“…His Grace?” 

That couldn’t be true. 

Elliope’s head snapped around so quickly it almost made a sound. Baroness Taleon looked at her with a glare that said she had no intention of repeating herself. 

“Yes. The ceremony has been fully arranged. The priest who will officiate, the Grand Duke’s retainers and even the residents of the estate are all gathered.” 

“…” 

“Do you not understand? All that’s left is for Your Highness to go to the hall.” 

‘Why?’ 

The question lingered in her mind but remained unspoken. The more she heard, the less sense it made. 

‘Why him?’ 

Didn’t Theodor despise her? Only yesterday he had stormed out after breaking his wine glass. Why would he show up at the wedding now? 

A wave of unease swept over her, and the Baroness drove the last nail into the coffin. 

“The chamber for the wedding night is also fully prepared. As soon as His Grace returns from the hunt, it will take place immediately.” 

At these words, not only Elliope but also Kallian flinched slightly. 

‘The wedding night’ 

‘The wedding night?’

Elliope repeated the words incredulously, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard. 

“His Grace… intends to consummate the marriage with me?” 

“And why wouldn’t he?”

came the head maid’s immediate and curt reply. 

Baroness Taleon, her face flushed with what appeared to be indignation, snapped at her, 

“Surely you don’t mean to tell me that, having come this far, you’re afraid to consummate your marriage to the Grand Duke?” 

Her tone was biting, laced with mockery, as if to imply: You had no qualms about being bathed n*ked in front of strangers, did you?

The final blow came when she added, 

“It seems that the princess of the imperial family has no intention of fulfilling even the basic duties of a wife.” 

A wave of dizziness washed over Elliope. 

‘I hate it.’

That was the first thought that crossed her mind. 

The very idea of him touching her with the same hands that had caressed his mistresses and pr*stitutes filled her with disgust. The thought of him pressing his lips – lips that had kissed, licked and bitten other women’s bodies – against hers made her stomach churn. And worse, the thought of him using that filthy thing, which could have been anywhere, carrying who knew what diseases, on her… 

Elliope put a hand over her mouth, trying to suppress the nausea that was surging through her. 

‘I really hate it.’ 

Of course, there had been a time when she had desperately wanted it – wanted him. Even knowing that he hated, no, despised her, there had been a time when she had longed for him to hold her. 

Before she had been humiliated by having fruit juice poured over her head and body. Before she had been forced to walk the corridors n*ked, exposed to the gaze of the knights. Before she had endured his daily taunts, telling her to die an old maid while she watched him sleep with other women every night. 

And before Kallian had held her in his arms. 

‘I don’t want to.’ 

But would Theodor ever accept her refusal? 

Elliope held her hand to her mouth, her shoulders trembling. Baroness Taleon, seeming to interpret her reaction as an emotional one, finally softened her expression. 

“Not just anyone – it is the Grand Duke of Ilmos, after all.”

“…” 

“Your Highness may be of noble birth yourself, but to be embraced by him is the greatest honour and joy for women in the Duchy.” 

“You too.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“Do you feel the same?”

Elliope’s impulsive remark caused the Baroness’s complexion to turn deathly pale. Even the surrounding maids gasped in shock, their breath audibly catching. 

“How could you say such a thing?” 

“You just said that being embraced by him is the greatest joy for women in the Duchy, didn’t you?”

Elliope replied blankly. 

The Baroness coughed sharply, obviously annoyed. 

Elliope’s mind raced with unspoken words.

‘If that’s what you call pleasure, you can have it. I want nothing to do with such a disgusting man.’ 

Clang. 

The distant sound of the temple bells rang out at that moment. 

Baroness Taleon took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes. It was clear from her expression that she was holding back – barely. She looked as if she wanted nothing more than to strike Elliope but was holding back, unwilling to send a bride to the ceremony with a visible mark. 

“The earlier rudeness will be reported to His Grace as the mistake of a young and thoughtless person.”

Baroness Taleon said, her face stiff with suppressed anger. 

“I will not discuss it here. His Grace will see to your education himself.” 

“…” 

“In any case, the people of the Duchy love him. You are about to become the wife of such a man. Think of that.” 

As she spoke, her finger pressed against Elliope’s collarbone, a pointed gesture filled with thinly veiled contempt. 

‘At this rate…….’

At this rate, she’ll marry Theodor, if that’s all that matters.

‘I have to sleep with him.. 

It wasn’t necessarily a matter of purity or anything like that; it was simply the fact that she hated him touching her at all.

Without realising it, her mouth went dry. As she continued to bite her lower lip, the rest of the preparations were hastily completed.

It was hard to believe that she was a bride about to have the wedding of her life, considering how carelessly everything had been done.

The veil hadn’t been placed properly and her face was bare of make-up. Even the bridesmaids passing by were probably better dressed than she was.

But in the midst of it all, Elliope really didn’t care. 

What am I going to do? 

Her anxiety grew as the maids led her out into the corridor. Opposite her room, where there had once been an empty space, was now a room unmistakably prepared as a bridal chamber. 

Through the open door she could see a huge bed. It was decorated with a certain splendour befitting the occasion.

A white cloth was laid on the red silk bedding to confirm the bride’s purity on the wedding night, with scattered dried rose petals adding to the scene. Unlit candles were lined up around the room. Seeing all this made it all too real. 

For some reason, Theodor had actually intended to consummate the marriage. The man who hadn’t even laid a finger on her in her previous life. 

This is ridiculous. 

As Elliope struggled with her disbelief, a maid offered an explanation, almost as if seeking credit. 

“This bridal chamber was originally meant to be in His Grace’s quarters in the main house.” 

“……” 

“But His Grace decided it would be more comfortable and familiar for Your Highness to use the annex instead, so he had it prepared here.” 

No. 

‘He probably just needs his usual room to fool around in with his mistresses.’

She thought bitterly. It was probably because there were still traces of whatever explicit activities he had indulged in with them yesterday. 

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate that she would not have to consummate their marriage in a room where he had lain with other women, Elliope could not say. She could barely walk, her steps faltering. 

“Hurry, keep moving. Hurry.”

The head maid urged, her tone impatient as she continued to push Elliope forward. 

It was then that Elliope, being forcibly pushed, stumbled and almost fell. 

A strong arm caught her gently, steadying her, then held out a hand as if to escort her. 

“Sir Kallian.”

She murmured his name without much thought, her mind too consumed by a storm of fear, disgust and anger. 

Memories and emotions from her past life and this one collided violently in her mind, pounding away mercilessly.

The aura of authority emanating from Kallian was formidable, though Elliope was so overwhelmed she barely registered it. The maids and the baroness, feeling the weight of the pressure, pulled away, whispering uneasily to each other from behind. 

“Elliope.” 

Kallian called her name. Elliope blinked slowly, her mind clearing for a moment as the suffocating atmosphere around her seemed to ease slightly. 

“What I said yesterday.”

“……” 

“Don’t forget.” 

Kallian whispered softly, his fingers brushing lightly over her ring finger. The gesture was quick and discreet, hidden from the maids by the broad shield of his body. 

Suddenly, the words he had whispered to her the day before flashed through her mind. 

“Keep your promise, Your Highness.” 

“Tell them, in front of everyone, that I have taken your virginity.” 

The memory of those words struck Elliope like a bolt of lightning, electrifying her mind. 

‘It is not too late.’ 

It wasn’t too late. Given the circumstances, there was only one option left – to make this declaration during the wedding, in full view and hearing of everyone. 

Her heart began to pound at the thought. 

Kallian leaned forward again, his voice deep and seductive as he whispered. 

“Don’t back out.” 

“……” 

“Not under any circumstances.” 

With each word Kallian whispered, her fingers curled involuntarily, trembling at the edges of her control. 

“Sir Kallian.”

“Yes.”

“The Grand Duke will be entering the Ceremonial Hall shortly,” one of the knights informed him. 

“We need you to join us for security…” 

“I’m on my way.” 

The knights, who had approached quietly, led Kallian away. His whispers faded into the distance in an instant, leaving a whirlwind in Elliope’s mind. 

Her head spun and her heart raced as if fire were pumping through her veins. A strange exhilaration enveloped her, lifting her as if she were walking on clouds. 

As she approached the temple where the ceremony was to take place, the maids and the head maid rushed to her side, hastily adjusting her outfit in their usual haphazard manner. 

“Ah.” 

The small sound escaped her lips, though she wasn’t sure if it was from the tension in her chest or the surrealness of it all. 

In the process, the end of the veil she was to wear broke. The veil was a symbol of the bride’s purity and chastity. While the maids grumbled in annoyance, to Elliope even this seemed laden with meaning. 

The head maid tried to save the veil, but finally gave up and draped it haphazardly over Elliope’s head, leaving her looking incomplete and dishevelled. 

“When they call, you will go immediately.” 

Instead of taking her to the bridal waiting room, they left her in the temple corridor. The cold wind seeped through the poorly made dress, but instead of feeling cold or shivering, a warmth began to rise within her – a warmth born of excitement and anticipation. 

—

By the time Elliope regained her senses, she was walking down the corridor and at its end stood face to face with Theodor. 

Amidst the murmurs of the retainers and some of the townsfolk who had seen the bride for the first time – having missed the welcoming ceremony – Elliope caught glimpses of whispered conversation about her. 

“Elliope Kartan, Princess of the Empire.”

The officiant’s voice echoed.

“Do you join this marriage in the name of harmony, purity and virtue?” 

Elliope lifted her head. Her vision narrowed, as if everything around her became a single point. She felt a piercing gaze from somewhere in the crowd, a gaze that seemed to bore into her soul. Instinctively, she knew it was Kallian. 

“No.” 

This was undoubtedly the ultimate act of defiance against the Imperial family – and against Theodor. Short of having an affair with his knight in front of his own throne, this was the most devastating revenge she could take. 

“I am deeply sorry, Your Grace.”

She said, her words flowing smoothly as if they had been rehearsed countless times. 

“I was sent here to marry Your Grace, but after arriving in the Grand Duchy of Ilmos, I lost my virginity.” 

Theodor of Ilmos’ face twisted in an instant, a storm of rage and humiliation distorting his features.