There was a time when Dearlin had her own dreams.

She dreamed of a wedding attended by many people, where she would promise eternal love to the man she loved, and spend the rest of her life with him.

Having grown up watching her parents’ deep love for each other, it was only natural for her to dream of a fairy-tale romance.

‘If only I had never left the Empire… If that had happened, would I be happy with Rian by now?’

It had already been five years since she left the Rovadium Empire and came to the Orva Kingdom.

Had she not abandoned the academy, she would have long since graduated by now.

“The moment we graduate from the academy, let’s get married right away, Dearlin. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“I feel the same way, Rian.”

As Dearlin remembered the promise she had broken, she squeezed her eyes shut.

The elderly High Priest standing before her appeared to be speaking, but she could not hear a word.

The scent of the bouquet clutched in her hands made it difficult to breathe.

“Bride?”

“Ah…”

Only then did she realize that she had failed to answer the High Priest’s question.

With an awkward expression on her face, she slowly lifted her head.

The first thing she saw was the flustered face of the High Priest. Beside her stood Arthur, looking stiff and impassive.

“Ahem. I will ask the bride once more.”

Fortunately, the High Priest seemed to assume she was merely nervous because of the wedding, preventing the awkward atmosphere from worsening further.

“Bride Dearlin Shuvachen, do you swear before God to accept Arthur von Orva as your husband, and to love and respect him for the rest of your life?”

It was the same question asked of every bride and groom at every wedding.

And naturally, the answer was always predetermined.

“……”

Even so, Dearlin could not bring herself to respond.

Because the man she loved was not Arthur, the man standing beside her.

“It seems my bride is very nervous.”

When no answer came from Dearlin even after the question was repeated, Arthur smoothly stepped in.

“Are you alright?”

He tightly clasped one of Dearlin’s hands and spoke loudly enough for the whispering guests to hear.

“…O-Of course.”

Despite his gentle tone, the coldness in his eyes sent a chill through her.

Dearlin hurriedly nodded.

“Bride, do you swear?”

Defying Arthur’s temper was dangerous.

“I swear…”

If she failed to answer this time as well, Dearlin knew exactly what would happen after the wedding ended.

And so, she had no choice but to force the words out.

“I now ask the guests gathered here. Does anyone object to this marriage?”

Another question with an already decided answer was directed toward the audience.

“……”

Silence filled the hall.

Watching the scene unfold, Dearlin swallowed a bitter smile.

‘Who would possibly oppose this marriage?’

Those who had opposed the marriage were already dead.

When Arthur first announced his intention to marry her, the nobility fiercely resisted.

After all, what noble would willingly accept their king marrying a foreign woman — especially one from the Empire, a nation notorious for its hostility towards their kingdom?

But Arthur had killed them all.

The only people attending the wedding today were his most loyal followers — those who were fully aware of the suffering Dearlin had endured at his hands, yet chose to turn a blind eye in exchange for his favor.

There was never any hope that anyone here would object to the marriage.

“Then let us proceed with the declaration.”

As the silence dragged on, the High Priest prepared to announce the end of the marriage ceremony.

Once it was over, Arthur would take her to the bedroom.

He had only achieved this marriage by k*lling everyone who had stood in his way, including Dearlin’s father.

Having waited so long, Arthur would possess her body and attempt to control every aspect of her life, treating her as though she were nothing more than a doll.

Beyond this moment, only a lifetime of suffering awaited her.

“Before all gathered here today, groom Arthur von Orva and bride Dearlin Shuvachen have sworn to spend the rest of their lives together as husband and wife, and therefore—”

Bang!

A deafening crash suddenly erupted from outside, and with a thunderous roar, the doors flew open.

It would not have been an exaggeration to say they had nearly been destroyed.

“Have I arrived too late?”

Before the knights could react, a man’s voice rang out from the entrance, which had been shattered.

Moments later, a group of unfamiliar knights, dressed in strange armor, stormed into the wedding hall.

Everyone inside stood frozen in shock at the sudden chaos.

By the time Dearlin had lifted her head from the floor in response to the commotion, several people had already lost their lives.

‘What is happening…?’

When she looked toward Arthur, even he appeared visibly shaken.

“Commander! What are you doing standing there instead of k*lling them?! K*ll them at once!”

Arthur barked the order after finally coming to his senses, but it was too late.

The same nobles who had been flattering him moments earlier had turned into cold corpses.

Blood splattered every corner of the lavishly decorated wedding hall, and the only sounds left were those of people desperately trying to survive.

Unable to bear the sight, Dearlin lowered her gaze to the floor again.

“Your Grace, we have dealt with everyone as ordered.”

“You’ve all done well.”

When the screams had finally begun to fade, another unfamiliar voice echoed through the hall.

‘Who in the world is doing this…?’

She had wished countless times that the wedding would never happen, but she had never wanted it to end like this.

The sound of approaching footsteps grew louder and louder.

Arthur seemed to be shouting at the person approaching.

‘If they came here to kill me, then I wish they would just do it quickly.’

Living as Arthur’s wife and enduring a life worse than h*ll was far more terrifying than death.

‘Even if I force myself to keep living, I’ll never be able to see Rian again.’

Dearlin could only hope that the man approaching her would show mercy and kill her as painlessly as possible.

“Raise your head.”

Of those who had survived, it was only Dearlin who lowered her head.

When she realized he was speaking to her, she lightly bit the tender flesh inside her mouth and slowly lifted her head.

The moment she saw the face of the man who had ruined the wedding, her eyes began to tremble.

Her breathing quickened.

“R-Rian…?”

He had golden hair and eyes that shone brilliantly, as if to declare the nobility of his bloodline.

When she finally saw the face she had longed to see, even in her dreams, her mind went completely blank.

Dearlin closed her eyes, then opened them again.

Nothing had changed.

The face that she had buried deep in her heart and cried over every time it resurfaced in her memories was now right before her eyes.

Her former lover: Rian Sinaster.

‘Why did you only come now…?’

Grief and resentment overwhelmed her.

Although she knew she was the one who had caused their separation, she could no longer think rationally.

She had missed him desperately all those years, living only because she could not die.

Over time, she had come to believe that Rian must have forgotten her, too.

This was why the face before her now felt both unfamiliar and shocking.

“Have you been well?”

Tilting his head slightly, Rian asked while staring only at Dearlin.

Even amid all this chaos, he looked strangely calm.

“……”

Dearlin could not say a word.

His words sounded gentle, asking after her well-being, but his smile was cold—and now that she had regained her senses, the metallic stench of blood filled her nose.

“Ah…”

Only then did Dearlin look around.

“Ugh… hngh!”

Of all those present, only she, Arthur and the High Priest who had conducted the ceremony had barely survived.

Staring at the blood-soaked wedding hall, she felt an overwhelming urge to vomit.

The more she retched, the redder her eyes became, and the more tears gathered.

“Haa… hngh…”

She drew in deep breaths again and again, trying desperately to calm her ragged breathing.

“I tried to come sooner. What a shame.”

At the cruel, toneless voice falling over her head, Dearlin’s body trembled.

The sight of Rian looking genuinely regretful sent a chill down her spine.

“You see, I objected to this marriage.”

“……”

“You belong to me, Dearlin. Don’t you?”

As Dearlin only moved her lips soundlessly, Rian toyed with the veil covering her head before gripping it tightly.

“And yet you’re standing here wearing something like this.”

“Hngh—”

Rian tore the veil from her head as though ripping it away and threw it onto the bloodstained floor.

It did not take long for the once pure white veil to become soaked red.

“Duke Sinaster!”

Arthur finally recognized who Rian was and shouted through gritted teeth.

“No matter if you’re a duke of the Empire! How dare you barge in here and do as you please?! Have you finally gone mad?!”

No matter how loudly Arthur protested, Rian did not spare him so much as a glance.

Instead, he slowly shifted his gaze to the hand gripping Dearlin’s wrist.

A faint crease formed between his brows.

Without hesitating, he drew the sword hanging at his waist.

No one managed to stop him before the blade swung down and severed Arthur’s wrist.

There was no one left alive who could stop him.

Dearlin might have tried to stop him, but merely staying conscious was taking everything she had.

“…Hngh!”

Perhaps even in this situation Arthur could not tolerate screaming without dignity, because instead of crying out, he only sucked in a ragged breath before collapsing onto the floor.

“That’s why you should never have touched what belongs to me.”

And, in that moment, Dearlin realized it.

Rian, who had always been so cautious and composed, had done something so insane because of her.