Episode 7
Time, indeed, flew by in the blink of an eye.
Gossip sheets printed my name and Denok’s for days on end, selling like hotcakes. A formal proposal even arrived from the Luciano family. Before my delighted father, I spun a fabricated truth.
I told him that after we’d spent the night together, Denok had been on the verge of a frenzy, but for some inexplicable reason, my abilities had calmed him. From now on, Denok would be utterly powerless against me. My father cheered.
“The child you bear… will be a perfect human, unlike any this era has seen.”
Everything was unfolding as if by a preordained sequence. And as for me, at this very moment…
“Oh, my heavens.”
I modestly lowered my gaze as a hushed exclamation reached my ears.
“You look absolutely beautiful. I’ve never seen a lady whose size fit this dress so perfectly.”
Of course, she hadn’t. No ordinary person would fit into it. My head reeled from the suffocating pressure, every breath a struggle. The designer’s words grated on me. I lifted my eyes, and there I was in the mirror, adorned in a wedding dress. My waist, impossibly tiny, was a testament to days of starvation. I’d barely managed to squeeze into it.
‘I can’t believe they actually gave me nothing to eat.’
The ducal family had restricted my meals, claiming it was for the wedding. Water was my only sustenance. A faint smile touched my lips as I recalled Rachel handing me a glass of water, and my stomach churned once more. My face almost crumpled, but thankfully, the designer lowered the tiara’s veil. Relying on the thin veil, I wiped away my smile.
‘It’s really almost time now.’
As the wedding approached, an odd feeling settled over me.
Then, a soft knock.
Unable to turn, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. The door creaked open, revealing familiar red hair. I drew a small, sharp breath. The Duke’s eyes curved as he asked, “May I speak with my daughter for a moment?”
“Yes… yes! Of course!”
The designer, her face flushed, cleared her throat and stepped aside. The Duke walked slowly, stopping before me. Soon, the veil that obscured my vision was lifted. Before me was a middle-aged face that resembled mine, yet was one I desperately wished not to emulate.
“You are beautiful… Just like your mother in her youth,” the Duke murmured, gazing at me intently.
I didn’t want to look at him, so I lowered my head, feigning shyness.
“Don’t be nervous, my child. You are embracing a meaningful honor, one that will elevate this ducal family.” He seemed to mistake my aversion for nervousness. He slowly extended an arm and drew me into his embrace. “The descendants you bear will bring even greater glory to our Sertia, my dear.”
His hand gently stroked my head, his voice soft and tender in my ear. I quietly closed my eyes. There was a time when I had yearned for this affection to the point of death.
“Young lady, you bear the bloodline of the Sertia family. You must not cry or frown, but maintain a noble dignity.”
Rachel, the head maid, had forced heavy corsets onto my young body and made me practice smiling for hours. The crack of a whip falling on my back if I so much as frowned.
“The Duke wishes for the young lady to become a perfect lady.”
Because of that one sentence, I endured everything. Solely to gain my father’s recognition. Without realizing that it was unjust, that it was something that should never have happened, I obeyed her. The buried memories resurfaced, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. It was difficult to control my expression.
But even so…
“Yes, Father. I will prove my worth.”
I lifted my head from his embrace and smiled brightly at my father. I wondered. Someday, when I break the leash you’ve placed around my neck and escape, what kind of expression will you wear then?
The morning of the wedding dawned.
The ceremony was held at the Grand Temple of the Empire. The most sacred space, where the Pope himself offered prayers, was, for that one day, transformed into a private wedding hall.
“And so, according to the will of God…”
The Archbishop’s endless homily dwelled on the duties of husband and wife: gentle words like love, respect, and consideration. But these were not words that applied to us. We were merely…
“…Do both of you swear?”
To escape agonizing nights.
“Yes, I swear.”
Simply to preserve my life.
“Yes, I swear.”
We swore, each with our own purpose. To be faithful to each other for only one year.
After the wedding, we immediately boarded the carriage waiting in front of the temple. We had to head straight for the Grand Duke’s mansion. The baggage carriages, carrying Rachel and the other servants, followed right behind us.
‘This will probably be our last chance to talk freely.’
With that thought, I clung precariously to my fading consciousness, feeling as if I might collapse at any moment. As I showed signs of wanting to say something, Denok spoke first.
“…Do you have something to say?”
“I think we should discuss what happens next.”
Denok looked at me in silence.
“As expected, Father assigned Rachel to attend to me. She’s essentially a supervisor.”
In truth, he had intended to send more staff, but I had intervened, claiming I would slowly fill the positions after first taking control of the ducal estate. He had looked at me suspiciously for a moment but had allowed it more easily than I expected. I just needed to buy time, somehow, for exactly one year.
I looked directly at him. “You remember the terms of our contract, don’t you?”
At the previous banquet, we had agreed to a year of married life. That meant…
“…To do our best to appear as a married couple, correct?” Denok murmured softly.
I nodded, adding, “Rachel will monitor and report on our every move. To avoid Father’s suspicion, we need to convince him that we are actually spending nights together.”
“You mean to act as if we’re sleeping together,” he said.
My face flushed, but I continued as calmly as possible. “Yes, we’ll need to pretend to spend the night together. After all, contact is absolutely necessary to calm the Grand Duke’s magic.”
“…Lady.”
“Yes?”
“…No, never mind. I definitely remember the terms of the contract.”
He had seemed about to ask something, but quickly changed the subject. Afterwards, he gazed indifferently out the window, and I couldn’t bring myself to say anything further. So, I never got to mention that we’d have to fake our wedding night, tonight.
How long did the deep silence last? As thick darkness descended among the rapidly passing trees, the carriage lurched to a halt. Denok, who had been staring out the window with sunken eyes, suddenly turned his gaze at a small sound. The woman, who had been sitting rigidly upright, was now leaning against the carriage wall, her eyes closed. She seemed to have fallen asleep.
‘Edith Sertia.’
He silently repeated her name. From the beginning, she was a woman whose thoughts he couldn’t read. Her clear blue eyes sometimes appeared resolute, like a seasoned veteran who had endured countless hardships, yet at other times, they held a fragile light.
‘It was like that earlier, too.’
The woman who appeared in the dress was much paler than when he had first met her. She had barely managed to walk, looking as if she might collapse at any moment, yet she greeted the guests with a composed smile. If someone tried to speak to her, she gently steered the conversation. She was a strange woman. She would show inexplicable kindness, then keep her distance, as if she knew her place. And what’s more…
“Yes, we’ll need to pretend to spend the night together. After all, contact is absolutely necessary to calm the Grand Duke’s magic.”
Everyone avoided even speaking to him, let alone being near him. Edith, though she showed a hint of embarrassment, spoke of physical intimacy with him without any trace of discomfort or aversion. He almost wanted to ask her what her true intentions were.
‘But it’s not something I need to worry about.’
It was a good thing for him, as it allowed him to avoid his collateral relatives’ persistent demands for marriage. Ultimately, her reasons for approaching him didn’t matter. She simply had something she needed from him. And whether this trivial life of his was ruined or not… that didn’t matter to him at all. The only thing that mattered to him was uncovering the truth of ‘that day.’
Denok raised his hand and tightly clenched his fist. A dark light flickered and disappeared in his lowered violet pupils.
How long had the deep silence lasted? As thick darkness descended among the rapidly passing trees, the carriage lurched to a halt.
