Side Story 3.2

As she neared the royal palace, the rain finally began to ease. It was still drizzling, but the downpour had stopped.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t seen Jayden’s carriage along the way. The only carriages in sight belonged to nobles heading to the palace to celebrate the conferment ceremony. She was grateful to those people for coming to congratulate Jayden, but the fact that the main guest was missing made her even more anxious. When she asked the coachman for the time, he told her it was already half past seven.

Nervous, she bit her lip and got out of the carriage with the coachman’s help. The splendid palace was right in front of her, but she had no time to admire it. Grabbing her skirt, she hurried inside. Was Jayden really in there? If the ceremony was already underway, at least he was safe.

With her heart pounding, she rushed forward. The coachman told her to be careful not to trip, but she had no time to respond.

Soon, she reached the palace’s main gate. When she stated her identity, the guards opened the doors for her. The ceremony was apparently underway, as she could hear the King’s voice and long cheers of celebration from within.  

‘Could it be? Has it already started?’  

Even asking herself, there was no answer. She had to see for herself.

Jayden must have arrived. Relief finally washed over her.

She didn’t resent Jayden for not keeping his promise to take her to the palace. She was just glad he was safe, and at last, she felt at peace.

But she wouldn’t be completely reassured until she saw him with her own eyes. She walked further inside.  

“I hereby bestow this medal upon you.”  

The King’s voice rang out. Hearing the calm, low tone of the middle-aged monarch, she unconsciously hurried forward. People standing in a circle noticed her and made way. She bowed her head in apology and looked straight ahead.  

“Jayden…….”  

She called out to him without meaning to. Jayden glanced over, meeting her gaze instantly.  

“Ce-Celia…….”

Jayden looked at her in surprise, eyes wide, then gestured with his chin for her to stay put before turning back to face forward.

Soon, the King handed Jayden the medal. Jayden accepted it respectfully with both hands. The applause and cheers grew even louder, echoing through the palace.  

‘Thank goodness. He’s safe. Thank goodness.’  

Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. She wiped her tears belatedly, still staring blankly at Jayden. As she was dabbing her eyes, someone tapped her shoulder with their finger.  

“Excuse me, are you… the Marchioness Artre?”

“Yes?”  

Recognizing the familiar voice, she turned to the right. She broke into a smile at the familiar face.

“Lady Anderson……”

“Good to see you. Why did you arrive so late? Marquis Artre seemed to be waiting for you.”

“Well, the rain was really heavy and the roads were a bit tangled. Jayden was supposed to stop by home and bring me, but I’ll have to ask him later. I think he went straight to the palace because of the weather.”  

Lady Anderson nodded repeatedly in understanding. She had been excited about a romance just a few years ago, but recently shared she had parted ways with her partner. She said they’d ended things by wishing each other well.

Despite her hardships, her bright demeanor reassured Celia, who wanted to cheer her on.

The ceremony ended safely. The nobles congratulated Jayden once more. Lady Anderson congratulated Jayden too, then left, saying she would return home first.

As people began to leave, His Majesty the King approached. Celia clasped her hands and bowed.

“I greet His Majesty the King.”

“Ah, Marchioness Artre.”

“Yes.”

“Yes, she is my wife.”  

Jayden spoke softly, gently wrapping his arm around her waist. Celia and Jayden exchanged a few more formal greetings with the King, who ended with words of blessing for their future. With that, the conversation concluded.

Soon, Celia and Jayden left the palace and sat side by side in the carriage. Though two carriages were waiting, no one boarded the one Celia had arrived in—she rode with Jayden instead.

The carriage departed. Until the palace disappeared from view, Celia held Jayden’s hand tightly.

Soon, Jayden gripped her hand even more firmly. Feeling the pressure, Celia turned to him. He was already looking at her, his eyes softly curved.  

“I’m sorry, Celia.”

“Hm? ……No, you don’t need to be sorry…….”

“I broke my promise.”

“You were worried about being late, right?”  

Jayden silently closed his eyes and nodded slowly. After a long, thoughtful sigh, he looked at her again.  

“Were you very worried?”

“Well… yes.”  

Her voice cracked instantly. She bit her lip and released it.

Would Jayden truly understand how much she worried? Tears welled up again, her eyes sensitive. Just as tears hung on the edge of her eyes, about to fall, Jayden brought his hand to her eyes and gently wiped them away, kissing her cheek.  

“I really am sorry again. I thought you’d be angry since I broke my promise.”

“No, I’m not angry at all. I….”  

Overwhelmed with emotion, her words stuck in her throat. She impulsively hugged Jayden, leaning into his broad chest and sobbing quietly. Her insistence that she wasn’t angry was lost in her tears.

Jayden patted her back until she finally stopped crying. When her sobs subsided, his sweet voice came softly.  

“Actually, I received the telegram just as I arrived at the palace. But the ceremony started right away, so I couldn’t read it all. I did see that you were worried.”

“Jayden…….”

“I’m even more sorry. I didn’t have the chance to send a telegram.”

“It’s fine. Of course the ceremony was more important, and with the weather so bad, how could you read everything? I wouldn’t have been able to read it all either.”

“From now on, I won’t make promises I can’t keep. Celia, I’m sorry, and thank you… and I love you.”

“You really are… Ah!”  

His low, soothing voice melted away all her accumulated tension in an instant. She wanted to say, “That’s why I love you,” but Jayden pulled her into his arms before she could finish. It didn’t matter.

Braving the bad weather and arriving safely for the ceremony was luckier than anything. And—  

“Celia, I love you.”  

She desperately wanted to hear those sweet words from him, spoken in his usual, healthy voice. The worries she’d had just hours ago vanished like melted snow. Joy and excitement surged together. Yet, no matter how much the weather was to blame, he had still broken his promise and made her worry. That was undeniable. Using that as a pretext, she teased Jayden playfully—though her real aim was to be close to him.  

“Jayden.”

“Yeah?”

“You know… but because you made me worry…….”  

She trailed off on purpose, and Jayden looked at her in confusion, not sure what she was getting at.  

“Tonight, you won’t be able to sleep.”  

Jayden’s face immediately took on a sly look. He caught on quickly.  

“Alright, but that means you won’t sleep either, Celia. Maybe we should take this chance to give Reina and William a little sibling?”

“A sibling?” 

Jayden nodded. She hadn’t planned on a third child just yet, but if another baby resembling her and Jayden was born, she would be very happy. And if the siblings were close in age, that would be nice too.

Impulsively, she answered without hesitation. 

“Alright. I don’t know if it’ll happen right away, but—oh!”  

Jayden’s lips covered hers. She clung to his arm, entwining her tongue with his as he kissed her deeply and gently.

The Young Lady Only Wanted to Date – Side Story