“…Stop saying such ridiculous things!”

Dearlin’s raised voice echoed throughout the bedroom.

She violently slapped away the hand Rian had been using to touch her hair as she denied his words outright.

“And what exactly is so ridiculous about it?”

Even after hearing him say it countless times already, Dearlin’s head throbbed from Rian’s stubborn insistence that he would marry her.

“I’ve told you over and over that I’m already married! Why won’t you listen to me?”

As she spoke, emotions surged up inside her so suddenly that she had to stop mid-sentence and steady her breathing.

“Do you hate the idea of marrying me that much?”

“That’s not what I mean…”

Of course, she didn’t hate the idea.

If it had been the Dearlin of the past, she would have accepted it without hesitation and been overjoyed. It was the future she had once longed for above all else.

But now, after everything had fallen apart, she could not bring herself to accept a marriage born from something so distorted and wrong.

“Then why are you refusing? Do you prefer living as the queen of a defeated kingdom and a criminal over becoming the Duchess of Sinaster?”

Dearlin pressed her lips together tightly.

She had never wanted to be the queen of a fallen kingdom.

Nor a criminal.

In fact, she had never even wanted to be the Duchess of Sinaster.

All she had ever wanted was to live as Rian Sinaster’s wife.

“Dearlin, even if you refuse, it won’t change anything.”

What was that supposed to mean now?

“The High Priest annulled your marriage himself. And His Majesty revoked House Shuvachen’s naturalization.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

Until now, Dearlin could not understand why Rian had acted with such overwhelming confidence.

But only now did she finally begin to understand.

“What exactly did you do?”

What had Rian done during his time away from the Sinaster estate to achieve the impossible?

For the first time, Dearlin felt genuine fear towards him.

The boy she once knew was gone. The man standing before her now was the Duke of Sinaster, a figure of immense power within the Empire itself.

“You don’t need to know the details, Dearlin.”

“Rian…”

“There’s no reason to be frightened. Everything has simply returned to where it belongs.”

The moment Rian finished speaking, a maid entered Dearlin’s bedroom pushing a serving trolley.

“So eat.”

It wasn’t a suggestion.

It was an order.

Upon hearing his cold words, Dearlin quietly climbed off the bed and took a seat at the table.

A steaming bowl of soup was placed in front of her.

“From now on, we’ll eat dinner together.”

Dearlin forced herself to swallow spoonful after spoonful of soup, deliberately avoiding his gaze.

It was not so much resentment as sorrow that filled her heart.

He had always understood her better than anyone else.

But now…

Did he truly not understand her anymore?

Or was he simply pretending?

“…Are you watching me?”

Having Rian stay beside her without doing anything made her uncomfortable.

“I’m checking on you.”

A prettily wrapped excuse.

In the end, it was still surveillance.

“Rian, you’re going to regret this…”

“What?”

“You’ll regret marrying me.”

Right now, he was consumed by resentment and a desire for revenge — emotions that were overwhelming him. This was why he had rushed into this marriage so recklessly.

Sooner or later, however, reality would catch up with him.

Even if House Shuvachen’s naturalization had been revoked and her title restored, the family itself was practically ruined, with Dearlin as its only surviving direct descendant.

It was a house with nothing left.

No honor. No wealth.

Only the hollow name of a count’s family remained.

No matter how much he tried to justify it with lingering affection or love, the harsh reality of noble society made one thing painfully clear.

A marriage between Dearlin and Rian would be far too unequal.

“Are you sure I’m the one who’ll regret it?”

“……”

“You’re the one who failed to marry the person you wanted, Dearlin. Not me. I’m very satisfied with this marriage.”

Dearlin let out a quiet breath and said nothing more.

No matter what she said, it was clear that Rian wasn’t going to listen to her.

Besides, this wasn’t the first time someone had opposed this marriage.

However, given Rian’s stubborn nature, once he had made up his mind, there was no chance he would ever change it.

Ultimately, all Dearlin could do was follow the path that Rian had chosen for her.

The countless rumors and unreasonable accusations that came with it were a price she would simply have to endure.

***

Preparations for the wedding began the very next day.

Following Rian’s instructions to ensure a flawless ceremony, Simon attended to every detail with meticulous precision.

However, he could neither stop the servants from showing their resentment, nor silence the vassals who were openly opposed to the marriage.

“So His Grace is really marrying that woman?”

“This has to be a dream. There’s no way something this absurd could be real…!”

Whenever two or more maids gathered, they passionately discussed this marriage that would only bring harm to House Sinaster.

“But she’s a married woman. That’s what the head maid said!”

Head Maid Sophie could not hide her misery over the situation, but she kept her words restrained.

“I value you as much as I value Simon, Head Maid.”

“So I hope you will serve Dearlin faithfully, just as you once served my mother.”

Like Simon, Sophie had also received Rian’s warning the previous night.

For now, she had no choice but to back down.

This would surely only be temporary.

She believed that Rian would soon come to his senses.

Once he did, she thought that Dearlin would naturally be cast aside.

Without the protection of a powerful family, there was no way she could endure her husband’s coldness, the servants’ contempt, and high society’s scorn forever.

Sophie could already picture the future clearly: Dearlin slowly withering away on the estate, abandoned by her husband’s love and trapped in a life that resembled a prison more than a home.

“Watch your tongues, everyone. We are servants meant to obey orders.”

Leaving behind that brief warning, Sophie walked away from the group of gathered maids.

Even so, the whispering among them did not stop.

“Your Grace!”

Having only just learned of the marriage, the vassals of House Sinaster rushed to find Rian.

He had been calmly reviewing documents in his office after causing such chaos, but he frowned the moment he saw the group of vassals storming towards him.

The men standing before him were breathing heavily, as though they had run there without stopping.

“What is all this about?”

At Rian’s composed attitude, several vassals let out hollow laughs.

“We heard you intend to marry.”

“Isn’t this the very news you’ve all been waiting for?”

Whenever Rian stayed at the estate, the same vassals would constantly pressure him to marry and produce an heir.

“Yes, Your Grace. Your marriage concerns the future of the entire ducal house. That is precisely why we hoped you would choose a suitable wife for the estate.”

If Rian remained silent during discussions with his vassals, they took it as a sign to continue.

“We have heard an absurd rumor that the future duchess is none other than the queen of the fallen kingdom of Orva. Though it may be presumptuous of us, we came in haste to confirm that such rumors are false. Please forgive our boldness, Your Grace.”

In truth, they already knew it was not just a rumor.

This was simply their final attempt to make him reconsider.

“I suppose you have heard something incorrect.”

“……!”

“Dearlin is the daughter of House Shuvachen, not the Queen of Orva. Both His Majesty the Emperor and the High Priest have acknowledged this fact.”

From the moment the vassals arrived, Rian had anticipated this response.

However, he had no intention of yielding.

A smile spread across his face as he answered with ease.

In fact, he seemed almost pleased to finally have an opportunity to cause trouble for the very same vassals who had spent the last five years relentlessly pressuring him to marry and produce heirs.

“To make such a decision without even discussing it with your vassals first…”

“That’s right! We cannot approve of this marriage!”

“We sincerely ask you to reconsider, Your Grace.”

Only then did the vassals realize that persuasion would not work.

They therefore changed their tactics, openly opposing him instead.

“This marriage has already been approved by His Majesty and the High Priest. Even my late mother acknowledged Dearlin as her future daughter-in-law. And yet you still dare to oppose her? On what grounds?”

At Rian’s dangerously sharp tone, the vassals exchanged uneasy glances.

“Which is precisely why we cannot recognize that woman as the Duchess.”

It was Valmont, head of one of the most influential families among the vassals, House Halbern, who finally spoke amidst the tense silence.

“Count Halbern…”

Among all his vassals, Valmont was the one Rian trusted most.

Even Rian could not fully hide his surprise at hearing such fierce opposition from him.

“She betrayed the former duchess’s trust by choosing a king from another nation. We cannot accept the risk of welcoming such a woman as mistress of this house.”

This blatant insult towards Dearlin caused the muscles along Rian’s jaw to tense.

The words were not entirely false. But hearing someone else say them aloud made his blood boil.

“Then tell me, Count Halbern — what kind of lady do you believe is worthy of becoming the mistress of this house?”

If he lost his temper here, it would be like admitting to every accusation they had thrown at Dearlin.

Rian desperately suppressed the fury rising inside him.

“If I must name someone specifically, then I believe Lady Katrin of House Remer would be the most suitable choice.”