Chapter 1.1 – I Married My Estranged Childhood Friend

“Lisael, I just saw the groom, and he looked so dignified and handsome! Bride, you must be so happy, hohoho.”

Madame Elma, a friend of the bride’s mother, entered the bride’s room, where the most beautiful woman of the day was, and offered her meaningless compliments in front of the bride, the main character of the wedding. The bride, with her translucent makeup, looked simply and quietly smiling at those words, but no one noticed the bitter disappointment she was hiding inside.

Lisael could swear that among the four villages in the southern territory, in this wedding of the century held in Cherlin, the largest and most prosperous village, she was undoubtedly the only one who had no interest in the groom.

The groom was the son of the lord, Earl Dante, and the bride was the daughter of the village chief, Cherlin. They were neighbors separated by just one wall and had known each other intimately since childhood. 

If outsiders from beyond the territory heard of their marriage, they would have romantically described it as a destined love between childhood friends coming to fruition. They were indeed a lovely couple, handsome and beautiful, and from a distance, they seemed like an ideal couple.

However, hidden within this seemingly lovely pair was a relationship that needed closer examination.

“Thinking about marrying you makes me want to throw up.”

“I’ve already done it, do you want to try?”

Surprisingly, this conversation was exchanged right before the couple was about to walk down the aisle together. The gaze of the young man and woman, having finished their brief exchange, collided with fierce hostility through the misty veil.

“Bride and groom, please enter.”

The voice of the announcer signaling the entrance came over the thick door.

‘I’m really….walking this path.’

The bride in pure white, who was speaking harshly contrary to her attire, heard the announcer’s guidance and helplessly dropped her gaze from the man in front of her. Lisael, linking arms with the man she found extremely unpleasant to even be in the same space with, let out a small sigh just before the doors of the ceremony hall opened. The arm entwined with the man felt more suffocating than the tightly fitted mermaid-style white dress.

As she stepped onto the wedding aisle adorned with splendid wedding flowers on the edges, tears filled Lisael’s beautiful golden eyes. The guests clapping and cheering enthusiastically would probably think she couldn’t hold back tears of joy. It was the moment when the marriage she had vaguely dreamed of since childhood, her future husband, and her romance shattered like glass shards all at once.

This is a nightmare, a nightmare. 

With each slow step, Lisael inwardly denied reality. Until the moment she stood before the priest to hear the officiation, she deeply regretted her decision. If only she could reverse this crazy decision even now.

“Do you, groom, promise to cherish and love the bride until the day your life ends?”

“Yes.”

“Do you, bride, promise to trust and love the groom as your life’s partner forever?”

“…Yes.”

And with the false vow of eternity, a drop of despairing tears finally fell onto the white glove holding the lily-of-the-valley bouquet. The sobs she could no longer hold back were swallowed by the man in front of her as they shared the pledge kiss. Even at that moment, she had to pretend to be the happiest bride, marking the worst day of her life.

* * *

It was a day like any other. She woke up as usual, had breakfast, went out to work in the city, looked after the children for the residents who left their homes, and returned home. The only difference was that before the family dinner, her father, the village chief, Cherlin, called Lisael aside.

“Lisael, I respect your wishes.”

As Cherlin finished speaking, Lisael remained wide-eyed, unable to respond. She couldn’t believe that she was being mentioned in connection with marriage to the Dante family, her enemy for 7 years, whom she thought she’d never be involved with. Moreover, her father, of all people, was suggesting marriage with the Dante family. Cherlin hated the Dante family, who had plunged himself and the village he loved into the abyss, more than anyone else. 

The same was true for his daughter, Lisael. On the day Earl Dante, the lord of the southern territory, stabbed the backs of the four village chiefs, she lost her dearest friend.

“They said if I marry Miguel Dante, they would provide jobs for the people of Cherlin as a condition? That Earl Dante?”

Earl Dante, one of the wealthiest individuals in the kingdom, was more accurately described as a businessman than a nobleman. The joke that the blood flowing in his veins must be in the shape of gold coins was common knowledge among the residents of the southern territory.

He was a cold-hearted, thoroughly calculating person who saw the world through the lens of money and thought only of profit. It was hard to believe that he had proposed a marriage to the insignificant Cherlin after monopolizing the village’s admiration. This was not something to easily believe but a proposal that must be scrutinized with fiery suspicion.

“He asked for the forest land on the outskirts of Cherlin village as a dowry.”

“…That forest?”

It was the only remaining, and quite insignificant, forest of the Cherlin family, which was more accurately described as impoverished than affluent. Cherlin and Lisael cherished the dense forest, considering it symbolic of the village, as it was managed by the family of chiefs for generations. However, only the villagers looked upon the vast forest kindly, while Earl Dante, who saw the world only in terms of profit, mocked it as a worthless land taking up estate space whenever he had the chance.

‘But now he covets that land?’

Lisael was well aware that the forest land had absolutely no potential for profit. She and Cherlin, who were within the general category, had no way of knowing the schemes of the distinguished businessman. However, because of the additional condition laid down by the Earl, the village chief could not outright reject this outrageous proposal and brought it home.

The condition was that if the marriage went through, he would employ 30% of Cherlin’s unemployed in his factory. It was quite a shocking offer coming from a lord who showed no interest in the livelihoods of the villagers he was supposed to care for.

“I’m sorry. As a father, I shouldn’t burden you with this. Let’s pretend you didn’t hear it. I’ll go to the lord’s castle tomorrow and express my refusal.”

When no clear answer came from Lisael, Cherlin took the initiative. He had no interest in forming a marital alliance with the lord’s family or the most influential family in the south. Cherlin, who would foam at the mouth and collapse backward at the thought of sending his daughter to the Dante family, showed weakness only because of the condition for the villagers. 

Lisael was not unaware of Cherlin’s conflict. She felt the same. She despised Miguel Dante and his family enough to choose to run away in the middle of the night rather than marry him, but the situation was different when it involved the villagers’ safety.

“…Father, I cherish this village as much as you do.”

The daily lives of the Cherlin residents, most of whom were farmers, had been utterly devastated by the Earl’s push for industrialization. Lisael understood better than anyone the plight of the unemployed lying in the streets and the villagers worrying about their next meal.

Her own life and the livelihoods of the villagers. Perhaps from the moment she heard the proposal, the balance weighing the two had tilted without hesitation to one side.

* * *

“You’re marrying a commoner woman?”

Mason, who threw down his poker hand, which was a complete loss, asked casually as if tossing a card.

“I heard too. The daughter of the former village chief… I think I’ve seen her before.”

“Oh, how is she? Is she pretty? That must be why a commoner is marrying into a noble family, right?”

Miguel, caught between his long-time casino friends Mason and Daniel, didn’t even think to open his mouth, focusing his gaze intently on the few cards in his hand.

“She’s not someone who catches your eye immediately, but… she was quite pretty.”

“Daniel, it’s your turn.”

Eventually, unable to listen any longer, Miguel told Daniel it was his turn, trying to cut off the conversation.

“Miguel, say something. It’s not like any other matter, and keeping silent about your marriage makes me quite disappointed as a friend.”