‘Viscountess Natasha once had her fiancé stolen by Maria Tartien.’

Her engagement of ten years broke off just one year before the wedding.

This happened because Natasha’s fiancé, Leodore, was caught having an affair with Maria Tartien.

Of course, anyone could see it wasn’t serious love.

But what was a casual fling for Maria seemed to be more for Leodore.

Moreover, Maria and Natasha were known to be quite close friends.

“I absolutely must see what kind of face that woman makes when she takes her wedding vows, no matter what.”

Natasha heard that her ex-fiancé Leodore had enlisted in the military and was wandering the frontlines. He was even injured.

Well, she didn’t feel sorry for that man at all.

Did he really think he could become Tartien’s son-in-law?

‘Hmph.’

Natasha put down her teacup and smiled while looking at the palace visible in the distance through the window.

“I’m truly so excited that I don’t want to wait any longer. With two days left, I’m dying of anticipation.”

Two days.

The thought that the royal wedding would be held in just two days made her smile involuntarily.

‘You always trembled at the mention of the king. Now, even public opinion about your family that you were so proud of isn’t good, so who will bless you?’

As if responding to Natasha’s expectations, time flew by like an arrow, and suddenly it was the day of the royal wedding.

* * *

The movements of people infiltrating the secret darkness seemed ominous.

The footsteps treading on ground wet from the night’s misty rain felt violent and urgent in their indiscriminate nature.

Their faces all bore the same solemn expression—they were the merchant association members who had organized the protests over the past few weeks.

One of them, Jack Lübain, who had stood on an oak barrel leading people, ran his dry fingertips over a large wooden box and looked around at everyone.

“As you all know, if we fail today, we are all as good as dead.”

At his words, people’s faces darkened further.

Their fingertips trembled with tension.

“Perhaps…… even if we succeed, things might not change dramatically.”

He spoke of uncertainty.

However, Jack Lübain’s face held conviction as he said this.

“But if we do nothing, we will never change anything.”

“……That’s right!”

“We’ve already come this far prepared for everything!”

“We will not tolerate seeing them living in luxury with money earned through our blood and sweat, after they killed my friends, my neighbors, my brothers, and my children!”

“Bring back my son!”

“Overthrow the nobles! Bring down the royal family!”

“Everyone, focus on defensive gear rather than weapons. No matter what victory might come, joy that arrives after death is meaningless! For us who take action, for our present selves!”

Jack Lübain’s voice gained strength.

To emphasize his conviction, he struck the wooden box with a bang and shouted,

“Rights will belong to those who fight for them!”

“Waaah—!”

A secretive fervor spread through the quiet alleys.

Leading hundreds of people who had gathered in an instant, Jack Lübain shouted,

“Now, let’s all go to Batus Prison!”

* * *

The dim dawn light seeped through the dark palace.

Blue light rippled between the corridor pillars, and hazy dust quietly floated through that dim light.

It was as quiet as if time had stopped.

The calm and quiet feeling seemed almost peaceful.

Lumiere, who opened her eyes drowsily to the secretly infiltrating morning light, leaned against Karl’s chest as he sat against the bed headboard looking beyond the tightly closed door, and asked,

“The wedding day has finally arrived. How does it feel to hold your wedding while leaving the person you love in your bedroom, Your Majesty?”

Karl smiled slightly at her teasing question and kissed her forehead, saying,

“Very unpleasant and very happy.”

As if understanding his words, Lumiere also smiled faintly and stroked his bare chest.

Karl had asked her not to leave last night but to stay by his side.

Lumiere didn’t want to leave his side last night either.

So even knowing it was madness, she stayed with him.

Fortunately, the watchful eyes had relaxed before such a momentous day.

“……But will it really be okay? Your portrait.”

“I’m fine. But I’m sorry to you. You worked hard to paint it.”

Lumiere shook her head as if to say it was fine.

The painting had already left her hands.

What to do with it was entirely Karl’s decision.

She looked at the closed door he had been staring at, then slowly added:

“I’m actually a bit scared, Karl.”

“Of what?”

“That you might get hurt.”

……And that innocent people might be sacrificed because of what’s about to happen.

She quietly swallowed the latter part, too heavy to dare speak aloud.

But Karl had probably already read her mind.

He too must have imagined this day of the future hundreds, thousands of times.

“When a wound is festering, sometimes you have to endure some pain and cut out that part. Anyway…… this is something this country had to go through eventually. It’s better for it to happen when I can oversee the aftermath, as that will result in the fewest sacrifices.”

Looking back at history, politics was like a very long-lived organism that underwent the pain of change when the time came.

Whether that change was in the right direction or a regression was something the people of the time couldn’t evaluate.

Karl simply hoped that today’s change would bring at least slightly better results than he had thought.

……Bang!

The sound of gunfire was heard from afar.

Karl turned his head to look out the window and smiled faintly.

“It seems my partner is ready too.”

At his words, Lumiere rose from the bed first.

Karl watched her persistently, seemingly not wanting to miss even a single moment of her disheveled appearance as she got out of bed and put on a robe.

Lumiere extended her hand to her lazy lover who was sending her such an intense gaze, saying,

“I’ll help you prepare for the wedding, Your Majesty.”

“Couldn’t you show a little jealousy?”

“How can I force myself to be jealous when I don’t feel jealous at all? Would you be jealous in my position?”

At her words, Karl suddenly closed his mouth as if thinking of something, then frowned and muttered,

“Actually, no. Just imagining you marrying another man, even in my imagination, makes me feel like I’m going crazy.”

“Hmm?”

When she stared at him as if wondering what he was talking about, he seriously said again:

“Hmm…… thinking about it again, it’s really irritating? Ah, of course I’m not irritated at you, but at that man on the other side…… that son of a……”

“Hey. Is it okay to curse so harshly at a fictional character that doesn’t even exist?”

Lumiere burst into laughter at Karl who was unnecessarily serious about raising his fictional jealousy.

* * *

“Huuuuung…… waaah…… huu-hic. Sniff!”

This should have been a bride’s waiting room filled with excitement.

But now, it was filled with nothing but tears and crying.

“Miss, please stop crying. I can’t do your makeup like this.”

“Please calm down. Would you like some water? Or tea? Juice?”

“Oh my, your eyes will get all puffy. Miss, you’re today’s main character, don’t cry. I’ll do your makeup really prettily.”

“N-no! Why would I need makeup, huuuung. No! I won’t do it. No, I won’t go into the wedding hall.”

Maria had been forcibly dragged out by Schultz at dawn and confined to the palace.

For the past few days, she had prayed and prayed that this day would never come.

Or that lightning would suddenly strike the palace, or the king would suddenly die, or some country would suddenly start a war with Levania……

Anyway, she had thought of all sorts of things that could prevent the wedding from happening, but it was useless.

God seemed to prefer her father’s wishes over hers.

Well, he had donated so much money to the church, so God couldn’t ignore him.

“……What is this. I’m really so depressed. I hate this. I don’t want to get married!”

But time continued to flow, and as dawn approached, she hastily packed her clothes thinking she should run away, only to be caught immediately.

Schultz had already anticipated his daughter’s half-baked escape plan.

He had stationed dozens of knights around the mansion to prevent anyone from leaving or entering.

“No, what kind of royal wedding is this? They say less than 100 nobles will attend. No foreign delegations, no procession. How is this a wedding for a king and queen!”