VNC 08

Chapter 08

Whether the princess was plain-looking or disfigured was not important.

Esselian had never paid heed to the countless rumors.

Yet, for some reason, the moment he saw her face, he found himself saying those words without thinking.

Lifting the veil had been half impulse.

From the very first time he saw her, the princess had already been wearing a veil. It was difficult to make out her features.

Still, he could clearly see the emerald-green eyes flickering faintly beneath it—eyes filled with fear.

Perhaps that was what sparked his curiosity.

The instant he saw her face, Esselian dismissed every rumor he had ever heard.

Rather…

“Th-that’s rude, what are you—!”

Esselian stopped thinking and looked at the princess. Her voice was small and trembling. She kept retreating farther and farther back.

Shuwen’s heart had already plummeted to the ground.

If someone asked her where her heart was, she would have pointed at the floor.

‘Why would he suddenly lift the veil…!’

Esselian’s abrupt action made Shuwen feel dizzy.

She couldn’t even register what his face looked like when it was briefly revealed.

All Shuwen could perceive through the haze was that Esselian’s eyes had widened slightly.

Suddenly, Esselian furrowed his brows and tilted his head.

As if something had just occurred to him.

He stared straight at Shuwen.

“Have we perhaps met before…?”

At his question, Shuwen felt as though her heart dropped with a heavy thud.

But the man who had asked it soon gave a small laugh, as if realizing it was a pointless question.

‘Did he recognize me from the triumphal procession…?’

“N-no. This is our first meeting.”

“I suppose so. Her Highness has never once shown her face.”

Once the immediate crisis passed, a new worry arose—had anyone else seen her face?

But in that fleeting moment, the only person who had seen her face was Esselian.

The officiant had been staring off into space and was startled, and there was quite some distance between the altar and the guests.

Even if someone had seen anything, it would have been no more than her lips.

Esselian’s back shielding her had helped as well.

Unaware of all this, Shuwen trembled in anxiety.

‘This wasn’t my intention, so surely His Majesty will understand—gah.’

Shuwen slightly leaned her head out to look behind Esselian.

The moment she did, she knew she was done for.

The emperor’s face was twisted in displeasure.

“It seems His Majesty is feeling jealous.”

Following Shuwen’s gaze, Esselian let out a quiet chuckle.

He stepped closer by exactly the distance she had retreated, and once again lifted her veil—this time only up to her lips.

Esselian’s face drew closer.

His face, framed by handsome brows, looked cold.

But because the veil blocked her view, Shuwen couldn’t see his face.

His head tilted slightly to the right.

She felt something soft press against her.

Shuwen’s eyes flew open. She sucked in a breath and instinctively held it.

Esselian’s lips did not pull away immediately.

Feeling his warmth, Shuwen could only blink repeatedly.

At last, his lips lightly pressed against her tightly closed ones and then withdrew.

Until that moment, Shuwen had stood frozen, clutching the bouquet.

Her grip tightened.

Her heart pounded—for more than one reason.

‘…What?’

He should have known that the oath kiss had been replaced with a handshake.

When the oath kiss was replaced, the guests had clicked their tongues inwardly.

It was common knowledge throughout the empire that the emperor doted obsessively on the princess.

So they assumed the emperor had interfered again.

There was no way he didn’t realize the man was the Grand Duke of Lanied.

Defying an imperial decree, yet the emperor only scowled deeply and issued no further orders.

“Ahem! Ahem! With this, the two swear before the guests gathered here and before the gods to become lifelong partners—”

The officiant, reading the atmosphere, hurriedly tried to recover.

Shuwen absentmindedly raised her hand and touched her lips beneath the veil. She felt dazed.

‘What is he thinking?’

Completely self-willed.

Shuwen tried to face forward, but her eyes strayed involuntarily to Esselian’s profile.

Then she met his gaze as he tilted his head down to look at her.

Caught staring openly at him, Shuwen didn’t know where to put herself.

“Uh…”

When she hurriedly looked forward, the officiant said awkwardly, “The exchange of rings…”

His voice was so small that only Shuwen could hear it.

She must have been lost in thought and missed his words.

Flustered, Shuwen turned back to look at the attendant bringing the rings.

As her hand shot forward on instinct, Esselian gently caught it and guided it back.

“This side first.”

Ah. She had almost made another foolish mistake.

‘Get a grip, Shuwen. I’m Titiana right now.’

Over her silk glove, a 120-carat diamond was slipped on.

The heart-cut diamond was so fascinating that Shuwen’s mouth fell open.

‘It’s beautiful.’

Its color was so clear that it shifted hues with the light.

But the moment of admiration was brief.

She couldn’t afford to be dazzled by diamonds.

Esselian could easily buy countless things like this—but he had no decency.

“Now it’s the princess’s turn.”

Being guided so personally by Esselian made Shuwen feel slightly embarrassed.

‘How humiliating.’

Since it was a hollow wedding, she hadn’t bothered to learn the ceremony procedures.

Had she known this would happen, she would have asked—even belatedly—for an explanation.

Refusing had been entirely her own choice.

‘Whatever. Let’s just put the ring on.’

Shuwen hadn’t prepared a ring.

It was probably prepared by the emperor.

And Esselian likely hadn’t prepared one himself either.

Holding Esselian’s hand with both of hers, Shuwen slid the ring on.

The ring carefully passed over his thick knuckles and settled on his fourth finger.

The moment it did, his hand was swiftly withdrawn.

“……”

Shuwen’s hand hovered awkwardly in midair.

Watching Esselian cautiously, wondering if he was angry, she remembered that he had never had any interest in the princess to begin with.

Right. This was normal.

Turning her head absentmindedly, Shuwen saw a man slowly approaching her.

His movements were slow but precise, drawing steadily closer.

‘Ah, right. This comes after the ring exchange.’

Tension wrapped around Shuwen’s body.

Her heart felt like it might burst.

She quietly inhaled and exhaled so no one would notice.

‘Stay calm. Stay calm…’

Despite Esselian’s unexpected actions, her plan had not yet fallen apart.

Shuwen subtly shifted her foot to the side.

From the elevated altar, she cast a slanted glance downward.

Among the standing guests, she spotted the person approaching her.

Just a little more—just a little…!

‘Hurry, hurry!’

Three steps.

Just three more steps and the mercenary would grab her.

Her retreating foot slipped.

Her upper body tilted to one side.

Esselian merely watched the staggering Shuwen.

‘He hasn’t noticed, right?’

Shuwen desperately hoped not.

She had even worn high heels on purpose so as not to arouse suspicion…!

The dangerously high heels strained her ankles, wobbling every time she walked down the aisle.

Esselian had found it irritating. As they walked together, he had whispered in her ear:

‘Is walking uncomfortable for you?’

That he even warned her to walk properly said enough.

But Shuwen’s plan was for everyone—including Esselian—to think exactly that.

In the original story’s wedding—

Titiana is almost kidnapped.

The person who hired the mercenary to abduct her was Esselian’s cousin.

Esselian’s cousin, Merchelli, had a simple reason.

She was the cure.

But the mercenary he hired was stupid.

The kidnapping ultimately failed.

‘So I have to help.’

To make it look like a kidnapping, she couldn’t attract any suspicion.

Falling “accidentally” because her shoes were uncomfortable was the most natural way.

When Shuwen subtly twisted her body, the mercenary flinched.

Was it too obvious?

Pretending to fix her dress, Shuwen discreetly sent a signal.

‘I’m going to fall now! Don’t come any closer—catch me from below…!’

Unfortunately, it seemed the mercenary didn’t understand.

Seeing him suddenly rush forward, Shuwen sighed inwardly.

Esselian was a snake with an acute sense for danger.

A man who had led countless wars to victory could not fail to notice such blatant movements.

“Ah—!”

The mercenary reached just below the altar and stretched out his hand toward Shuwen.

But Esselian was a fraction faster.

The mercenary’s rough hand brushed the hem of Shuwen’s dress before falling away.

Shuwen stared regretfully at the retreating hand.

She should have stepped farther back.

She looked up at Esselian, who had pulled her tightly to him.

Esselian met the gaze of her round eyes visible through the thin fabric.

Shuwen was the first to look away.

The mercenary didn’t give up.

Clenching her fists tightly, Shuwen silently cheered him on.

‘Please kidnap me…! I don’t want to die.’

Shuwen was a coward.

She didn’t have the courage to defy an imperial decree.

Nor the strength to protect the people she loved.

Being kidnapped was still better than being swallowed by a snake.

[‘Damn it… the risk is too high.’ The mercenary swept his gaze over the princess on the altar and her surroundings. Looking at the princess’s unknowing back, he felt a pang of pity. Though it was just a job, abducting her merely because she was a cure did make her seem pitiful.]

In the original story, the mercenary pitied Titiana.

There was room for negotiation.

So Shuwen believed that if she were kidnapped, she could persuade him somehow, find an opening, and escape.

After that, her father—Count Berg—would take care of everything.

Having been kidnapped, surely her father would protect her, whether through negotiation or force.

Shuwen believed that without doubt.

She recalled the dagger hidden inside her dress.

A method she never wanted to use.

But if nothing else worked, she planned to threaten Merchelli with her own death.

If the cure died, Merchelli would be the one in trouble.

All Shuwen could do now was let the story unfold as it had.

“Hiyaa!”

A mercenary who had been hiding among the imperial knights leapt onto the altar.

He was far too conspicuous.

If she could, Shuwen wanted to stop him.

‘You should’ve come from behind and grabbed me! You idiot…!’

As events followed the original story, Shuwen stomped her foot inwardly.

But it was fine.

Merchelli hadn’t hired just one mercenary.

Shuwen shook off Esselian’s grip.

At that small movement, the red eyes that had been watching the foolish mercenary slowly shifted toward her.

“Ah… my ankle… ow. Why does it hurt so much?”

Adding the pathetic excuse made Esselian’s eyes fill with doubt.

It wasn’t acting.

Her twisted ankle truly throbbed.

“Uh… um… over there, over there…!”