On The Wedding Day, My Husband Suddenly Changed - Chapter 2 - The Swapped Groom (Part 7)
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- Chapter 2 - The Swapped Groom (Part 7)
Chapter 2 – The Swapped Groom (Part 7)
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When the carriage stopped, Emily got off and helped Sophia board the wedding carriage. Originally, she was supposed to ride it when the ceremony started, but given the situation, there was no choice.
During that short ride to the venue, a sense of helplessness, anxiety, and impatience weighed heavily on her chest.
“Oh my goodness.”
Soon, the carriage stopped, and as Sophia got off, she was so shocked that she couldn’t close her mouth.
“How will you take responsibility for this?”
“The ceremony isn’t even over yet, is it?”
The venue was in chaos. Duke Dveshi and Duke Loden were glaring at each other with flushed faces, and the young masters seemed ready to pounce on one another.
If it weren’t for the King’s presence, a fight would have surely broken out, as the situation was extremely tense. Even the King, seemingly not having anticipated this situation, sat with a troubled expression.
Sophia looked around, hoping Clive had arrived late, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Where could he have gone? Did he really run away? No matter how unwanted the marriage was, wasn’t this too much?
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Upon confirming that Clive was not at the venue, Sophia looked blankly at the spot where he was supposed to stand. The murmurs of the surrounding people didn’t reach Sophia’s ears at all, making the venue, with only the bride and no groom, seem so quiet and lonely.
Swallowing the harsh words rising in her throat, Sophia clenched her fists tightly. No matter how much he hated the marriage, how could he run away so irresponsibly like this? Did he think she didn’t want to run away too?
If only he had given her a hint beforehand, she might not have felt so betrayed. But since he didn’t even do that, Clive’s actions felt utterly detestable to her.
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Yesterday, Clive had briefly visited the Dveshi residence to meet Sophia. Though he hadn’t been able to come inside, they had talked for a while outside, and he hadn’t shown any signs of planning to run away.
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‘Lady Dveshi, I look forward to our future together. Let’s become a good couple. As I said before, I won’t lay a hand on you until you open your heart to me.’
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Instead, with a gentle smile on his lips, he had only talked about how they would continue their relationship. Of course, Sophia didn’t believe that a man who was about to kiss her wouldn’t lay a hand on her, but he seemed to be trying to improve their relationship, which slightly softened her feelings of resentment.
But now it seemed that his kind words were merely a ruse to make his escape easier. He reassured her that he would never run away, only to leave freely afterward.
What a scoundrel!
He had made an unwanted marriage even more of a mess, and she felt utterly betrayed by him. Her hatred toward the Loden family grew even stronger.
“Duke Loden!”
At that moment, a servant with an urgent expression entered the banquet hall, holding a letter. It was evident to everyone that it was a letter from Clive.
People began to gather around the servant, who looked panicked as many approached with murderous glances. The servant, unsure where to direct his gaze, was flustered.
“Bring it to me!”
Only the King could mediate the situation, so the servant, under the King’s command, handed over the letter while enduring the sharp gazes of those around him. The servant was so frightened that his body trembled while kneeling on one knee.
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As the King tore open the envelope and read the contents, his expression gradually hardened, but from that alone, the contents of the letter could not be guessed.
“What does it say? Did the second son of the Loden family indeed run away before the wedding?”
The first to speak was Duke Dveshi, who asked the King with a confident expression.
“Clive wouldn’t do that. Could he have met with some accident?”
Duke Loden, too, quickly spoke up, voicing his thoughts. Though his actions could be seen as somewhat rude, this wasn’t the time to worry about that.
Everyone’s concern was whether Clive had run away or if some unavoidable situation had prevented him from coming.
“Hmm.”
Instead of answering, the King let out a small sigh, stroked his long beard a few times, and then spoke.
“Duke Loden, you must apologize to Duke Dveshi. The letter says Clive couldn’t possibly go through with the marriage.”
“As expected. I knew trusting someone from the Loden family was a mistake.”
Duke Dveshi ground his teeth as if he had anticipated this, while Duke Loden urgently shouted to the King, as if in disbelief.
“There must be some misunderstanding. No matter how free-spirited he is, my son is not someone without responsibility. There must be some unavoidable circumstances.”
The urgency in Duke Loden’s voice, as he suppressed his anger towards his son, was palpable.
“What circumstances! Do you think defending a runaway son without responsibility will change the situation?”
Duke Dveshi glared at Duke Loden with a fierce look.
“This must be someone’s trick!”
Duke Loden appealed to the King, refusing to acknowledge the contents of the letter written by Clive. If he admitted it, the responsibility would fall entirely on the Loden family.
“A groom running away from the wedding venueโฆ Is this a believable situation? We trusted your words, Your Majesty and sent Sophia in tears. How could this happen?”
Unable to hold back any longer, the Duchess of Dveshi also stood up and protested to the King.
“No. It says he couldn’t possibly live a life settled with one woman. So, Duke Loden, your son is indeed at fault.”
As more voices of protest were heard, the King sorted out the situation.
At that moment, all the guests from the Dveshi family turned their eyes to Sophia. Their gazes were filled with pity for her, left alone because of the runaway groom.
Duke Dveshi, looking at his daughter with sorrow, seized the opportunity presented by this absurd situation and shouted.
“It seems the Loden family must take responsibility.”
The King asked Duke Dveshi for his opinion, as an evil smile slowly spread across Duke Dveshi’s lips.
“What do you want, Duke Dveshi?”
“In exchange for the shame brought to the Dveshi family, I will take a life.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Duke Dveshi’s gaze turned to Marcus, causing Duke Loden’s face to twist with displeasure.
โTo covet my son’s life for such a trivial reason… You are quite greedy. Marcus cannot inherit the family.โ
He snorted as if the suggestion was absurd.
โThen how do you plan to pay for your child’s crimes? Or do you not understand how great the crime of tarnishing the Dveshi family’s honor is?โ
The murderous intent in Duke Dveshi’s eyes grew stronger.
โWho said we would let this slide? Duke Dveshi, you are too hasty.โ
โYour second son committed the wrong, so who are you to point fingers?โ
Duke Dveshi approached so close to Duke Loden that he could almost grab him by the collar, and the two men snarled at each other.
โNow, now. Let’s stop this.โ
The King, wearing a troubled expression, intervened and then continued.
โThe Loden family is at fault, so if you don’t want to lose two lives, you must offer a corresponding condition.โ
It seemed even he felt that demanding Marcus’s life was excessive.
โSo how will you take responsibility?โ
โWe will take responsibility as necessary.โ
As Duke Dveshi pressed on, Duke Loden, biting his lower lip hard, began to look increasingly distressed. It seemed he was contemplating what loss to accept since his son was at fault.
โSo how will you take responsibility? Speak clearly!โ
Duke Dveshi pressed him further.
โA contract instead of marriageโฆ.โ
โI will marry in his place.โ
Just as Duke Loden was about to answer with a solemn expression, Killian’s voice interrupted, bringing clarity to the situation.
At that moment, all the noise in the banquet hall ceased, and everyone’s eyes turned to him, who appeared unfazed.
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