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Chapter 73
The Wedding
The lips that suddenly approached were soft. Perhaps it was because of the perfume, but there was a scent of heavy wood, tinged with something sharp and crisp. Diana, receiving the kiss, felt dazed.
Why are his lips so hot? Did he swallow a piece of burning stone? As she wondered about the temperature, his face slowly pulled away.
Only then could Diana properly see the person in front of her. In her previous life, lost in humiliation and grief, she had never truly seen the executor of this punishment before her eyes.
The man, wearing a thick dark blue fur cloak, looked more like a hunter than a king overflowing with arrogance and dignity. Beneath it, his black doublet was embroidered with gold thread in a wine motif.
He was captivating and quite handsome. If this man weren’t the monster who had driven her life into ruin, she might have been very satisfied with her groom’s appearance.
Diana stared at the young man before her. Then, he gently brushed his fingers across her cheek. Strangely, it felt as if warmth flowed through his fingers.
His purple eyes seemed to draw her in. Diana couldn’t look away.
“And thus, the union of these two shall be….”
The priest finished his words. The audience should have applauded, but instead, everyone was staring at Diana and Giskar.
Perhaps they didn’t know whether to celebrate. Did Giskar make the daughter of a sinner his queen out of mere revenge? To flaunt the practical destruction of Panborough? Or did he truly have feelings for this woman?
They still didn’t know. Diana watched the white snowflakes. The snow fell silently, covering everything, unaware of any of this. She searched for Philip with her eyes. But he was nowhere to be seen. Was it a hallucination? Diana stood blankly, watching the people around her.
“I’ve never heard of a bride ignoring her husband at the wedding.”
Hearing the voice, Diana looked at Giskar. With a pale face, she nodded.
“What are you doing without a cape?”
At Giskar’s irritated words, the maids hurriedly draped a fox-fur cloak over her bare shoulders. Warm as if preheated by a hot stone, the fur was incredibly cozy. Diana realized she was shivering.
“Follow me.”
Diana nodded. Though they were now officially married, there was no trace of sweet affection between them.
“Follow you? The banquet….”
Was he saying not to attend the feast? In every kingdom, after the wedding, the bride changes into another dress and attends the banquet to greet the guests.
“Do you wish to go?”
At that question, Diana’s eyes widened. Was he really inviting her to the banquet? In the past, she would have been sent straight to the bridal chamber. But Giskar seemed to have another meaning.
“If you have no interest, don’t participate. Just follow me.”
Once again, he spoke politely, like a servant, even though Diana was the one who had effectively become the slave. In her past life, Giskar often used this tone while she was a servant, mostly to mock. But now, it was no mockery. A king still calling the daughter of a defeated noblewoman “Miss” – it was almost laughable.
Diana, lost in thought, watched Giskar’s broad back. The timid boy she once protected had disappeared, replaced by the imposing figure of a man.
“But if that’s not the case, follow me.”
Not to the banquet, then… where was she to follow him? Diana tried to appear composed as people glanced curiously at her, trailing behind him.
When the door opened, Diana’s eyes widened at the person before her. A woman with light blonde hair and blue eyes stood anxiously looking out the window. From her figure, Diana immediately recognized her.
“Alexa?”
“Sis!”
The moment she turned, Alexa ran into her arms. Tears streamed down her face as she mumbled something.
Diana could not rejoice at meeting her sister.
Why show me my sister now? Why at this moment?
In her previous life, Giskar had used Alexa’s whereabouts to threaten her. Diana looked up at Giskar fearfully, but he had already stepped out of the room.
“Sis, I missed you. You left like that… I…”
Her hands trembled. Why bring this child here? Why now? How? She had entrusted Alexa’s care to their grandfather…
“Is Grandpa healthy?”
Diana’s tone must have sounded serious because Alexa looked up sharply, startled, and faced her sister.
“Didn’t you get the letter?”
“Huh?”
“Grandpa is well and intends to settle in the kingdom of Rodbrooke.”
“….”
Come to think of it, she had heard long ago that her grandfather dealt with goods in the Rodbrooke kingdom.
“Ah, Sis, I missed you so much!”
Alexa clung to her sister, crying continuously. The small, nervous girl had grown into a healthy young lady. But Diana’s mind was elsewhere.
Was this an act of threat or goodwill?
Alexa said she would leave the next day. She came not as the daughter of the Brienne family but as the daughter of her grandfather’s merchant guild, the Garnet Guild.
“Are you going to contact Grandpa?”
“No.”
Diana longed to see her grandfather immediately. She didn’t want to escape with Alexa—she just needed family.
But if anything happened by meeting her grandfather… What if they discovered that the daughter of the Brienne family had trapped and enslaved the king?
Her grandfather’s care for Alexa fulfilled all her needs. That was enough. At Mabel’s call, Diana rose. Though brief, it was enough to know Alexa was safe.
“Sis!”
At the desperate call, Diana turned.
“I’m sorry.”
“……”
“I was immature when I was young, and I only burdened you…”
Diana smiled faintly, shaking her head. Only to her sister could she speak this way. In her previous life, in the depths of hell, Diana had despised Alexa’s innocence. But now, it was fine.
“I’m sorry for leaving everything to you alone. Now, I want to help you too.”
Diana felt a lump in her throat but wanted to remain someone Alexa could rely on. She only needed to remember the beautiful past of her previous life.
“See you again.”
Smiling, Diana went out. Mabel guided her to the bridal chamber. Giskar, busy with the wedding banquet, would arrive late at night. The maids carefully bathed her and helped her dress again.
The room was warm. The heavy dress that had enveloped Diana was gone, replaced with a thin, delicate garment like a nightgown.
Diana put it on without emotion. Over it, she wore a blue silk robe. Sitting on the bed, she contemplated many things.
Alexa’s cries echoed in her ears. For a moment, the image of Philip flashed through her mind.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… Ann.”
The voice that had sobbed while holding her was vivid. It must have been a vision triggered by seeing someone familiar. Philip had followed his grandfather to become Count of Chalkos, so he would not have attended the wedding in a foreign, defeated country.
The moon rose, and the window, devoid of lights, darkened. Bathed in golden moonlight, Diana came to a conclusion.
Whether Giskar had brought Alexa through threat or not didn’t matter. To ensure the three-year marriage went smoothly, she needed to comply and avoid angering him.
If her friends or Philip knew, they would be heartbroken to see her compromised. But reality was harsh—pride and dignity could be destroyed under relentless pain.
Then the door opened. Diana, crouched like a beast, lifted her head. The man entering the room sighed low, as if returning home.
The groom from that first night had also discarded his heavy garments. Dressed in a loose, white shirt, he looked at the woman on the bed.
“I expected you to be crying.”
A sigh escaped him. In her previous life, she might have cried too, or been terrified. But now, she was not afraid. She knew what happened on a couple’s first night.
“You didn’t want a bride crying on the first night, did you?”
Diana cautiously rose. Giskar’s violet eyes remained fixed on her, unblinking. They traveled over the robe and the thin slip beneath.
Was he assessing her? How exposed her delicate neck was, how white and alluring the legs only a husband could see.
But Diana never considered herself beautiful. A shriveled, rotting tree—that was her body.
That must have been why he had shared his bed with Princess Lebian. Diana removed the robe. A gasp echoed.
“What are you doing…?”
“Isn’t this what married couples do on the first night?”
Diana approached Giskar. She had never undressed in front of him before, but this had to be done. She was no longer surprised by what would happen next.
The dark-haired man watched her struggle to remove her shirt. When she couldn’t, she brushed her hand against his heated skin. Watching that, he muttered with a vacant gaze:
“I… have no patience.”
“……”
“Only three years…”
He spoke with great effort. Three years… what exactly? The calm air thickened with heat. He looked at Diana’s face and pressed his lips to hers again.
