[BL]Hunted by the God of Destruction-Chapter 283: Wedding

Chapter 283: Chapter 283: Wedding
By the time the procession arrived at the entrance of the Numen Grand Hall, the world outside had already dissolved into a fever of flashes, shouted names, and the mechanical whir of broadcast drones hovering above the gates. The front steps were lined with security personnel whose presence alone could have passed for a military parade: Numen Corp’s private guards in black, city officials in deep navy, and the Ministry’s security detail layered behind them in coordinated precision.
Every camera outside wanted the same impossible thing: a perfect glimpse of the groom and the groom’s groom, as if Victor Numen and Elias Clarke were mythic creatures descending from the clouds.
Elias felt everything, from the heat of the lights to the prickling hum of recognition rippling through the crow, but it only touched him distantly, muffled by Aria’s soft weight on his chest. She was tucked gently into a satin carrier beneath his cream suit jacket, her tiny ear pressed over his heartbeat as if she had timed her entire existence around being calm today.
Victor walked behind him, one hand resting lightly at Elias’s back, steady and warm. The other hand wrapped protectively around the small of Aria’s carrier, as if any misstep by the world might result in divine retribution. The effect made more than a few diplomats swallow tightly.
They stepped into the entrance hall, leaving the chaos behind.
And the world changed.
The interior unfolded in pale gold and warm ivory, as if someone had carved a cathedral out of light. Chandeliers dripped from the ceiling like frozen constellations, their crystals catching every movement in a scattering of soft brilliance. Floral arrangements spilled over balconies, with lush roses, tall white orchids, and delicate vines cascading like silk ribbons. The room smelled faintly of peonies and warm candle wax, elegant without suffocating sweetness.
The staircase rising toward the ceremony hall was wide enough to be mistaken for the entrance to a royal palace. Each step gleamed under the glow of strategically placed candelabras, outlining the marble in soft amber.
Guests filled the expansive space below and above: ministers in tailored suits, ambassadors in handcrafted silks, corporate titans, and old-money dynasties dressed in fabrics that whispered wealth with every shift. The air carried the murmur of high-stakes diplomacy disguised as celebration.
The moment Victor appeared at the top of the staircase, voices dropped.
The moment Elias followed, carrying their daughter, the room went silent.
Elias felt Victor lean closer, just enough for his breath to warm his ear. "They’re staring at you," Victor murmured, an unmistakable note of pride woven into the low timbre of his voice.
"No," Elias whispered back. "They’re staring at you."
Victor’s smile was impossible to hide. "Good. As long as they know who to fear."
They descended the staircase slowly, every step measured against the weight of the moment. Aria stirred beneath Elias’s jacket, her fingers curling into the fabric. No one dared breathe too loudly as they passed.
At the base of the steps, Ego waited with the solemnity of a king and the posture of a man who had personally overseen the staging of every chandelier. He wore deep navy trimmed in metallic thread, a subtle crown motif worked into the embroidery of his collar.
He looked at Victor first with pride, inevitability, and mild exasperation in equal measure.
Then he looked at Elias, eyes narrowing in a way that meant:
’You better not run.’
Elias bowed his head. "Sir."
"Don’t sir me on your wedding day," Ego replied, though the corner of his mouth fought a smile. "You look acceptable."
Victor glared. "He looks perfect."
"As I said," Ego corrected, "acceptable."
Before they could argue again, the ceremonial doors opened in a sweep of golden light.
The hall beyond was breathtaking.
Vaulted ceilings soared overhead, adorned with frescoes depicting the rise of the Numen lineage mythic, intimidating, and embarrassingly flattering. Long tables draped in ivory linen lined the sides of the hall, set with crystal goblets and gold-trimmed porcelain. Candles floated above each table in a suspended arrangement of hundreds, their flames moving gently as if choreographed.
The aisle stretched forward like a river of soft shimmer, leading to the central dais where the officiant, a high-ranking official from both the Ministry and the Corporate Ecclesia, stood waiting with open hands.
Victor’s fingers brushed Elias’s as they stepped into the hall.
"You ready?" Victor murmured again.
Elias inhaled, his lungs filling with the warm scent of flowers and polished marble. "Yes."
The walk felt long, not because of nerves, but because everything else fell away: guests, cameras, politics, and the expectations of nations. The chandeliers glittered above them, reflections dancing across Victor’s suit like embers in slow motion. Aria shifted against his chest again, a tiny breath escaping her as if blessing the moment.
When they reached the dais, the official bowed deeply before them.
"Today," he began, "the House of Numen welcomes not merely a union of two individuals, but the alignment of legacy and future, intelligence and power, devotion and vision..."
Someone cleared their throat loudly from the guests.
Connor.
Victor didn’t look back. "Connor, I swear..."
"It was getting dramatic," Connor whispered defensively, but loudly enough for everyone to hear.
Laughter rippled quietly through the hall, tension easing like a knot loosening at the right seam.
The officiant continued, this time with a faint smile. "We gather under the blessing of those present and those watching from every corner of the world to recognize the joining of Victor Numen and Elias Clarke."
Elias turned toward Victor, meeting crimson eyes that had softened in a way the world was not meant to see.
Victor’s voice was quiet and intimate, barely carrying across the dais. "I choose you. Today and always."
Elias swallowed, the words settling in his chest like a promise he’d already been living. "And I choose you. Without condition."
Aria chose that exact moment to sigh again, the softest exhale against Elias’s collar. Victor’s expression melted, reverent and undone.
The officiant lifted his hands. "Then by the authority granted to me by the Ministry, the Corporate Ecclesia, and the House of Numen, I declare this union witnessed, sealed, and recognized."
A murmur rose from relief, joy, and the excitement of seeing two nations combine into something formidable.
Victor leaned in, brushing his forehead against Elias’s. "You’re mine," he whispered.
Elias exhaled, soft and certain. "And you’re mine."
The hall erupted in applause, rich and thunderous, and the chandeliers seemed to blaze brighter.
Outside, the paparazzi went feral.
Inside, the elite of the world rose to their feet.
But within the small space between their hands and their daughter’s quiet breaths, time slowed into something private and sacred, something only the three of them could feel.
Their family had just been made official.
And the world had witnessed it.