At dawn, the Adenauer mansion, brightly lit, was more bustling than ever.

Isabel, who had instructed the servants, was the first to head toward the bedroom she had assigned to Chris.

Worried that Chris’s eyes might be swollen, she carried an ice pack like the day before.

However, despite her thoughtful gesture, Chris’s bedroom was empty. No matter how much she called, there was no answer. Isabel opened the door and scanned the bed. There were no signs that it had been used.

That left only one place where Chris could be. Isabel turned and headed toward Aneta’s room.

As expected, Chris was peacefully asleep in Aneta’s room. So they ended up sleeping together after all. Isabel smiled contentedly at the peaceful sight.

On the large bed, the two of them, dressed in their nightclothes, lay side by side as though they were close sisters.

Isabel, wishing she could capture the moment, was momentarily lost in the scene before the cold from the ice pack brought her back to reality.

She almost forgot her duties in her joy at seeing her masters in such a rare, peaceful state. Quickly, Isabel began to wake them up.

“My Lady. It’s time for your cough syrup.”

She approached the window and pulled back the curtains, but it was useless. The outside was still dim, and no light was filtering inside.

“You need to get ready now.”

Fortunately, when Isabel opened her mouth again, Aneta slowly opened her eyes.

Blinking slowly as she propped herself up, Aneta noticed Isabel standing and realized the situation.

Looking down beside her, Chris was still soundly asleep.

“Chris, Chris, it’s time to wake up.”

Aneta carefully shook Chris awake. Her voice was a little hoarse, as if she had just woken up. As her body rocked, Chris unconsciously furrowed her brow.

Her unconscious reaction made her look like a child whining in their sleep.

Chris had dozed off repeatedly before falling asleep without realizing it, and it seemed she wasn’t good with sleep. Though it’s common for everyone, Chris seemed particularly so.

“You need to get ready now to make it on time. You don’t want to be a bride who’s late for her own wedding, do you?”

Aneta’s words had the desired effect. Chris, who had been trying to bury her face in the blanket, shot up at the mention of the wedding. Her wide and alert eyes made it clear she had snapped out of her daze. It was obvious that both Aneta and Isabel were holding back smiles.

“Isabel, I’ll prepare on my own. Please assign the maids to Chris only.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime wedding. Tell the maids to do their best.”

“Yes, then please follow me, my lady.”

Isabel helped Chris to her feet and led her to the dressing area, where the preparations had already been made.

After Chris had left, bidding farewell to Aneta and following Isabel, Aneta got out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

While the tub filled with water, Aneta selected her favorite fragrance from the neatly arranged oils and finished undressing. Then she sank into the warm water, realizing she felt a twinge of longing in Chris’s absence.

‘It was just once yesterday.’

Aneta chuckled softly, leaning back against the side of the tub. She could have gone with Chris, but if she had, she would have undoubtedly been swept up in a whirlwind of massages and preparations from the moment she woke up.

She preferred to avoid the hectic pace of the morning. Aneta relaxed and enjoyed her bath at her own pace.

When Aneta finished her bath and dressing, Chris was also fully prepared.

Her jewelry and dress were already at Viscount Kainer’s residence, so it seemed she had only completed her makeup and hair.

“How do I look?”

“You look beautiful. Vernon will be speechless when he sees you.”

Chris looked even more vibrant and lively with her hair curled and half-tied back.

Aneta offered a heartfelt compliment.

The carriage that would take them to the Viscount’s estate was the most lavish one from Adenauer, just as Aneta had instructed beforehand.

Chris hesitated in front of the shining carriage, but Aneta managed to help her get in safely, and they arrived at the Viscount’s estate without issue.

After sending Chris to the waiting maids, Aneta headed alone toward the garden where the ceremony would be held.

The stunning scenery took her breath away, and she felt her hardships were now being rewarded.

Aneta carefully checked each decoration, big and small, to ensure nothing was out of place. It was then that she encountered Vernon. Dressed in formal attire with a boutonniere, he approached her first.

“Welcome, Aneta. Was everything alright yesterday?”

“Well, there was something. I made Chris cry.”

“Chris cried?”

“Yeah. Just to be clear, it wasn’t on purpose.”

“Let’s hear the story then.”

Vernon was surprisingly calm. He believed that Aneta would never intentionally make Chris cry, which made his reaction more understanding.

“Yesterday, I told Chris that the debt I had owed under the guise of a gift had already been paid off and that I would return all the money I had received under the pretense of repayment. I also told her I’d use that money to do something I’d wanted for a long time. After talking about that, I ended up making her cry.”

Aneta shrugged as she spoke, causing Vernon to gape in surprise.

“You really paid off the debt?”

“Yeah, it’s true. I saw her tear up the promissory note when you left your office.”

It wasn’t Aneta who answered Vernon’s question, though.

As she heard the voice of her lover right behind her, Aneta turned around.

“Carlos.”

Carlos wrapped his arm around Aneta’s waist as if he had been waiting for her to turn to him.

Looking at them for a moment as though it were an unpleasant sight, Vernon soon understood why Chris might have cried. He also lamented how he was always a step slower than Aneta when taking action.

“I wanted to do that myself, but you always beat me.”

“It’s not the only thing you’ve beaten me to.”

“…What else?”

Vernon, who had been lamenting now seemed like he wouldn’t be surprised if anything came from Aneta’s mouth. However, that was a misconception.

“Yesterday, I bathed with Chris and slept in her bed.”

Vernon was left speechless by Aneta’s playful words.

Seeing his stunned expression, Aneta lightly patted him on the shoulder to comfort him.

Realizing she was teasing him, she quickly tried to pull away before he could start complaining.

“We’ll head over there now. Make sure to greet the guests well.”

Suppressing her laughter with difficulty, Aneta led Carlos toward the seating area prepared for the guests. When she glanced back briefly, Vernon was still staring blankly.

Once out of Vernon’s sight, Aneta no longer needed to hide her laughter. As she laughed, Carlos, who had been following her with a look on his face that suggested he had something to say, asked,

“Aneta, when you said that earlier, you were just teasing Vernon, right?”

“The intention was to tease, but it wasn’t a lie. We ate, bathed, and slept together. That’s all we did.”

“‘That’s all’ is not the case to me. How could you do that while leaving me out?”

When Aneta responded positively, Carlos looked at her with a face of betrayal.

“Anyone who hears that might think I’ve been having an affair, Carlos.”

“You didn’t even take a bath with me.”

Carlos sulked as he remembered the times he had tried to sneak into the bathroom behind her but was repeatedly kicked out at the door. It was his expression whenever he wanted to trigger Aneta’s sympathy.

“If you go in with me, you won’t come out unscathed. The bathroom is for washing, not for doing inappropriate things, Carlos. If you feel wronged, be born as Chris in your next life.”

“I’ll be born as your husband in the next life.”

“Do you really like me that much?”

“How could I not? I love you more than words can express.”

“I can’t take it.”

Aneta surrendered to Carlos’ relentless expressions of love. She pressed her lips softly against the back of his hand.

“I love you too.”

With those words, which felt unbelievable no matter how many times she heard them, and the soft sensation on her skin, Carlos immediately reached out his hand toward her cheek.
However, Aneta refused to fall for such an obvious move.

Just as Carlos’ hand was about to touch her cheek, Aneta took a step back.

Even when Carlos gave her a pitiful look, Aneta firmly shook her head.

“Today’s the day of someone else, Carlos. And look, there’s a young sprout over there.”

Aneta gestured toward Rodion with her eyes. Fortunately, Rodion hadn’t noticed them yet and was walking in weakly.

Seeing Rodion, Carlos reluctantly gave up. After all, he couldn’t afford to lose more points.

“You look a bit off. Should we go over there?”

“Sure.”

Following Carlos’ suggestion, Aneta approached Rodion. The boy, sensing their presence, looked up with a tired expression.

“When did you two arrive?”

“Just now. But, Rodion, you look a little tired today. What happened?”

“My older brother kept me awake. He said he couldn’t sleep because he was so excited.”

Rodion complained about how much he suffered due to his brother, patting himself on the back for enduring it. Aneta, who found his words cute, quickly looked around to see if she could spot someone.

But the person she was looking for wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Eventually, Aneta asked Rodion.

“Has Aunt arrived yet?”

“A letter arrived at the mansion early this morning. She said she couldn’t attend because she’s busy.”

“It must be disappointing. I’m sure you wanted to see her.”

“It’s okay. She visits me at the academy sometimes.”

“Then I’m relieved.”

Aneta, feeling proud of Rodion’s cheerful response, patted his head. Carlos shot him a look of envy, but she deliberately ignored it.

The wedding began sometime later. Following the butler’s guidance, the guests stood in a long line next to the white carpet that covered the floor.

The entrance of the bride and groom was simultaneous. Standing under the grand arch, they held hands and walked down the path of blessings.

The ceremony flowed smoothly, as natural as water. The bride and groom exchanged rings before the guests and sealed their vows with a kiss, pledging their everlasting love.

They stood facing each other for a long time, as if no one else was in the world. Then, when it was time to throw the bouquet, they began whispering and laughing joyfully.

“What are they talking about that makes them laugh like that?”

“Who knows.”

Aneta answered vaguely, but she thought they were planning something together. As soon as she had that thought, her guess became reality.

Looking directly at Aneta, Chris threw the bouquet with all her strength. It flew in a perfect arc, heading straight for Aneta, unless something unusual happened.

However, before it reached Aneta, it was caught by someone else—Carlos, standing beside her.

As the bouquet landed in Carlos’s hands instead of Aneta’s, the entire hall fell into a moment of silence.