DSWM 04

Chapter 4

“Your Imperial Highness, Your Highness the Grand Prince, it’s time for both of you to get ready.”

“Understood.”

Alfred gave a slight nod, then accepted the flower basket the maid offered him.

At that moment, behind Alfred’s back, I met Theodore’s eyes.

His chin was tilted upward, and his crimson gaze burned like glowing charcoal.

Gasp… What’s with that look?

“The ceremony is about to begin.”

At the servant’s announcement, Theodore placed both hands on his hips, raised one eyebrow proudly, and lifted his chin.

Then he declared to everyone around him,

“Stepmother shall follow only Theodore!”

With that, he walked to the front and stood directly ahead of Crown Prince Alfred.

Michael hurried over, bending respectfully at the waist.

“Your Highness, Grand Prince… His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince should be leading the procession.”

He spoke with his hands politely folded.

The corners of Theodore’s eyes lifted.

“And why is that?”

“Because His Imperial Highness Alfred is the Little Sun of the Empire.”

“I know that. Big Brother Alfred is the Little Sun of the Empire.”

“But today is the day Theodore welcomes his stepmother.”

“So Theodore will light the path for the wedding!”

Standing proudly with both hands on his hips, Theodore glared defiantly at Michael.

Just then—

“How insolent, Grand Prince.”

Alfred stepped forward.

“Lady Sinclair is becoming a member of the Imperial Family. As the future Emperor, it is only proper that I, the Crown Prince, lead the way.”

Seriously…?

They’re having a power struggle?

My palms immediately became damp with sweat.

Alfred took another step forward.

Theodore instantly blocked his path with one tiny foot.

Standing on his tiptoes so he could meet Alfred’s gaze, he lifted his chin proudly.

Theodore’s crimson eyes collided with Alfred’s emerald ones.

If eyes could spark, the air between them would have crackled.

Good grief…

The two future archenemies are already butting heads.

I had to stop this.

“Your Imperial Highness. Your Highness.”

Both pairs of eyes turned toward me simultaneously.

The little boys’ gazes were so intense that they wrapped themselves around me like glowing Christmas lights—one green, one red.

For a moment, it felt as though my entire body had been swallowed by swirling emerald and crimson light.

Seeing me interfere, Michael snorted like an angry bull.

Whatever.

I had no reason to worry about one greedy old man.

After all…

The star of today’s wedding was me.

Sinclair.

And perhaps…

If the future savior of the Empire and its future destroyer could build happy memories together now…

Maybe the story itself could change.

Smiling gently, I bent my knees so I could look equally into Alfred’s green eyes and Theodore’s red ones.

“Your Highnesses are already family.”

“Would you stand side by side together?”

“If both of you light the way for me, no blessing could possibly be greater.”

Michael immediately interrupted.

“What nonsense!”

“According to tradition, the Crown Prince walks first to the chapel, followed by the Grand Prince. Then I, as her father, follow behind, while you quietly walk after us attended by your maids!”

Michael…

In the novel, he was nothing more than a greedy extra destined to die by his own son’s hand.

To Sinclair…

He had simply been a tyrannical father.

But I wasn’t his daughter.

I had no reason to be intimidated.

“This is my wedding, Father.”

“My status will soon outrank yours.”

“So naturally… you should be the one walking behind.”

Michael’s face turned ghostly white.

His lips trembled with rage.

Deal with your embarrassment yourself.

Smiling sweetly, I walked past him and extended one hand toward each little boy.

Without hesitation, they each kept a flower basket in one hand and placed the other in mine.

Escorted by both boys, I walked toward the bridal room’s exit.

When we reached the door, I folded my hands neatly before me.

Naturally, Theodore and Alfred stepped forward to stand side by side.

Beyond the doorway stretched a long corridor leading all the way to the chapel.

The sight left me speechless.

It was magnificent.

Luxurious.

Yet strangely unsettling.

The golden pillars lining the corridor had been sculpted into human figures.

Gods…?

Some laughed.

Some cried.

Some roared in fury.

Some screamed in rage.

All of them supported the ceiling while completely naked.

Their grotesque expressions were terrifying.

What if they suddenly throw the ceiling aside like Transformers and charge at me?

Just then…

A sweet floral fragrance tickled my nose.

Huge white peonies nearly ten centimeters across lined both sides of the hallway.

Clusters of hydrangeas bloomed beside them, their petals forming four-leaf clovers in shades of pink, lavender, pale blue, and green.

The floor itself had been completely covered with expensive lisianthus blossoms.

There were so many petals that the white satin carpet beneath them was invisible.

My racing heart gradually calmed.

This is the first flower garden Kang Juhee has ever walked through.

Dong…

Dong…

Dong…

The wedding bells rang.

Theodore turned around and looked up at me.

His smile stretched almost to his ears.

For some reason…

That smile looked as though it were saying,

“Welcome.

I’ll make sure your death is delightfully painful.”

That’s right.

I’m about to walk across these beautiful flowers…

…straight toward my death.

Damn it.

What a ridiculous death flag.

Then—

The white curtains fluttered gently, almost as though beckoning me.

“Run through the open window.

Hide.

Live.”

It wasn’t a bad idea.

If I slipped into the chapel, stole a priest’s robe, sold the jewels on my dress, and escaped south by ship…

My eyes suddenly landed on the armored knights standing beside the corridor like statues.

…I’d be dead before I even got that far.

I forced down the urge to flee.

Majestic music drifted toward us from the chapel.

“You must proceed.”

A sigh escaped me.

Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Alfred looked back with a bright smile.

I wanted to cry.

Instead, I smiled back.

Seeing that, Theodore winked at me before confidently stepping forward.

Not wanting to fall behind, Alfred hurried after him.

The little flower boys gracefully led the procession, carrying baskets filled with white rose petals.

Relax your shoulders.

Take a deep breath.

I began walking down the corridor that felt like a battlefield.

The solemn music gradually softened into a romantic melody.

“Lady Sinclair von Zeyer, the future mistress of House von Zeyer, now enters!”

The nobles seated inside the chapel all turned around.

When they saw me standing alone behind the flower boys, they immediately began whispering among themselves.

Just as expected…

Michael caught up beside me and murmured through clenched teeth without moving his lips,

“Behave with proper dignity.”

Proper dignity?

For whose sake?

“The bride enters!”

The music swelled into a magnificent wedding march.

The two flower boys continued scattering petals before me.

Michael extended his arm.

I brushed it aside.

And walked into the chapel alone.

The guests immediately began murmuring again.

It was a tiny act of revenge against the father who had abused his daughter.

It was also my silent declaration.

From now on…

Nothing will go the way you want.

Perhaps…

This was what Sinclair herself had wanted to do all along.

After all…

If she had attempted suicide by poison on her own wedding day—

inside the bridal waiting room, no less—

then surely she had wanted to reject this marriage.

Unlike the original Sinclair…

I walked forward through the blessing of flower petals scattered by Alfred—the person who had once comforted me—

and the petals tossed by the future devil who would one day bring me a bloody death.

Apparently, however…

The competition between the two flower boys wasn’t over.

Whenever Alfred scattered a handful of petals…

Theodore immediately threw even more toward the guests.

Throw.

Throw even more.

More.

Even more.

More and more.

Even more than that.

Until finally—

Alfred suddenly stopped.

Naturally, I stopped as well.

The guests craned their necks curiously to see what had happened.

What’s wrong?

Elegant as ever, I discreetly peeked into Alfred’s basket.

Just as I’d expected.

After trying to outdo Theodore the entire way…

His basket was completely empty.

Theodore noticed Alfred had stopped following him.

Tilting his head in confusion, he walked back.

Then—

Smiling proudly like a victor—

he held out his own basket toward Alfred.

Alfred hesitated.

Then quietly scooped up a handful of petals.

Theodore pushed the basket toward him again, urging him to take more.

Alfred accepted another handful.

Satisfied after checking Alfred’s basket, Theodore nodded firmly.

Then he marched proudly back to the front.

And resumed scattering petals with great enthusiasm.

A beat later…

Alfred followed behind him.

Whenever Theodore scattered petals to the left…

Alfred carefully balanced things by throwing his to the right.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

Before long…

The two boys had unconsciously fallen into perfect rhythm.

At last…

The procession reached the end of the chapel.

Alfred quietly returned to his place.

But Theodore…

Instead of heading toward the guests…

He strode confidently toward the altar.

…What’s he doing?

He approached the man waiting silently there.

Then he reached into his pocket.

With a flourish, he tossed something into the air.

Rose petals.

Apparently he’d been saving them for this exact moment.

There were quite a lot.

The pure white petals fluttered like butterflies before settling gently onto Gerald’s ebony-black hair…

his broad shoulders…

and even his long eyelashes.

Good heavens…

Can a man really be this beautiful?

Theodore glanced toward me and gave a polite little nod before returning to his seat.

Was that… a present for me?

So the little boy even knew how to stage a surprise.

Gerald calmly brushed the petals from his hair with a gloved hand.

Then…

Sensing my gaze…

He looked toward me.

His emerald-green eyes—so much like Alfred’s—shimmered in the sunlight like the waters surrounding a coral island in the South Pacific.

Thump.

My heart skipped a beat.

I hurriedly lowered my head.

Before I realized it, he had already walked over to me.

He extended one long, gloved hand.

He was captivating.

His wedding uniform perfectly outlined his powerful physique while preserving an elegant, scholarly air.

Uniforms really do make a man.

Then—

“Let’s finish this quickly.”

His calm, deep voice snapped me back to reality.

Right.

This isn’t the time to be admiring him.

I wholeheartedly agreed.

The sooner this wedding ended…

The sooner everyone’s attention would leave me…

And the sooner I could start planning how to save my precious life.

Still…

One rose petal remained caught near his ear.

Without thinking, I reached up and gently brushed it away.

For just a moment…

His eyes seemed to widen.

…Must have been my imagination.

“Grand Duke Gerald von Zeyer,”

the High Priest declared,

“do you swear to cherish and love Lady Sinclair Owen for the rest of your life?”

“I do.”

Gerald’s deep voice was so smooth and pleasant that he could have made a career singing romantic ballads.

It felt as though my entire body might melt.

I stole another glance at his profile.

That perfectly sculpted nose didn’t even look real.

Is that really a human face?

It’s more like a masterpiece carved from marble.

If not for the death flag waiting for me at the hands of my future stepson…

Perhaps I would have happily answered yes simply because of his handsome face, noble status, and commanding presence.

“Bride, Lady Sinclair Owen!”

Apparently I had stared at Gerald for too long.

The High Priest’s voice pulled my attention away.

“Do you swear to cherish and love Grand Duke Gerald von Zeyer for the rest of your life?”

“…”

I had to make a decision.