~Chapter 31~

The sound of the bells felt like a hymn.
It was as if even the divine was blessing our marriage.
Thinking that made some of my nerves fade away.

I looked up at the blue sky, then turned to gaze at Baldwin.

“I’m ready, Your Grace.”

The doors of the church stood wide open before us.
Inside, the eyes of all the seated guests turned toward us.

This was my second wedding.

At my first wedding, I’d been so tense I couldn’t even breathe properly.
I didn’t remember how it began—or how it ended.

But this time…

All I could see was Baldwin.

He gave me a soft, loose smile.

This was business—a deal between him and me.
And I had no doubt we would achieve the best outcome possible.

Hope for what he and I could accomplish slowly began to bloom in me,
like a haze rising from the spring air.

“Baldwin Constantine, do you take Anais Barnaby as your wife,
and before the holy spirit guarding the thousand-year Empire of Estus,
vow to do your best as her husband?”

Every eye in the room turned to Baldwin.
His eyes were fixed on the bishop’s lips.

The bishop had to bite his lips to stop himself from nervously clearing his throat.

So many thoughts rushed through the bishop’s mind in just a few seconds.

Does the Duke not understand me?
Was I speaking too fast?

What if this ruins the wedding?

This was no ordinary marriage—it was the wedding of a Duke under royal scrutiny.
He not only carried royal blood,
but was also the Emperor’s most trusted friend.

Count Tungs, the Emperor’s closest aide, was present, representing the imperial couple.

It showed just how powerful Baldwin really was.

I absolutely cannot mess this up.

The bishop swallowed hard and gave Baldwin a nervous smile.
Then he repeated the question slowly, carefully moving his lips:

“Shall I ask again?”

Baldwin’s lips curved into a smile—a relaxed, lazy smile full of quiet confidence.

The bishop involuntarily swallowed again.

“Yes, I do.”

The bishop let out a deep breath of relief.

This time, his gaze turned to Anais.
She looked as clear and radiant as sunlight itself.

Her silver hair, glowing in the sun, looked so light and beautiful it might disappear into the air.

Her wedding dress—decorated with shimmering sea pearls and tiny diamonds—felt like it had been made just for her from the start.

She was the kind of woman who defined beauty simply by existing.
A walking answer to the question: “What does breathtakingly beautiful look like?”

The bishop glanced between Anais and Baldwin.

No one truly believed that their sudden marriage was based on love.

And yet…

His lips, dry from speaking so much, were wetted by his tongue.

“Then I now ask the bride,”
“Anais Barnaby, do you take Baldwin Constantine as your husband,
and before the Holy Spirit who protects the thousand-year Empire of Estus,
vow to do your best as his wife?”

Anais took a deep breath—
a surprisingly long one for someone with such a small frame.

Then she smiled brightly.

“Yes. I promise to do my best.”

And in that moment, only the bishop saw it:

The soft curve in Baldwin’s eyes as he looked at Anais.
For the first time, those eyes—always sharp and cold—caught a flicker of sunlight.

The way he looked at her was entirely different from how he looked at the bishop.

“Is it really true that there’s no love between them?”

The bishop quietly held his breath as he glanced between the two.
Anais turned her head to look at Baldwin, and her large, gentle eyes curved softly as they met his.

The bishop’s thoughts continued.

There was a delicate warmth between them—like the shimmer of heat on a spring day.
And it felt completely out of place in this cold and formal setting.

Everyone else wore masks, politely offering their congratulations.
But in this entire space, it seemed like only Anais and Baldwin were sincere.

The bishop gave a faint smile.
It felt like he had stumbled upon a secret no one else had noticed.

“The groom may now kiss the bride with sincerity.”

He spoke slowly—clearly enough for Baldwin to read his lips.

A gentle silence filled the church.

Baldwin and Anais turned to face each other.

Anais’s gaze sharpened slightly.

“Ah. Right. There’s this part too.”

The traditional kiss of honest vows between bride and groom.

Of course, Anais had been through a wedding before—she knew the process.
But somehow, this still felt unfamiliar.

She stared blankly at Baldwin, as if his presence was washing over her like a wave of scent.

“Your Grace…”

Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.

Baldwin’s eyes curved gently, like crescent moons.
He moved his lips, and even without sound, she felt as if she understood him.

“Close your eyes.”

Anais instinctively shut them.

Her heartbeat echoed through her ears and her head,
loud and urgent—like the horn of a train on a quiet night.

Tension made her grip her bouquet tightly.

She could feel the texture of the stems against her fingers,
and with her eyes closed, all her other senses heightened.

Baldwin slowly leaned in, tilting his head toward her.
His movements were slow, respectful, and deliberate.

The moment their lips touched,
Anais felt a wave of sensation crash over her.

She held her breath.

Even though the kiss was brief and quickly ended,
Baldwin had left a searing imprint behind—like a brand of heat.

Only then did it truly hit her.

They were really married now.

Her lips trembled slightly.

From now on, Anais and Baldwin would kiss,
share a bed, and engage in acts known only to the two of them.

She had heard such intimacy was like a shower of flower petals in spring,
blissful, and like the sun’s heat in summer, intense.

[With this, we are now husband and wife.]

She suddenly remembered something he had said the day before—
right after they filed their marriage registration.

[We will fulfill all duties expected of a married couple.]

[This includes everything you and I both desire.]

She had blushed at the way Baldwin looked at her then.
Now, that same feeling came flooding back.

His lips had been warmer and softer than she expected.

Anais parted her lips slightly as he pulled away,
exhaled slowly, and then opened her eyes.

Baldwin’s smile was the first thing she saw,
etched clearly in her vision.

Then came the bishop’s final words, ringing in her ears:

“Before the Holy Spirit, I declare this marriage sealed.”

It was a wedding blessed by no one but themselves—
theirs alone.

The weight of the rings on their fingers felt like it was pressing down on Anais’s entire body.

No one could deny this marriage now.

Everyone present here was a witness,
and the rings and the kiss served as undeniable proof.

The first wall—a shared foundation—between Baldwin and Anais had been firmly built.

Egbert gripped his chair tightly.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his teeth ground together with an audible clench.

Everyone in the church was too busy watching him—
the ex-husband attending his ex-wife’s wedding.

Sophia sat beside him, her chin lifted high like a peacock.
But her eyes darted nervously.

“A church wedding… Feels way too holy for me.
What do you think, Egbert?”

“…Disgusting.
A wedding that doesn’t match her place at all.”

“Anais must’ve lost her mind. To marry someone like that.”

“Hmm. But the decorations are really pretty.
Especially for something put together so quickly. The flowers are nice, too.”

Sophia chattered on, hiding her true thoughts.

She was trying to keep talking, hoping it would stop her from caring about everyone staring at them.

It was her first time attending such a public event with Egbert.

If she hadn’t insisted so hard about coming,
she probably wouldn’t have been allowed to attend at all.

Sophia pouted slightly.

“I like the bouquet, too.
That soft lavender color is a nice touch.
I haven’t seen one like that before—wonder where it’s from?
Though, honestly, the dress feels a bit lacking.
Probably because it was so rushed.”

“Dressing her in something so cheap-looking…
Even Constantine’s no big deal, huh?
Anais would’ve looked much better in a fuller gown. That one doesn’t suit her.”

Egbert felt like his head was burning.

Baldwin didn’t belong at Anais’s side.
Egbert should’ve been the one standing there.

“She did this to show me.
Anais married him just to get revenge.”

But no matter how much he tried to think of a way to get her back,
nothing came to mind.

He’d heard they’d already filed the marriage registration.

And even if Baldwin seemed quiet, he was still a duke.
Any lawsuit Egbert tried to file was already useless.

Even if it came down to court, the family court would take Baldwin’s side.
Those judges had long since learned to bow to the influence of the high nobility.

And whether he liked it or not,
only the Imperial Family stood above House Constantine.

Egbert had just watched Anais be taken from him—
right before his eyes.