Laysia was in the room with a trembling heart. The building where imperial family members had held weddings for generations had a bridal waiting room prepared. 

She’d come to the imperial palace early in the morning, changed into her wedding dress, put on makeup, and remained tense the whole time.

But then the door opened and a woman entered. She was a beautiful woman with loose blonde hair wearing a brown dress.

“Annelia!”

Laysia greeted her warmly. Annelia looked Laysia over carefully and was deeply impressed.

“You’re truly beautiful.”

She smiled brightly while looking at Laysia’s wedding dress.

“The dress suits you well.”

“Thank you.”

But in Laysia’s eyes, Annelia—who told her she was pretty and that the dress suited her well—shone even more brilliantly.

She now had a friend who came to congratulate her on her wedding day.

When she decided to marry Reytan, she felt more drawn to Annelia, who had viewed her existence warmly from before, rather than those who had approached her afterward.

“You’re nervous, right? I was so nervous I even drank alcohol the night before my wedding.”

“Actually, I drank a little.”

Laysia spoke honestly to Annelia. She said she had a drink because she was so nervous she felt she couldn’t enter the ceremony hall in her right mind. Annelia smiled brightly at those words.

“When entering the ceremony hall, you usually go in with your father, but His Majesty told me the Prime Minister would escort me.”

Laysia had no father. Kajiian seemed to have been considerate of her.

“I’ll stay with you until you go in.”

Laysia extended her hand to Annelia. Then she gently took it.

“Annelia, thank you.”

She wanted to do anything for Annelia, but she quietly only accepted what was necessary. That’s why she could only express gratitude with words like this.

“We’re friends.”

Annelia, who said this and smiled—meeting her was the greatest fortune of her life.

* * *

Reytan stood together with Luden. Kajiian was smiling and talking with guests, and Luden turned away and blocked people who approached Reytan too closely. 

Especially when Reytan’s maternal relatives tried to approach, they couldn’t get close because Luden and Reytan were talking together.

“I survived thanks to Luden.”

At Reytan’s words, Luden shrugged his shoulders.

“It doesn’t feel like someone else’s problem.”

“Luden, you suffered because of your cousin too, right?”

“Yes.”

Luden smiled bitterly while thinking of Alsellon. His uncle, who had suddenly changed after his father passed away. 

But when he thought that might have been his true nature all along, he couldn’t bear it without investigating Annelia before their engagement. He’d suspected and investigated not only Annelia but everyone who approached him.

Luden thought that and looked at Reytan.

With Reytan, he had the trust that he didn’t need to do that. Because Annelia kept him close, and he’d learned his character while living with him.

He, who hadn’t trusted people, had changed after meeting Annelia.

He’d learned that there were also people who remained constant.

“My uncle is coming today too.”

“Will you be okay?”

“I’ll be fine. I’m the victor.”

At Luden’s words, Reytan nodded. No one doubted Luden’s ability to protect his Marquis position anymore. If not him, who would become Marquis Charlot?

“What was it like when you met Annelia? Did you get the feeling that this person was yours? I felt that way when I saw Laysia.”

Reytan asked what he’d been curious about all along. Then Luden made an ambiguous smile and sighed.

“It wasn’t like that. I just spent time close to her, and before I knew it, my heart had gone to her.”

Investigating, suspecting, and even testing her.

When Luden thought about that time, he had nothing to say even with ten mouths. How much had he regretted that incident, thinking Annelia wouldn’t be able to trust him because of it? Fortunately, she trusted him now.

Anyway, if he went back to the past, he wanted to punch himself once.

* * *

Laysia stepped onto the v*rgin road. I clasped my hands tightly and watched Laysia go with an anxious heart.

Laysia safely approached Reytan and could take his hand. Then they faced the officiant, and the wedding concluded with them exchanging engagement rings. Reytan finished the wedding by kissing Laysia’s cheek.

The two smiled brightly and waved their hands.

Now it was time to take a carriage to the ship.

“The wedding ended well.”

When Caromiel spoke from behind, Luden and I turned around and looked at him with smiles.

“Didn’t Lady Anan come?”

“Mother’s stamina has dropped again recently.”

Going to the ship would be too much, and since Alsellon was coming, Anan said she wouldn’t go. Anan didn’t want to meet Alsellon.

We made appropriate excuses and walked slowly.

But what kind of twist of fate was this? Millen and Alsellon were walking toward us together.

“It’s been a while, Luden.”

And Alsellon called out to Luden quietly.

“Is the countryside livable?”

Luden asked after him. Then Alsellon smiled and answered.

“Not bad, actually. Getting away from the bustling capital, it’s fairly livable.”

At his words, Luden nodded and passed by him. Luden’s expressionless face resembled his appearance when working.

“Annelia!”

And Millen tried to grab me and talk. But I brushed off his hand and followed Luden. Caromiel also looked at Millen, then eventually left.

* * *

Alsellon watched Luden, Annelia, and Caromiel leave. Unlike Millen, who was breathing heavily and grumbling beside him, his eyes were endlessly cold.

“How long are those bastards going to ignore me?”

At Millen’s words, Alsellon patted his shoulder.

“They have no manners.”

“Really…”

“Calm your heart.”

Alsellon listened to his words and went his own way. Millen also followed Alsellon, walking slowly.

The plan prepared over several years would finally be executed.

He’d been waiting only for today.

Luden and Annelia were heading to the ship, not knowing what would happen today. He had no intention of going to the ship to avoid people’s suspicion.

‘It’s finally ending.’

What would Luden’s expression look like when he lost someone precious?

No matter how great Luden was, he wouldn’t predict this incident.

Alsellon smiled as he boarded the carriage.

The final move should be made slowly. While drinking a glass of cold water, Alsellon looked out the window like that.

All that remained was dropping Luden into the abyss.

He could slowly reclaim the Marquis title after Luden fell. He just needed to target the moment when the fallen Luden neglected his Marquis duties, so it wouldn’t be too late to talk to the Emperor then.

He smiled while thinking that.

* * *

Those who came to the reception following the wedding were all nobles or envoys from other countries. Before the ship departed, knights had arrived to escort it.

The knights all wore uniforms and saluted Kajiian. Kajiian smiled, patted the shoulder of the commander guarding the sea, and began boarding the ship. Luden and I also kept our turn and walked up the stairs to board the ship.

The reception continued all day. Kajiian said they’d hold a party on the deck at night, and Luden and I had to attend.

“I packed clothes to wear at night, so don’t be surprised later.”

“What kind of clothes?”

“Sparkling and glamorous clothes.”

Luden looked at me and stroked my cheek.

“Annelia is glamorous just being there.”

I am made that way. I smiled at his words.

And today was also Reytan and Laysia’s wedding, and I felt good that the two were doing well, so I smiled without realizing it.

“I prepared modest clothes.”

“Luden, your appearance shines.”

“The same goes for Annelia.”

Of course I’m pretty too, but Luden is on a different level. Because he’s set as the most handsome man in the novel. And his personality is also kind… Right, I who captured such a man might also be very attractive…

My face heated up while thinking such thoughts.

Then Kanarosa and Sorean approached us. They’d also decided to have their wedding next month. They asked me to definitely come, and I was already worried about what to give them as a gift.

“Did Annelia just arrive too?”

Kanarosa asked.

“Yes, Your Highness Kanarosa! I just arrived.”

Kanarosa’s eyes were sparkling.

“The bride was so beautiful today.”

At Kanarosa’s words, I spoke to her like whispering.

“Your Highness Kanarosa will also be beautiful that day.”

“Right?”

She asked me like confirming, seeming a little anxious. I spoke matter-of-factly.

“The bride is always the most beautiful on the wedding day.”

“I’ll believe you since Annelia says so.”

“Kanarosa, you’ll be beautiful.”

Sorean came to the side and said while tapping Kanarosa’s shoulder. Kanarosa’s face heated up and she bowed her head deeply. I looked at her intently and smiled. Luden looked at me like that and asked quietly.

“What are you thinking?”

“I was thinking about our wedding.”

Though it became a mess afterward, we got married with feelings for each other. Wouldn’t the way we looked at each other then have also seemed as affectionate as how Kanarosa and Sorean were looking at each other now?

“Everyone has loving eyes. Luden must have had such eyes too, but only I didn’t know Luden’s feelings.”

“I think I was the same.”

Luden seemed to be thinking the same thing while looking at Kanarosa and Sorean.

“No matter how much you try to hide it, love seems to be something that’s eventually revealed.”

Luden’s words seemed right. Actually, just looking at Reytan and Laysia today was enough to fully know what feelings they had for each other.

* * *

We moved to the room assigned in advance. Lella and Anten were staying in the room next to it. Knowing we’d come, they were waiting outside the door. Lella quickly walked to me and looked at my face.

“Quite a bit of time has passed, but your makeup is the same.”

“Look who did it.”

“I’m relieved. I was worried about what would happen if I couldn’t follow and had to fix it.”

No, to worry about such things.

“My lady is the flower of society, so I regretted not following.”

“Don’t worry, I can fix makeup myself.”

“But I want to fix it for you.”

At Lella’s words, I held her hand tightly.

“Thank you.”

“Since you have to go to the party in the evening, come right away if anything happens.”

“Okay.”

Lella returned to her room, looking relieved. Anten also left a message to Luden to come anytime if he needed anything and returned to his room. 

We opened the door of our assigned room and went in to see the interior. Befitting a ship prepared by the imperial palace, the inside was extremely spacious and splendid.

Luden and I, who had been looking around the room, sat on the sofa. Perhaps because we were tired from coming all the way here, I fell asleep right away. Feeling Luden occasionally stroke my head as I slept peacefully, I smiled.

Time passed like that and evening came.

Not knowing that those disguised as workers were targeting us, I fell deep into sleep.

* * *

Alsellon was drinking alcohol at home.

The process of going to the country defeated in war and bringing spies wasn’t as difficult as expected. They passed through the border with document forgery by Millen, who did distribution business, and deceived them as people working one day on the ship using Lorina.

By now, they would have boarded the ship. What remained now was for the players to move. What he had to do was spend time drinking alcohol celebrating victory.

Millen and Lorina only knew they would attack Annelia but didn’t know exactly what would happen. But the incident would happen anyway, and they wouldn’t be free from responsibility. In contrast, Alsellon had carefully arranged things and prepared a way to escape.

What remained now was for the incident to happen and escape like cutting off a lizard’s tail.

He raised his glass and laughed.