Before the knights became fully busy, Dana went to the music room with Kaiden once again, trying her best to act as if nothing was wrong.

This time, she didn’t sit in the chair to prevent another disaster like before. If she sat next to him, she felt the memory of what happened last time would surface, making it impossible to simply move past it. Kaiden sat alone in the chair, pressing the keys of the black instrument that felt small to him.

Dana stood beside the instrument, watching Kaiden play the keys and giving explanations. Kaiden, sitting alone at the instrument, said nothing. It was an unbearably awkward time.

After that, Kaiden was too busy with knight duties to find time to visit the music room again. What happened seemed to pass by completely quietly. Dana thought it was for the best. No, was it really for the best? She shook her head to scatter such thoughts that kept arising.

During this time, Hilda’s wedding took place. They had scheduled it before everyone got busy.

Hilda’s wedding was held in the Vicar County territory.

Dana rode in a carriage bearing the Khalid family crest, while Kaiden rode his black horse to the Vicar territory. The ducal couple’s procession arrived at the wedding venue after passing through sun-scorched fields.

Sitting next to Kaiden in the Vicar Castle’s chapel where the wedding was being held, Dana watched Hilda and Bitern get married. They were now Countess and Count Vicar. Dana stared intently at Hilda becoming a countess.

In her memories, Hilda had married a baron with territory in the south. She wondered if becoming a countess was better, as she watched Bitern and Hilda standing side by side. They were smiling at each other and looked happy. Was it her imagination that Hilda looked happier now than in her past life? She couldn’t tell.

‘From Bitern’s perspective, it’s obviously a good thing.’

The Bitern that Dana remembered never married and remained the young master of Vicar, while the Count Vicar remained count. Dana watched Count Vicar who looked like he might cry uncharacteristically, and the Countess Vicar who seemed embarrassed by her husband’s behavior.

The new bride and groom’s vows ended. Dana smiled and applauded.

After the wedding, the reception began.

The new Count and Countess Vicar opened the reception by dancing first. Dana and Kaiden also danced once.

The reception tables were abundant with game that Bitern had hunted to celebrate the wedding. Across the table laden with food and drinks, Dana greeted Hilda and Bitern.

“Hilda!”

“Your Highness!”

It was the first time seeing them both since Dana’s marriage. Hilda and Dana embraced each other. The men standing beside the two women exchanged congratulations stiffly. Dana spoke to her cousin Bitern, who was now Count Vicar.

“Congratulations, Lord Vicar. I trust you won’t drop your fork or knife when dining with your wife?”

This was Dana’s teasing, remembering how Bitern had made repeated mistakes whenever he saw Hilda after his mother had subtly suggested two years ago that the princess’s lady-in-waiting might make a good match.

Through these repeated mistakes, Hilda realized, even if unwillingly, that the Countess Vicar had hinted about marriage to her son, and thus the young master was conscious of her. It was only natural that the princess and those around them had subtly tested the young master’s feelings several times after witnessing this scene.

Fortunately, the straightforward and direct young master Vicar achieved the feat of requesting an engagement before the lady could become more troubled. Hilda accepted the powerful young master Vicar’s engagement request without much hesitation.

Dana, who remembered how extremely cautious Hilda had been about marriage in her previous life, was worried at first. However, seeing Hilda looking happy with Bitern, she let it pass.

Regarding Bitern, who had been single in Dana’s memories but this time had proposed marriage immediately, she thought that the Countess Vicar must have hinted about other ladies to her son before as well. Therefore, she knew it wasn’t a proposal made in frustration at his mother’s nagging, and Bitern wasn’t that kind of person anyway.

So the two became engaged, and they married right after the princess’s wedding.

Hearing Dana’s teasing, Bitern avoided her gaze, seemingly embarrassed.

“Please don’t tease me.”

Beside him, Hilda cheerfully said:

“Now I’m a bit disappointed that he doesn’t drop things anymore! I wish he would stay nervous around me!”

Dana laughed at Hilda’s words. Beside her, Kaiden was watching Dana smile broadly, her dimples showing.

The former Count and Countess Vicar who approached afterward also greeted them.

“You must have had a tiring journey coming from so far.”

“Of course we had to come.”

Lord Gilbert Vicar said he would travel with a light heart for a while. The old count seemed unable to imagine a leisurely life spent traveling, as he was someone who wasn’t at all used to resting. Lady Martina Vicar seemed excited about preparing for the journey with her husband.

While they were deep in conversation, Bitern turned his head at someone’s call. After seeing who was speaking to him, he called out to Hilda.

“Hilda.”

Hilda looked at Bitern. Bitern half-turned his body and pointed to someone behind them. Hilda turned her head to check who it was and quickly said to Dana:

“Oh, my cousin has arrived. Please eat plenty of food, don’t drink too much, and don’t leave. I’ll be back.”

“Alright.”

Dana nodded and smiled. Hilda turned to Bitern standing beside her.

“Bitern.”

Bitern and Hilda walked hand in hand toward the other guests. The newlyweds and their families moved away, busy greeting guests.

Sitting with Kaiden, Dana felt the bustling atmosphere all around. The tables full of food and drinks, guests eating, drinking, and conversing. Beyond them, people paired up dancing to the music.

Dana recalled her wedding to Kaiden. What was their reception like? That day, she…

She had merely felt relieved that the groom hadn’t collapsed bleeding, and everything had ended safely. That was all. She couldn’t remember much else. There hadn’t been room to take in anything else.

Dana moved her gaze to watch Bitern and Hilda who had moved away. They were standing close together, holding hands. They would meet each other’s eyes and smile between conversations. Anyone could see they were newlyweds who had just joined in love.

This was a real wedding, a real reception. A celebration overflowing with real love and protagonists filled with love. Something that could never have existed, and never did exist, in both of her lives’ weddings.

After quietly observing everything around her, Dana glanced at Kaiden sitting beside her. He was sitting quietly holding his wine glass, and their chairs were slightly apart. Dana felt the distance between her and Kaiden was even greater than the physical distance between their chairs.

Suddenly, Dana recalled how Bitern and Hilda had called each other’s names earlier. She remembered that she and Kaiden were still awkwardly addressing each other by titles.

Though she and Kaiden could never become as close as a truly loving couple…

Something welled up from deep in her heart.

Was she drunk on wine? Or drunk on the scene filled with people overflowing with love? Dana opened her mouth with an impulse she herself couldn’t understand, letting out the words that had welled up from her heart.

“Shall we…”

When she spoke, Kaiden immediately looked at her. Dana also turned her head to look at Kaiden. Dana asked him:

“Shall we call each other by name?”

“……”

“Kaiden.”

Kaiden sat with a stiff face and didn’t answer. Dana somehow felt embarrassed and awkwardly turned her head with a slight smile. I shouldn’t have said that, she thought as she watched the dancing people again.

And Kaiden kept watching the princess who had spoken such unbelievable words, his heart pounding. His name that had come from the princess’s lips kept echoing in his ears. His worthless name on the princess’s pretty lips.

He wished the princess would call his name again. He wanted to call the princess by her name too. What he hadn’t dared imagine became possible by the princess’s permission.

As if broken, he kept silently repeating the princess’s name inside his unmoving lips. Dana. Dana. That name he thought he could never put on his lips, never have occasion to use.

She was sitting beside him, calling him by name, and now he could call her by name…

Was this really possible?

Kaiden couldn’t believe this impossible reality. So he wanted to confirm it. Whether what the princess had said earlier was true, whether she who was beside him now was real. Without realizing it, his waist leaned toward the princess. But at that moment.

Dana suddenly stood up, muttering a small excuse, turned her body and immediately left that place.

Kaiden stared at Dana’s empty seat where she had fled from, then he too suddenly stood up.