2. Where did this marriage go wrong?

“…I think lisianthus flowers would be nice. Let’s mix lisianthus with Juliet roses to create a grand wedding arch. How about accentuating it with cream-colored flowers, and sporadically mixing in pink and purple flowers to make it stand out? A slightly bold color would be less boring than too subtle colors. How does that sound, okay,”

“Sion, as a gentleman upholding a lady’s honor, I challenge you to a duel!”

“Great! I’ve been waiting for this!”

Oh, goodness!

Suddenly, loud shouts flew into the room through the open window, drowning out Satin’s voice. Despite the considerable distance, their voices were so loud that Satin completely lost track of the conversation she was having.

“Yes, Miss. A wedding arch with lisianthus and Juliet roses. Bright flowers are in fashion these days, so it’s an excellent choice. In the past, people preferred subtle flower decorations, but nowadays, young ladies prefer more flamboyant styles. What kind of bouquet do you like?”

Right, we were talking about the flowers for the wedding.

Satin quickly revived the topic.

“Of course, white. Classic is eternal, isn’t it? Naturally, the bride’s dress and bouquet must be white,”

Before she could finish her sentence, a serenade rang out.

“Honey, open the windowoooo…”

What kind of serenade is this in broad daylight, not even at night? And it wasn’t a secret serenade calling for a lover, but a loud one for the whole world to hear.

Sigh. Satin sighed and gestured for Larie to close the window. The noise from outside was making it impossible to continue the conversation.

There was only a month left until the wedding. Moreover, it was a wedding that had attracted the attention of the entire nation, as it united two of the most prominent families.

An astronomical amount of money was being spent for this one day. There was no time to be distracted by the commotion outside.

“Closing the window will make it stuffy and hot, are you sure it’s okay, Miss?”

Larie asked worriedly, clicking her tongue as she closed the window. The clanging sound of metal clashing began to fade away.

A self-proclaimed gentleman’s duel and a serenade for a lover. It was something out of a novel or a play.

But if young men were dueling in every alley and getting carried away with sword wounds, and if one had to suffer from the noise pollution of tone-deaf serenades morning and night, one’s thoughts would change.

Free love?

That damn free love!

It’s all good. All good, but shouldn’t it be done in moderation?

Once, short-term romances were popular only among street artists and wanderers, but suddenly, they became rampant regardless of status. The reason for this sudden change was the new prima donna of the opera theater.

Satin recalled the name.

I think it was ‘Delilah.’ A woman with passionate red hair like a rose and light, transparent blue eyes.

Her beauty was remarkable, but rumors had it that just hearing her sing once would captivate anyone. After she appeared as the lead in the opera theater, people went wild for the romantic love Delilah sang about.

Even the nobles were no exception. Serenades of love, which were once heard only in squares filled with commoners, now echoed outside the windows of noble offspring. It wasn’t uncommon for duels to break out in the garden while hosting a tea party.

Preparing for her own wedding had kept Satin so busy that she hadn’t had the chance to see the famous Delilah, but she had heard so much about her from all corners that she could imagine the prima donna’s beauty perfectly.

Because of her, half the men in the area were lovesick. On the days of Delilah’s performances, gifts piled up in her dressing room, and a path of flowers confessing love was laid in front of the theater. Her popularity was truly immense.

“A white bouquet is the eternal dream of brides. But since you have fair skin and light hair, a single flower matching the bouquet tucked behind your ear would suit you well. Pink or blue. Contrasting colors make it more noticeable. Next…”

At that moment.

“Miss, Miss! Oh my, what should we do? Where is Miss Satin?”

After silencing the commotion outside, now the house was noisy.

Satin frowned.

What now? What could be as important as the unfinished wedding preparations for a bride with only a month left until the wedding?

Anyway, hearing someone call for her, Satin gestured to Larie. The maid, understanding her with just a look, went out to deal with the disturbance. But soon, Larie came back in a flurry.

“Something terrible has happened, Miss!”

It must really be something serious. Satin asked.

“What on earth happened?”

“Lord Gjorn is injured!”

Satin jumped up from her chair.

“What?”

Her fiancé was injured a month before the wedding?

Shocked, Satin urgently asked.

“Where and how badly is he hurt? How did it happen?”

“I don’t know the details. I just heard that he was carried in by the coachman because he couldn’t walk.”

“My goodness…”

The news she just heard was the worst of all the chaotic and noisy events of the morning. Satin waved her hand to dismiss the discussion.

“We’ll continue the wedding discussion later. I need to go to Gjorn. Larie, prepare the carriage immediately!”

“Yes, Miss.”

Larie hurried out.

Satin gathered up the cumbersome skirt that tangled around her legs and quickly followed.

* * *

“I’m sorry to worry you, Satin. It’s not such a severe injury, but it seems our household staff made a fuss.”

Leaning halfway on the bed with a cushion behind his back, Gjorn smiled faintly with a pale face.

He didn’t look as terrible as she had imagined, just a bit pale. Thank goodness. The tension that had risen to the top of her head eased, and Satin slumped into a nearby armchair.

“…Are you really okay?”

“I told you, I’m fine.”

“But they said you were carried in by the coachman? Isn’t your leg injured?”

She still hadn’t heard where and how badly he was hurt. Satin reached for the blanket. Gjorn pressed down on the side of the blanket with his arm, blocking her.

“Let me see.”

“Don’t worry about it, Satin. The doctor has already seen it.”

“How can the doctor have seen it so quickly?”

“I’m really not that badly hurt.”

“You always talk like that. Saying it’s fine, it’s nothing. Gjorn, I’m your fiancée. I should be the one who knows your condition best, not the doctor. What if the groom limps into the wedding hall?”

Only then did Gjorn hesitantly relax his arm.

Satin pulled back the blanket and screamed.

“Ah! What is all this!”

His calf, exposed under the pants that had been torn for treatment, was completely black and blue. Not only were there bruises, but there were also scars here and there. Even a quick glance showed it was a significant injury. The bone and muscle must have taken quite a shock.

“I just got kicked a bit by a horse… It looks worse than it is. I can walk into the wedding hall on my own legs. The doctor said that as long as I rest well for a few days, there will be no problem.”

“This isn’t an injury that will heal in just a few days! Why did the horse kick you?”

“Well, there was a bit of an accident…”

Gjorn mumbled his answer. Satin pressed on.

“An accident? What kind of accident?”

“Satin. I promise it won’t affect the wedding. Just go back for now. I’ll contact you later, okay?”

“Is the wedding the issue right now?”

Getting kicked by a horse is a serious injury. If kicked properly, even bones can break. Now that she looked closely, beads of cold sweat were forming on his forehead and neck, as if he was trying hard to hide his pain from his fiancée who had rushed over in alarm.

“Gjorn. You’re not the type to get into an accident carelessly. What really happened?”

“Nothing happened. It was really just an accident. Satin, I’m a patient. Can I just rest quietly for a bit?”

“I think we need to call the doctor again. What kind of quack would diagnose such an injury as something that will heal in a few days?”

When Satin stood up to call someone, there were two knocks on the door.

Satin and Gjorn stopped their argument.

The door opened.

“I brought the painkillers. Oh my, there’s a guest?”

A clear, resonant voice echoed in the room. Satin turned toward the door.

A captivating woman stood there. She had flamboyant red hair and slightly sharp eyes.

Her slanted eyes gave her a mysterious look. Her lower lip was plumper than her upper lip, drawing attention. However, a small mole on her right cheek made her look unexpectedly youthful. She had a face where a lady and a girl coexisted. It was hard to guess her age.

Since childhood, Satin had frequently visited Gjorn’s house due to the long-standing relationship between their families.

Therefore, Satin knew everyone in this house. There wasn’t a single person she didn’t know, no matter how trivial their job was.

But this woman was someone she was seeing for the first time.

She was definitely someone she had never seen before, but she felt strangely familiar.

It was because she had heard too many rumors about her. She had heard so many stories that she could imagine what she looked like with her eyes closed. And seeing her in person, no rumor seemed exaggerated compared to her real appearance.

There was no need to ask her name. Satin quickly realized who she was.

Delilah. The prima donna of the opera theater.