5.5

As she stood there silently, Pavel asked, 

“Was your curiosity about what I’ve been doing the reason you wanted to see me?”  

“Well, I couldn’t see you at all… That’s part of it…”  

“Is there another reason?”  

“Why won’t you even let me send letters?”  

At her question, Pavel responded with an astonishingly calm expression.  

“Is that what you’re dissatisfied about?”  

“It’s not dissatisfaction…! I just want to know the reason.”  

“Who are you so eager to contact?”  

“Who? Just… my friends…”  

“Ah, the kind of friends who wouldn’t object to you staying in another man’s house while engaged to someone else? Or are we talking about your other men?”  

“W-what…?”  

Pavel crossed his arms, his expression crooked.  

“Or perhaps your parents? Are you still holding on to any lingering attachment to them?”  

“Why are you saying such things? I just…”  

“You’d better think carefully. I’m not willing to tolerate such things anymore.”  

Larisa was at a loss for words. She simply wanted to send a brief message to her close friends, letting them know she was doing well. However, Pavel treated her as if she wanted to return to her previous life. Shaking her head, Larisa replied,  

“That’s not it. I just want to tell my friends that I’m doing fine, even if it’s just that much.”  

“That’s not possible right now.”  

“Then how long do I have to wait?”  

“Are other people that important to you?”  

Pavel stood up. Slowly, he approached Larisa. Instinctively, she tried to step back. Pavel seemed like a large predator, and she felt a sense of fear.  

The moment he noticed her trying to distance herself, Pavel’s brow furrowed slightly. He strode forward and grabbed Larisa’s arm abruptly.  

“Ah…!”  

“Didn’t you promise to do as I said?”  

“It hurts, ah… Your Grace, my arm…”  

Even as Larisa winced in pain, Pavel didn’t let go of her arm. Instead, he said something else to her.  

“Call me by my name.”  

“Ugh, it hurts. Please…”  

“Don’t call me ‘Your Grace.’ Call me by my name.”  

Tears welled up in Larisa’s eyes from fear and pain as she looked up at Pavel. His brow remained furrowed. Terrified, Larisa stammered out the words he wanted to hear with trembling lips.  

“P-Pavel. Please…”  

As soon as he heard his name, the strength in Pavel’s grip loosened. Larisa stepped back, clutching her sore arm. Tears she had been holding back fell freely. A wave of sorrow washed over her. She had never imagined Pavel would act so harshly toward her.  

She bit her lip tightly, trying to hold back her tears. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at Pavel’s face. If their eyes met, she felt as though she might break down completely.  

Watching Larisa struggle to suppress her sobs, Pavel turned his back on her.  

“Return to your room.”  

“……”  

“Contact with the outside world is still not permitted.”  

Only then did Larisa stare blankly at Pavel’s turned back. Tears fell, one after another. She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. There was no way Pavel would care about her crying anymore.  

Without saying another word, she turned around. Pavel didn’t look back at her even once until she closed the door behind her.  

It was only after the door shut with a loud thud that Pavel turned around. His face was twisted with frustration. He looked at his hand, the one that had grabbed Larisa’s arm, and stood there for a long time.  

***

Larisa rarely left the room that had been assigned to her. Her appetite diminished, worrying Bailey and the butler of the Ducal House.  

Meanwhile, the Marquis and Marchioness of Lochrain hadn’t sent her even a single message. Thinking about her situation, Larisa couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. Her parents didn’t care about her anymore, and her future husband was cold and indifferent.  

Yet, from the outside, Larisa was likely the subject of envy. The woman chosen by the man everyone admired—the first and last woman he ever picked. People must be spreading stories about how they were lovers who refused to give up on love.  

And to some extent, those stories were true. Though Larisa couldn’t send any messages outside, the letters addressed to her were delivered faithfully. Reading the letters filled with envy and jealousy from her friends, Larisa sighed, realizing her assumptions were correct.  

In reality, Pavel treated her with near indifference. Nothing about life in the Ducal House seemed to leak outside. Despite not having shared even a single dinner with Pavel since arriving at the Ducal House, Larisa was surrounded by people who envied her.  

On the day marking a month since Larisa’s arrival at the Ducal House, Pavel suddenly visited her room.  

“I’ve set the wedding date. It’ll be in two months. If there’s anything you need before then, tell the butler so it can be prepared.”  

“Two months? Isn’t that too soon…?”

At those words, Pavel’s face twisted sharply.  

“Do you need more time to prepare yourself mentally?”  

Fearing he might misunderstand again, Larisa quickly shook her head.  

“That’s not what I meant. Usually, preparing for a wedding takes at least six months…”  

“Whether it’s a seamstress or a jeweler, everything can be arranged immediately. If you need anything, tell the butler.”  

And so, the wedding preparations were rushed through as if cooking beans on a lightning strike. Until the day of the wedding, Larisa met countless people to select dresses, jewelry, shoes, ceremonial gifts, and the clothes she would wear on her first night as a bride. They also discussed how to decorate the wedding venue.  

However, the only time she saw Pavel was when he was choosing and fitting his formal attire. Even then, it was only for a very brief moment.  

As the days passed, Larisa cried herself to sleep every night. She had never dreamed of a marriage filled with love and happiness, but she hadn’t anticipated one so lonely and desolate either. She never expected Pavel to avoid her this much.  

‘No… is it really avoidance? Or is he just… neglecting me?’  

Larisa, who no longer had anywhere else to escape to, might simply have been left abandoned. Whenever such thoughts crossed her mind, a cold chill seemed to seep into her entire body.  

She kept recalling the old Pavel—the one who was kind and warm. The Pavel who smiled softly at her, gently stroked her cheek, and patted her head. The Pavel who kissed her trembling lips and then, unable to hold back, passionately sought her.  

He had said he liked her, that he loved her.  

Thinking of those memories, Larisa spent her days until, before she knew it, the morning of the wedding day arrived.  

As Bailey and the maids dressed Larisa, they couldn’t hide their unease at how visibly thinner she had become. A bride who didn’t look happy on her wedding day was a serious problem. Unable to bear it, Bailey signaled to one of the maids to go and fetch Pavel, even if only for a moment. The maid nodded and left the room.  

But shortly after, the maid returned alone, her face gloomy. It seemed Pavel had refused. Bailey, feeling even more heartbroken, looked at her lady with pity through the mirror.  

Larisa, with her gaze lowered, was in the middle of putting on her veil. Her sorrowful eyes quickly disappeared behind the veil.  

Her snow-white dress, adorned with jewels and pearls, sparkled and looked beautiful from every angle. Dressed like this, Larisa shone like a diamond. Bailey raised her voice deliberately.  

“My goodness, Miss, you’re the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen! No, I should start calling you Madam now!”  

“That’s right, Madam. You look absolutely dazzling.”  

“The Duke will surely be stunned when he sees you.”  

Despite the maids’ praises, not a single smile appeared on Larisa’s face. From under her veil, she stared at the pink rose bouquet in her hands.  

Originally, she had chosen a simple arrangement of flowers that typically bloomed in early spring. However, for some reason, the bouquet she received today was filled with pink roses. The lush, vibrant pink roses, which were difficult to find in this season, were gathered in a soft, full arrangement.  

Pink roses symbolized a vow of love. But a vow of love? That was something that didn’t suit either her or Pavel today.  

Noticing Larisa gazing at the bouquet, one of the maids began to chatter.  

“I heard that the Duke personally requested this bouquet to be prepared.”  

“Oh my, really?”  

“Yes, yes, I heard he ordered it to be changed while reviewing the wedding preparations.”  

Larisa wasn’t curious about why. It was just something he wanted, so it was done that way. After all, what choice did she have? Pavel’s words echoed in her mind.  

‘Didn’t you promise to do as I said?’  

So, accepting the change in the bouquet was only natural.  

Moments later, the door opened. A maid entered, bowed her head to Larisa, and announced,  

“It’s time for you to leave now.”

Larisa rose from her seat. The heavy hem of her dress dragging behind her felt somewhat burdensome. The maids hurriedly followed after her.  

The garden of the Duke’s mansion was decorated so beautifully that it would leave anyone in awe. Through the veil, Larisa was surprised by the sheer number of guests she could see. The list of people she had wanted to invite wasn’t particularly long, but judging by the crowd, it seemed as though every noble in the capital had gathered.  

“Ahem.”  

Startled by the sound of someone clearing their throat beside her, she turned her head. Standing there was the Marquis of Lochrain, dressed impeccably. The Marquis smiled faintly at Larisa.  

“You look well.”  

“…You too, Father.”  

The Marquis didn’t seem to care at all about how his daughter might be feeling behind the veil. With a rather cheerful expression, he took Larisa’s hand.  

“I raised at least one daughter well.”  

“It seems you’re enjoying yourself, Father.”  

“And why wouldn’t I be? Aren’t you? You’re marrying a man you like in such a grand ceremony.”  

It’s not the wedding that pleases you, Father, but the reward you received from Pavel, isn’t it? 

Larisa swallowed those words that rose to the tip of her tongue. What was the point of questioning her father now?  

She followed the Marquis of Lochrain’s lead and moved forward. Through the veil, she could vaguely make out Pavel standing at the end of the path. Even through the thin layer of fabric, his expression was strikingly clear, as if she could reach out and touch it. His face was solemn, as though he were facing an enemy.  

If you’re going to greet me with that kind of expression, why did you even agree to marry me? 

Larisa thought she would never understand Pavel for the rest of their married life. Not that he would care for her understanding in the first place…  

As the Marquis handed Larisa’s hand over to Pavel, he wore a satisfied smile. On the other side, the Marchioness of Lochrain could be seen dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Larisa decided to stop paying attention to her parents. After all, they were also part of the reason this ill-fated marriage had come to be.  

The ceremony proceeded smoothly, and before long, it was time to exchange rings. Pavel, removing his glove first, lifted Larisa’s hand. Even through the thin layer of her glove, his hand felt warm.  

He slid the prepared ring onto Larisa’s finger. It was a beautifully crafted ring adorned with a large teardrop-shaped diamond. After gazing at it for a moment, Larisa also placed a ring on Pavel’s hand.  

“The groom may now kiss the bride.”  

The veil was slowly lifted. Larisa stared directly into Pavel’s eyes as he pushed the veil back over her head. His deep green eyes flickered with an emotion she couldn’t quite decipher. Unable to bear looking into them any longer, Larisa closed her eyes.  

Then, his warm lips touched hers. Applause and cheers erupted from all around. Standing still, their lips barely pressed together, Larisa resolved to entrust everything to Pavel.  

No matter what he might demand of her, she convinced herself it was her destiny to comply.