Chapter 7
The topic of the wedding came up during breakfast today. Since it was something that had to happen anyway, my father gave his approval without much comment.
After my marriage, the idea of moving Estelle’s residence to the duke’s mansion was also mentioned.
According to the novel, Estelle’s awakening as a saint occurs shortly after she arrives at the duke’s mansion.
It’s much earlier now… but would bringing Estelle into the mansion sooner affect the story’s original progression?
I carefully watched Estelle’s bright smile as she listened to Theo.
‘How did her ability manifest again?’
There must have been some incident, but it was too early in the story for me to remember clearly.
Trying to recall, I felt tension gather in my brows. The carriage rumbled gently under me.
The lakeside was already crowded with people, likely because this was the best time to sunbathe and enjoy the scenery.
But we had already sent the servants early in the morning to reserve a good spot.
It was a place half-shaded right next to a massive tree.
Theo willingly carried the basket and laid out the mat. I placed my parasol at the edge and sat on the mat.
Across the lake, the trees glimmered dark green, and the water sparkled in the sunlight like fish scales.
The tight feeling in my chest from yesterday had finally cleared.
“Shall we eat sandwiches first and then ride the boat, or go on the boat first?”
Theo asked as he set down the basket. Estelle tilted her head.
“But only two people can ride in each boat?”
“It’s a two-seater,” I replied, stretching my legs. Estelle covered her mouth in surprise.
“Then we ride twice! Me and my sister, my sister and Theo, and then me and Theo…”
“No, I’ll stay here. You two go play in the water.”
I waved my hand, removing my gloves. My hands felt cramped inside the tight lace gloves. Theo brightened.
“Won’t you get bored?”
I could see the corners of his mouth curling up. I rolled my eyes.
“It’s fine. Enjoy yourselves. I’ll just look at the scenery.”
In the end, I stayed behind while the two of them walked to the dock. The spots the servants had secured were also close to the dock.
Under the sun, their hair gleamed like the sun and the moon.
Both Theo and Estelle were smiling brightly.
Their steps were light, almost dancing.
In contrast, my heart felt heavy. After Estelle awakens as a saint, the royal court organizes an expedition to purify the Land of Death.
The Land of Death is crawling with black monsters.
They attack quickly, biting at the neck, and climb trees, making it impossible to let your guard down anywhere.
Because of this, the novel’s expedition members kept dying, and Theo and Estelle grew more and more exhausted every day.
Had they not relied on each other, they would have completely gone mad.
In fact, by the end, both of them were already half-crazed.
‘…By that time, they had already given up on returning.’
Their lives’ purpose had ended with purification, and without resentment or rebellion, they embraced each other and died.
And yet, here they were, smiling so happily.
I watched them speak with the boatman at the dock.
Though I couldn’t see their expressions clearly now, occasional laughter carried over to me.
The wind rustled the leaves above our heads. A pleasant sensation swept over me.
If only days like this could always exist.
“Rose.”
At that moment, I heard a familiar voice—but it was someone who shouldn’t be here.
A chill ran down my spine. My neck stiffened.
Was it an auditory hallucination? But my shallow hope was quickly crushed.
“You came out for a picnic, I see.”
The voice drew closer, and I turned my head. A man was approaching me from not far away.
As in the reception room, under the intense sunlight, he was entirely shrouded in black.
They say shadows deepen with strong light.
His violet eyes stood out vividly against the black uniform, incongruous in bright daylight.
I lifted the corner of my mouth.
“…Damien.”
It felt like the blood in my body had frozen.
But I couldn’t show it. I clapped my hands like a naïve young lady delighted to meet her fiancé unexpectedly.
“What brings you here? Are you on a picnic too, Damien? What a surprise!”
The more I chattered, the more the corner of his mouth lifted. I quickly scanned around him. In the distance, knights were watching our side.
Nearby people slowly folded their mats and moved elsewhere.
“The weather was nice, so I came out. I didn’t expect to meet you here, Rose.”
A lie. I nodded while maintaining my smile. He naturally came and sat beside me.
A strong musk emanated from him, overpowering the sweet smell of wet earth and fresh grass.
“You were looking at the lake,” Damien whispered softly. Our eyes met.
Thick eyebrows, sharp eyes, high cheekbones, a pointed nose, red lips.
Saying Damien was handsome wasn’t an exaggeration, even Theo admitted it. So Theo didn’t protest either.
Damien was handsome, the perfect final antagonist.
I looked away, feeling mesmerized by his eyes.
“They’ve resumed boat rides,” he said.
Still, he was a man difficult enough to fall for romantically. My heart kept racing in another way.
Thinking that he might meet the two of them made my blood run cold.
He wouldn’t harm anyone now, but this meeting was far earlier than I had expected.
At least, it was fortunate that Estelle was still far from awakening as a saint, and our wedding being moved up might be the reason for this change.
Warmth touched my hand on the ground.
His gentle voice reached my ear.
“Shall we ride together as well?”
When I looked, he was staring at me intently. The touch of his hand was hot.
My heart felt icy, yet my head slowly grew warm.
It would be strange to refuse here, right? I swallowed.
To avoid Theo and Estelle and to cool my own heat, a boat ride didn’t sound like a bad idea.
Feeling the light weight of his hand on mine, I replied,
“All right.”
The oars cut through the water with a crisp sound. I rested my chin on the boat’s edge, watching the ripples spread. A refreshing breeze tousled my hair.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing in particular.”
I shook my head. I wanted to joke that he might be a stalker, but knowing how precious life was, I refrained.
But I wasn’t really thinking of nothing. Memories of past lives kept surfacing in my mind. Most of them were meaningless, making it hard to extract anything useful.
‘I wish I could remember only the novel.’
My reflection met the water. I touched the surface, and the shadow blurred.
Damien’s voice scattered all the idle thoughts in my mind.
“I informed His Majesty.”
I realized immediately that he was talking about our marriage. I sat up and faced him.
“What did you say?”
I prayed silently that he gave his approval without doubt.
Well, it was likely, like my father, that he agreed without fuss.
After all, delaying the marriage of a fully grown crown prince and an imperial-aligned noblewoman would be strange.
But Damien’s expression grew subtle.
He looked away and stopped rowing.
“They were suspicious.”
“…Excuse me?”
An unexpected reply slipped out. My voice came out blankly.
Ah, I quickly displayed my upset feelings. I was genuinely upset, so no need to fabricate emotions.
“Why?”
My mind raced. Wasn’t I the only one trying to avoid this marriage?
‘Ah, damn it.’
But thinking about it, even if the original Rosalyn had avoided the wedding, it was strange that it had been delayed this long.
It was, after all, the crown prince’s wedding.
The adults must have tacitly overlooked it.
Perhaps, in fact, the royal family opposed our marriage.
In the novel, our engagement only became official after Damien poisoned the emperor and empress.
Sure enough, Damien finally let go of the oars and placed his hands forward.
Splash— the waves hit the boat.
Under the bright blue sky, his cheeks were flushed.
“It seems the rumors circulating in high society reached His Majesty’s ears.”
“What rumors?”
I widened my eyes and asked again. Surely it was the same rumor Theo mentioned—that we weren’t on good terms.
I felt ashamed for thinking the emperor and empress wouldn’t care about the gossip.
“We do not love each other… that sort of rumor.”
