Romancing the Horror

"Samuel? Who's that?" The ghost bride looked completely confused. "If you say you're my husband, then tell me… Do you even know my name?"

I watched as her fingernails slowly grew longer, sharpening into blade-like claws. My heart jumped into my throat, afraid she would swipe at me any second.

"Ximena. Your name is Ximena!"

The ghost bride slowly retracted her claws, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "Well… it seems we really do know each other."

Cold sweat soaked my back, but I finally let out a quiet breath of relief. Thank goodness George had mentioned her name earlier.

"In that case, let's proceed with the ceremony at once. We must not miss the appointed time."

The eerie puppet dressed as a master of ceremonies stepped forward and draped a dark red suit over my shoulders.

"The witnessing begins."

"Swear your vows."

My body straightened on its own, like something was controlling me. On the raised platform ahead, two puppets with twisted smiles stared at me. Their hollow eyes made my skin crawl.

"Exchange your vows."

The ghost bride slowly lowered her head toward me. In that instant, a small piece of skull slipped loose from the side of her forehead and fell.

Right then, I heard the system notification: [Ding! Congratulations on successfully selecting your target: Ximena Ferguson.]

[Target has gifted you a blood-red formal suit. It has been added to your inventory. Bonus reward: one universal glue.]

[Please remove the nail from Ximena's head and use the universal glue to repair her skull to increase intimacy.]

[Survival is not easy. Please keep working hard.]

The ghost bride's name really was Ximena.

I glanced at the top of her head. There was a gaping hole, and inside it sat a rusty nail. A chill ran down my spine. However, that brief hesitation was enough for Ximena's expression to turn icy.

"Guards. Cut this groom into pieces and serve him to the guests."

Not far away, a bloated, grotesque puppet slowly sharpened the blade in its hand. The grinding metal sound scraped against my nerves.

My eyes widened. "My lady, I'm your husband… Shouldn't we be spending our wedding night together?"

A snort of laughter came from the players' table.

A muscular man named James Gibson shook his head and said, "Never seen someone this stupid. You walked right into it. The ghost bride needs a human sacrifice, sure. However, she also needs a husband. And any player who becomes her husband gets chopped into pieces. She hates men the most."

I had just escaped one death trap and walked straight into another!

The players sat there like they were watching a show. No way they were going to help me. The butcher puppet was getting closer.

Thinking fast, I suddenly raised my hand and slapped the ghost bride.

Hard.

Her head spun a full circle.

The players were stunned. "Is he insane?"

Ximena's anger exploded. Blood began to surge wildly across the ground.

If I did not act now, it would reach my ankles any second. I moved first. I yanked out the pack of chips from my chest and threw it straight at her face. "Ximena, how could you be so heartless?!

"I've searched for you through ten lifetimes. Not once did I forget you. I refused to let go of my memories. I crawled back from death again and again just to make it this far!

"And after all that, I finally found a way to come to your world in my tenth life. I even brought you something to eat, thinking you'd never tasted anything good before!

"And what do you do? You want to chop up your own husband and feed him to these monsters!"

I bent down, picked up the piece of skull she dropped, and started wailing dramatically, slapping my thigh.

"My poor Ximena! Your skull fell off and you didn't even notice! Isn't it because your husband wasn't by your side to take care of you? You don't even have someone to keep you warm or look after you. Girls like to look nice, you know. Look at what a mess you've become!"

I went all in with the performance. As if by magic, her scattered hair settled back into place.

She raised a pale hand to cover the missing piece of her head.

Maybe… Just maybe… she was moved by what I said. Ximena hesitated, then spoke.

"… I didn't know you went through so much. I don't remember any of it…"

Not remembering was perfect. Her amnesia was a blessing.

Before she could think too much, I rushed forward and hugged her tight, crying like my life depended on it.

"You heartless woman. I thought once I found you, I'd comb your hair, wash your feet, cook for you, and take good care of you. And yet the moment we get married, you want me dead."

I pulled out the universal glue from my system inventory and held it up in front of her. "Look what I brought you."