***

Valletta was a little taken aback when she arrived at the cathedral. Knights in formal uniforms stood at the entrance, and instead of a festive atmosphere, there was a tense, stiff air.

The knights checked the carriage the bride had arrived in. She could also see some of the Dampierre household servants lingering near the entrance. Having lost her parents at a young age, there were few guests on the bride’s side.

“Are you Lady Irpman?”

Before Valetta could take in her surroundings, a maid – placed there in advance by her uncle – approached and ushered her into the bride’s waiting room.

“I didn’t know the Marquis of Rigius had connections with knights.”

The maid didn’t answer. She simply adjusted Valetta’s veil in silence. Valetta looked in the mirror and straightened the bouquet she had picked from the count’s garden.

She looked amazingly beautiful in her wedding dress. Her full blonde hair matched the white veil perfectly, but something about her appearance in the dress seemed pitiful and she turned her eyes away.

There was something strangely fragile and melancholy about her. Irmina had always envied it, calling it “graceful”, but Valetta had always admired the warm and loving air that surrounded Irmina.

‘I hope this doesn’t look like a bride being sold off…’

Still, she wanted to look like a happy bride.

‘But… where are the people from the Marquis of Rigius’ side?’

She hadn’t expected anyone to come to the bride’s room.

Were all weddings like this?

As Valetta looked around in confusion, the maid urged her on.

“My lady. It’s time. You must go now.”

“Ah, okay. But… where’s my uncle?”

“The count won’t be coming. You’ll have to walk down the aisle alone.”

“What? What do you mean?”

The real reason for his absence was to attend Irmina’s wedding, but Valetta believed it was something else – that he disapproved of her marriage to Eric Rigius and was punishing her for it.

“Do you think the Count is the kind of man who has time to waste?”

Silenced, Valetta pressed her lips together.

If all this was just his way of expressing his bitterness that she had chosen Eric over Irmina, then somehow… that made it easier to bear.

‘It’s all right. A wedding like this… does it really matter if I go alone? It’s not like anyone would be celebrating for me anyway.’

From inside, the music began to play, announcing the entrance of the bride. Clutching her bouquet, Valetta walked forward, her body shaking.

A strange pain tightened in her chest. She had always imagined walking this path with Friedrich. He often spoke of it, half-jokingly.

“Valetta, I don’t know how I’m going to keep from crying on your wedding day.”

Friedrich’s playful voice echoed in her ears. And so Valetta walked down the aisle alone. She hadn’t expected warm congratulations, but she hadn’t expected anyone from House Dampierre to show up at all.

Then she noticed something strange. Among the groom’s guests, she didn’t see any of the familiar faces of the Rigius family. Not the Marquis’s wife, not the Marquis himself, not any of the noble families they often associated with.

‘Perhaps… the Marquis and his wife disapprove of me too. Maybe that’s why they didn’t come…’

Who would welcome a bride from a ruined family, orphaned at a young age and with no wealth to speak of?

Sighing at her own pitiful situation, Valetta stepped forward to stand before the officiant. The music changed, signalling the entrance of the groom. She heard heavy footsteps approaching and then the groom came to a halt beside her.

She had never felt her heart flutter for Eric Rigius. And yet, now that the man beside her was about to become her husband, Valetta’s chest tightened with nerves, her heart pounding as if it might burst.

They had met only once, briefly, at the royal ball. Since then, they’d exchanged the occasional letter. But as the wedding approached, the letters had suddenly stopped.

Of course, she didn’t know at the time… That it was because Irmina had intercepted them.

Valetta had no way of knowing.

‘My God… I’ve been so forgetful…’

‘I should have written to him more…’

Valletta thought, trying to hide her nervousness during the ceremony.

‘But… was Eric Rigius always this tall?’

He was certainly tall and well built, but standing so close, the shadow he cast was almost overwhelming. It hadn’t been like this before. Just as her suspicions were growing, the priest performing the ceremony asked:

“Do you, Leonard Georg Heterhertz von Carnies, take Valetta Titeman Irpman to be your lawful wedded wife, promising to love her to the end of time?”

“I do.”

It was a name she knew only too well, and a voice she couldn’t mistake.

Valetta snapped her head towards him in shock. She had to tilt her head up considerably to see him.

He was massive, with a bear-like build, sun-darkened skin and a deep, growling voice that sounded more like a beast than a man.

Why was Leonard Carnies standing in Eric Rigius’ place?

What was going on?

“Ah…”

It finally clicked.

Laura’s comment on Irmina’s wedding. The absence of anyone from House Dampierre at her wedding. The knights stationed at the entrance to the cathedral. The complete absence of anyone from House Rigius.

Leonard had once been commander of the Imperial Knights – and many of his former subordinates now held powerful positions within the palace.

‘This is… a sham marriage. A blatant, calculated deception.’

Horror gripped Valetta. She bit down hard on her lower lip, her mind going blank.

She didn’t know whether to run away or to annul the marriage on the spot. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably and her chest felt tight with panic.

“Do you, Valetta Titeman Irpman, take Leonard Georg Heterhertz von Carnies to be your lawful wedded husband, promising to love him to the end?”

Leonard, wearing a mask, looked down at her. Their eyes met in mid-air – his golden gaze fixed on hers.

Was he part of this deception? Of all the men in the world, why him? She would rather elope with a street beggar than marry Leonard Carnies.

“…I…”

Valetta’s hands, clutching the bouquet, trembled violently. The situation was more than absurd – it was terrifying.

Countless eyes were on her, and then she saw the servants of House Dampierre standing like guards at the entrance.

There was no way out. It was clear now – they had planned this from the beginning.

“I… I…”

They had never really been her family. To go to such lengths to trap her…

And if she refused to marry here in the chapel, she wouldn’t just be cast out of House Dampierre – she’d be completely ruined in the capital’s social circles.

A single tear ran down Valetta’s cheek. Leonard’s golden eyes flickered at the sight.

‘I was naive. No… I was just a fool.’

Her legs trembled under her. All she wanted was for the ground to swallow her up and erase her from existence. To marry Leonard Carnies of all people? She’d rather bite her tongue and die.

“…bride?”

Prompted by the priest, Valetta sniffed and barely managed to speak.

“I-I… I can’t do this…”

“Ahem, ahem. Miss Valetta, I understand the fear that comes with stepping into the unknown that is marriage. But now is the time for courage.”

As he spoke of courage, the priest cast a quick glance at Leonard’s masked face. The snake-like skin visible beneath the mask was unsettling. In truth, everyone present understood Valetta’s hesitation.

Who would want to swear eternal love and marry someone who had been cursed into a monstrous form?

Valetta summoned every ounce of strength she had left. But in truth, it wasn’t courage – it was resistance, born of her hatred for Leonard.

“I can’t. This marriage… I can’t…”

She choked out the words through suppressed sobs, but her gaze didn’t waver – she stared straight at Leonard.

“I’d rather jump off a cliff than marry you.”

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the guests at the bride’s brutal declaration. Beneath the mask, Leonard’s eyebrows knitted slightly. Valetta fought back tears with everything she had.

She was used to Irmina’s petty cruelties. But this? This was a life-altering betrayal, and the shock of it made her heart pound in her chest.

If there weren’t so many eyes watching, she would have broken down and cried on the spot.

“Valetta Irpman.”

Leonard spoke in a low, calm voice.

“Do you understand what we’re doing?”

“I do. And that’s why… I can’t.”

‘If I’d known you were the groom, I never would’ve come here.’

At Valetta’s mumbled words, Leonard’s intense gaze pierced through her. Sniffling, Valetta finally broke down.

They had lived together for over ten years – she had thought of them as family in her own way. She had never imagined they would go so far, with such cruelty.

The betrayal cut deep – more than anything else, the fact that her groom was Leonard Carnies devastated her. Even now, the very thought of Friedrich brought tears to her eyes.

To marry her to Carnies… it was too cruel.

“This marriage is void…”

“Valetta Irpman!”

Leonard growled her name through clenched teeth, eyes narrowed. Valetta bit her lip, trying to steady her increasingly ragged breath.

“Miss Irpman seems rather nervous. That’s perfectly understandable – marriage can be far more daunting for the bride than the groom. Now let me ask you again.”

The priest was sweating as he struggled to regain control of the situation.

“Valletta Irpman, do you vow eternal love to the groom beside you?”

Under Leonard’s piercing gaze, Valetta couldn’t say a word. Instead, she shook her head. Her trembling shoulders were pitiful to behold.

The priest, nervous and unsure of what to do, fumbled for words. And then, dazed, he explained:

“Very well then… In the name of the Divine, I now pronounce you man and wife!”

“Father…!”

Valetta’s cry was completely drowned out by the thunderous applause of the Knights. There had been no exchange of rings, no kiss to seal the union – but the words had been spoken. They were now man and wife.

Staggered by the weight of her despair, Valetta felt her legs give out beneath her. Leonard caught her before she could fall, and as he held her upright, she collapsed into his arms.

“Let me go.”

But the more she struggled, the tighter his arms became. Leonard leaned forward, his voice low and threatening in her ear.

“Valetta. You’d better stay still – unless you want everyone to watch me drag you out of here over my shoulder.”

She froze.

No matter how much she despised him, she was still a noblewoman – and the humiliation of being dragged out like a sack of grain in front of the Empire’s elite was something she couldn’t bear. Worse still, the priest had already pronounced them married. In the Holy Empire, an annulment on the day of the ceremony was almost impossible.

In the end, Valetta had no choice but to give in. It was a total defeat.

And so the Dampierre couple’s fraudulent marriage came to a successful and scandalous end.