Rosetta used the back of her coat sleeves to wipe it before explaining to Eugene, "I--I forgot to carry my handkerchief." She stared at Eugene, while carrying her emotions on her sleeves. She couldn't believe that he had uttered those words to her.
"It's okay," Eugene tenderly smiled at the vampiress. He dipped his hand in his coat, pulled out his handkerchief, and said, "You can use mine."
"Now might be the good time to come down," Timotei remarked, and Rosetta didn't waste time throwing the luggage from the tower to the ground, which was cushioned by the snowy ground. Next, Rosetta jumped, and Eugene caught her in his arms before gently letting her on the ground.
Rosetta couldn't stop the tears that continued to spill from her eyes, and she used the handkerchief that Eugene gave her. The black cat said, "Someone is going to mistake you and me to be kidnapping her," when he heard the vampiress blow her nose into the handkerchief.
Eugene agreed and said, "Before we came here I noticed the chapel of the town open. Let us go there."
Rosetta, who was done wiping her eyes and nose, asked him, "But we won't be able to find the priest there at this hour." How could they get married without a priest?
"I have got you both covered on it. There was a time I was so bored, and I decided to read the entire book of marriage oath. I am as good as a priest," the black cat quickly made its way towards the chapel.
Eugene went to pick up Rosetta's luggage, and she quickly came to stand on the other side to help him. She offered, "Let me help you."
"That's fine," Eugene smiled at her thoughtfulness. The vampiress had changed since the first time they had met, and he said, "I am not a human, but a vampire with more strength. I have got this."
Rosetta pursed her lips and closely followed him. On the way, she and Eugene now and then stared at each other in quietness. She had a stunned expression as everything still felt like a dream, and Eugene smiled at her.
When they reached the chapel, Rosetta pushed the doors of the chapel, which was left slightly ajar.The chapel felt warmer with no wind blowing around, and Rosetta relaxed her shoulders. Many candles burned at the front, leaving the inside of the chapel bright. She noticed the black cat prancing around before standing in the middle of the altar. Timotei spoke,
"I wonder if I can be a priest once Eve turns me into a vampire. I would be excellent in the job, especially taking in the confessions. Imagine the number of dirty secrets I will get to hear and they will be blessed to get advice from me. Come children, stand in front of me."
Rosetta turned shy, and she walked carefully towards the altar. Eugene, who reached there first after leaving her luggage to the side, he turned to look at her and said,
"We don't have to hurry. We can do this some other day, when you are ready."
But the vampiress shook her head and said, "No. This is perfect as it is." This is what she wanted, to marry him and it didn't matter if the wedding was small or big. But then she realised, "We... don't have rings."
"Give me a moment," Eugene said, raising his hand and pulling out a dull-looking ring from his finger and saying, "This is all I have for now as I wasn't prepared. I promise to put a better one, when I will earn enough and give you what you deserve."
Rosetta took a deep breath so that she wouldn't keep crying. She nodded with a smile, and Eugene turned relieved. As much as the vampiress loved him, he knew she deserved a proper ring, not a shabby one. The truth was that when he had left the Moriarty mansion earlier, he had no plans to propose to her.
Eugene doubted there was any other woman who was like Rosetta. The woman wasn't perfect, but she was doing much better than before, and he knew with time, she would improve to be the woman she wanted to be--the right kind.
"Alright! Let us start the ceremony before we are interrupted by someone or they catch me talking," Timotei hurriedly said and cleared his throat. "Dear beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this company of witnesses to join together this man and this woman to be married to each other. Though if you ask me, in the beginning I thought that it was a strange match."
Eugene and Rosetta turned and looked at the black cat, who continued, "But as days have passed, I have come to understand that love has the ability to surpass class and kind. Eugene is a kind man, sometimes stone hearted when he doesn't serve my food on time. And Rosetta can or is naive and hard headed."
"We should have waited for an actual priest," Eugene muttered, and Timotei was quick to hush him,
"Shh, don't talk when I am talking to God," Timotei glared at Eugene. The black cat said, "But they have been there for each other during their hardest times. I believe they will balance each other, and be there for each other. The ring."
Eugene stretched his hand forward and asked Rosetta, "Your hand."
Rosetta felt giddiness entering her mind, and she quickly placed her hand in his without making him wait any longer. She felt him push the ring onto her ring finger and her heart skipped a beat.
Timotei asked, "Rosetta, do you take Eugene as your husband?"
"I do," Rosetta replied with her heart racing.
"Eugene, do you take Rosetta as your wife?" Timotei asked, with his tail moving. When it moved too close to a candle's flame, he quickly pulled his tail to his chest and blew air on it.
Eugene nodded, "I do."
Timotei said, "Then the power vested in my paws and my intelligent mind and thanks to my nose for finding Rosetta, I pronounce you husband and wife. You can now kiss the bride."
Rosetta stood there in her place, overwhelmed with joy and slight nervousness slipped in when Eugene took a step forward. When he kissed her, all her worries and anxiousness melted away. It was a kiss filled with warmth that she hadn't felt in a long time.
As Eugene pulled away from their kiss, Rosetta turned into a puddle and the smile on her lips was wide. She whispered, "I am your wife."
Timotei, who was done blowing air on his tail, said, "Now, this is just a temporary wedding and you will need to redo it in front of everyone." He hopped on the ground and said, "Now, we need to have her back before the clock strikes evil at us!"
Rosetta, Eugene and Timotei made their way back to Skellington. As easy as it was to jump out of her balcony room, the vampiress realised it wasn't easy to get back with the luggage in her room.
After spending an hour, where they avoided the guard's eyes and helped Rosetta back to her room, Eugene and Timotei returned to the Moriarty mansion, climbed into the bed, and fell asleep.
Rosetta slipped into her bed when she was done peeking through the window until she couldn't see Eugene anymore. She bit her lip in shyness and raised her hand that Eugene had slipped his ring. She had Eugene's ring! No, she was his wife!
She pulled her blanket close to her and grinned.
Suddenly Rosetta's room door opened, and Lady Aurora took a peek at her daughter to ensure she was sleeping.
On feeling someone in her room, Rosetta quickly closed her eyes and behaved as if she was fast asleep.
Lady Aurora moved closer to Rosetta's bed, watching her daughter before stepping out of the room. With a satisfied nod, she closed the door and turned to Blythe, her maid, "Make sure you keep guard. Nothing can go wrong, and soon our family will be able to restore the way it has been."
"Yes, milady," Blythe bowed and stood in front of Rosetta, where both the women were late in finding what had occurred since they had seen the young vampiress. Not knowing that she was now married to a person Lady Aurora would never marry her daughter to, lest imagine it.
Hours passed, and finally, the sun rose with the clouds not hiding it anymore.
The people in Skellington as well as other towns, were excited to see the wedding that was going to take place today and wanted to be part of it. While most had received the latest wedding invitations from Vincent, there were a few handful people, who still believed that he was going to marry the marquee and the marchioness's daughter.
