Husband With Benefits-Chapter 884: Seriously?

"I think it’s the fate of us sisters to get married in a civil affairs bureau," Arabelle murmured as she signed the marriage papers, her tone carrying a mix of resignation and humor.

Rafe grinned, watching her with amusement before leaning in to add his signature with a flourish. "Well, you were the one who insisted on keeping it simple. If you want, I can still organize a grand celebration," he teased, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

Arabelle shook her head firmly. "No, thank you. This is better—straightforward and fuss-free. Besides, now that we’re officially married, we can finally go home and rest."

Rafe chuckled, shaking his head. "Not so fast. We still need to go to the other venue for the bridal photo session. After that, the publicity team will want a few shots to go with the official announcement. It’s part of the package, remember?"

Arabelle rolled her eyes dramatically. "Seriously? Haven’t I posed for enough pictures already? We’ve been ’engaged’ for barely a month, and I swear I’ve taken more photos during this time than I have in my entire life!"

"Not my fault everyone thinks you’re photogenic," Rafe countered with a grin.

"Photogenic?" Arabelle groaned, throwing her hands in the air. "I’m traumatized, Rafe. Every morning, I wake up with this irrational fear that someone’s caught me in some embarrassing moment—like scratching my nose or yawning. Imagine the headlines!"

Rafe laughed as they walked towards the next room, his steps light with amusement. "You really should’ve brought this up earlier. For what it’s worth, the local media follows strict guidelines. They can’t release any pictures of you without clearance from the royal office. So, even if someone does manage to snap something unflattering, it’s never going to see the light of day."

Arabelle’s eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, really? Why didn’t you tell me this before? That changes everything!" She smirked, a mischievous glint lighting up her face. "Just you watch—every time I spot a paparazzo now, I’m going to scratch my nose or make the weirdest face possible. Let’s see them try to work with that! And you better instruct your office to not give them clearance to publish the pictures."

Rafe burst out laughing, shaking his head. "You’re unbelievable, Arabelle. But honestly, I think even your ’weird faces’ would probably end up looking charming. The paparazzi would probably label them as ’quirky’ and ’adorable and beg my staff for permission’"

She rolled her eyes again, but a small smile tugged at her lips. "If that happens, I’m blaming you."

Rafe gave her a playful shrug. "And you married me anyway. That’s on you, my dear wife."

With that, they stepped into the next room, as Arabelle stared at him," What is it with this dear wife thing?"

"Hey! I am newly married. I need practice to remember I have a wife."

Arabelle shook her head. If anyone needed a reminder about this new circumstance, it was probably her. After all, she still had trouble believing that she had not just agreed to be his wife but also gone ahead and done the deed without having anyone over from the family. She’d probably getting an earful about this from everyone, especially Autumn. But that was another story.

She glanced at Rafe from the corner of her eyes. It was odd, this easy camaradarie. Even though they were ’engaged’ and now married, the total number of interactions she’d had with him was limited to the photoshoots and official events. The entire month had been spent in ’queen’ training and understanding of the local politics. Thankfully, she’d had experience of that because of Dora who had insisted on taking her along for these classes when they were children.

But now that they had signed on the dotted line, she felt... odd. Had she actually taken such a big step without telling Rafe anything?

Inside the small room, Arabelle turned to stand beside Rafe, her heart beating a little faster as the photographer adjusted his camera. The soft hum of conversation buzzed around them, and the staff moved about, preparing for the impromptu photo session.

"Stand a little closer, Your Highness," the photographer directed, and Rafe did not need any prompting. Immediately, he placed his arm around her and pulled her close.

Arabelle glanced at him. This picture was supposed to be the official photograph for the marriage certificate. Why were they posing so much?

However, as the photographer requested them to pose and look at each other, she knew what this was. A chance for the photographer to release the first shorts of their marriage.

The photographer clicked a few quick shots, his enthusiasm apparent. "Perfect! Just a few more. Can you both lean your heads closer and smile?"

Rafe turned toward her, his expression playful. "You heard the man, dear wife," he whispered, his tone teasing.

Arabelle suppressed a groan but managed a soft smile as she met his gaze.

As the final clicks echoed in the room, the photographer lowered his camera, beaming. "Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! A historic moment captured perfectly."

The small group of onlookers, staff, and assistants burst into applause, their excitement filling the room. One of them, an older woman with a warm smile, clasped her hands together. "To think we’d be here to witness the royal couple’s marriage! Such an honor!"

Another voice chimed in, brimming with excitement. "Your Highnesses, could we perhaps see a kiss for the camera? It would make the announcement even more special!"

Arabelle’s eyes widened in alarm, and she instinctively looked at Rafe, silently pleading for him to deflect the request. But to her dismay Rafe turned to her with a wicked grin.

Before she could protest, Rafe stepped closer and cupped her cheek gently, leaning in. And then he leaned in and whispered in her ear," I’ve been wanting this chance forever. I should probably award this person." Arabelle let out a surprised gasp. Oookkay.. They had indeed not kissed after that night but this was...

Even while she was trying to assimilate this, his lips brushed against hers in a soft, quick kiss that sent a jolt of surprise through her. The room erupted into cheers and clapping, the enthusiasm overwhelming.

Arabelle blinked, trying to process what had just happened. Her cheeks flushed as she saw Rafe pull back, his expression calm but with a hint of smug satisfaction.

"Perfect," he said casually, turning to the photographer. "You got what you needed?"

The photographer nodded, his grin wide. "Absolutely, Your Highness. That was perfect."

Rafe reached for Arabelle’s hand, guiding her toward the door as the crowd continued to cheer. She followed, still slightly dazed. Why was she dazed? She could not help but ask herself She should have expected this! Rafe had warned her repeatedly that their chemistry was still too explosive.

As they stepped outside into the fresh air, Rafe helped her into the car as he said in a light tone."After you, dear wife," he said, his tone light.

Arabelle rolled her eyes and climbed into the car. As he slid in beside her and the door closed, she finally found her voice. "You didn’t have to do that."

Rafe leaned back in his seat, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "It was for the cameras, remember? Publicity, announcements, and all that."

Arabelle narrowed her eyes at him, though a small smile tugged at her lips despite herself. "You opportunist. You’re enjoying this way too much."

"Maybe," Rafe admitted with a shrug, his grin widening. "But you have to admit, it was fun."

She harrumphed but then rolled her eyes and turned to say something when he leaned in close and cupped her face. She blinked. Gone was the grin and playfulness in his eyes as he leaned in close and whispered, "I am pleased to marry you, Arabelle Frost. No... Arabelle Ignis. Thank you for saying yes."

Arabelle stilled. This... was too much like a confession. She could not handle all this. So, she leaned back to break the tension and raised a shoulder," If someone can be blamed for this, it was your swimmers..."

Rafe looked at her for a moment and she wondered if she’d ended up offending him but then, thankfully, he leaned back and laughed," Well, then, I guess, I must thank my swimmers."

Arabelle gave him a small smile then and turned to look out where one of the employees was rushing out, with an envelope in his hand.

As the employee approached, slightly out of breath but with a wide smile, he knocked on the door, "Your Highness, this is the official certificate and a few preliminary photographs from today’s session. We thought you might like to have them."

Rafe accepted the envelope with a gracious nod. "Thank you."

The employee retreated with a respectful bow, and Rafe turned to Arabelle, holding out the envelope. His expression softened as he offered it to her. "Here you go, dear wife. Our first official document as a married couple."

Arabelle gave him a skeptical look but took the envelope anyway, her fingers brushing against his as she did. "You really enjoy saying that, don’t you?"

"Immensely," he admitted with a smirk, leaning back in his seat to watch her.