Chapter 21
“Wow, what is all this? It’s overwhelming!”
Sara looked around the bedroom, dazed.
The spacious room was filled with white—so many wedding dresses it felt like all the white dresses in the world had gathered there.
“Sara, give me some chocolate.”
Alessia spoke with a tired expression.
She had been tormented all day by the staff from the atelier.
From the moment she woke up until now, with the sun high in the sky, she had no idea how many dresses she’d tried on.
Her energy was so drained her hands were trembling.
“Here, have one at a time.”
Alessia opened her mouth and accepted the chocolate. Even then, three staff members were still fussing over her.
“When will this end?”
“We’re almost done, Your Highness.”
Madame Lucette, the owner of Lucette’s Atelier, smiled kindly to soothe Alessia.
Alessia sighed with fatigue.
“Madame, I told you—I don’t care that much about the wedding dress.”
“That won’t do. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event!”
Lucette spoke firmly.
“Just a few more to go. Please hang in there a little longer.”
“All right.”
Alessia let out a deep breath.
Even repeating this conversation was tiring. Lucette gently coaxed her as they tried on dozens of dresses.
“A dress doesn’t mean anything anyway.”
It was a marriage that wouldn’t last. Why bother?
Alessia cast a cynical glance around the room. The chamber was as large as Franz’s bedroom, filled with racks of gowns.
Lucette’s Atelier certainly lived up to its reputation as a trendsetter across the empire.
Dresses from not only Lauretz but also imported ones from Batash and Astraea waited their turn.
“It wasn’t like this last time.”
Alessia recalled her previous wedding.
One day, a large box had been delivered to her secluded villa.
Inside were a single white dress, silver shoes, a long veil down to her knees, and a tiara.
The dress had a conservative design with long sleeves and a high neckline.
It didn’t fit her well, and she looked awkward in it. The veil practically hid her face.
Back then, Alessia had still held romantic notions about weddings—and she was crushed.
But she had no choice. She had to wear the dress that was given.
Though she entered the venue in an off-the-rack gown, she thought the important thing was the person she was marrying.
“That person turned out to be the worst of all.”
Alessia frowned and looked at herself in the mirror.
A red-haired woman in an elegant square-neckline gown gazed back at her.
The dress was beautiful.
At first glance, the mermaid-line gown seemed simple, but it was meticulously tailored.
It hugged her waist and traced the curves of her hips with perfect precision.
“This one suits you very well too. Oh dear, it’s so hard to choose!”
Lucette fussed as she pinned a diamond hairpin into Alessia’s hair—one that matched the finely detailed diamond embellishments on the bodice.
“Then let’s go with this one.”
“Wait a moment—how about trying this one on too? It might give a different impression.”
“Madame…”
Alessia trailed off, looking at Lucette.
Caught off guard by her persistence, Lucette turned to Sara for backup.
“You must walk into that hall looking your absolute best. Your Highness will be the most beautiful and happiest bride in the world, won’t you?”
“She’s right. Ah, milady, I think this one would look lovely too.”
Sara pulled out a dress from beside the rack—a gown with a tight waist and a bell-shaped skirt that flared out dramatically.
“You’d look like a fairytale princess.”
“Okay. I’ll try that too.”
Alessia gave in and motioned to Lucette. The staff quickly moved behind her to undo the ribbons.
As they loosened the tightly tied strings around her waist, Alessia suddenly recalled a certain hand.
A warm, clumsy hand that had touched her back.
“Of all things to remember…”
She tried to banish Franz’s face from her mind.
She didn’t want to be one of those women who got all sentimental thinking of their groom while choosing a dress.
This wasn’t a romantic wedding.
But the moment she turned her head away from the mirror—there he was.
“Franz?”
Alessia’s lips parted in shock.
Franz was leaning against the connecting door between their chambers.
His gaze was fixed intently on her, low and smoldering.
Her heart began to race under his penetrating stare.
She hurriedly turned back to the mirror. The woman reflected in it had flushed cheeks.
“Don’t be startled. That’s a normal reaction. Anyone would react like that if stared at like that…”
But why was he looking at her like that?
Alessia bit her lip. Her body tensed, and Lucette, about to pin her dress, widened her eyes in concern.
“Your Highness, are you all right? Is the dress uncomfortable?”
Lucette glanced toward the staff—then gasped at the sight of Franz in the mirror.
“Oh my! The Second Prince!”
With her startled exclamation, all the attendants and maids froze.
They turned in unison and bowed to Franz.
“We greet Your Highness the Second Prince. May the glory of the sun rest upon you.”
“Rise.”
Franz straightened himself from the doorway with a slight nod.
Dressed in a navy formal uniform adorned with golden tassels, he dusted his jacket lightly and looked at Alessia again.
His gaze briefly lingered on the exposed collarbone and the fullness of her chest above the square neckline.
As her chest rose and fell with a deep breath, he furrowed his brows and turned his head away.
Lucette beamed at him.
“Your timing is perfect. Every dress looks stunning on her—it’s impossible to choose. Perhaps we should seek your opinion.”
Lucette, ever the skilled saleswoman, smoothly flattered Alessia.
“Her Highness has such a perfect figure that anything looks tailored to her. One moment it’s this dress, then that one. We just can’t decide.”
“…I see.”
“Yes, even this one looks wonderful, but the one before was just as breathtaking.”
Franz looked at Alessia again.
Thanks to the swift hands of the attendants, the ribbons had already been retied and she was dressed perfectly—ready to walk down the aisle at any moment.
Their gazes met midair. For a second, it seemed like fire flickered in his usually cold golden eyes.
Franz spoke.
“Then just wear them all.”
“That was our thought too, but you can only wear one for the ceremony. The reception dress is separate.”
Franz brushed off Lucette’s words and stepped forward. Alessia stared at him, mesmerized as he walked between rows of white gowns.
Sunlight pouring through the window made his golden hair shine brilliantly.
The shadows over his sharply defined features made him look breathtaking. Every movement sent the tassels on his broad shoulders swaying.
“In my opinion…”
Franz was suddenly right in front of her, looking down.
He reached out and gently removed the diamond laurel leaf pin from her hair.
As the pin slipped out, her thick red hair tumbled down in waves.
Franz carefully took a lock that fell over her shoulder.
“This suits you too.”
Alessia exhaled deeply. Hair had no sensation—but her heart fluttered strangely.
It felt odd. She wanted to slap his hand away. To tell him, don’t touch me again.
But her lips wouldn’t move. All she could do was stare at him, silently swallowing her words.
“Shall we go with this one?”
Lucette asked from behind with her hands clasped. Franz answered slowly, eyes still on Alessia.
“My consort looks better with her hair down.”
“She does have beautiful hair. Perhaps we could leave it down, or braid it into one.”
Lucette nodded enthusiastically and began giving brisk instructions to the staff before turning back to Franz.
“Any other instructions?”
“…My consort…”
Alessia’s fingertips twitched. Every time Franz called her “my consort,” her chest tightened.
He was only stating a fact, yet she couldn’t help attaching meaning to it.
She had vowed not to be foolish like this anymore.
“My consort doesn’t need fancy decorations to be beautiful.”
Just as she is.
Franz’s low voice wrapped around her ears.
In that moment, a searing pain stabbed Alessia. As if someone had clenched her heart tightly.
Her breath caught in her throat and she doubled over, bending forward with a gasp.
“Your Highness!”
“Resa!”
Among the panicked voices, she reached for the one she hated most.
It was Franz—desperately holding onto her hand.
