“I will announce the engagement news next week.”

Luciella was startled by Enoch’s following words and had no choice but to stare at him again. Her round pupils widened as she looked at Enoch. Still, he laid out what he had to say with an indifferent face.

“And we will begin preparing for the wedding in earnest.”

Enoch’s serious voice contained not a trace of jest. He didn’t seem like the type to joke about such things in the first place.

Flustered, Luciella frantically racked her brain to find an excuse. No suitable words came to mind. However, Luciella didn’t give up and squeezed out her thoughts.

“B-but……”

Seeing such a Luciella, Enoch tilted his head telling her to go ahead and speak.

“If they find out I’m alive…… the new leader of Bert Kingdom will surely……”

“Do you think they’ll come and point a sword at you?”

Enoch answered sarcastically to the excuse Luciella had barely managed to find while fumbling. He even blatantly twisted up one corner of his mouth mockingly.

Even faced with such blatant ridicule, Luciella couldn’t give any answer or rebuttal.

Because she knew all too well what his question meant.

‘Such a thing would be impossible.’

This was the Empire’s capital, and moreover, Enoch Walter’s mansion.

It wasn’t a place that the new leader of a small country like Bert could dare disturb.

“I’m curious what Your Highness the Princess finds so distasteful about this marriage.”

“……”

“Isn’t it just a matter of living peacefully in the mansion enjoying luxury, no different from your previous life?”

Luciella’s head dropped down.

“The only thing Your Highness the Princess needs to do through this marriage is conceive and bear children.”

When the word ‘children’ came up, Luciella furrowed her brow with a troubled expression.

“Other than that, there’s nothing Your Highness the Princess needs to do. I won’t demand anything else either.”

She silently shook her head. She couldn’t even properly do what he wanted — ‘conceive and bear children.’

‘…… Should I just confess the truth?’

It was a secret she had hidden from everyone her entire life……. Luciella’s head was complicated as she weighed whether it was right to tell Enoch, who was right in front of her, about it.

“…… What if I can’t do even that?”

“Is there a reason?”

Luciella closed her mouth in worry at Enoch’s immediate question.

‘If I confess the truth, what will happen from now on?’

Not knowing which choice would be more beneficial for her, Luciella couldn’t easily give an answer.

But one thing was certain — she couldn’t take back words once spoken. There would be no turning back after confessing her secret.

That’s why she had to be even more careful.

Luciella repeated moving only her lips for a long time without being able to say anything. Watching her lower her head and only roll her eyes here and there, Enoch tilted his head slightly. Then he asked back in a somewhat aggressive tone.

“Can’t you do it, or don’t you want to do it?”

Sarcasm was blatantly embedded in his words. Flustered, Luciella only let out a short sigh and likewise couldn’t give a proper answer this time either.

Enoch twisted up one corner of his mouth at Luciella’s silence. In the quiet room, Enoch’s hollow laugh was briefly expelled and disappeared.

He looked extremely displeased with how he had interpreted the silence.

Heavy silence descended. The silence seemed to weigh down even Luciella’s body. It was uncomfortable, like her throat was being choked.

Tick- tock- tick- tock-.

The clock’s second hand sounded slower than usual. That noise was also distinct. How much time had passed like that?

Enoch, who had been sitting on the sofa quietly staring at Luciella, stood up from his seat and broke the uncomfortable silence.

“The marriage will proceed as scheduled.”

His tone suggested that Luciella’s opinion didn’t matter in the first place. He firmly drove in the wedge and turned his back.

“Don’t put on useless airs when you have nowhere else to return to.”

With those words as the last, the huge door closed with a bang.

Even though Enoch had disappeared from sight, the words he had left continued to linger in Luciella’s head.

‘When you have nowhere else to return to……’

Sharp words spat from another’s mouth made Luciella’s chest throb.

‘No, they weren’t sharp words.’

Just a wake-up call to face reality.

Luciella clenched her fist tightly. She only tormented her innocent lower lip in sorrow. She chewed on her lips, which had been red like wild strawberries, for a long time until they turned pale white.

Then she soon lowered her head in resignation.

What kind of decision would be right to make? For Luciella, it was only frightening.

* * *

The maids were noisy from the morning. They were helping Luciella wash her face more fussily than usual and spending quite a long time on her grooming as well.

‘Why are they acting like this today?’

Was she going out somewhere? She hadn’t heard such talk…….

Luciella’s suspicious glances at them reflected in the mirror were brief. One maid who looked like her mouth was itching couldn’t hold back and began speaking with a beaming smile.

“Your Highness the Princess, starting today we’re supposed to prepare the wedding dress, shoes, and rings in earnest.”

“Ah……”

“I heard a famous designer is coming…… I’m getting excited myself, you know?”

Luciella sighed at the sight of the maid chattering excitedly with flushed cheeks.

A wedding dress. She felt her head throbbing.

Enoch seemed to be trying to prove that his statement about proceeding with the marriage wasn’t a lie.

‘I didn’t expect it to proceed this quickly……’

The words about letting her choose the dress and ring according to her taste must have been true.

Even before lunchtime, Luciella’s room was bustling with guests.

Their words and actions showed the pride of being designers from famous salons everywhere.

“The most popular style these days is this type of flowing mermaid style, and if you want to proceed a bit more lavishly, we can embroider diamonds all over……”

The dress designer spread numerous catalogs in front of Luciella and went on talking about something. The catalogs contained dazzling drawings of gorgeous and pretty designs.

But the designer’s words all went in one ear and out the other, not being heard properly. Even though she had once loved choosing dresses the most.

‘Is it really right that I’m sitting here choosing a wedding dress right now?’

Am I really going to marry the Marquis like this?

Though prices weren’t written, judging by the fabrics used and the amount of jewels, they were definitely top-tier salons.

Why was the Marquis spending so much money on someone like her who didn’t even want the marriage…… Luciella felt uncomfortable like wearing ill-fitting clothes.

With her confused heart, her vision felt queasy. Now her vision was blurred so she couldn’t even see the catalog in front of her properly.

‘Should I try being extremely extravagant with the dress and ring?’

Perhaps the Marquis might be disgusted by her immodest appearance and call off the marriage…….

Luciella had such thoughts while repeatedly flipping through catalog pages with unfocused eyes and turning them back.

‘Ah, I don’t know. My head hurts.’

What she wanted to look at right now wasn’t some dress catalog.

Luciella, who had been holding her throbbing head and sighing deeply, finally closed the booklet and spoke halfheartedly.

“…… Please just make it anything, the most ordinary one.”

The dress designer, who didn’t know the situation, was clearly flustered by Luciella’s words. The ring and shoe designers who had been waiting behind also began looking around nervously, not knowing what to do.

The atmosphere in the room instantly became like thin ice.

After all, what kind of new bride would order a wedding dress like this? Even searching throughout the entire continent, Luciella would be the only one.

Finally, the dress designer carefully opened her mouth.

“Br-bride, there seems to be a small misunderstanding. This isn’t a party dress but a wedding dress.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Ah……”

“Just please do it appropriately.”

At Luciella’s words spoken once again, the dress designer was dumbfounded and couldn’t give any answer. She just moved her lips and looked alternately at the maids standing behind, not knowing what to do, seeking an answer.

But the maids standing behind Luciella couldn’t give any particular answer either. They just shook their heads slightly, seeming accustomed to such behavior from Luciella.

“Th-then…… please think about it a bit more first, and if you want any changes, please contact the salon once more.”

Finally, the dress designer folded up the catalog and disappeared from Luciella’s room as if fleeing. Luciella likewise issued an order to leave to the other designers who were only watching her reactions.

Only after the unwelcome guests disappeared could Luciella breathe a sigh of relief and let out a long breath. But such leisure was brief. Not long after the designer left, Luciella’s door burst open again.

What appeared before her when the door opened was Enoch.

He was so tall that just standing there seemed to fill the entire space.

Enoch didn’t enter the room and stood at the doorway for a long time. Staring at Luciella menacingly with his pitch-black pupils.

“Not surprising.”

He, who had been standing crookedly looking at Luciella, finally strode in threateningly. Then he immediately dismissed the maids.

“What exactly are you so dissatisfied with?”

His voice was a bit more agitated than usual. Enoch asked Luciella fiercely in an irritated tone. When his large frame glared at her fiercely, her shoulders flinched for a moment.

“Th-there’s nothing like that.”

“Then please at least tell me why you’re acting like this.”

She could predict without asking what had made him so annoyed.

‘It must be because of the designers I practically chased away……’

Enoch irritably ran his hand through his hair while waiting for an answer. Luciella, who had been watching his mood for a moment, took a deep breath and courageously opened her mouth.