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Chapter 01
Where This Marriage Leads
Rosetta’s heart was pounding. Even now, as she walked along the pure white flower path, it didn’t feel real.
She wasn’t the only one who couldn’t believe what was happening.
“Th-that person…!”
The guests whispered as they looked at the groom.
“Isn’t that Sol Rike Iglesia? Why is he standing as the groom?”
“Wow… I’ve never seen a groom get replaced at a wedding—and with the Duke of National Defense, no less!”
“The Fabinue family is only a count’s house. How can they become in-laws with the Iglesia family? This is completely mismatched!”
“Are they even worthy of him? And that wedding dress—it’s a limited piece from Angriage!”
Ignoring the murmuring crowd, Rosetta walked forward and looked ahead.
A tall man stood on the stage, watching her.
His honey-blond hair was neatly styled back, and beneath it, his cold blue-gray eyes shone sharply.
Sol Rike Iglesia.
The Duke of National Defense of the Kailus Empire.
He was called “Rike,” a symbol of the blue rose that represented the imperial family.
Rosetta swallowed dryly.
“Someone like him… is marrying me?”
This marriage was completely unequal.
It didn’t match their status at all.
No—could this even be called a transaction? A transaction required benefit.
“Why did he propose now?”
Before she knew it, she had reached the front.
The groom extended his hand. Her father, Count Fabinue, who had walked her down the aisle, placed her hand into the man’s.
Before returning to his seat, the count whispered quietly so only she could hear:
“If you want to protect your mother’s coffin, this marriage must succeed.”
A warning—if she wanted what she desired, she must not disappoint him.
Rosetta bit the inside of her cheek.
Two Hours Earlier
“You repay kindness with betrayal? How dare you!”
In the bride’s waiting room, which should have been filled with blessings, an angry voice echoed.
“You’re telling me you didn’t know Diego Genomgard was a ‘possessor’? Does that even make sense?!”
Chrono Delta Fabinue, despite his graying hair, shouted loudly and kicked a chair in rage.
A possessor.
A being from another world that takes over someone else’s body.
Anyone involved with them risked not only their life, but the destruction of their entire family.
“Answer me, Rosetta Fabinue!”
“……”
Rosetta, her head lowered, clenched her fists on her lap as her father yelled.
“I’m the one who should be shouting right now.”
This marriage was never her choice to begin with.
If she had been given even one chance to choose, she might have revealed the feelings she had buried deep inside.
But she never got that chance.
That was why this engagement—and this marriage—happened.
At least one thing was fortunate.
The Diego she came to know…
“I must be incredibly lucky to have you as my bride.”
…was not the kind of man who would betray her like this.
Yes. He wasn’t someone who would disappear without a word right before the wedding.
Rosetta asked calmly,
“Did the Judges take him?”
“If they had, they wouldn’t come to us demanding we hand him over. They clearly haven’t found him yet.”
Count Fabinue trembled.
Just remembering those bloodstained black robes made his skin crawl.
“Diego Genomgard will be judged. If you do not cooperate, you will all be executed immediately.”
One hundred twenty years ago, the Kailus Empire had nearly been destroyed by possessors.
After barely rebuilding, the imperial family created magical tools called “Judges” to deal with them.
And those Judges showed no mercy.
Even if the target was royalty.
“What are we supposed to do now?”
At this rate, they would be branded traitors and wiped out.
Before that happened, the Fabinue family had to prove they had nothing to do with Diego’s escape!
As the count anxiously bit his nails—
Bang!
“Father!”
“Julie?”
Julieta, the count’s second daughter and Rosetta’s half-sister, rushed into the room.
“Is it true…? Diego—the groom—is gone?”
“…Yes. The Judges came. That bastard deceived us completely!”
“No way…!”
Julieta grabbed Rosetta, her face pale.
“Did you know, sister? Did you pretend not to know?”
“That’s… impossible.”
“What are we going to do now?! Because of you, we’re all going to die!”
“……Let go!”
Shaken roughly, Rosetta pushed her away and stood up.
Then she spoke coldly,
“I’ll take the blame and say I ran away.”
“…What?”
“You ran away?”
They would say the bride ran away?
Turning her back on them, Rosetta looked into the mirror.
A red-haired woman in a pure white wedding dress stared back.
She had always tried to be the perfect eldest daughter of the Fabinue family.
But had she ever been rewarded for it?
Well…
“Breaking the engagement is better than divorce.”
A father who never acknowledged her.
A half-sister who only pretended to care in front of others.
She once believed that if she tried harder, things might improve.
“But that wasn’t true.”
A family that didn’t value her—she didn’t need them either.
The only reason she hadn’t left earlier was because she still had something to do.
For that, she had even prepared herself to marry an old noble.
“I can’t fail now.”
She had to fix this situation somehow.
“If I say I ran away, the guests won’t have a choice.”
Even if it meant being labeled as a runaway bride.
“Then all the blame will fall on me, and father can receive sympathy for having a troublesome daughter.”
“Hmm…”
The count hesitated.
This marriage had been his plan, though people believed it was a romantic story where Diego chased after Rosetta.
He had done that to prevent other families from interfering.
Even if the Genomgard family was struggling, they were still a marquis house.
This marriage was meant to restore Fabinue’s lost glory.
Giving it up now was such a waste.
Rosetta spoke again, firmly,
“I’ll take the blame. So please keep your promise.”
The count did not stop her.
To him, Rosetta was a child he could discard.
Unlike Julieta, who was born from a woman he loved.
Rosetta’s mother, whom he married for politics, brought him no benefit.
Her family had been destroyed early in their marriage.
She couldn’t even bear more children after giving birth to Rosetta.
And even after dying, Rosetta kept begging to move her mother’s coffin to the family cemetery.
It was annoying.
So he had promised—
If she secured the bloodline of a marquis family, he would move the coffin.
“At this point, I have no choice but to follow her plan.”
Since the marriage vows hadn’t been completed, they might avoid punishment.
“Rosetta.”
After making his decision, the count gestured to Julieta and spoke,
“You should leave the capital for now. Julieta and I will inform the guests that the wedding is canceled.”
Just then—
The tightly closed door burst open.
“There’s no need for that.”
“What?!”
A man entered.
The first thing that caught their eyes was his shining honey-colored hair.
“…!”
Julieta gasped at his striking appearance.
His cold blue-gray eyes, like polished spinel, were sharp like a predator’s.
“Why is he here?”
Rosetta widened her eyes.
The count shouted in shock,
“S-Sol Rike Iglesia?! Why is the Duke of National Defense here?!”
But Sol Rike didn’t even glance at him.
Lifting his sharp chin, he looked straight at Rosetta.
Then, in a low voice, he said,
“The wedding of Miss Rosetta Fabinue will proceed as planned.”
“W-what?!”
The count was stunned.
“How can a wedding happen without a groom?! Even if you are Rike, you cannot insult us like this!”
Sol Rike tilted his head slightly.
A crooked smile formed on his lips.
“What do you mean, no groom?”
“I’ll be the groom.”
“…?!”
The Duke himself… as the groom?
The head of the Iglesia family, treated like royalty?
As the Fabinue family stood frozen, Sol Rike snapped his fingers.
Right on cue, his aide entered with a large trunk and opened it.
A beautiful soft pink dress flowed out like waves.
“Th-that’s…!”
Julieta recognized it first and gasped.
“That’s the Mary Rose collection from Angriage! The one-of-a-kind masterpiece…!”
A dress so rare, money alone couldn’t buy it.
