Chapter 112
“Haah.”
I let out a deep sigh, sinking into the blankets. However, as if mocking me, the finest fabric blocked all moisture.
Delicious food, beautiful clothes, expensive accessories, fine bedding, and so on…. The position of the crown princess-to-be—something countless women dreamed of, a place where one could enjoy everything—felt like hell to me. Even though Amelia herself was one of the women who desired the seat beside Kyle, she comforted me.
“What more could I have done?”
“Please don’t blame yourself. You had no choice, Miss.”
I lifted my head and looked at Amelia. Her dark red hair swayed luxuriantly. Her clear amber eyes sparkled with sharp brilliance. To have such a beautiful female lead right in front of him and not realize it—what a foolish emperor….
“I wish this place were Amelia’s, not mine.”
“What?! No way. That’s not true.”
Amelia’s face flushed at my words. As the female lead, she must also be feeling destiny and attraction toward the male lead. Even so, thinking of me, she waved her hands in denial.
“Miss. If you keep following your path, another opportunity will come. Don’t despair.”
“Yeah. At this point, I have to accept it.”
Now there was nothing to do but face reality and move forward. No matter how much I sighed, nothing would change.
“I’ll prepare the wedding for Her Highness, the crown princess-to-be.”
Amelia rolled up her sleeves and spoke bravely. Her 모습 was reassuring, yet it stirred a bitter feeling.
Not knowing that it was originally her place….
Both she and I were in pitiable positions.
The wedding preparations moved forward quickly. The emperor immediately set a date and announced it throughout the empire. Some people worried about holding a wedding during a civil war, but most optimistically believed that once the emperor married and things stabilized, he would improve.
Amelia actively took charge as the person responsible for the venue and for adorning me. This, too, was something she asked Kyle about and obtained permission for with ease. If she hadn’t stayed by my side, I might have run away one day without warning.
And whenever Kyle and Amelia happened to meet, I silently chanted a spell in my heart. For that fated day to come. For their bond to activate and for the two of them to fall in love with each other. Knowing the original novel, I believed it would surely come—only the exact timing was unknown.
For Raymond, my ultimate favorite, I wished for everything and endured it all.
But I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing from my eyes. That was inevitable. It wasn’t so much the misery of my situation as it was the sorrow of not being able to see him.
“Aileen.”
On this night too, as always when I was sniffling, the emperor came to my room.
“My dear. Are you crying?”
As I leaned against the sofa, swallowing my sadness, Kyle approached and asked. Because the lights weren’t on, it seemed he had heard the faint sound of my sniffles in the dimness.
“Your Majesty. What brings you here?”
When I tried to stand up, Kyle gently pressed down on my shoulder. He sat beside me and looked steadily at my face. Then he raised a finger and wiped away my tears.
The bead-like droplets of tears rolled down along his finger.
It was a gentle touch, but goosebumps ran all over me. As expected, the one who had taken something precious from me wasn’t here to comfort me. He brought my tears to his mouth and licked them up with his tongue.
“Oh? How curious.”
Kyle’s eyes widened. An unusual light flickered in his pupils, engraved with surprise.
“Tears condensed with your emotions have an even greater effect. It feels like my eyes have been opened. My vision is clearer.”
He marveled like someone who had taken a highly effective medicine. He was reacting excessively to something that held no interest for the person it concerned.
Your existence helps me, so you should be happy. That was Kyle’s selfishness.
So I’m nothing more than a remedy. Yes. That’s the author’s true nature right there.
Once again, I ground my teeth inwardly.
“There is a gift I will give you at the wedding.”
Resting his chin on his hand, Kyle spoke with shining eyes. A gift, all of a sudden—something I neither cared about nor anticipated—yet his words continued without my consent.
“The head of the rebel leader.”
“!!”
Startled, I couldn’t say a word. My fingertips began to tremble violently, but I tried not to show my shaking body. However, it seemed I couldn’t hide my trembling eyes, because Kyle watched my change in expression with interest.
“I’ve laid a trap to deal with them. Naturally, they’ll come to save you, Aileen, won’t they? I will protect you from those wicked creatures. So you need not worry about anything.”
Kyle curled one corner of his lips as he spat out those cruel words. Madness even clung to his tone. “Wicked creatures,” he said. The intention to trample others down to elevate himself was nauseating. I had to bite the inside of my lip hard so he wouldn’t notice.
As soon as the emperor left, I secretly summoned Okhee. The little one noticed even my faint voice and flew over to the terrace.
Keeping Okhee by my side, I hurriedly wrote a note.
[Grand Duke. The wedding is a trap laid by the emperor. Please do not come to the wedding. And please, give up on me.]
My hand trembled as I wrote, but with sheer will, I pressed on and wrote every word firmly to the end. My desire for Raymond to live was something nothing could break.
“Okhee, please take care of this.”
As I tied the note to its leg, Okhee nodded, then flapped its wings and flew off with a flutter.
The day of the wedding dawned.
On this day, I became the most beautiful bride in the world.
Because the woman who would stand beside the emperor had to shine brighter than anything else, the maids, servants, and designers adorned me as if their lives depended on it.
The pure white dress symbolizing purity toward the empire was adorned without a single gap with transparent jewels. The sun was up in the sky, yet it sparkled even more brilliantly than the sunlight.
Amid all that white, my pink hair flowing down to my waist became the focal point. When the veil made of high-quality lace covered me from head to toe, a mysterious and noble aura was completed.
The wedding was held outdoors. The sun shone, the weather was clear—an ideal day for the ceremony. Stepping out of the building, I walked lightly along the soft wedding road covered in red carpet. Along the carpet, round tables were set, with nobles seated around them.
I could see my parents there as well. Their eyes, fixed on me, were filled with pity. Before the wedding, the emperor hadn’t allowed me to meet even my parents. It seemed he had taken precautions in advance, afraid I might collude with the Covet family and run away.
Seeing how gaunt their faces had become made my chest ache. They must have worried endlessly about their daughter. To only show my face after the ceremony had begun—there was no greater unfilial daughter than me.
Whether unaware of this situation or simply uninterested, the other nobles were too busy exclaiming in admiration at my appearance in the wedding dress.
“You’re truly beautiful.”
“I’m jealous. How happy you must be.”
Happy, happy….
Clothes that don’t fit only cause discomfort. The saying that happiness doesn’t lie in appearances suddenly came to mind.
The imperial garden where the wedding was held was more splendid than ever. It was decorated with all kinds of flowers, mostly in pale tones, to highlight the bride’s beauty to the utmost.
At the end of the long wedding road stood the emperor, waiting.
“Welcome, Aileen.”
Kyle, dressed in an equally pure white uniform, smiled when he saw me. His blond hair, reminiscent of sunlight, gleamed brilliantly, scattering the light.
He stepped closer and extended his hand toward me.
That fair, white hand—so chilling that even brushing against it sent shivers through me. I didn’t want to take it. Even as I thought that, I had no choice but to stretch out my arm. My slowly moving hand trembled all the way to my fingertips. So this is as far as my fate goes—just as that thought crossed my mind—
“Aaah!”
Clang, clang.
Along with screams, the sound of metal striking metal came from the other side. Everyone turned their heads, their gazes drawn that way.
“What is it?”
“What on earth is going on?”
Flustered nobles began rising from their seats one by one. At this point, the wedding was no longer what mattered. After all, it only meant something if the emperor survived first.
“W-What is the meaning of this?”
Then several knights wielding swords rushed out from somewhere and dragged away the Duke and Duchess of Covet. Seeing that, the nobles panicked, screaming as they fled. The garden descended into complete chaos.
“What are you doing? Stop them at once!”
An enraged Kyle shouted into the air. None of the subordinates who should have been receiving his orders were in sight.
This is it…!
I quickly pulled back the hand that had been about to grasp Kyle’s. Then I veered off the path I had walked and began running blindly. I didn’t know what was happening, but my instincts warned me that I had to do this.
“Aileen!”
Kyle called my name, stretching out his arm, but I didn’t care. I threw off the obstructive veil and heavy accessories onto the ground and ran with all my strength. Nobles rarely had reason to run and were poor at it, but wasn’t my true identity a Korean female college student? Recalling all the times I had sprinted whenever I was about to be late, I pumped my legs harder.
I turned back to check if anyone was chasing me—and at the moment I faced forward again, I crashed nose-first into someone standing in front of me.
“Ouch.”
A familiar scent. Before I could even identify who it was, a sense of calm washed over me through my nose. The person grabbed my arm with their palm and firmly steadied my swaying body.
I lifted my head and looked up.
