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Chapter o1
Sherylotte Chartreuse felt that attending this wedding was a waste of her time.
She lazily clapped her hands as she watched the polished shoes of a man stepping into the hall. Applause rippled through the crowd, admiring the grand wedding and the handsome groom.
“Perfect. I wonder how much His Highness spent preparing for this?”
“Must be at least two or three hundred million. Look at the cuff on the Grand Duke’s sleeve. Diamonds, aren’t they?”
“Oh my, they are. And with a bluish tint, perhaps matching the color of his eyes?”
Sherylotte raised her gaze to glance at the groom’s face, which was annoyingly perfect.
His name was Eonian. The eldest son of the Southern Grand Duke.
And he had been her rival ever since they first met at the Academy.
“……”
Sherylotte quietly observed her nemesis.
Jet-black hair, pale blue eyes like the spring sky. A slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Relaxed. Despite standing on the threshold of a once-in-a-lifetime ritual, he showed no sign of nervousness.
‘Such an infuriating bastard.’
Today, the man standing as the groom seemed to wear an unusually thick mask—a mask designed to make his appearance even more dazzling.
It suited him perfectly, which only made Sherylotte’s irritation worse. She clapped her hands slower than the others in the hall.
Then the bride in white stepped onto the platform, and as the final part of the vows approached, her patience thinned even further.
Sherylotte opened the cloak she had draped around herself, intending to leave as soon as the ceremony ended.
She was ready to slip away quietly.
And then it happened.
“Eonian Vaskalia. Do you pledge to love this bride forever?”
“No.”
A calm but icy voice dropped into the hall.
Sherylotte’s eyes widened at the sudden rejection.
‘Did I hear that wrong?’
But the chill in the air proved that her ears weren’t deceiving her.
The gaze of everyone in the audience instantly focused on the bride and groom standing side by side.
The groom had refused his own wedding. Right there, in the middle of the ceremony.
The officiating High Priest raised his head in disbelief and then continued after a pause.
“…I shall ask again, nephew. Do you—”
“I do not love her. I love another.”
“…….”
The High Priest froze, smiling faintly. Eonian let out a small laugh, watching his uncle.
“My apologies, Princess. I am already committed to someone else.”
Yet, he bowed politely to the bride as if to show that his words were sincere.
A murmur of disbelief spread through the audience. Questions like, “Did the Grand Duke Eonian have a lover?” hovered silently in the air.
Sherylotte wasn’t much different in her surprise.
At that moment, a middle-aged man with streaks of grey in his brown hair stood up and shouted.
“Wait!”
“…….”
“What is the meaning of this commotion? You refuse to marry?”
It was the bride’s father, Duke Leonart. He pointed at Eonian, unable to contain his anger.
“All this time I tolerated it, and now you overturn everything at the last moment? Sign the vows quickly!”
“That will be difficult. To focus on only one mate is a trait of male wolves, is it not?”
Eonian smiled slightly as he looked at Duke Leonart.
“Ah, of course, a head of household may find it hard to understand a lion who mingles freely. Perhaps my example was inappropriate.”
“……Nephew, are you mocking the sanctity of marriage?”
“To marry someone else while having a partner is, in fact, the true blasphemy, is it not?”
He didn’t even bother showing deference to his uncle, the High Priest.
‘Has he really lost his mind?’
Sherylotte watched the chaos unfold with detached curiosity.
People around her, initially flustered, were now quietly anticipating how far this uproar might go.
She exhaled through her nose.
‘Honestly, this is kind of entertaining.’
Instead of just an ex-lover or an elder ruining a wedding, here the groom himself had declared the marriage invalid, right in the middle of the ceremony.
Perhaps she should stay a little longer to watch.
Sherylotte slid back into a corner seat.
And then…
…what?
‘Why is everyone looking at me?’
As she glanced around in confusion, she finally realized why.
“My lord… well, um—gah!”
“Thanks for retiring me. Farewell.”
“You can’t just ruin a wedding like this—ahhh!”
“Yes, I can. That’s exactly why I’m doing it.”
Eonian was cutting through the guards, walking straight toward Sherylotte.
‘Why is he coming to me? Could it be…’
When their eyes met and he smiled, Sherylotte’s face drained of color.
No way. Surely he wouldn’t… despite being a cold, reckless man, he wouldn’t use me like this. Would he?
Unfortunately, her hope shattered completely when Eonian reached her, having overturned the guards, and pulled out from his jacket a ring case—the small velvet box meant for the bride, not Sherylotte.
“Will you accept this, Your Highness?”
Seeing the dazzling ring, Sherylotte felt her vision go dark.
This… this madman…!
Originally, Sherylotte and Eonian hadn’t exactly been on bad terms.
Because of their parents’ connection, they had spent time together since they were one year old. Though separated at twelve due to circumstances, Sherylotte’s affection for Eonian never changed.
Their relationship had taken a turn for the worse when, at sixteen, Eonian had deliberately ignored her at the Academy.
‘…And now he’s trying to use me?’
Sherylotte swallowed nervously as she looked at the sparkling ring. He hadn’t knelt, but this was practically a proposal—and using someone else as a shield.
Crazy, Eonian. Are you trying to get yourself killed?
Her vertical pupils narrowed like needles when Eonian traced the edge of the ring case with his finger.
‘What is he doing?’
He kept fidgeting with the bottom of the case, as if deliberately drawing attention to it.
…Giving the poison and then the antidote?
“Fuu.”
It didn’t matter, she decided.
‘After all, I had intended the same method.’
She exhaled softly, like a child throwing a tantrum, a faint smirk on her lips.
“You shouldn’t leave out important explanations, Grand Duke.”
She tapped the bottom of the ring case with her nail, revealing a carefully sealed certificate inside.
[Odely Freyju]
It bore the signature of her aunt, who had Duke Leonart as her vassal.
“Indeed, it’s a well-preserved genuine article. The owner is clearly specified.”
Sherylotte took the certificate and held it up, as if showing evidence to the guests.
Having removed unnecessary misunderstandings, she glared at Eonian.
“So, why must I deliver this ring to my aunt?”
“Since this marriage is invalid, the ring should return to its original owner, shouldn’t it?”
Sherylotte’s eyes pierced through Eonian, who, despite her sharp gaze, smiled and replied.
“The Eastern Grand Duke’s house only attends the banquet, not the ceremony itself, so I had no choice but to entrust it to you, the person closest to the Grand Duchess.”
“Do you think I’m a messenger?”
“If you refuse, you may simply leave. Though this ring does look like a family heirloom.”
“…….”
“If a servant lost it on the way, it would be a disaster, wouldn’t it?”
Sherylotte noticed the piercing gazes around her. Glancing subtly, she saw the bride’s father and the priests staring daggers at her.
By all accounts, she was indeed the person closest to her aunt.
Sherylotte raised her voice sharply.
“Fine.”
“Ah, I am deeply grateful for your understanding.”
“However, Grand Duke, you must attend my wedding.”
Her gaze fixed on Eonian.
“As a guest.”
“…….”
“You’ve caused me trouble, haven’t you?”
After a brief silence, Eonian’s lips curled into a smile.
“Is there any other choice?”
Sherylotte shrugged and returned to her seat.
She thought she had finally caught her breath.
Then came the next question.
“Why are you returning it?”
The High Priest, who had been silently observing, approached.
Up until now, everyone had been excited by the unexpected chaos, but his appearance froze the atmosphere completely.
He frowned at Eonian and sighed.
“No, the ring doesn’t matter. One can marry without it.”
“…….”
“I understand that you may have misjudged the situation in your youth. If you apologize for causing confusion, I will be lenient.”
“The only person I need to apologize to is my partner.”
The High Priest’s expression darkened. He muttered,
“I didn’t want to have to resort to this…”
As the High Priest seemed ready to punish Eonian, Sherylotte instinctively moved to avoid the blow.
“…If you provoke any further here, you’ll die.”
Eonian murmured casually, glancing at Sherylotte. His figure blurred like smoke, leaving a straight beam of light.
In her stunned mind, one question formed: What had Eonian whispered to her just now?
“We’ll see each other later…?”
