He couldn’t be the man to claim the princess, even as he stood by her side. The long years when he couldn’t even dream of standing beside her made it all the more painful that he couldn’t be more, as if it were a greedy wish. The stark reality was evident in every conversation with the princess, in her demeanor and expressions…

With a heavy heart, Kaiden questioned himself. Had he been desiring something unattainable? Had he nurtured an unreasonable hope with premature expectations?

Despite the groom’s gloomy feelings, the wedding proceeded smoothly. The priest read the royal decree sent by the king from the capital, which granted Kaiden the Khalid surname and territory. With this, Kaiden became the Duke of Khalid.

The priest presented Kaiden with a jeweled sword that symbolized his new title as Duke of Khalid. This decorative sword was modeled after the original Sword of Promise once held by the first king, Daischultz. Although not a real weapon, it symbolized the dukedom of Khalid. Previously held by Taras, it now belonged to Kaiden.

Along with the sword, Kaiden received a medal engraved with the emblem of the Sword of Promise. This was the Celsus Medal, granting him overall command of the northern territories’ forces. This medal carried the name and responsibilities of the one given to the first king, Daischultz, when he married the princess from the ancient Celsus Kingdom that had once occupied Rowen.

“Thus, the Duke of Khalid, Baron of Leonas, Lord of Eluan, Knight of the Celsus Medal, Kaiden Leonas Khalid, has become the husband of Rowen’s princess, one of the lights of Vican, Dana Rowen…”

Now, the princess and Kaiden were the Duchess and Duke of Khalid. Their names changed to Dana Khalid Rowen and Kaiden Leonas Khalid. Although Dana’s original surname, ‘Rowen,’ remained officially unchanged as it was a royal surname, they now shared a surname that had once seemed impossible to connect.

The wedding concluded, yet Kaiden found himself unable to feel joy about becoming a duke. Even amidst the applause of the guests, none of it felt real. In that moment of personal disappointment, he couldn’t take his eyes off the princess.

Breaking her calm facade, the princess smiled. Her lips curled up, dimples forming on her cheeks, which blushed as she turned to look at Kaiden. Their eyes met.

With the princess’s smile, her crown and necklace shone brightly. The jewels, which had been colorless before, now sparkled with every hue imaginable, almost blindingly. The smiling princess was radiantly glowing with all the colors she could possibly shine with.

‘Ah.’

Seeing that, Kaiden suddenly realized why, at the princess’s wedding, during the moments when he felt jealousy and anguish towards the prince, he ultimately did nothing but watch as the princess married the prince. Why he only watched as she completed her wedding and left the venue.

‘Because you were smiling…’

He couldn’t ruin that smile, so he couldn’t ruin that wedding either.

‘Having her or standing beside her wasn’t what mattered.’

Seeing her smile like this was more important. Even in that moment, and in this moment, he was only looking at her.

If he could preserve that smile and do what she wanted, what else was important?

* * *

The reception was set to last all night. In the hall, the songs of court poets singing of the couple’s eternal love and the music played by musicians resonated. Dana and Kaiden, who had danced the first dance, were busy greeting guests.

On one side of the reception hall, a table was set with drinks and food for the guests. From one end of the table, servants served a savory soup with corn kernels and bread.

At the center of the table, servants brought out a huge roast boar and thinly sliced, spice-rubbed venison. Following that, they served a smooth venison liver dish to be eaten with bread, crispy roasted meat pies, and a stew with meatballs.

The ingredients for these dishes were game that Kaiden, as the groom, had hunted in the forest surrounding Eluan Castle, in keeping with northern wedding traditions.

The previous day at the castle, there was quite a commotion over the enormous size of the boar and the line of deer and foxes that Kaiden had brought in, with people joking that he had wiped out all the wild animals in Eluan. In one corner of the reception hall, a black bear skin from the hunt was hung as decoration, along with fox skins.

Next to the dishes made from Kaiden’s game, there were golden-brown roasted potatoes and sautéed beans. On one side, there were blueberry pies, prunes and peaches stewed with honey, large slices of bread, and five kinds of cheese and fruit jams, all laid out appetizingly. It was an incredible feast.

The privilege of carving the freshly roasted meat first belonged to the groom, the hero of the wedding and the hunter of the game. As he stood behind the massive roast boar with a knife in hand, everyone at the reception marveled. There were playful jokes about gauging the groom’s affection for the bride by the size of his hunt, prompting everyone to glance at the bride.

However, the bride was extremely nervous for reasons unknown to the other guests at the wedding reception, so she didn’t even notice the size of the boar. She just wished for the reception to end quickly.

Kaiden, with his sleeves rolled up and a cooking knife raised, sliced through the roast boar with confident strokes. The boar was so large that he had to exert enough force to make the tendons in his arms stand out. As the well-roasted pork was revealed, the guests applauded in admiration. Kaiden cut the meat into sizeable portions and handed the knife to a servant standing beside him. The servants then sliced the meat into smaller pieces to distribute to the guests.

Servants bustled about, distributing the meat to guests, while others poured wine sent from the capital by Taras. The reception hall was a whirl of music, lively chatter, and servants dancing to the music.

Standing at the center, Dana repeatedly glanced anxiously at the guests holding wine glasses. There was no reason for any issues at today’s reception. This was Khalid, and she had personally prepared this wedding. Yet, she felt inexplicably uneasy and worried. Even when it ended, it wouldn’t be over.

Her greatest concern was that Kaiden might drink and something might go wrong. After wiping his hands with a cloth handed by a servant and lowering his sleeves, Kaiden stood beside Dana. Dana hoped that the man standing next to her would just remain quietly by her side until the reception ended. Especially, she hoped he wouldn’t touch any alcohol.

Fortunately, Kaiden refrained from drinking at the reception and stood quietly beside Dana, which eased her anxiety.

There was a moment of crisis when, during their rounds of greetings, the Leonas knights sitting around a table filled with wine glasses offered him a drink. Luckily, the knights stepped back on their own, noticing Kaiden’s readiness to pour the offered wine over his head. Thus, Dana and Kaiden managed to exchange greetings and escape the boisterous scene.

After the hectic reception filled with greetings finally ended, it was time to retire for the night. Dana washed and changed clothes with the help of her maids. She donned a loose nightgown that could be easily removed in one motion and walked into the bedroom. Unconsciously, she recalled what Hilda had said. Even after seeing the princess…

‘No, no.’

How could she think such a thing?

Shaking her head, she entered the bedroom, which was decorated in a style she had grown accustomed to over three years, yet now felt completely unfamiliar.

For the couple’s first night, the curtains and cushions were adorned with elaborate floral embroidery. A tapestry depicting the goddess Yurhemia blessing the couple’s marriage hung on the wall. Although many candles in ornate holders were lit, the room was dim due to the perfectly drawn curtains.

She thought such preparations were unnecessary, but seeing Countess Vicar and Hilda preparing with such dedication left her unable to say anything. Dana looked around the room and pulled out a chair to sit.

She had told Kaiden they shouldn’t share a bed, so she didn’t know if he would come to the room tonight. In fact, to prove that the marriage hadn’t been consummated if it were to be annulled, it was safest for Kaiden not to enter the room tonight.

The servants would likely find it strange that the first night wasn’t consummated, but since she and Kaiden were the masters here, as long as they kept the servants quiet, there wouldn’t be an immediate problem.

‘So…’

Since Kaiden wouldn’t be sharing the bed, would he not come to the bridal chamber at all? Would he sleep in the bedroom prepared for him in the castle? The bedroom that would now be his as the duke.

Time passed as Dana sat lost in thought, and she noticed the candles had burned down considerably. She unconsciously glanced at the door. No sound came from beyond the firmly closed door.

Dana stared at the door for a moment, then slowly rose from her chair and walked to the bed. Kneeling beside the bed, she offered a prayer to conclude her day.

‘Oh Vican, the beginning of the world. Oh Yurhemia, who watches over Rowen. Thank you for granting me another day, for allowing me to conclude today’s events and complete this marriage safely.’

After finishing her prayer, Dana blew out the candles with a soft breath. In the darkness that enveloped the room, she lifted the neatly arranged blanket and lay down alone in bed.

Lying in the middle of the bed, Dana held the blanket, her hand adorned with the ring Kaiden had given her. She raised her hand to look at the ring. Through the fingers wearing the ring, she saw the patterns on the ceiling. The emblem of the Rowen royal family and the Khalid family.

‘It’s fine.’

Dana lowered her hand and settled into a comfortable position.

Exhausted from the preparations and the day’s events, her eyes soon closed. Now, with her eyes closed like this, when she opened them again. When morning came and she met the gaze of the rising Solsita again. She would be a wife, and Kaiden a husband. Though it was a temporary relationship, and Kaiden wouldn’t enter this bedroom tonight…

‘That’s enough.’

Dana closed her eyes. This time, it was truly a perfect wedding. There were no problems.

The first night passed quietly, without incident.