Chapter 05
“Yes, I do.”
If I said I wouldn’t marry, the Emperor and the entire Owen family would never let me go easily.
There were still five years until Theodore would try to kill me.
And fifteen years until he would become a demon.
Besides, if I didn’t try to kill Theodore, it didn’t seem like he would hurt me, yet.
Whether the sweet side he showed today was real or fake, I could figure that out later.
They say it’s safest to keep your enemies close. If they’re close, they’re easier to control and predict.
“You may now exchange rings.”
I quietly held out my hand.
Gerald picked up a ring from a silver tray held by a young priest. He gently lifted my hand, rested it in his palm, and slid a diamond ring—at least 15 carats—onto my left ring finger.
In ancient beliefs, the ring finger was thought to connect directly to the heart. Seems this world believed the same.
Ah, the perks of marrying a Grand Duke.
I probably had a generous budget assigned to me too.
Just like he did, I picked up the other ring from the priest and slipped it onto Gerald’s ring finger.
“You may now kiss the bride.”
At the priest’s words, I froze, my eyes wide.
But Gerald calmly lifted my veil and lowered me backward dramatically in a passionate gesture.
“Ah!”
The guests cheered loudly.
The head priest, Juvias, scolded in a low voice,
“Please hold back, Grand Duke. You’ll need to prove the marriage tonight.”
“Prove” it?
But his words were barely audible.
Gerald’s emerald green eyes burned into mine so intensely I felt like I was being swallowed by him.
I quickly shut my eyes.
I could feel his face approaching—our breaths mingled, warm air spreading across my lips and upper lip.
But he didn’t get any closer.
I opened one eye slightly.
He had tilted his head to the side and was just staring at me from up close.
His beautiful emerald eyes shimmered like ocean waves in the South Pacific, and then slowly drifted away.
He gently helped me stand upright again.
What…?
I was completely confused.
And there was something… cold in his eyes.
“The bride and groom will now exit.”
With grand music playing, Gerald held out his hand. I placed my hand in his, and we slowly walked out of the chapel amid applause.
Academy students were standing in line, raising swords to form a ceremonial arch for us.
We passed beneath it to find a pure white wedding carriage decorated with flowers and bells, making soft, lovely sounds as it waited for us.
But it wasn’t the only carriage.
Based on the crest on the wheel, I guessed the next one belonged to the Grand Temple, like the one described in the book.
Behind it were more carriages: four-seaters, eight-seaters, even sixteen-seaters, all bearing noble family crests.
I leaned to peek at the long line of carriages.
“Not getting in?”
Gerald lifted his arm, offering to escort me up first. I held his arm and, lifting the front of my wedding dress, climbed into the carriage marked with an eagle crest. Gerald sat beside me.
Soon, the head priest and another young priest boarded the carriage in front of us.
My palms were sweating. I felt like I’d fallen into a deep, unpredictable swamp.
Every time something happened that wasn’t in the book, I panicked—worried they’d find out I wasn’t the real Sinclair.
Then—
Knock knock!
I looked down from the carriage.
It was Theodore. He smiled, lifting both index fingers to his lips in a cheerful gesture.
I looked at Gerald, but he was still smiling politely and nodding at the guests.
Was that little one looking out for me again?
I pointed to my chest.
“You want me to greet the guests?”
Theodore nodded.
“Thank you.”
I smiled warmly.
Just then, a graying middle-aged man approached Theodore and respectfully knelt before him.
“Your Grace, it’s time for us to board the carriage.”
“I understand.”
Theodore waved his small hand brightly. The older man bowed politely to me, took Theodore’s hand, and led him to one of the waiting carriages.
Whew. There are so many formal steps in a Biatria Empire wedding.
I turned to look at Gerald, who still hadn’t glanced at me—he continued greeting the guests precisely, without the slightest error.
Can I really live under the same roof with someone that perfect and distant?
I started to feel nervous about this marriage.
***
Wow.
I couldn’t stop whispering to myself in awe.
I was finally seeing the landscapes I’d only read about in the book.
Oh, that must be the Staya Riverbank, where Alfred and Cordelia had their first kiss.
Flowers were blooming everywhere—yellow cosmos, purple lilacs, and pure white roses. The soft moonlight and sweet scents made the setting seem perfect for a romantic kiss.
Just imagining it gave me chills.
And there—it was the Biatria Empire’s famous Grand Library!
The “Biatria Empire Academy” Grand Library held every book ever published in the empire.
Cordelia, Alfred’s lover, spent days and nights there searching through old texts to break the world’s curse.
She found key information in a book called “The Demon Realm and Its Magic Stones.”
The Demon Realm.
The former emperor, Julius, had driven the demon realm beyond the Therion River during the last war. That land became the empire’s new territory—where I would now live.
The book hinted that the Demon Realm was based on volcanic land. Sometimes acidic rainclouds drifted over and scorched parts of the empire.
That’s why the empire often launched “punishment wars” against the demon realm. But really, they were just raids.
Volcanic lands are rich in useful minerals—so the author had replaced those with magical stones in the story.
That meant… maybe I could find valuable resources there and build up a secret fund for myself.
Yes. This is promising.
Maybe the fresh wind was to blame, but I was starting to feel hopeful about the future.
“Are you smiling?”
Startled, I quickly straightened my face and glanced at Gerald, still cold as ever.
“I heard what happened. You dismissed the guards and maids chosen by the Empress and your family?”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t you say you’d bring your own servants when the marriage talks were going on?”
“I changed my mind.”
Gerald’s face became stiff.
“Then what do you plan to do about your servants?”
“Well, shouldn’t you assign them? You’re the head of the household.”
His eyebrows twitched.
“So you speak informally to the master of the house while asking for people?”
“You started speaking informally first. I was polite at the beginning.”
“…!”
“If you want respect, give respect.”
“How dare you. Are you acting bold because the Emperor and Empress are behind you?”
Ah, so he didn’t like this political marriage either.
That’s probably why he only pretended to kiss me earlier.
“Not at all. They mean nothing to me now. My name is ‘von Zeyer’ now—not Owen. Even if we get divorced, I’ll never go back to the name Owen.”
“Divorce?”
His expression hardened.
But I had to distance myself from the Owen family—for my own safety.
“So… you mean you want to play the role of a proper wife, not a spy?”
…!
So he wasn’t dumb.
Then I should be honest too.
“Yes. I don’t want to be used by anyone. This is my life. And if you want to be respected as my husband, act like one.”
He uncrossed his legs, sat up straight, and studied me. Then he looked away.
After riding for about five hours, we finally saw it—Karikas Territory, the land once conquered by Emperor Julius, now ruled by Gerald.
Even more surprising—it was completely surrounded by fortress walls, like Seoul’s ancient city walls.
The book had mentioned it, but I didn’t expect it to be this massive.
No wonder Alfred had to struggle so much later.
Hoooo!
A loud horn sounded.
The huge fortress gates opened, and we entered a narrow tunnel-like passage.
Once we passed this wall…
I remembered something from the novel.
Alfred entered Karikas with a serious shoulder injury, breaking through a part of the fortress wall.
But the peaceful fields from his academy days were now filled with monsters. Flowers had turned into beasts that devoured soldiers in a single bite.
His elite unit was wiped out in seconds.
And now… I would be the Duchess of this cursed land.
Ugh!
Goosebumps ran all over me.
Was I really entering the demon realm?
A bitter wind slapped my face. I closed my eyes.
Rumble.
With my eyes shut, the rumbling of the carriage wheels felt even louder—like monsters charging toward us.
What if real monsters appeared?
I trembled in fear.
Then something soft, like lamb’s wool, wrapped around my shoulders.
What?
I opened my eyes. A thick shawl had been placed around me.
Gerald did this? Unexpected.
I turned to look at him, but just then, bright light flooded in from the tunnel’s end.
I raised my hand to shield my eyes.
The exit was getting closer.
Worried that monsters might appear and attack the carriage, I clutched the shawl tightly and bit my lip.
