Chapter : 8
After several days of rest, the hectic schedule that had been piling up came crashing down all at once.
Elfreda studied palace terminology until she felt like she might throw up, and calculated the royal budget until her mind went completely blank.
As her exhaustion wore her down, the king’s face naturally became more and more blurred in her mind. The more she managed to forget him, the more relieved she felt.
“Today, we will study the history from the reign of the Predecessor King to His Majesty the Gold King.”
The one place she unexpectedly met him again was in history class.
With a tired face, Elfreda opened her book and froze for a moment.
There was a face that looked very similar to someone she knew. Beside it was a portrait of a beautiful woman, and below that seemed to be another illustration of someone else.
She tried not to look directly at the face beneath it, but the teacher began reciting the history starting from the Predecessor King.
Suppressing her uneasiness, Elfreda forced herself to focus.
“…Thus, King Olaf III of the Predecessor Kingdom ruled wisely and was highly regarded as a great king. However, unfortunately, he passed away at the young age of 31. He had been traveling to attend the coronation ceremony of the Kingdom of Giver when he was caught in an unexpected storm.”
The teacher continued in a somber voice.
“At that time, the queen who accompanied him also passed away, leaving only the young prince in the royal family. The prince was only three years old, so Prince Philip, the younger brother of Olaf III, ascended the throne. He became King Philip II, the predecessor king.”
As the explanation of Philip II’s reign continued, Elfreda’s face gradually turned pale.
Because of the name that was inevitably coming.
“…Machi, with its advantageous geography and strong will, successfully defended itself against the hoofbeats of the Makaeri Empire. Considering that the so-called barbarians of Makaeri had united numerous tribes purely through military force to form an empire, it was a remarkable achievement. However, an unexpected event occurred. Five years ago, King Philip led an expedition to the Kingdom of Giver, which was in difficulty…”
“….”
“…and he and his son, Prince Anders, both died in battle.”
The teacher’s voice slowed and hardened.
Elfreda felt the teacher’s gaze, as if it were pressing down on her, but she forced herself not to show it.
“Eventually, the only son of Olaf III ascended the throne. That person is His Majesty the Gold King.”
There was no avoiding it now.
With trembling eyes, Elfreda finally looked at the portrait she had been trying so hard not to see.
The stern and elegant face met her gaze. Even though it was just a drawing, it felt as if her whole body was being seized.
Her heart began to beat rapidly.
Ainar Mach.
For the first time, Elfreda silently mouthed his name.
The sound felt bitter on her tongue.
The history teacher, still looking at her with disapproval, continued.
“Now, let us continue from the reign of His Majesty the Gold King.”
Time passed quickly, and her wedding day finally arrived.
Exhausted from a schedule that had felt like war, and perhaps because she had no expectations for this marriage, Elfreda remained unusually calm as she prepared.
Her expression was more like a priest than a bride.
“It is done.”
Elfreda, dressed in a pure white wedding dress with delicate lace up to her neck and a thin veil over her head, looked undeniably beautiful.
Even the maids who dressed her acknowledged it inwardly, but none of them said it aloud.
Instead, one of them said with a mocking tone,
“It must be lonely, since no one from your homeland came.”
Elfreda remained silent, expression calm.
She had heard that an envoy from Makaeri had been sent to celebrate the royal marriage, but the ship had been wrecked in a storm. So she ended up attending the wedding alone.
Still, it likely wouldn’t have meant much to her even if they had arrived.
The wedding was held at Saint Diane Cathedral near the royal palace.
Even while waiting in the bridal room, Elfreda still couldn’t feel that she was truly getting married.
Finally, the time came.
With a blank expression, she walked into the hall.
“The princess of Makaeri, Elfreda Makaeri, enters.”
As soon as the doors opened, hostile gazes fell on her.
It was the first time she had felt such clear hostility directed at her, and it nearly stole her breath.
Forcing herself to breathe, she stepped forward slowly.
Finally, she reached the man standing at the altar.
Only then did she realize what she had been unable to notice earlier.
That beautiful face was looking at her indifferently.
Her heart began to pound.
It hadn’t even raced this much while she was walking here.
Elfreda swallowed dryly and quickly avoided his gaze, like someone who had done something wrong.
“The sun shines on this beautiful day, where the noble bloodline of Machi…”
The priest began the ceremony, but paused, seemingly unable to find proper words to describe Elfreda.
After a brief hesitation, he continued.
“A beautiful woman from a distant land comes to form a new family.”
Thankfully, there were no words like “barbaric savage.”
During the ceremony, Elfreda subtly glanced at the man beside her.
He stood there with a bored expression, not paying attention at all.
What is he thinking?
That he is unfortunate to be marrying the woman who killed his uncle?
She understood clearly from history why he had every reason to hate her.
And yet, her heart was beating too fast.
How shameless it was.
“Does the groom promise to take the bride as his wife and love her for life?”
“Yes.”
The answer was dry and clearly indifferent, but Elfreda preferred it that way.
If he answered sincerely, it would feel like a cruel lie.
“Then does the bride promise to take the groom as her husband and love him for life?”
…She shouldn’t be thinking like this.
Her eyes trembled slightly.
She found herself looking at Ainar.
When their eyes met, she quickly turned away, her face burning with embarrassment.
“…Yes.”
“With this, I declare the two of you husband and wife.”
Applause echoed through the hall.
It was soft and hesitant, almost like a funeral rather than a wedding.
Elfreda closed her eyes quietly.
At least, she thought, no one from her homeland had come.
After the ceremony, they immediately had to attend the reception.
Her whole body felt exhausted from the tension she hadn’t even noticed during the ceremony.
She wanted to rest desperately, but she was now the queen of Machi.
She had to greet many nobles.
However, when she entered the reception hall, she felt a faint hope that she might leave early.
Unlike Ainar, who was surrounded by nobles of all ages, Elfreda stood almost alone.
There was hardly anyone around her.
“It seems no one is coming to greet Your Majesty.”
The Marchioness of Magnum said mockingly.
“Would you like to leave now?”
“…Perhaps.”
If no one welcomed her, there was no reason to stay.
For the first time, Elfreda felt grateful toward the Marchioness.
The Marchioness looked at her in surprise.
“I will go first. Please enjoy the reception.”
“Very well. A maid will escort you.”
“It’s fine. I’d like to walk alone.”
Elfreda turned and left the hall.
She intended to return to her new palace.
“Elfreda.”
That familiar voice.
If she hadn’t heard it, she would have kept walking.
Startled, she froze in place.
