Florence Varley had been busy the whole afternoon, finally arranging the bridal chamber.
The master bedroom, once dominated by Anthony Varley's cold tones, was now adorned in red and festive decorations.
Happiness symbols, lanterns, candles, wedding veils, mandarin duck quilt... everything necessary was there.
Yet no matter how hard Florence tried, the atmosphere of the wedding felt cold and dull.
If nothing had happened to Anthony, his wedding would naturally have been the focus of the entire city's attention.
Grand and magnificent, stealing all the limelight.
But given the current circumstances, the Varley Clan chose to keep it as low-key as possible, not notifying a single friend or relative.
Only the very core members of the Varley family knew about the existence of this wedding.
Florence did ask Sarah Sullivan if she wanted to invite some family members from her side to witness the ceremony.
But was shut down by a cold look from Sarah.
Since the traditional ceremony was not possible, they skipped straight to the bridal chamber portion.
Under Florence's insistence, Sarah donned the grand ceremonial attire and covered her head with a red veil.
She sat quietly at the edge of the bed.
The groom on the bed lay unresponsive, like a living dead.
"Brightan, come help lift the veil for your father."
Florence brought the exquisitely dressed boy up to Sarah.
The boy was a bit shy, hesitated a moment, but eventually tiptoed to lift the red veil from Sarah's head.
Revealing a stunning face, made even more beautiful under the flickering candlelight.
"Alright, now it's time for the mother-in-law to present the token to the daughter-in-law."
Florence signaled to Mrs. Varley with a wink.
Mrs. Varley feigned ignorance: "What token?"
Florence didn't indulge her sister-in-law's act: "Sister-in-law, isn't it the jade bracelet of our Varley family? It's traditionally passed down through generations. When you married my brother, my mother personally wore it on you."
Mrs. Varley knew exactly which jade bracelet it was.
It's a family heirloom that has been passed down in the Varley family for a hundred years. Whoever receives this jade bracelet signifies she is the future mistress of the Varley Clan.
Its value cannot be measured with money.
But handing over this jade bracelet to Sarah was something she was absolutely unwilling to do.
Marrying Sarah was merely a makeshift solution, it couldn't be considered an official Varley daughter-in-law wedding.
Once Anthony wakes up in the future, he would naturally seek another marriage alliance.
Florence was on Sarah's side, and seeing Mrs. Varley's reluctance, she felt a bit displeased.
She wanted to discuss it further with Mrs. Varley.
"Cash in the jade bracelet, it'll save us all the trouble."
Sarah spoke up, proposing a solution she believed would satisfy both parties.
She'd get the money, and Ms Varley could keep her bracelet.
But Florence heard this as Sarah failing to appreciate the value.
Exchanging a jade bracelet for money? It's like picking up sesame seeds and dropping a watermelon.
To the Varley elders, it further confirmed her as a money-hungry, shallow gold digger.
Luckily, Sarah didn't care about their opinion.
She wasn't at all interested in being the Varley family's matriarch either.
...
The room was left with the newlywed couple.
Florence was thoughtful, preparing many clothes for Sarah, placed in the wardrobe by the bed.
There were both outer clothes and undergarments.
Unaccustomed to the complicated ceremonial attire she was wearing, Sarah wanted to take it off and change into more comfortable inner clothing.
She and Anthony's residence was a standalone little courtyard.
There were many rooms, and all necessary facilities were provided.
Sarah initially thought of taking her undergarments to the side bedroom to change, but then found it troublesome.
After all, Anthony was comatose; changing clothes in front of him posed no concern.
Sarah stood at the bedside.
Taking off the ceremonial headdress, her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall.
Removing the oversized red wedding gown, revealing a slim waist, white as jade and dazzling.
Earlier, she hadn't told Victor Quinn anything wrong saying how she's small?
Sarah was just slender, but where she needed to have curves, she was ample.
She bent down slightly, presenting a tantalizing view toward the sickbed.
She began slipping down her wedding pants.
Inch by inch, revealing her long, straight legs, smooth as jade.
On the sickbed, the previously silent man, his throat suddenly moved!
...
The suite had many rooms, but only one bed.
Exiting from the bathroom, Sarah went straight to bed beside Anthony.
She didn't play coy.
Having already gotten married to Anthony, she deemed it reasonable to treat herself kindly, rather than sleeping on the floor.
Sarah had always struggled with sleep, previously suffering from insomnia.
But that night, she slept very peacefully.
Awakening the next morning, she felt invigorated.
Looking at the man beside her, unmoved like an ancient well: "Is it because your family is wealthy that the bed is expensive? It seems money really is a good thing."
The man of course did not respond.
Sarah chuckled: "Truly a quiet pretty boy, this actually isn't bad, as nine and a half out of ten things men say are foolish, it's better not to say anything."
According to tradition, the morning after the bridal night, the new bride should serve tea to her in-laws, who would in turn present a big red envelope and offer some words of encouragement.
But for Sarah, everything was simplified, and she couldn't be happier.
A servant delivered breakfast, just as she finished eating.
"I'm coming in," Mrs. Varley's voice announced from the door.
The door opened, and she entered with two personal maids.
The maids carried basins, towels, a shaving kit, men's skincare products, and fresh clothing.
"Since you've become the Varley family's daughter-in-law, you must fulfill your wife's duties."
Mrs. Varley pointed at the man on the bed: "From now on, you have to wash Anthony's body every day and dress him in new clothes. My son has a cleanliness habit, he surely wouldn't like caregivers touching him, regardless of gender, so his father had been doing this before. Now, since you're his woman, it's your responsibility; you must do it with care, don't let my son be wronged. Our Varley family requires nothing else of you, just do this task well."
Sarah did not refuse and lifted the quilt after Mrs. Varley and her entourage left.
The room was quite warm, so there was no worry of anyone being chilled.
Sarah quickly removed Anthony's intimate clothing and began earnestly washing his body.
From head to toe.
Forehead, bridge of the nose, lips, earlobes, armpits... inch by inch, very attentively.
No hint of embarrassment.
Even though this was Sarah's first time ever, while fully conscious, to touch a young man's body.
Because this man was her nominal husband, and still a patient.
As his nominal wife and a doctor, Sarah has no grounds for shyness.
Unless she intended to act coy and pretentious like some women.
Appreciating the fully revealed, muscular physique of the man before her, Sarah found some admiration.
This man wasn't just easy on the eyes; his physique was top-notch, likely because he exercised frequently and lived a disciplined life.
He clearly hadn't been ruined by indulgence in alcohol and lust.
When Sarah's hand arrived at... her composed face finally showed a bit of emotion.
"Still so sensitive even while comatose? Anthony Varley, it seems you have a high chance of waking up."