Chapter 29
“That story about them was probably a lie too. I mean, think about it—why would the Duke go this far? Sure, maybe he didn’t want to go to Glintland… but no matter how you look at it, the atmosphere between that couple is…”
“Well… yeah, now that you say it, you’re right. I even heard a rumor that the bride turned down the Duke’s proposal before.”
“What?! Then maybe the marriage talk from Glintland is what actually brought those two together?”
“And just look at the ring! It’s his mother’s keepsake! Who just gives something like that away?”
People chattered away as they pleased—exactly what Duke Berck wanted.
Everyone knew the King and the Duke didn’t get along, but nobody really believed the King would actually have the Duke killed.
In a way, it was a kind of naïve trust in the fame of “War Hero” Curtis Shan Berck.
Surely the King wouldn’t recklessly get rid of him.
Maybe the King just wanted the Duke to bow to his will.
But, unfortunately for the King, the Duke happened to already be “in love”…
Too bad for the poor Glintland princess—she must’ve arrived all confident, but it was all for nothing.
Serves her right. Honestly, ever since Queen Mildred’s time, I’ve never liked Glintland people.
All kinds of gossip drifted under the blood-red evening sky.
There was so much of it that even Isabelle La Glintland—who had stayed sitting in the audience for a long time after the ceremony because people kept coming to speak to her—could hear it.
But she smiled confidently.
Let them talk all they want.
To others, it would look like she was holding her head high and pretending not to care about the humiliation of her marriage falling through.
But Isabelle had no intention of backing down.
The wedding might be over, but now she could cause trouble in other ways.
“No matter what, she’s still just a low-ranking noble. I wonder if she can even do the job of a Duchess properly.”
At those words, Isabelle suddenly snapped out of her smugness.
It was strange—what that person had just said wasn’t all that different from what she herself had told the King of Ivaneis, but somehow it felt much sharper…
Maybe it was because she herself had once been mocked with those exact kinds of words.
“Well… since the King apparently has his eye on her, we might get to see something interesting soon.”
At that, Isabelle felt a strange satisfaction too—like the sun peeking through the clouds.
After all, things that hurt you will hurt others too.
She gripped her fan tightly.
What else could she do?
The world is always cruel to women who don’t have much.
And she had no intention of showing mercy to anyone.
***
The Duke and Duchess, having just finished their wedding, skipped any banquet and headed straight to the main house of the Duke’s estate.
When they arrived, they didn’t even bother with formal greetings from the servants and went straight to the Duke’s private room.
People assumed it was because they were tired from the ceremony—or maybe eager to enjoy their wedding night.
But the real reason was a little different from what people thought.
The groom, Curtis, spoke first when he saw the bride, Chloe, coming out of the bathroom brushing her teeth.
“So, how does it feel to be married?”
“Mmnggghhffh.”
“Spit out the mouthwash and then talk.”
Chloe stomped back into the bathroom, spat out the saltwater, and came back out to speak clearly.
“I saw very clearly, Your Grace, your sincere desire not to go to Glintland. It was a truly moving experience.”
Then she stuck the toothbrush back into her mouth and brushed furiously. Scrub scrub scrub.
Curtis gave a short laugh.
Right after leaving the ceremony hall, the very first thing Chloe had said in the preparation room was: “Please give me a toothbrush.”
Lieutenant Noel had silently handed her a fine horsehair toothbrush worth 100 sing from an Ivaneis luxury shop.
Normally, she’d have complained about using something so expensive just to brush her teeth, but that day was an emergency.
Chloe had dipped the brush in salt and started scrubbing her teeth immediately.
She brushed so hard it felt like the brush itself was crying for mercy.
But what choice did she have? Without a toothbrush, she would have been the one screaming.
She brushed her teeth the whole carriage ride back to the estate.
“I’m glad we’ve found something we both agree on,” Curtis said, wiping his damp mouth lightly with a white cloth.
For the record, Curtis had also brushed his teeth right after the ceremony and rinsed his mouth again as soon as they got home.
“…Still feels gross. I think I’ll brush again. Noel, do we have another toothbrush?”
“Curtis, that’s enough,” Noel sighed, blocking him.
Chloe, who had just finished brushing, narrowed her eyes at Curtis.
“If you’re going to talk about ‘compensation for damages,’ shouldn’t you tell me what kind of damage you plan to cause first?”
“Is there really anyone who doesn’t know the bride and groom kiss at the wedding ceremony?”
She was speechless for a moment.
Of course she knew that—but…
You’re the one who can’t stand even a single hair from someone else touching you! I never imagined you’d actually kiss me!
This was the man who had written in their marriage contract that she should tie her hair back and sleep in a separate bed.
She never thought he’d kiss her—and not just that, but open his mouth and use his tongue!
Damn it.
Thinking about it made her clench her teeth. Her face was starting to turn red.
“…Since you managed to hold a wedding just one week after deciding to get married, I thought you’d replace the kiss with something else.”
“What, and let people talk? Everyone’s already making all kinds of guesses about us. If we didn’t even kiss at the wedding, imagine what they’d say.”
Curtis popped a mint leaf into his mouth, looking at her like she was an idiot.
Chloe’s fist clenched hard.
You’re the one who dragged me into this and lied to the King that I was your lover, you damn boss.
And you were the one who kissed me first!
Then, to add insult to injury, he brushed his teeth and chewed mint in front of her—like she was something dirty.
It was humiliating.
“Curtis, that’s not something you should be saying,” Noel said sharply, thankfully scolding him.
At the same time, he signaled for the waiting servants to come in.
With his usual mocking smile, Curtis roughly unbuttoned the collar of his ceremonial coat.
The servants, including Julia, quickly began removing the couple’s ceremonial clothes and accessories.
“These clothes are fine, but the collar is too tight,” Curtis muttered.
“That’s because they’re for formal occasions,” Noel replied.
“Your Grace, the necklace…” Julia reached toward Chloe’s neck.
It was the massive pink diamond necklace—the official wedding gift.
“What’s this necklace?” Chloe asked.
“It was my mother’s. Something… I forget, some silly name.”
“Your Grace! That’s ‘The Goddess of Spring’! Queen Mildred received it from the late king when you were born!” Julia scolded him.
Chloe quickly stretched out her neck so Julia could remove it.
Having something so obviously expensive hanging on her neck was nerve-wracking.
The necklace had three locks, but Julia removed it easily and put it back in its case.
“This too…” Chloe began to take off her wedding ring, but Curtis stopped her.
“Keep that ring on for now.”
“…What if I lose it?”
“How could you lose a ring like that? Are you an idiot or a three-year-old child?”
Rude—but also kind of true.
The “Flame of the Holy Spirit” ring was famous for its flawless, pure amethyst—larger than a quail egg but smaller than a chicken egg.
Chloe frowned at it.
“How much is this worth?”
“I don’t know.”
“You said it was famous—shouldn’t the price be famous too?”
Curtis replied casually, “Rings like that aren’t valuable just for the stone. The symbolism matters more. The more famous it is, the more expensive it becomes.”
“I see…”
“My guess? The price probably just doubled—now that it’s the ‘ring the Duke gave the Duchess because he loves her.’”
His easy tone made Chloe start to nod—then suddenly, she blinked.
She’d just realized something.
