“We’ve cleared out an entire floor for you. Please rest comfortably.”

Even late into the night, the aide remained courteous and respectful and wore his formal uniform at all times.

Yuis considered asking for his name, but stopped herself. She was painfully aware that, in the eyes of his subordinates, she wasn’t yet worthy of being addressed as the duke’s wife. She felt she had no right to ask.

After hesitantly opening and closing her lips, Yuis ultimately chose to simply offer a quiet word of gratitude.

“Thank you.”

Shortly after, Laura entered with her meal. She helped serve her dinner, prepared the washbasin, and helped her wash up.

Once Laura had told her to rest and left the room, Yuis finally lay down on the bed.

Staring up at the grand ceiling above her, her thoughts wandered.

They would arrive in Kalang tomorrow.

She doubted she would get much sleep tonight.

***

In contrast to the day she left Darec, they arrived at Descartes’ territory calmly and in an orderly fashion.

The duke’s residence was elegant and magnificent. Even the large doors were intricately inlaid with gold.

Nothing in the Kingdom of Darec could compare.

Yuis straightened her back and tried to calm her nervous breathing.

The gardens were beautifully landscaped, with a magnificent building with a towering spire to the left.

As they walked along the path, they saw a line of servants standing in formation in front of a small building at the centre of the garden.

“Welcome, my lady.”

Yuis forced herself to smile, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst. When she first left Darec, she had assumed that Kalang might not be so different.

But the Kalang she now saw was unlike anything she had imagined.

Not even Hetar, which had long reigned as one of the continent’s great powers, could compare to this splendour.

The hotels had become increasingly extravagant the closer they had got to Kalang, and now, at last, the Duke’s estate far surpassed the Johannes mansion — it wasn’t even in the same league.

The sheer grandeur alone was enough to make her feel small and overwhelmed.

An impeccably dressed elderly butler greeted her with a gentle smile, but even that felt like some kind of judgement.

Though she kept her head slightly bowed, she could still feel the servants sneaking glances at her.

Her chest tightened with anxiety.

‘What if they find out?’
The thought chased itself endlessly around in her mind. She was so focused on maintaining her smile that the corners of her mouth trembled from the strain.

The butler’s soft voice broke through her racing thoughts.

For a moment, it felt as if a wave of tension had swept through her entire body.

She instinctively braced herself, expecting the faint hostility she had become accustomed to.

But the butler’s voice remained as gentle as her smile as she spoke.

“You must be tired. Allow me to show you to your room first.”

The low building at the centre of the estate was said to be the couple’s private quarters.

They ascended a large spiral staircase and entered a room on the left.

“The two rooms are connected. The lady’s chamber is on the left, with His Grace’s chamber on the right. The marital bedroom is between them. Now then, my lady, please rest comfortably.”

Unlike at Darec, where the Duke and Duchess typically had entirely separate suites, here, the couple shared a bedroom.

Yuis was momentarily surprised by this arrangement, but she quickly returned a polite smile and tilted her head slightly in acknowledgement of the butler’s kind words.

Unlike the tension that had followed her all the way to Kalang, the Duke’s estate servants were kind to her.

This alone allowed her to relax just a little.

After the butler withdrew, Yuis let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from her damp palms with a handkerchief.

The room prepared for her included not only a bedroom, but also a study, a private office and a bathroom.

‘Perhaps I, too, held certain prejudices…’
The thought prompted a faint, self-deprecating laugh to escape her lips.

When she entered the bedroom, it was the large bed that caught her eye first.

She would soon have to share it with her husband, the Duke of Descartes.

This naturally meant that she would also have to fulfil the expected duties of a wife.

The once vague concept of marriage was beginning to become a reality.

However, as if mocking her apprehensions, Edric — her soon-to-be husband — never came to their bedroom.

Not on the first night.

Not on the second.

Not even on the third.

Was he even on the estate?

Yuis could not be sure.

Several more days passed before Duke Descartes finally sent word—through Laura—that tonight would be their wedding night.

As Yuis stepped out of her robe and into the warm bath, the scent of roses wafted up to greet her.

Unlike the subtle scent of lilies, this fragrance was deliberate and unmistakable.

Her heartbeat pounded so loudly that she could hear it echoing in her ears.

‘It’s alright, Yuis.’
‘Don’t be startled when you see him.’

She repeated the words to herself over and over again, trying to calm her nerves.

Even Laura’s excited chatter about how thrilling the evening would be seemed distant and faint, as if it were coming from far away.

Perhaps it was because she had assumed that she would meet him at least once before the wedding night.

Unable to contain her nerves, Yuis stared down at her cold fingertips.

As if sensing her anxiety, the maids approached and gently unclenched her hands.

Once her bath was finished, they proceeded with the rest of the preparations, applying fragrant oils to her skin and dressing her in a sheer silk negligée that left little to the imagination.

Laura carefully styled her hair while Yuis took a quiet breath and gazed at her reflection in the mirror.

When a thin shawl was draped over her shoulders, the preparations were finally complete.

‘It’s alright, Yuis.’

When Laura opened the door to the marital bedroom, Yuis stepped forward cautiously.

The room was dimly lit.

A soft, warm light was glowing faintly, illuminating a small table laid with wine.

Sitting on the edge of the bed was a large man.

Suppressing her rising nerves, Yuis moved closer to him.

Only when she stood directly in front of him did he finally lift his head.

“Welcome, my lady.”

All her attempts to steel herself were instantly shattered.

Yuis momentarily forgot how to breathe.

Beneath his pale platinum hair, his transparent blue eyes gleamed like jewels.

He was astonishing: a sharp nose and lips tinged faintly with red.

Yuis had never seen anyone so breathtakingly beautiful.

In stark contrast to his elegant features, his cool, piercing gaze shimmered with danger.

It was the look of a predator facing its prey.

‘Is this truly the man they call the Demon of War? The God of Battle?’
Doubt filled her mind. The man, impossibly refined and graceful, met her eyes and tilted his lips into a faint, slanted smile.

As Edric observed the woman before him, a faint trace of surprise flickered across his blue eyes.

This marriage had been arranged through cold, calculated politics. He had naturally assumed that Hetar would send him someone like his princess: a bold, insolent woman.

Yet the woman standing before him seemed completely unaware of her circumstances. Her wide, violet eyes were round with astonishment as she gazed at him, making her appear innocent.

His first impression of her — harmless and pure — was not unpleasant.

When Yuis finally composed herself and greeted him, Edric let out a low chuckle and rose to his feet.

Her violet eyes instinctively followed his movements.

Unlike his elegant face, Edric’s body was no different to those of the other men she had seen around the estate — broad, solid and powerful.

Faint scars peeped out beneath his robe, scattered across his skin like the lingering remnants of countless battles.

“Would you like a drink?”

His low, resonant voice brushed softly against her ears.

Yuis almost raised her hand to cover her ear, but quickly lowered it and nodded in response.

She sat cautiously on the edge of the bed while Edric poured wine into a glass and handed it to her.

In her nervous state, she emptied the glass in one gulp, prompting another quiet chuckle from him.

Their gazes met as he lowered his eyes to meet hers once more.

The orange glow of the lantern lit her face, casting long shadows that deepened every time he blinked.

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke again.

“This marriage… was not something you wished for either, was it?”

‘Princess.’

Technically, Yuis was not a princess of House Johannes. She merely entered into the marriage on the pretence of distant kinship.

Did this man know the truth?

Was he testing her, fully aware of what she was doing?

Or did he simply not care enough to find out?

Yuis couldn’t tell.

Her gaze wavered uneasily.

Uncertain whether to correct him, she stood frozen to the spot.

Reading her hesitation, Edric continued speaking.

“It doesn’t matter. Neither of us wanted this marriage to begin with.”

“That’s not exactly—”

“You need only to exist.”