He was bored to death, but he stood perfectly upright as always, maintaining his flawless posture and expression.

Showing no flaw, no matter the time or place. For someone trained from a very young age to do exactly that, nothing came more easily.

And today, of all days.

‘Lady Vivian is expected to attend the royal wedding as well.’

Recalling Ernst’s stiff expression as he delivered the news of his birth mother’s attendance, Kalintz held himself even more rigidly composed.

His stillness broke only when the melody filling the hall shifted.

At the high priest’s words to welcome the bride, Kalintz turned around.

The great doors of the chapel slowly opened.

A subtle crack crossed his face, which had been as expressionless as a statue.

“……”

Walking toward him through the scattered petals was not the woman he had always seen. Dressed in pure white, she was more graceful and beautiful than he had ever seen her.

Familiar yet unfamiliar, she drew closer with every step, and Kalintz’s heart beat faster. The feeling was unlike anything he had ever experienced, and his thoughts grew increasingly muddled.

“……Your Highness. Your Highness!”

A desperate whisper reached him. The high priest’s voice.

“You must offer your hand to Her Highness the Princess Consort, quickly!”

Only then did Kalintz remember the steps of the ceremony, collect himself, and look at Blair again.

What is wrong with him.

Blair was flustered by Kalintz standing there with a stiff expression, doing nothing.

He was supposed to step down from the dais and extend his hand by the time she reached this point. Then she was to take it and walk with him to stand before the high priest.

Should I keep going?

The guests were beginning to exchange puzzled looks. Blair was about to take one more step forward when,

“……Come here.”

He extended his hand slowly and spoke. It was a slightly odd greeting, but Blair quietly placed her hand over his without a word.

Tension seeped through their fingertips where they touched. But his hand was tense too, so it seemed she was not the only one who had gone stiff.

“On this sacred day, as two souls are joined in holy union, may the grace of God be with you……”

Amid the high priest’s solemn blessing and prayer, Blair stole sideways glances at Kalintz. Up close, his looks shone twice as brightly as usual.

What was the point of outshining her like that. If this had been a real wedding with someone she truly loved rather than a contract arrangement, she might have felt genuinely bitter about it.

“I now declare that these two souls are bound in faith and blessing.”

The high priest’s voice rose slightly, and it hit her ears clearly. Blair realized the moment had come.

“Please exchange your vow of love before God.”

The kiss. The dreaded kiss.

Don’t tremble. Do not tremble.

Blair kept repeating it inwardly as she turned to face Kalintz.

She had made such a bold declaration yesterday, so she had to at least appear composed. If she fumbled, Kalintz would never let her hear the end of it.

Having spent a sleepless night rehearsing it over and over in her head, she boldly took the first step forward.

“……Huh.”

A faintly startled laugh escaped Kalintz. But only for a moment, and then he closed the distance in an instant.

His scent hit her all at once, and Blair flinched without meaning to.

“You came prepared.”

A thoroughly pleased look passed through his golden eyes.

She steadied herself once more and moved to step closer when,

“!”

His hand curved gently around her waist. Her body tensed on instinct, but he gave her no opening and pulled her toward him in one swift motion.

Pressed flush against each other, there was not even a sliver of space between them. She was sure he could feel the frantic beating of her heart.

“What do you think you’re…!”

The movement was far more abrupt than anything she had imagined. Blair looked up at him with wide, startled eyes.

“Blair, I told you yesterday.”

His other hand had already found her chin and tilted it up gently as he spoke.

His touch moved past her cheek and came to rest near her throat. His fingers grazed her earlobe lightly, and her body gave an involuntary shiver.

“When you kiss someone, you close your eyes.”

The arm around her waist tightened with a gentle pressure, and slowly, his lips met hers.

Warm.

That was the very first thought. Unlike his cold, sardonic image, his lips were warm and soft.

The sensation was unfamiliar but not unpleasant, and Blair closed her eyes without realizing it.

The rigid tension that had seized her body, tight enough to cramp, loosened just a little. The fist she had been awkwardly clenching against his chest uncurled and rested there naturally.

But strangely, she felt his body go slightly tense this time. Then the lips that had been pressed carefully against hers deepened with more intent.

She was just about to open her eyes at the change in him when Kalintz pulled back and released her.

His expression was less composed than before.

“Ahem.”

The high priest’s cough followed. The priest looked mildly uncomfortable with a kiss that had strayed somewhat from solemnity.

Only then did the sound of applause, which had faded from Blair’s awareness, reach her ears again.

“May the grace of God be with you both, always.”

With the high priest’s blessing, a bright and lively wedding march rang out through the chapel. Kalintz extended his hand again.

“……Shall we.”

The subtle expression from moments ago had disappeared, but an awkward air lingered between them.

Blair was embarrassed on the inside as well, but she composed her expression and took his hand.

She walked across the carpet, now scattered with even more petals than before. Among the nobles offering applause and congratulations, there was a familiar face.

“Your Highness the Princess Consort! Goodness, you look more beautiful right now than I have ever seen you!”

Dressed in her finest, Selina waved with heartfelt admiration. It was so very like her, and Blair smiled and returned the greeting with a nod.

But not every face was a welcome one.

“Blair! My daughter! You really did it!”

“Dear, she’s Her Highness the Princess Consort now. What kind of address is that? How embarrassing.”

The very people she had put off sending an invitation to until the very last moment. Her father and mother.

The nobles nearby cast sideways glances at Viscount Mervish and his wife, Blair’s parents.

A viscount who spoke so freely, and a wife who scolded her own husband loudly in front of everyone. Either way, they were more than enough to draw disapproving looks from the nobility.

Blair wanted to walk past them quickly. But doing so in such a public setting would only invite needless gossip.

It would not have mattered if it were only herself, but now her actions would reflect on Kalintz and the royal family as well.

Blair quietly turned her head and looked at her parents. Their faces were full of emotion.

“…Ha.”

The pride of having married their child to the most eligible man in the kingdom. And behind it, a vanity and hunger to show off that filled every corner of their expressions.

For a moment, the faces of the dead overlaid theirs. Allen, sunk beneath the cold lake. Rania Mervish, swaying with a rope around her neck.

Blair’s stomach lurched and her head swam.

But then, a firm hand settled carefully on her shoulder.

“Blair.”

The quiet voice brought her back. Kalintz was watching her with steady, serious eyes.

“It’s all right. Breathe slowly.”

The nobles who had been cheering looked on in puzzlement as Blair’s color drained from her face, and a murmur ran through the crowd.

“Ah…… the people—”

“Don’t worry about them. Keep breathing until you feel better.”

He tightened his grip on her shoulder and made her look at him. For something so simple, the spinning in her head settled quickly.

“Blair, I mean, Your Highness the Princess Consort! Are you all right?”

Her father’s concerned voice reached her. But Blair knew. He was not worried about his daughter. He was worried about the princess consort.

“……I’m fine, Father.”

Blair summoned what patience she had and greeted them as properly as she could manage.

Then she turned away from their hypocritical faces, relief already flickering across them, and continued the procession.

Stepping out of the grand temple at last, a carriage for the capital procession waited amid a crowd that had gathered like a sea of people.

“If it’s too much, we can go straight back to the palace.”

Kalintz’s consideration caught Blair off guard, and she looked at him for a moment.

“……I really can’t figure you out.”

“What do you mean?”

He tilted his head and asked, and a smile came to Blair’s lips naturally.

“Let’s go. People are waiting.”

❀❀❀

“Good heavens.”

The sight of what seemed like every person in the capital pouring into the streets left Blair speechless.

“Did all these people come to see you?”

“Not just me. They came to see us.”

Even so, the proportion of women was overwhelmingly high.

Everyone from neighborhood children to elderly men and women had come out in droves to catch a glimpse of the crown prince’s famously striking looks.