~Chapter 15~
Meanwhile, Dominic, sitting in the carriage, watched Elin sitting across from him.
Her face was still slightly flushed, as if from the earlier excitement.
“Where should we go?”
“14 Campbell Street. I was on my way to visit a friend who’s unwell.”
At her words, Dominic gave a subtle signal with his eyes to the coachman.
“Yes, sir.”
The coachman adjusted the reins accordingly.
“…Thank you.”
Elin lowered her head slightly and nodded in greeting.
Of all times, to run into the Duke at such an awkward moment…
She was grateful for his help, but the encounter had only made the situation more uncomfortable.
“If you divorce in a year, I won’t care who you meet. Until then, it’s best to be careful not to become gossip.”
The same Dominic who had wrapped her in warmth just moments ago in front of Royce now wore a cold expression.
“Don’t misunderstand. I have no relationship with Royce. He’s just an old childhood friend.”
Elin explained, partly to relieve the frustration in her heart.
She was also annoyed at Royce, who kept putting her in awkward situations like this even after marrying Janice.
She didn’t understand why he continued to make things difficult for her every time.
Next time, if something like this happened again, she resolved to clearly set boundaries—especially with Janice present.
But of all things, Dominic had to witness this unpleasant scene.
Rather than stew in silence, Elin decided to be honest with him.
“Since we’re now family by marriage, I can’t just avoid him. It’s awkward. You probably already know, but at one time there was even talk of marriage. I don’t understand why he’s behaving like this now.”
Dominic expected her to make excuses or perhaps get angry, but she was simply speaking honestly about her feelings.
“If he were a complete stranger, I’d never see him again. But since he’s family, I can’t just ignore it. I honestly don’t know how to handle it.”
There was no hint of deception in Elin’s calm expression.
Dominic listened quietly and let out a small sigh.
“I see. Then I’ll handle this matter myself.”
“Excuse me?”
Elin hadn’t asked him to resolve it—she had only shared her feelings.
She looked at him curiously, wondering what he meant by “handling it.”
Before she could ask, the carriage stopped in front of Charlotte’s house.
“I’ll send the carriage back for you. Take care of your friend, and return home safely.”
Elin, who had been staring intently at the Duke, nodded.
“Thank you.”
She stepped out and watched Dominic’s carriage depart quietly.
“Ah, right!”
She suddenly remembered something and covered her mouth with her hand.
“I forgot to mention I was coming from meeting the Dowager Duchess.”
How could she forget something so important?
With Royce’s sudden appearance, she realized how distracted she had been.
“Elin?”
A familiar voice made her turn—Charlotte’s mother was calling her.
“Aunt!”
“Did you come all this way for Charlotte?”
“How is she? Is she feeling better?”
Elin approached, and the woman welcomed her warmly.
“If you’ve come, dying Charlotte will feel alive again. Let’s go inside.”
As they entered the house with its charming red roof, Elin glanced back once.
Dominic’s carriage was nowhere to be seen.
The wedding between the Duke and Elin went ahead quickly, as planned.
Just as Dominic Linderto was aggressive in business, the wedding was swift and efficient.
The staff from the dressmaker visited personally to take measurements, write invitations by hand, and select floral decorations for the hall.
Amid all the chaos, Elin had very few direct meetings with the Duke—likely by his design.
Whenever she met Charlotte for tea, she would flop lazily onto the sofa.
“I have no idea what’s going on around me right now.”
“When you meet your destined partner, the wedding happens quickly. It seems you two are truly fated.”
Charlotte spoke as if they were the couple of the century, but Elin couldn’t agree.
Not that she was in a position to argue.
Finally, the wedding day arrived.
The Duke’s expansive garden was beautifully decorated, with a white canopy adorned with flowers and ribbons fluttering in the breeze.
The fountain sprayed water high into the air as if celebrating the Duke’s wedding.
Sitting in the flower-decorated room where the bride awaited, Elin’s mind was flooded with thoughts.
‘If this were a real wedding, how happy I would be. This would be the best day of my life—such a beautiful mansion, a wonderful groom, a dazzling dress.’
She looked at the pure white dress she wore and gave a bitter smile.
All the beauty surrounding her felt like mockery in the face of the reality that she was only a fake bride.
She wondered what a real bride would be thinking at this moment.
The groom approaching to whisper words of love in her ear, the sweet honeymoon, their future children, the happy plans they would make together—such dreams would have filled her heart with joy.
But the balloons, shining like auroras, popped in her mind like soap bubbles, as if laughing at her.
“After all, you’re just a fake. Snap out of it.”
Elin mentally retorted to the voice that scolded her.
‘I know that already, so stop laughing at me.’
“You must be so happy—married to the Duke of Linderto. Taking away the first love of women across the kingdom. That’s cruel.”
The maid fixing Elin’s hair teased her with a playful complaint.
Elin could only respond with a bitter smile.
Meanwhile, in the garden in front of the fountain where the ceremony would take place, the guests’ voices mixed with music in lively chatter.
“Oh my, an outdoor wedding—it’s so beautiful.”
“A duchess from such an ordinary family. Baron Nelson must be strutting around proudly already.”
Guests whispered among themselves in small groups.
Baron Nelson wasn’t the only one stiff with pride at his daughter’s wedding.
“What a wonderful family to have as a son-in-law. How joyous!”
“Hoho, having raised Elin as if she were my own, I suppose such a day would come.”
Rosana, finally surrounded by fellow noblewomen celebrating, could not hide her joy.
“I didn’t expect the eldest daughter to be such a hidden gem—so different from the second one.”
The blunt remark, likely from someone envious, made Rosana’s face momentarily stiffen.
Following the gaze of the crowd, she saw the bride stepping outside.
“Oh my!”
Another gasp rippled through the crowd.
“…Melisa?”
A noblewoman whispered the forbidden name softly.
Rosana’s face turned pale, and the woman quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
“It’s as if young Melisa has been reborn.”
Another naive noblewoman also spoke frankly.
Indeed, Elin in her pure white dress bore a striking resemblance to her late mother, Melisa.
“We’ll never see such a beautiful bride again.”
Another voice offered admiration, and no one present could deny it.
Elin’s glossy red hair was braided with white flowers and adorned with a diamond-studded pearl necklace and earrings—she truly looked like a goddess descended from the clouds.
Rosana, who had been stiffly holding her head high to catch sight of her Duke husband, couldn’t help but feel a surge of irritation at Elin’s beauty.
Though she was happy to see her family linked to the Duke, part of her twisted in jealousy at seeing Elin shine.
“You always manage to surprise me.”
Her great-aunt Isabella whispered to Elin with a fond smile.
“You look radiant today, Elin.”
Charlotte, placing her hand over her chest, could not hide her excitement either.
Dominic, still discussing business with other guests even on his wedding day, finally turned his head to look at the bride.
He seemed slightly taken aback, unable to look away for a moment.
Even among the nobles accompanying the Duke, murmurs arose when Elin appeared.
“Elin.”
At the sound of her name, she turned and saw the Duke, dressed impeccably in formal attire, reaching out his hand toward her.
Seeing the Duke’s golden eyes fixed solely on her, Elin finally felt it sink in.
I am really marrying this man.
Together, they stood side by side before the officiant.
Elin’s body trembled slightly from nerves, but she tried to appear composed.
‘To deceive everyone in such a sacred place… I’ll surely be punished. I’m sorry, Mom in heaven, that your daughter is only capable of this. Great-aunt, I’m sorry too, but I had no choice.’
She silently repeated to herself, mentally fortifying her resolve.
Once this wedding ended, she would be freed from that awful household and could save her sister.
‘The price for deceiving God will be high. I may never again have the chance to be a happy, true bride. Then this wedding will be my first and last. I will treat it as if it’s real and do it properly. Enough so that I have no regrets.’
Elin made her silent, steadfast vow in her heart.
“I now pronounce these two united in marriage through love.”
While lost in her thoughts, the officiant’s solemn declaration reached her ears.
Elin froze in place, but Dominic remained as composed as ever.
“You may now seal your marriage with a kiss.”
At that, Dominic looked down at Elin through the white veil.
Her pale green eyes, visible through the fine mesh, trembled clearly even to him.
He gently lifted the veil and pressed his lips to hers. Elin’s eyes closed instinctively.
The soft, warm touch seemed to make all the noise in the world vanish.
Even such a light touch made Elin’s heart feel like it would leap from her chest.
Opening her eyes, she met Dominic’s golden gaze. Their eyes intertwined deeply.
Dominic lost control for a moment, lightly biting her lower lip, then explored a little deeper inside her parted lips.
“…!”
Startled, Elin lifted her head, and he naturally cradled the back of her neck, deepening the kiss.
