Ding—!
Judging by the ringing in my own head, Gerald must have been in quite a lot of pain too.
Naturally, I believed he would set me down.
But he still held me tightly, unyielding.
I tried to attack him again, but he pulled his head back.
Then, in a tone firm yet almost like coaxing a child, he said briefly,
“Stop.”
“Put me down,” I demanded, breathing hard.
He let out a long sigh.
“I’m doing this because if you slip and the wedding night is delayed, it’ll be a headache.”
“What kind of headache?”
“If we don’t consummate the marriage tonight, the Emperor and the rest of the imperial family will have to remain here until tomorrow night.”
“Why?”
“Because the wedding ceremony isn’t considered complete until we declare we’ve had a beautiful first night.”
Spend another day with the Emperor, Empress, and the rest of the imperial family?
Of course. There was no way he was doing this for my sake.
That was absolutely unacceptable.
“I’m confident I won’t slip…”
I said demurely, but he didn’t answer. Still carrying me, he walked over to a shelf, pulled down a robe with one hand, and draped it over my shoulders.
Then, still holding me, he moved toward the bathroom door and courteously opened it.
Only then did he release his grip.
With great humility, I released the strength in my legs and dropped lightly to the floor.
“My apologies.”
I bowed at a perfect 90 degrees, but he didn’t respond—he just strode across the bathroom, swung open the door he’d entered from earlier, and left.
Because the “performance” was over, perhaps?
‘Great. He must think I’m an idiot.’
Ha… Wouldn’t I have to redeem my ruined image during the wedding night ceremony?
Inside the bridal chamber of Schleszen Castle
The maids bustled about, dressing me in a thin robe for the grand finale and applying a light touch of makeup.
But my composure had already flown past Andromeda thanks to the bathhouse incident.
Knock, knock.
“Yes?”
One maid entered.
“Her Majesty the Empress requests to see you before the wedding night ceremony.”
“The Empress?”
I had no desire to see her—memories of earlier, when I’d greeted her, were still vivid.
【 “Family? You want to become family after destroying ours? And you dare, as the daughter of a witch!”
Kenneth’s dark blue eyes were harsher than the winter sea wind. Darkness fell over me.
“Please save me! Save me!”
Small fists pounded desperately against a wardrobe door.
“This is my younger sister, Sinclair. She’s a quiet, sweet child.”
At some tea party, Kenneth had smiled sweetly while introducing me.
Moments later, I was running through an unfamiliar hedge maze, crying.
“Even if you become a member of House Jair thanks to me, I wonder if you can even keep that title.”
In the Empress’s palace, Kenneth had placed her teacup down with a cold smile. 】
From Sinclair’s scattered memories, Kenneth was almost as two-faced as Yan.
In public, she was the perfect, kind older sister. In private, she used words and looks to crush Sinclair’s spirit.
If Yan abused Sinclair’s body with violence, Kenneth destroyed her mind with words and glances.
“Your Grace,” the maid prompted again, waiting for my reply.
Thank goodness I’d dismissed the other maids earlier. If it had been the same maid from before, the Empress might have barged in like the ill-mannered Yan.
“Tell her I’m busy preparing and will see her later.”
“Yes…”
The maid backed out.
Why would she want to see me before the wedding night?
Was the Empress involved in Theodore’s assassination too?
In the book, she’d been described as the epitome of elegance and wisdom, the ideal mother of the empire. But I couldn’t blindly trust the author’s portrayal.
At least Sinclair’s memories were proving to be my lifeline.
Poor Crown Prince Alfred… How did you grow up to be so upright under a tyrant Emperor Heraies and a hypocritical Empress?
“Your Grace?”
Ugh… Now was not the time to worry about someone else.
“Yes…”
The maid held out a velvet-lined tray. Several flowers, each a different color, lay upon it.
“These are lisianthus, which symbolize eternal love. Which would you like me to place in your hair?”
‘Eternal love…’
That was unexpected. In the book, the Caricas duchy was a region built atop demonic territory—an outpost of the demon realm.
It was supposed to be the most feared place in the empire, abandoned and beyond human reach.
Yet now, it seemed strangely romantic. The husband bathes for his wife, the wife adorns herself with flowers symbolizing eternal love for her husband before their first night…
Does eternal love even exist?
Of course, Alfred had shown such eternal and pure love—
But that was possible because it was fiction.
If someone managed such unwavering love in reality, they’d have lived a successful life indeed.
Tonight, for my own sake, I wanted to choose a flower I found beautiful. I needed to survive and fight in this strange place.
I tried the white, pale pink, purple, and white-tipped-with-purple flowers one by one.
The pure white one suited Sinclair’s violet hair, neon-pink eyes, and snow-pale skin best—it looked elegant.
“Are you ready?”
The servant’s voice made the maids glance at me.
I wanted to shake my head furiously.
But instead—
“Do you have any strong liquor?”
“…!”
The head maid’s eyes widened, but then she nodded in understanding.
She went to the pantry and returned with a bottle and a glass.
I started to pour a drink, then decided to swig straight from the bottle.
Ugh.
It was stronger than the baijiu the chairman had once poured for me. Heat seared down my throat, my stomach aching from the burn.
Damn it!
But if I was going to end this tragic day, I needed at least a bit of liquid courage.
During the wedding night, the imperial family would be in the hall, praying to the gods for our union. In the room next to the bridal chamber, the high priest and other clergy would also pray. When the night was over, we’d have to present them with the proof cloth.
To sleep with a man I’d only just met—there was no way I could do that sober.
I drained the bottle and handed it back to the maid.
“Open the door.”
The head maid draped a thick, luxurious satin cloak over my thin chemise. A young maid opened the door.
Gerald stood there, wearing a robe, waiting.
He offered his arm. Lifting my chin high, I placed my hand on his arm and let him lead me toward the bedchamber.
In my mind, I chanted over and over:
‘I am Sinclair, I am Sinclair.’
It felt like another wedding.
In the hall, the imperial family sat divided by gender, flanking a central aisle. Emperor Heraies sat at the head of the men’s side, Empress Kenneth at the head of the women’s.
Directly ahead stood the high priest, holding a censer. To his left, priests and priestesses in pure white vestments held a long rosary between their palms.
‘Just finish before that rosary makes a full circle.’
Gerald lowered his head slightly to whisper to me.
I hesitated mid-step, my body instinctively wanting to shrink.
But instead, I lifted my chin higher and straightened my back.
Cowering and hiding was probably exactly what the Empress wanted to see.
“I greet His Imperial Majesty, the Sun of the Empire, and Her Imperial Majesty, the Life of the Land.”
I curtsied deeply. Gerald merely inclined his head.
The high priest stepped forward and addressed the hall:
“We now seek the blessing of Orléssion, God of the Skies, for the union of His Grace Gerald von Jair and Her Grace Sinclair von Jair.”
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
The guests erupted into cheers.
“Your Graces, please follow me.”
Swinging the censer like a pendulum, the high priest led us down a long corridor lined with portraits of past emperors who had conquered the demon realm, and paintings depicting their victories in this land.
Gerald and I followed, with the priests and priestesses chanting prayers behind us.
The swish of robes filled the corridor, accompanied by the murmured prayers of the imperial family.
The high priest opened a door on the right and entered a room containing only a canopied bed. Gerald took my hand and stopped at the entrance.
The high priest circled the bed with the censer, then extinguished the wall candles one by one, leaving only a single flame on the bedside table.
Then he approached us again.
“Now, you may commence the wedding night ritual.”
Extending his free hand, he invited us forward. Gerald, still holding my hand, led me toward the bed. He stopped and glanced back at the high priest.
The high priest bowed his head, then closed the door.
“Phew…”
I exhaled in relief, about to flop onto the bed—
“It’s not over yet,” Gerald murmured, his hand at my waist.
“What?”
“The high priest, priests, and priestesses will enter the room next door. Then a small window in the wall will open.”
“Huh?”
I looked around. Gerald gestured with his chin. Sure enough, a small window like the kind in a confessional was set into the wall.
“Even if it opens, don’t worry. There’s a wooden panel with small holes, so they can’t see us—only hear.”
“I see…”
Just as I nodded, I heard the clack of the window sliding open.
The high priest lowered his head and commanded softly,
“Please, both of you, get onto the bed now.”
And so, the trembling ritual of our wedding night began.
