Seeing Reizen’s expression turn cold at the sight of her, Melissa quickly lowered her gaze.

She knew.

‘Of course he wouldn’t like me.’

No matter how colorfully you dress up the outside, if the inside was a murderer who killed his friend, anyone would mock this situation.

Though she gave a polite greeting, no response came. Reizen merely swept her face with cold eyes before turning away.

It wasn’t particularly disappointing, was it? She already knew she wasn’t a welcome wife. Being treated like a ghost was better than being beaten.

“We don’t have time. You must hurry.”

The elderly palace maid who had ridden in the carriage with her urged her to walk faster.

The wound on her ankle hadn’t healed yet. Her head was dizzy, she was thirsty, and fever made her whole body ache.

But surprisingly, the corset supported her waist enough that she could take one step at a time while dragging the heavy dress.

This was already her third wedding ceremony.

Since life is guaranteed when married in the temple, some nobles would bring their lovers here for informal marriages whenever they changed partners.

So while it shouldn’t be anything special to her, weddings were always an ordeal.

“Look at that. She said she’d never marry again, but here she comes for the tenth time if there’s a man who’ll take her.”

“Such a thick face. And now she’s even killed someone…”

“Women like that always live long lives.”

The criticism directed at her was bearable. She just had to ignore it and keep walking forward.

But there were others who crushed and crumbled her heart. The looks from those she had been close to and shared her heart with before her family fell.

Sometimes eyes hurt more than words.

“How pitiful.”

“What a shame.”

The sympathy of acquaintances is more miserable than the indiscriminate criticism of strangers.

This time was no different.

Among the crowd, she spotted the face of a friend who used to giggle secretly with her by lamplight all night, hiding from the maids.

When their eyes met, her friend, unable to hide the shock in her expression, hurriedly looked away.

Her legs nearly gave out, but she managed to make it to the officiant’s podium. Just that short walk had covered her entire body in cold sweat.

Her breathing became rough as her fever rose. When she raised her head with flushed cheeks, through the white veil she saw a man beautiful as if painted.

The temple ceiling had a hole to reach the goddess. Through it, bright sunlight seeped into Reizen’s hair.

Once, she had spent a vacation with her grandfather at a summer villa. The sunset that settled on the large stream in front of the villa was exactly this color.

A dazzling golden color, like fish scales at sunset.

“Hand.”

Reizen indicated his right arm with a sidelong glance. He meant for her to place her hand on his right arm.

Though his tone was cold as though he were dealing with a dog, Melissa felt guilty even touching his body. So she carefully extended her hand, pretending to rest it there.

Sure enough, as if he didn’t want her hand to touch him either, he let it pass without any reaction.

“These two, by the blessing of Goddess Lienne, swear they shall never harm each other and remain in eternal love.”

Finally, the climax of the wedding, the vow ceremony, took place.

As they placed their hands on each other’s left chest and swore, a red light formed and dug into the skin of their left arms. It didn’t hurt much, just stung a little.

The High Priest confirmed that the bride and groom’s marriage vows were properly made by checking the goddess’s crest engraved on their skin, then announced the end of the ceremony.

“Ooh!”

As the bells rang from above, Emperor Vincent stood up from the front row and applauded.

“Waaah!”

Then the rest of the nobles who had been watching for cues all stood up and clapped enthusiastically. It was the most applause of any wedding she’d had so far.

The Emperor looked more delighted than anyone about this marriage, his face full of emotion.

The Empress, who had been sitting with an indifferent expression, was just now rising from her seat.

Melissa’s eyes met with Crown Prince Selheim, who stood beside the Empress.

The person she once thought she would stand here with. Selheim Kalphenster.

“Don’t smile when I’m not around, Mel.”

The cool atmosphere crystallized in his gentle voice. Even now that he had grown so much taller, that icy presence that made one’s nose sting hadn’t changed.

Though she expected him to ignore her when their eyes met, Selheim approached them.

The man who came forward without even blinking looked between Reizen and her before speaking softly.

“Congratulations on your marriage, Reizen.”

Reizen responded with a silent smile, meeting his gaze.

“I suppose we won’t see you at the palace for a while, since you’ll be rolling around like dogs in the bedroom.”

Melissa’s shoulders flinched at his thorny tone.

“Mel. I hear you’ve married three times since I abandoned you.”

Selheim’s sharp gaze pierced Melissa’s face.

“There are rumors that you’ve become quite loose down there.”

Each of his words stabbed like daggers into Melissa’s heart. Her heart began racing and her eyes grew red.

She tried to hold back tears by biting her lip, not wanting to cry right after the wedding ceremony, but her vision inevitably became blurry.

“Selheim.”

Just then, Reizen’s voice rang out sharply beside her. It was a steady voice that sounded as if he were on her side.

“Get going before I rip out that filthy tongue and throw it in the pigsty. If you don’t know the way back, follow your mother.”

Melissa’s eyes widened slightly.

“You have such a pretty way with words, little brother.”

“Yes, I do. Brother.”

Selheim’s eyes curved in a smile. Though he tried to appear calm, the flesh under his eyes trembled finely.

It seemed every word Reizen spoke irritated him, making his insides boil.

For a moment, as if a control pin had popped out in his head, Selheim tried to grab Reizen’s neck. Reizen was waiting with cold eyes, when.

“Son?”

Just then, the Empress called for Selheim. The Emperor’s gaze also turned this way, and as several people’s attention was drawn, Selheim had no choice but to lower his hand and smile brightly.

His uncontrolled emotions had already evaporated. Only the face of a benevolent older brother wearing a clean smile remained.

“I won’t see you for a while since I’ll be going down to the territory. Take care. Though I’m not sure your position will still be here when I return.”

He walked away neatly with the Empress.

Reizen silently watched Selheim’s retreating figure before shifting his gaze to Melissa.

Today’s bride, who had been more beautiful than anyone, was frozen white as a corpse.

Looking at Melissa trembling with hunched shoulders, he frowned in displeasure.

“What’s the point of having a mouth if you don’t use it? You should know how to talk back when anyone speaks to you like that.”

She knows. But how could she dare talk back when the other person was the Crown Prince?

It was the fate of those below to endure even when they knew better. This was an unfamiliar feeling she would never have experienced in her previous life.

‘Still, did he take my side?’

Even knowing it was said more out of frustration than concern, her heart kept digging through dry earth searching for a drop of warmth.

She was thirsty. Enough to gladly feel even one kind word, one warm touch, one non-hostile glance.

‘Why…’

She thought she didn’t want to live.

Her heart had been whittled down again and again. She didn’t have many emotions left. For a while, all she had felt was sadness and despair. And yet…

A small curiosity bloomed in the desert. About Reizen and his people.

“Are these whip marks on your back? Oh my…”

Over the past few days, Emerson had groaned like she was feeling Melissa’s pain while treating her. The sight of the woman biting her lip while carefully applying ointment was strange and ticklish.

It wasn’t just Emerson. Until the wedding, she had learned more about others too.

“I looked at the investigation records. When you first testified, you said you were imprisoned in Count Kelly’s mansion. But later you changed your story to say you were drinking at Marita Loge’s shop?”

Aide Sion kept trying to prove her innocence, and.

“If it weren’t for Prince Reizen’s request, I wouldn’t have come.”

The guard knight Hilton grumbled but faithfully kept watch in front of the door.

And everyone said in unison.

“Prince Reizen…”

“Prince Reizen is…”

“The superior is…”

They said it was all for one person.

And so she became even more curious.

Reizen Kalphenster. Who you are. What kind of person you are. Why you would marry such a bottom-dwelling woman?