The preparations for the engagement ceremony progressed meticulously to an unsettling degree. In fact, those truly busy were not the couple themselves but the people around them. The royal tailor visited to fit their attire, an administrator came by to select the venue, invitations were sent to the nobility, and the palace chef decided on a menu symbolizing blessings.

Of course, Ruben had little say in any of it; most details were already established and simply communicated to him. Like something happening to someone else, the engagement date drew nearer without him having any real influence.

“Your Grace. The Star Residence has been prepared as ordered.”

“Understood.”

Ruben replied without looking at the Will. It was the separate residence where Helia would be staying when she came to the ducal estate, and Ruben was far from interested.

Their engagement ceremony was set for tomorrow. Ruben had not seen her again since his last meeting with Helia following her letter.

“Are you sure you’re all right with not seeing her?”

“….”

There was no need to specify who he meant; it was apparent. Ruben remained silent. The old butler who had served him for years understood the significance of this silence well.

Besides, it was already too late to visit anyone. Still, Will had said it out of pity for his master, who only seemed to push Helia away. He remembered the young boy who once sparkled excitedly at the thought of meeting the Princess.

But Ruben had grown up, and to him now, Helia was nothing but a nightmare—something he wanted to sever ties with but couldn’t.

With a quiet sigh, Will tried to lighten the mood and asked, “Shall I prepare a late-night snack?”

“No.”

“Then I will take my leave.”

There was nothing more he could do. Will closed the office door softly, leaving Ruben alone.

Once alone, Ruben placed the documents he was holding down on the desk and sank into the leather chair. A wave of fatigue washed over him.

Tomorrow, Helia will officially become his fiancée.

They had spent ten years apart without contact. Ordinarily, they would never have been involved with each other again.

In the ten years they hadn’t seen each other, Helia had changed considerably—or maybe not at all. The little girl he’d once watched over, afraid she might stumble, had become the perfect noble lady, moving without making a single misstep. There was no trace of the girl back then, yet her actions were no different from ten years ago. Ruben clicked his tongue at the thought.

What on earth is she thinking? Why does she insist on making a man who doesn’t even like her her fiancé? Why is she so fixated on a man who’s made it clear he doesn’t want to protect her?

In truth, he already knew the answer. From the start, Helia was a woman who lacked nothing in the world. The world’s rare treasures, delicacies, and jewels were hers. Since she wasn’t interested in things she could easily possess, it made some sense that she’d be fixated on the one thing she couldn’t have. The issue was that her fixation was not on an object but on a person.

The one thing she couldn’t have. Thinking of it that way, Ruben understood why someone as proud as Helia was obsessed with him. She had once held him but carelessly let slip from her grasp. In her mind, it was something she merely needed to reclaim. That was all he was to her.

In short, Helia simply wanted to possess him; his feelings or sincerity were of no concern to her.

Ruben let out a sigh. He moved toward the wine cabinet, pulling out a bottle of red wine. He didn’t feel he could get through this night without a drink.

Once this night was over, he would become Helia’s fiancé. The liquor burned unpleasantly in his stomach.

—

The engagement ceremony took place in Vale Palace’s outdoor garden. Fortunately, the weather was perfect.

“It’s been a while, Marquis Mars.”

“Ah, weren’t you at your estate, Your Grace?”

“An invitation arrived directly from the royal family, and since it was the engagement of Her Highness and Duke Effenberg, I made an effort to come. But I must say, despite the short preparation period, the splendor is impressive.”

“Indeed. I knew Her Highness favored grandeur, but…”

The early-arriving nobles gathered in groups to discuss the event. Due to the absence of many distressed ladies who had taken to bed in disappointment, the attendees were mostly men.

“Excessive.”

That was Ruben’s first thought upon arriving at the venue. The ceremony site was so extravagantly decorated that even an imperial royal wedding would not have warranted such opulence.

Unseasonable flowers were scattered over the ground, their blooms imported from who knew where. Flower vases with intricate gemstone inlays adorned the space, while sherbet, prepared as a dessert, was chilled and nestled in finely crushed ice. At the end of a long, red velvet carpet lay a dais decorated with white flowers and ostentatiously equipped with golden goblets.

Ruben frowned, thinking of Helia’s vanity.

“Your Grace, the engagement ceremony is about to begin.”

A palace attendant courteously informed Ruben of the start of the ceremony. Without a word, Ruben turned and followed. He was nothing more than a puppet today, anyway. He felt neither rebellion nor tension—only a sense of resignation.

As the lukewarm applause subsided, Ruben stepped forward first, positioning himself in front of the platform where the engagement ceremony would occur. His tall stature, broad shoulders, and overall solid build were well-suited to the black tuxedo he wore, buttoned neatly to the collar. Despite the formal and immaculate attire, an aura of enigmatic charm emanated from him, drawing the gazes of everyone present.

“Her Highness the Princess is arriving!”

With this announcement, the attendants moved in a flurry, signaling the arrival of the central figure. Ruben turned his head toward the commotion.

“The true star has arrived,” someone whispered. At last, the onlookers tore their eyes from Ruben and looked at Helia.

Her typically striking red hair was elegantly tied back. A diamond tiara adorned her head, accompanied by a veil delicately decorated with sparkling jewels and fresh flowers, flowing gracefully behind her. Intricate lace embroidery covered her arms and collarbone, while the pure white silk hugged her body from her chest to her waist, forming a delicate silhouette. Below, the skirt flared out, cascading to her feet, with rows of white roses sewn along the hemline in a natural yet dense arrangement.

Her appearance was more akin to that of a bride than someone attending a simple engagement ceremony. Ruben suppressed a surge of irritation as he realized that the royal tailor had likely designed his formal attire to complement hers.

“She looks like a spring bride.”

“Indeed, this doesn’t feel like an engagement ceremony….”

People murmured, captivated by Helia’s appearance. Yet the whispers did nothing to slow her steps as she approached Ruben. The path was covered in a profusion of flowers, their scent so overpowering with each step she took that he almost felt dizzy.

Ruben locked eyes with her golden gaze as her distant figure grew closer.

“….”

For someone who had insisted on making him her fiancé just because she couldn’t have him, her eyes were strangely impassive. Ruben felt an uncharacteristic wave of frustration rise within him.

‘Is it that unpleasant now, even to meet her gaze?’ he thought, diverting his eyes. But Helia soon stood beside him, rendering the effort pointless.

Together, the two presented a flawless image of a pair deeply in love. The sight was so harmonious it felt almost surreal. People murmured with admiration, envy, and awe as the image of the two spread through the crowd. Yet, detached from the surrounding buzz, they only looked at each other.

At that moment, Xeroth appeared with Queen Esna. The murmurs quieted, and everyone turned to pay their respects. Helia and Ruben were no exception. Xeroth’s face held a barely concealed smile of satisfaction.

Esna took her seat, and Xeroth stepped forward to deliver a congratulatory address, though Ruben heard none of it.

If the speech were changed to a wedding vow, the scene would have been a perfect wedding. Ruben was unsettled by Helia’s overt ambition in orchestrating such an ostentatious display.

‘Does she want marriage that badly?’

But this was the end of it. The bounds permitted to the Princess of the Bailey Kingdom and to Helia personally went no further. This limitation had been established the moment their engagement was arranged. He would have rejected this engagement if there had been no such constraint, even if it meant forfeiting his title. Ruben forced himself to quell the fierce resentment bubbling within him.

After a brief address, Xeroth offered his congratulations.

“Congratulations on your engagement, sister.”