Chapter 5

“Yes. I swear.”

If I refused to marry, it was obvious that the Emperor, along with the Owen family, would never let me go.

Theodore wouldn’t try to kill me for another five years.

And he wouldn’t become the Demon King for another fifteen.

Besides, as long as I didn’t try to kill Theodore first, it didn’t seem like he was going to murder me right away.

Whether the kindness he’d shown today was genuine or just an act… I could figure that out later.

After all, the safest place to keep an enemy is close by. Close enemies are manageable. Predictable.

“Now, the couple will exchange rings.”

I quietly held out my hand.

Gerald picked up a ring from the young priest’s silver tray. Taking my hand into his palm, he gently slipped a diamond ring—at least fifteen carats—onto the middle finger of my left hand.

So they believe the old medieval custom too… that the heart is connected to the middle finger.

Being a Grand Duke certainly has its perks.

The household budget allocated to me must be enormous.

I did the same, taking the ring from the priest and placing it on Gerald’s middle finger.

“Now, the bride and groom will kiss.”

At the High Priest’s announcement, my eyes widened in surprise.

Without a word, Gerald calmly lifted my veil and dramatically dipped me backward by the waist.

“Ah!”

The guests erupted into cheers.

High Priest Juvius spoke in a low voice.

“The proof of the wedding night will also be required, so perhaps restrain yourselves for now, Your Grace.”

Proof of the wedding night?

But I barely heard him.

Gerald’s emerald-green eyes shimmered as though they would swallow me whole.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

I could feel his face drawing closer.

My breath and his mingled between us, warm against my lips and nose.

Yet…

He came no closer.

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

He was simply staring at me from inches away, his head tilted slightly.

The emerald sea that had seemed to ripple like the South Pacific slowly grew distant.

Then his firm hands supported my back and waist, gently lifting me upright again.

…What?

I couldn’t help being bewildered.

More than that…

There was something unsettling about the look in his eyes.

“The bride and groom will now depart.”

Grand ceremonial music filled the chapel once more.

Gerald offered me his hand.

I placed mine in his, and amid the applause of the guests, we slowly walked out of the chapel together.

Students of the Beatria Imperial Academy stood waiting with their longswords raised high.

Passing beneath the archway formed by their blades, we arrived at a pristine white open carriage.

It was decorated with flowers like a wedding car, with little bells hanging from the back that chimed beautifully.

But ours wasn’t the only carriage waiting.

Judging by the emblem of a wagon wheel, the next one must have belonged to the Grand Temple, just as it had been described in the novel.

Behind it waited noble carriages bearing the crests of various houses—four-seaters, eight-seaters, even massive sixteen-seaters.

I leaned out slightly, staring at the endless line of carriages.

“Aren’t you getting in?”

Gerald raised an arm, silently inviting me to board first.

Using his arm for support, I gathered the front of my wedding dress and climbed into the open carriage adorned with the eagle crest.

Gerald followed and sat beside me.

A moment later, the High Priest who had officiated our wedding climbed into the carriage ahead with another young priest.

Cold sweat dampened my palms.

It felt like I had fallen into a swamp whose depth I couldn’t measure.

Every time something happened that hadn’t existed in the novel, my heart shrank with fear that someone would realize I wasn’t the real Sinclair.

Just then—

Knock, knock.

I looked down from the carriage.

It was Theodore.

Using both index fingers, he hooked the corners of his mouth upward into an exaggerated smile.

I glanced at Gerald.

He was already smiling warmly at the guests, greeting each one without sparing me even a glance.

Is that child… already looking out for me?

Pointing to myself, I asked,

“You’re telling me to greet the guests?”

Theodore nodded.

“Thank you.”

I smiled at him, my eyes curving softly.

Just then, a graying middle-aged man approached Theodore, respectfully knelt, and said,

“Your Highness, it is time for us to board our carriage.”

“Very well.”

Theodore spread his little hand wide and waved enthusiastically.

The older man bowed to me, then took Theodore’s hand and led him toward the carriage waiting behind.

Whew… Weddings in the Beatria Empire certainly have complicated ceremonies.

I glanced at Gerald beside me.

He was still busy acknowledging the guests, not once looking my way.

Could I really live under the same roof as a man who behaves with such perfect precision—as if measured with a ruler?

For the first time, I found myself worrying about this marriage.

* * *

“Wow…”

The words kept escaping my lips.

I was finally seeing the scenery of the imperial capital I’d only ever read about in the novel.

Oh my goodness… Is that the Styria River where Alfred and Cordelia shared their first kiss?

As expected, the flowers did all the work.

Fields of brilliant yellow coreopsis bloomed in abundance, alongside purple lilacs and pure white roses.

A kiss beneath the soft moonlight, surrounded by sweet fragrances…

Just imagining it made my heart flutter.

And over there—

The Imperial Grand Library!

The Grand Library of the Beatria Imperial Academy contained every book ever published in the Empire.

Cordelia, Alfred’s lover, had practically lived there, searching through countless forbidden texts without sleep to find a way to break the curse afflicting the world.

One of those books had been The Demon Realm: Demon Crystals, which explained the Demon Realm in detail.

The Demon Realm…

During the previous war, the former Emperor Julius had driven the demons beyond the Therion River.

Afterward, he established settlements on the reclaimed land and protected the Empire there.

That was exactly where I would now be living.

Judging from the descriptions in the novel, the author had probably based the Demon Realm on volcanic terrain.

Acid rain clouds occasionally drifted over from there, devastating the Empire, giving the nobles a convenient excuse to launch “subjugation campaigns.”

Though, in reality…

They were little more than raids for resources.

Volcanic regions naturally contain valuable minerals.

The author had simply transformed those into magical demon crystals.

Maybe that place is full of materials I can use to make money.

Heh… heh… heh…

Perhaps because the breeze felt so refreshing, my future suddenly didn’t seem quite so bleak.

“You’re smiling.”

Startled, I quickly composed my expression and glanced at Gerald, who looked colder than a glacier.

“I heard what happened earlier.”

“You dismissed the household knights and the maids assigned by the Empress?”

“I did.”

“When the marriage negotiations were underway, didn’t you insist on bringing your own servants and guards?”

“I changed my mind.”

Gerald’s face gradually hardened.

“Then what do you intend to do about your attendants and bodyguards?”

“I don’t know.”

“I suppose you’ll have to assign them.”

“You’re the head of the household.”

One of Gerald’s eyebrows twitched.

“You speak casually to the head of the family, yet expect him to provide your staff?”

“You started speaking informally first.”

“I was polite at the beginning.”

“…!”

“You know what they say.”

“If you want respect, you should show respect first.”

“How insolent.”

“Is it because you have the Emperor and Empress behind you that you dare speak to me this way?”

Ah… judging by your attitude, you didn’t exactly want this political marriage either.

That explains why you only pretended to kiss me.

“Not at all.”

“They’re no longer my family.”

“My surname is now ‘von Zeier,’ not ‘Owen.’”

“And even if we divorced someday…”

“I would never use the name Owen again.”

“Divorce?”

Gerald’s expression froze.

But for my own survival, I had to cut ties with the Owen family.

That was the smarter choice.

“So you’re saying you intend to become my wife… rather than act as their spy?”

…!

Of course.

The Grand Duke wasn’t an idiot.

Then honesty was probably my best option.

“That’s right.”

“I don’t want to be used by anyone.”

“This is my life.”

“And if you want me to treat you respectfully as my husband, you should treat me respectfully first.”

After hearing my answer, he uncrossed his legs, leaned forward from the backrest, studied me carefully for a moment…

Then quietly looked away.

About five hours later…

In the distance, the lands Julius had conquered from the Demon Realm came into view.

Now they were Gerald’s territory—

The Domain of Karikas.

Even more astonishing, the entire territory was enclosed by colossal fortress walls, like the ancient city walls surrounding Seoul.

The novel had described them…

But I had never imagined they would be this enormous.

No wonder Alfred struggled so desperately.

Bwaaaah!

A great horn echoed through the air.

The massive fortress gates slowly opened.

Our carriage passed through them into a long tunnel within the walls.

Once we emerged…

Alfred suffered a grievous wound to his shoulder as he breached part of Karikas Fortress and entered the territory.

What awaited him there was nothing like the Karikas he had visited as an Academy student.

The quiet fields once covered in nameless wildflowers had transformed into monsters.

One of the flowers opened its maw and swallowed a nearby soldier whole.

In an instant, the elite unit was annihilated.

And now…

I was about to become the Grand Duchess of that place.

Ugh…

Goosebumps spread across my body.

Am I really about to enter the Demon Realm?

An icy wind lashed across my face.

My eyes closed on their own.

Rumble…

With my eyes shut, the thunderous sound of the carriage wheels became even louder.

It sounded like gigantic monsters charging straight toward us.

What if real monsters suddenly appear?

My whole body trembled.

Just then…

Something as soft as lamb’s wool settled gently over my shoulders.

…What?

My eyes flew open.

A thick shawl for my dress had been draped around me.

Did Gerald cover me with it?

How unexpected…

I turned to look at him—

But brilliant light poured through the tunnel entrance ahead, forcing me to shield my eyes with my hand.

The exit was drawing closer.

Biting my lip, I clutched the shawl tightly, terrified that monsters might burst out of the tunnel entrance and descend upon our carriage.