
Ellis's wife shuddered as she looked down at Xati's innocent little face.
It felt like waking from a nightmare she couldn't remember, yet somehow, her body still remembered the terror.
In the end, Ellis had no choice but to accompany the officers, with his wife and son following to support him.
With Ellis no longer around to cause trouble, everyone finally began to settle down, and the accusations against Yeri soon became an afterthought.
"Go and change into your wedding dress," Shin said.
Before Yeri could respond, her father spoke first.
"This marriage cannot proceed."
Shin's eyes immediately turned dangerous, but Yeri quickly stopped her father before he could say another word.
"Dad, please. Let's talk, okay?" she pleaded, breaking free from Shin's embrace and walking toward her father.
Master Zhi frowned, his gaze shifting between his daughter and Shin Keir.
For some reason, his instincts were screaming at him to take his family and leave immediately. The entire place seemed to reek of danger. He assumed it was because of the way the Keirs had been treating his daughter.
"I'll get ready," Yeri said, giving Shin a meaningful look, as if silently telling him she would handle her family herself.
Then she ushered her parents and Jj away with her.
--
"Oh my God, Yz, you're so gorgeous!" Nina exclaimed.
Inside the bridal lounge, Yeri was surrounded by makeup artists, hairstylists, and other members of the wedding team, all working to prepare her for the ceremony.
Madam Zhi wore a complicated expression, as though she wanted to be happy for her daughter but couldn't shake the anxiety and fear gnawing at her.
Yeri gave her a reassuring smile.
She had already spoken with her parents, and despite their objections to the wedding, she remained determined to go through with it. Otherwise, the world would end.
Father Zhi assumed his daughter was simply blinded by love, believing that when she said 'her world would end without Shin Keir,' she was speaking metaphorically.
Little did he know that Yeri meant it quite literally.
Of course, there was no way she could tell them that the world had nearly ended earlier.
"Good thing Miss Zhi is naturally gorgeous. Otherwise, preparing everything in such a short time would be a disaster," the makeup artist commented.
Since no one had been certain whether Shin Keir would even show up, the bridal preparations, which were supposed to have begun that morning, had been delayed. Now, everything was crammed into the last few hours. The bridesmaids and everyone else walking down the aisle still needed their final touch-ups, too.
"Yeah! Big Sis is so pretty!" Xati chimed in from the side.
Speaking of Xati, Yeri patted the seat beside her, inviting him to sit.
Then she leaned closer and whispered, "Could you apply that illusion to me, too? You know, so I can see Brother Shin normally."
Xati blinked before answering, "I know. He's so ugly, isn't he?"
Yeri "..."
Well, who would want to marry a zombie emperor?
Even back in the Demon Realm, Emperor Hexion possessed a devastatingly handsome appearance, one that put even Shin Keir's human face to shame.
If Yeri ever looked back on this day as her wedding day, she wanted to remember happy, beautiful moments, not the image of a walking corpse standing beside her at the altar.
"Actually, Big Sis, the fact that you can see through my illusion means your abilities are still formidable," Xati said proudly.
Only then did Yeri realise the significance of his words.
She was a succubus. An illusion shouldn't work on her in the first place.
But could she use her own abilities to alter her perception of Shin's appearance?
"Don't," Xati warned, immediately catching on to what she was thinking. "Your body is weak. Using your abilities will probably exhaust you in no time. It'll be like lighting a matchstick and watching it burn out."
"Alright, everyone! We're almost ready! Double time, double time!" the wedding planner suddenly called out as she hurried over to check on them. "Miss Zhi, are you all done? Do you need anything else? It's time to put on your veil!"
"I don't need anything," Yeri replied as she stood up, bringing her conversation with Xati to an abrupt end.
"Congratulations."
Yeri looked up and was stunned to see Xian.
She remembered that he had also been caught up in the incident earlier, one of the people frozen in time.
"Thank you...I'm sorry you got dragged into my troubles for standing up for me earlier."
Xian chuckled. "I should be the one apologising. If Shin Keir hadn't shown up, there would have been another fabricated scandal involving you all because I meddled in your affairs."
"You don't dislike him anymore?"
Xian pursed his lips. "I don't think I'll ever like him, but as long as he treats you well, I wish you both the best."
Yeri smiled gratefully, but before they could continue their conversation, someone urged her to put on her veil.
-
The wedding was about to begin, and everyone was already in position.
Although Yeri's face was concealed beneath her veil, she still caught sight of Tristan standing beside Nina. After all, they were the maid of honour and best man.
However, that wasn't the problem.
Tristan had changed into a different outfit, but his appearance was only marginally better than Shin's. His skin was still cracked, and minor burns covered parts of his body.
Clearly, his human vessel hadn't been spared either. Pushing his inhuman abilities beyond what his body could withstand had taken its toll.
Noticing Yeri staring at him, Tristan winked.
Yeri "..."
This wedding was becoming more and more like a Halloween party.
Should she at least be relieved that Tristan had managed to reattach his severed arm?
Soon, the wedding music began, and the procession started.
The hired production team adjusted their cameras, while the permitted media representatives prepared to capture the ceremony.
Outside the venue, the world carried on as though nothing had happened.
Online, however, netizens flooded every livestream related to the wedding. The comments were moving so quickly that reading them had become nearly impossible.
"I can't believe Shin Keir actually showed up! No, wait, he's actually alive! My husband is alive and breathing! I'm so happy! Now he's about to become my ex-husband."
"Did you all see that? Ellis Keir was taken away by the police, and he's suspected of collaborating with that crime lord, Bryce Gate!"
"Damn it! I bet my entire savings with my friends that this wedding would never happen, and now I'm broke! Who's going to save me? I need to hold Shin Keir accountable! Why the hell did he pretend to be missing?!"
"Does anyone else feel strangely afraid right now, for no apparent reason? I don't know why, but I've had this lingering sense of dread that I can't explain or shake off."
Soon, countless people replied, admitting that they had been experiencing the same inexplicable feeling.
One user, however, had a different take.
"It's called a bad premonition, you idiots. Anyone who cursed, accused, or insulted Yeri Zhi earlier had better prepare for Shin Keir's lawyers to come knocking on their doors. LOL."
The countless netizens who had cyberbullied Yeri suddenly remembered one very important detail.
Shin Keir was the kind of man who had sued people without hesitation before.
And now, with his wedding finally taking place after all the rumours, accusations, and public scrutiny, surely he wouldn't let those who had attacked his wife get away with it this time.
Netizens immediately scrambled to delete their posts and comments, while others went as far as deleting their accounts and creating new ones, hoping to escape the inevitable legal notices.
-
Back at the venue, its grandeur was enough to leave anyone astounded.
Even Yeri, who had seen the place in ruins, could hardly believe her eyes.
Perhaps because so many things had happened since her arrival, she had only now found the chance to truly take in her surroundings.
As she walked down the aisle with her father beside her, she became absorbed in the fairytale-like setting. Everything was breathtaking, from the elegant decorations to the enchanting atmosphere that made the entire venue seem straight out of a dream.
However, amidst the beautiful scenery and elegantly dressed guests, one figure stood out as a complete contrast to everything and everyone else.
Shin Keir.
"Look at the bride's wedding gown! It's absolutely breathtaking!" one guest exclaimed.
"Gosh, how much did they spend on all this? And look at Shin Keir! He looks so different from his usual self. His corporate attire always makes him seem so overbearing and intimidating."
"Of course! It's his wedding, and he's marrying the woman he loves. Look at how genuinely happy he is. He might even be a little emotional!"
Yeri "..."
Of course he looked different.
If only they knew what he actually looked like right now, they wouldn't be talking about how happy and emotional he seemed. They'd probably be screaming for their lives instead.