VNC 09

Chapter 09

That gaze felt strangely persistent, so Schwen deliberately raised her voice, widening her eyes as she stared straight ahead.

Esselian followed her line of sight and looked at the mercenary who had approached right up to the platform.

Schwen intended to use that opening to fall off the dais.

“Protect the princess!”

But at that moment, the Imperial Guard surrounded the platform. In an instant, knights closed in around Schwen.

Schwen hurriedly searched for the man with the long scar beneath his eye. Where was he? Where?

‘There.’

She found him. Mercenary number two, hired by Mercelli.

‘If I just fall, he’ll catch me. He was paid a fortune by Mercelli.’

She would only get one chance. With everyone’s attention focused on her, she would have to fall naturally.

Schwen pretended to be startled by the sudden situation.

“W-What is suddenly—”

She thought she’d spoken appropriately, but once the words left her mouth, they sounded far too theatrical.

‘I should’ve just stayed silent.’

Fortunately, no one heard her.

Esselian merely observed the situation in front of him in silence—

as though waiting for the right moment.

“It would be best to send the princess over here quietly!”

“And if I refuse?”

Esselian slowly rubbed his chin and smiled languidly.

The foolish mercenary clenched his teeth and drew his sword.

“Oh dear. I’m so frightened I can’t even raise my hand.”

Schwen alternated her gaze between the two men as she carefully stepped backward.

Below the platform, a man standing behind the Imperial Guard tilted his head slightly.

‘That’s right. I’m going to fall.’

As if to reassure him, Schwen nodded firmly and hesitated, preparing to drop.

“Are you all right?”

At that moment, an Imperial knight grabbed Schwen. Ironically, that helped her.

Already tense, Schwen truly gasped in surprise, screamed, and lost her balance.

Startled, the knight let go before belatedly grabbing her shoulder again.

In the end, Schwen did not fall off the platform.

But it wasn’t because the knight held onto her.

What stopped Schwen’s determined attempt to fall was—

the scene unfolding right before her eyes.

Clang—!

A sword hit the ground with a loud crash. The sound echoed through the hall, which had somehow fallen into silence.

The mercenary’s body flailed in midair.

Esselian, gripping the man by the jaw and lifting him up, clicked his tongue in irritation.

A chilling sound followed.

Crack—

Snap—

The sound of bones breaking.

The man who crushed the mercenary’s jaw hurled him off the platform.

A scream erupted belatedly.

Esselian tilted his head, squinting one eye.

The screams of the mercenary who had been thrown down echoed below.

Esselian looked down at him, then peeled off the white glove stained with the man’s saliva.

The glove fell onto the mercenary’s body, who lay clutching his shattered jaw, unable to rise.

Looking around at the terrified onlookers, Esselian muttered with displeasure,

“Ah… the wedding’s ruined.”

“U-ugh…”

“What should I do? I’m deeply upset.”

Esselian had only been interested in obtaining the cure. He had never cared much about the wedding, so those words were clearly insincere.

‘That wasn’t mentioned…?’

Schwen recalled The Cure for the Mad Grand Duke. There had been no description of Esselian shattering a mercenary’s jaw and throwing him aside.

[Esselian swiftly subdued the intruding attacker.]

That single short sentence had contained all of that. If she’d known, she would’ve prepared herself mentally, even a little!

Schwen finally exhaled the breath she’d been holding as she stared at the back of his white-haired head.

All she knew now was—

‘I’m screwed…’

That was all.

While Schwen was stunned by the scene, mercenary number two abandoned her and fled—

more precisely, he abandoned his comrade.

Either way…

Schwen’s plan had failed miserably.

***

As Esselian had said, the wedding became a disaster. Nobles screamed and fled, chairs toppled backward and shattered one after another.

It was complete chaos.

Schwen moved through the turmoil.

From the edge of the platform toward the center.

She accepted reality.

That her plan had fallen apart, and that if she ran now, the Berg Count’s family would be finished.

So this was the moment to lie low.

‘…Is that man going to be okay?’

The sound of breaking bones had been unmistakable.

Once the Emperor exited the chaotic hall, most of the guards withdrew, leaving only two behind.

Though there were procedures left in the ceremony, continuing was impossible. The wedding ended there.

They had exchanged vows and rings, so it was practically over anyway.

Still thinking about the mercenary for some reason, Schwen slightly lifted her veil so her face wouldn’t be seen.

She looked around the wrecked hall.

‘They’re here.’

Count Berg and his wife were watching her from afar, worry etched on their faces.

Schwen resisted the urge to run to her parents, forcing strength into her legs.

It hurt.

She had wanted a small, quiet wedding with just her family. Instead, she couldn’t even wave to them.

‘They say every business the Count of Berg touches fails, bleeding money. He’s so desperate he’ll have to sell his estate soon.’

Schwen bit her lip.

A tangle of emotions churned in her chest.

She didn’t want to think this way, but she resented her parents just a little—for trading her away because of debt.

The sorrow she’d been suppressing began to leak out.

After confirming her parents’ location, Schwen lowered her veil properly.

No—she was about to.

Until she noticed a familiar friend standing still.

‘…Bedin?’

Why was he here?

She wondered briefly, then decided it made sense. There was no way he wouldn’t attend Tittiana’s wedding. Bedin was Tittiana’s guard.

Then another question surfaced.

‘Does Bedin know that I’m marrying instead of Titti?’

The odds were high.

The three of them were friends and had promised to keep no secrets. Schwen had broken that promise for the imperial order, but Titti might have told him.

Schwen quickly lowered her veil, suddenly anxious someone might have seen her face.

Bedin took advantage of the chaos and climbed onto the platform.

No one was paying attention to the bride and groom anymore. Following the Emperor, the groom—the Grand Duke of Lanied—had already left the hall.

“Congratulations on your wedding.”

That short sentence steadied Schwen’s turmoil.

Bedin used formal speech with Tittiana. The fact that he spoke casually meant he knew the veiled bride was Schwen.

“…When did you find out I was the one getting married?”

“Not that long ago.”

Schwen studied him. His eyes weren’t sunken, and he didn’t look sad.

“T-… I mean, ‘she’ asked me to tell you she’s sorry. And that she’d miss you. She also told me to give you this.”

Bedin lowered his voice, conscious of their surroundings. Schwen immediately understood whom he meant.

“She made it herself.”

“……”

What Bedin handed her was a bracelet.

It was made by twisting together multicolored threads, uneven where the strands had frayed.

Schwen knew it was Titti’s apology.

But she wasn’t grateful.

‘If you’re sorry, then don’t—’

Her life was falling apart. No—already ruined.

Her plan had failed, and she hadn’t escaped.

This wasn’t something light enough to be soothed by a bracelet.

Her expression wouldn’t relax.

Bedin hurriedly began defending Tittiana.

“She stayed up all night making it. She cried too. Said you left without seeing her.”

“Bedin. I don’t want to hear it.”

If Tittiana hadn’t asked Schwen to marry in her place, Schwen would’ve walked a safe path.

She knew Tittiana’s future and had still turned away. She might’ve understood if she tried.

But she didn’t want to—not now.

“It’s… the marriage. It’s an imperial decree. There was no choice. That’s why you’re here now too.”

His voice was low enough that only Schwen could hear.

“The groom’s a bit much, but… still, don’t hate her too much.”

“……”

“Do you think she did this because she wanted to? You know how much she relies on others. This time, you were probably the only one she could rely on.”

Bedin glanced around and lightly tapped Schwen’s arm—a familiar, playful gesture.

“Smile. A bride should smile on her big day.”

Schwen looked down at the clumsy bracelet. Tittiana had no talent for crafts.

It was obvious she’d stayed up all night making it.

But even remembering that didn’t make her feel better.

If anything, Bedin’s words dragged her mood straight to rock bottom.

“You didn’t even ask if I’m okay.”

“…Huh?”

“She handed me off because she was scared. But I’m scared too. I’m afraid. I hate this too.”

The hall was still noisy.

Her voice wasn’t loud—only Bedin, standing close, could hear it.

“What’s so great about this day? Do you really think this situation looks good?”

“……”

“I won’t take this. Tell her I’m sorry too.”

Why didn’t Bedin worry about her?

It hurt.

Wasn’t she his friend too?

Could he understand Tittiana, but not the despair she felt?

And…

They weren’t just friends.

Both Bedin and Schwen knew they were standing at the edge of something more—

at least, Schwen believed so.

But maybe she’d been mistaken.

“Princess, His Grace the Grand Duke is waiting.”

The man who approached her was Zion, the Grand Duke of Lanied’s personal guard.

Schwen turned her head, searching for Esselian.

But he was nowhere to be seen. Only then did she realize he had already left the hall.

“I will escort you.”

“Wait!”

Bedin grabbed Schwen’s arm as she turned away.

He firmly pressed the bracelet she’d returned back into her hand.

“You’re not going to cut ties with us forever. So it’s better if you take it.”

“…You still won’t worry about me until the end.”

“No! That’s not true. I am worried about you.”

After a brief pause, Schwen—her expression still stiff—returned the bracelet to him once more.

“Then if you’re so worried, you keep it.”