She opened her eyes and repeated firmly.

“I can’t do that.”

She had done it.

“I cannot lie in the house of God. I cannot go through with this marriage.”

She had finally done it.

“In the name of God—huh?”

The cardinal, who had been about to declare the marriage, assuming Satin would answer yes, made a strange choking sound.

The guests couldn’t believe their ears. Satin’s parents were no exception. Everyone, unconsciously waiting for the marriage declaration, blinked and collectively gasped in shock. Gjorn was completely dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open.

The wistful gaze that had been glued to Delilah finally turned entirely towards her.

Satin met Gjorn’s gaze calmly.

What’s the point of looking at me like that now?

Having already made her declaration, there was no way to take it back. Now that she had committed to it, she felt oddly at ease.

The guests, who had been whispering about Delilah’s scandal, no longer held back.

“What’s going on? Divorce right after the wedding?”

“Divorce? No way. It’s an annulment since the marriage wasn’t declared.”

“Whether it’s a divorce or an annulment, can you believe it? At the wedding…”

“Who cares? As long as it’s entertaining for us.”

“Well, considering how things turned out, it’s understandable that the Del Mare family would be furious. The scandal broke out right before the wedding, leaving no room to back out. It’s despicable.”

Public opinion was subtly in Satin’s favor.

Had the scandal progressed further, and had there been more stories between Gjorn and Delilah, their love might have been romanticized despite the difference in their statuses. But for now, Satin’s situation as the wronged party was more highlighted.

She had to ride this momentum. Satin declared to the cardinal.

“I cannot make a false vow before God’s representative. He does not love me.”

In front of the cardinal, Satin openly hinted at the relationship between Gjorn and Delilah.

Gjorn’s parents, their faces turning pale, stood up abruptly. Satin’s parents were on the verge of collapsing.

Even Delilah, who had been smiling serenely despite the murmuring guests, couldn’t maintain her composure. Looking slightly flustered, she quickly regained her composure and controlled her gaze.

To those unaware of the full story, she appeared pitiful.

Gjorn was similar to Delilah. His eyes, caught in a mix of embarrassment, shame, and confusion, wandered aimlessly.

The cardinal, though somewhat removed from worldly matters, wasn’t blind or deaf. Even if he was not up to date with street gossip, the whispers of the guests and the atmosphere within the church were clear enough for him to grasp the situation.

However, this was a wedding presided over by the Pope’s direct order to celebrate the union of two guardian families. He had come to bless their happiness, not to witness the wedding’s collapse.

The cardinal tried his best to mediate between Satin and Gjorn, hiding his own discomfort.

“Think of this as the wisdom of an elder. Love is not an emotion that can be easily defined. Love’s meaning and form differ for each person, and it should not be judged based on current, fleeting emotions. While many desire a love that burns like fire, for some, love is a calm, enduring feeling. For some, it is a thrilling emotion, while for others, it is a steady, reliable feeling, or a constant comfort. Satin Del Mare, you are too young to draw conclusions about love.”

Though he called Satin’s name, the cardinal’s gaze was mostly on Gjorn. Gjorn shrank under the silent rebuke.

“Even if you feel there is no love now, living faithfully can lead to loving the one who stands by you. The vows of the bride and groom are a promise to continue loving each other beyond the current emotions.”

The cardinal seemed determined to see this wedding through successfully. Too many people’s reputations were at stake with this one wedding.

Satin glanced briefly at her family. She couldn’t call out to them with the cardinal and the guests watching, but her parents’ lips moved silently.

Satin! What are you doing?

Cancel this immediately!

Silent outcries came from the family seats.

The Sel Wio family was no different. Gjorn’s parents, humiliated by Satin’s exposure of their son’s infidelity in front of the Pope’s representative, glared at her with daggers in their eyes. The bond between the two families, forged by the prenatal engagement of their children, was shattering.

This situation had gone beyond just nullifying a marriage. It was no longer a matter that could be peacefully resolved with both families laughing and agreeing that their children didn’t want to marry. Gjorn’s long friendship with Satin was ending today. They would never face each other again.

When they return home, her parents’ fury would be inevitable. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t worried about the aftermath. She might be sent to some distant countryside, unwanted for a while.

Even settling the wedding expenses would lead to loud arguments. They would debate whether the fault lay more with bringing a mistress or with overturning the wedding on the day itself, blaming each other’s children.

…Wow, I’m really bold.

Satin admired herself inwardly.

But knowing all this, she had given up on the marriage.

Yes, if she had feared the aftermath, she wouldn’t have caused this stir. She would have quietly married a man with a mistress, living a life sharing her husband with Delilah.

Satin steeled herself.

If I get scolded, so be it. If I’m sent to the countryside, so be it. It’s better to endure some hardship now than to live my whole life in agony, trusting a husband who betrayed me.

Somehow, Gjorn and she had taken turns causing trouble. And in terms of severity, Satin’s action was far more significant.

Of course, there was one undeniable victim in this wedding. The cardinal, who had come with good intentions to officiate, was now left to clean up the mess.

“Satin Del Mare. It is too early to give up without even trying. Gjorn Sel Wio, are you prepared to fulfill the sacred marriage vows as the groom?”

Gjorn answered, flustered.

“Ah… yes.”

Gjorn, completely dazed, was now answering ‘yes’ to any question, hoping to escape the wedding quickly.

The cardinal, having received a non-committal affirmation from Gjorn, tried to ask Satin the same question.

But Satin spoke first.

“But what if the person I’m supposed to try with is wrong?”

An arranged engagement set by her parents. Even without love, she could trust and rely on Gjorn as a partner to uphold their families’ honor. If they lived such a life together, it would have been bearable. It would have been okay.

But the moment Delilah entered Gjorn’s heart, everything changed.

You want to love Delilah and seek practical benefits with me?

With Gjorn’s heart already open to Delilah, there was no way he was prepared to fulfill a vow to love his nominal wife for life. It was a blatant lie.

“Satin, please…”

Gjorn whispered. Satin understood what he wanted to say.

Please let us leave quietly. Don’t make this any more chaotic. Don’t torment me.

His unspoken plea echoed in her mind.

It had always been this way. Gjorn hated conflict. He avoided competition. Unlike Satin, who clearly distinguished between friends and non-friends, he tried to be friends with even Rublier. She had never seen him say anything unpleasant to anyone. His nature was weak and gentle, unable to withstand difficult moments.

That’s why Satin thought this marriage was impossible.

A man who usually avoided conflict had taken courage for the first time for Delilah. It was surprising to see that even someone as weak as Gjorn could change so much when he fell for a woman. The realization was bitter.

There was no way to get out of this without anyone getting hurt. The path to return was gone. She didn’t want to go back.

At that moment.

“That is correct.”

A clear voice from the guest seats pierced through the tense atmosphere between the two families.

Satin, who had been resolutely facing away from the guests, turned instinctively.

Rublier, who had instantly drawn everyone’s attention, slowly rose from his chair. The striking uniform of the Holy Knights, his taller than average height, an overwhelming presence, a relaxed demeanor, and the aura of a paladin combined to bring an unexpected silence to the church.

“If one has someone they love but pledges a lifetime with another in this sacred church, isn’t that deceiving everyone here, including His Holiness the Pope?”

That’s right. If Gjorn loves Delilah but vows to marry me, it’s deceitful.

He was saying the right things, but it was strange that it was Rublier saying them.

Satin furrowed her brows.

Rublier was smiling. Earlier, he had been frowning as if he had bitten into something bitter, but now his face was full of an unbearable smile.

Satin gripped her bouquet tightly. That smile made her feel strangely uneasy.

No way.

No way?

Even though it was a scandal everyone knew about, she hadn’t planned to expose Gjorn’s disgrace so thoroughly.

“She cannot go through with this marriage. It violates the sacred marriage vow to marry another man while loving someone else.”

…What?

Satin tilted her head, puzzled. Something seemed off about his words. As she carefully reconsidered, she realized a beat too late.

What? What is this man saying?

The guests were just as bewildered. They looked around in confusion.

“Did the bride have a separate lover too?”

“Seems like it…”

“The Paladin, the Sword of the Holy Church, wouldn’t lie.”

No, he’s lying! And he’s doing it so naturally!

Satin understood how her parents felt earlier when they couldn’t even shout and just gaped like fish. When your mind is utterly blank, you can’t speak. In a private setting, it might be different, but at a formal event like a wedding, you can’t just lose your temper and shout back.

Satin was so stunned she didn’t even realize she had dropped her bouquet.

With Satin now the subject of the revelations alongside Gjorn, the cardinal, half resigned, asked,

“Who is it?”

Rublier answered crisply.

“It’s me.”