1. Is this a wedding I’m doing all by myself?

All brides in the world who are about to get married, regardless of their social status, probably share the same wish. On that day, I must be the protagonist. For that one day, brides prepare the most beautiful dresses and choose the most beautiful bouquets, dreaming of walking down the wedding aisle in their best look to become the happiest bride in the world. Then, the priest officiating the wedding will ask the groom,

“Do you swear before God to cherish and love this beautiful bride for the rest of your life?”

The groom will answer with eagerness and emotion,

“I swear.”

Once the groom makes his vow of love, the priest will bless this sacred marriage in the name of God.

Moreover, the guests invited to the wedding will remember for seasons how radiant the bride was on that day, and how passionately the groom looked at his elegant and bright bride, considering them the best newlywed couple they have ever seen.

But,

That’s how it should be.

“Larie, when did you say Gjorn is arriving?”

“Right. He should be here by now. Why isn’t he coming…….”

Satin stood in front of the wedding aisle looking at Larie. Despite the clock tower chiming the hour some time ago, her fiancé had not yet arrived.

If today had been her wedding day, it would have been an issue where someone would clutch at their neck and fall over, but fortunately, the wedding was still three days ahead.

Three days. Just three more days until Satin would marry Gjorn in this church. Underneath the high ceilings that exude elegance and beside walls decorated with stained glass that bloom into a myriad of colors under the light, this grand and splendid church.

“What should we do? Miss. Shall we send a messenger to Sel Wio?”

Larie asked worriedly. Satin pondered for a moment then simply shook her head.

“No. Let’s wait a little longer. He’ll come soon, probably.”

Most of the wedding preparations were nearly complete, and today was just to check if there was anything lacking for the last time.

Satin could already vividly imagine how this church would transform in three days.

The old chandelier on the ceiling would be replaced with a newly made crystal chandelier. Of course, since it’s a daytime wedding, they wouldn’t actually turn on the chandelier.

The church didn’t need additional lighting since the sunlight beautifully filled its interior. Rather, the brilliant noon sunlight would make each crystal of the chandelier sparkle without needing to light it individually.

The chandelier, shining in hundreds of colors above the heads of the bride and groom, would surely leave a deep impression. It would feel as if God was blessing the future of the newlyweds.

And then, the wedding aisle. The central aisle of the church where the bride and groom would walk was to be covered with a red carpet and decorated with petals. The church already had such a solemn atmosphere that too much decoration could actually detract from it.

Thus, Satin decided to only set up one wedding arch at the end of the wedding aisle. The priest would solemnly declare Satin and Gjorn’s marriage under a wedding arch decorated with flowers matching the bride’s bouquet.

The opulence and splendor would be enough to show off at the garden reception after the wedding ceremony ends. They planned to set up flower walls lavishly used throughout and place tableware with golden patterns at each guest seat. The handles of cutlery would also be engraved with each noble house’s crest along with the name of their invited owner.

Guests would enjoy music while being served a feast, endlessly praising the bride and groom.

For this greatest wedding given to her, Satin spared no effort or hardship.

It might not matter for an ordinary family, but Satin and Gjorn’s families belonged to one of the five guardian houses of Caldeblanca Holy Kingdom. The five guardian houses. Their prestige was literally among the top five throughout the nation.

Del Mare and Sel Wio. The marriage between these two top families had people gossiping about it as an extraordinary meeting even if just two gathered.

Choosing whom to invite among many who lined up hoping to be invited took an enormous amount of time.

Of course, there were those who genuinely came to celebrate, but many guests were more interested in seeing what level of wedding these renowned families would hold and how the relationship between the bride and groom was.

Naturally, from Satin’s perspective, not even a speck of dust or a single mistake could be tolerated. Del Mare and Sel Wio invested a massive amount of money starting from renovating the church’s old facilities as if they were new for their children’s one-and-only marriage.

Yet, amidst this crucially important wedding, her fiancé had still not shown up.

“Wait, is this a wedding I’m doing all by myself?”

Even though experts in various fields were invited to perfect the wedding, ultimately, everything had to satisfy Satin and Gjorn.

If you just sit back because it’s troublesome, nobody will serve you your desired wedding on a platter. The more tedious and tiresome the process is endured, the more brilliant the outcome will be.

Therefore, Satin personally reviewed every aspect of the wedding ceremony. The church chosen for the ceremony was one of the most historically significant places within Caldeblanca Holy Kingdom, and although normally priests officiate marriage blessings, given both families’ prestige, it was decided that Cardinal Conchent would officiate under His Holiness’s command.

Larie comforted Satin.

“It must be because he’s momentarily preoccupied that he’s late. Lord Gjorn also had his fair share of troubles leading up to the wedding. He even injured his leg last time.”

Right, his leg.

That was precisely why Satin had been busier than anyone else. Because Gjorn had severely injured his leg right before their wedding, Satin had to handle his duties in addition to her own during this critical period.

She nearly fainted from shock at that time. Not just because of his injury but also with worry that Gjorn might have to enter limping with a cane on their wedding day.

They had carefully chosen a good day for their marriage; changing dates at this point was out of the question. Invitations had already been sent out long ago. So amidst running around everywhere, Satin managed to gather all sorts of medicines said to aid recovery and sent them to Gjorn.

Fortunately, Gjorn was still young and healthy; thanks to taking all those medicines Satin sent him, he recovered quite rapidly.

He was initially confined to bed taking painkillers, about a week later he started taking a few steps with a cane, and since then he has been able to walk without any assistance as per reports.

Too busy to check on him directly, Satin occasionally sent someone to bring back news but hearing from a messenger who saw Gjorn walking without any trouble reassured her greatly.

The wedding would proceed without any issue. It absolutely had to proceed without any issue.

“But Lord Gjorn is quite late.”

Larie glanced at the church door which showed no sign of opening. Satin couldn’t stay calm anymore either.

Aren’t you curious how the wedding will proceed?

Every time the order of the wedding ceremony, the seating arrangement for guests, the decoration of the church and the reception, and the sequence of dishes for the banquet were decided, Satin would inform Gjorn at Sel Wio, and his response was always the same.

“Do whatever you want, Satin. I don’t really know much about this stuff. So, as long as you’re happy, I’m fine with anything.”

Asking for his opinion was futile anyway. Someone joked it was like planning a wedding for the second time. It was understandable that he hadn’t been able to pay attention due to his illness, but now that he was well, being late to appointments was excessive. Not just a little, but a lot.

Satin slowly erased the expression from her face. Her parents had taught her that the more angry she got, the more she should smile. This straightforward temperament of liking what she liked and disliking what she didn’t was evident in Satin, but it seemed she was far from reaching such a state of grace.

How can I smile when I’m angry?

Even if he left everything to me, isn’t it too much to not even take a look and decide to enter the church only on the wedding day? Is he the groom or a guest?

“Larie, let’s turn the carriage around and go to Sel Wio. It seems Gjorn might have forgotten his promise.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Satin opened the church door with quick steps and crossed the garden.

The entrance to the garden was adjacent to the main road, in line with the Holy Kingdom’s policy that God’s touch must always be close to people.

“Miss, it’s dangerous!”

Just as she was about to exit through the garden entrance, Larie screamed. Satin narrowly stepped back.

She almost bumped into a group of people rushing down the street, who didn’t even notice her coming out of the church and were focused only on running in one direction.

Why are those people acting like that? Has something happened nearby?

As she wondered, she caught snippets of their conversation.

“Are we still in time?”

“Even if we’re late, we’ll know the outcome.”

“But what’s all this fuss about having to run there immediately?”

“Didn’t you hear earlier? The youngest master from Sel Wio has challenged someone to a duel!”

“A duel? Why?”

“Why do you think? Because of Delilah.”

“Oh, the prima donna from the opera theater?”

“If it’s for Delilah, it makes sense.”

“Turns out he’s a man after all, huh?”

What? What is this all about?

Satin’s face drained of color.

Three days before the wedding, she heard that her fiancé had challenged someone to a duel over another woman.