Chapter 20
What does the main part of a wedding mean?
Well, it depends on who you ask. Some might say it’s the ceremony, the delicious food, the sweet honeymoon, the wedding gifts, or the warm blessings of friends and family. There are so many different parts that make a wedding special.
But for Chloe, who had agreed to marry her boss just four days ago, she found herself suffering through a part of the wedding she never expected.
“Ugh… Wait, please! This is really hard for me…”
She twisted her body uncomfortably, struggling to breathe. A strange, tight feeling was squeezing her all over, and small gasps escaped her lips. But her soon-to-be husband, Curtis, showed no mercy.
“We don’t have time. Just answer the question.”
“I… I can’t… ugh…”
“Hold your breath.”
“Huuuuhp!”
Chloe took a big breath in, but Curtis just pressed on the area below her chest—making her breath burst back out with a gasp.
“You’re supposed to exhale, not inhale, Lieutenant. This isn’t your first time, is it?”
Chloe finally exploded in frustration.
“This is my first time wearing a dress like this!!”
Yes—what she was going through was the infamous main part of a noble wedding:
Getting fitted into the wedding dress.
“I can’t breathe! It’s too tight! Do people actually wear this on their wedding day?!”
The maid by her side chuckled.
“Of course! It’s the start and the highlight of the whole ceremony.”
They were in a small sitting room at the Duke’s estate. White silk and lace were spread everywhere, and samples of embroidery threads covered the tables. Maids and seamstresses rushed around her—just like in any other noble bride’s dressing room.
But something was different.
Chloe wasn’t getting fitted for a dress. She was already wearing a finished one.
A pure white gown. Anyone familiar with high society in Ibaness would immediately recognize who originally wore this dress just by its color.
It belonged to Queen Mildred, Curtis’s mother.
This was the same dress Queen Mildred wore when she married the former king. She looked so beautiful in it that newspapers with her wedding illustrations had sold out. The white dress even changed the royal wedding tradition—from red dresses to white ones.
Wearing the same dress as your future husband’s mother—the most admired woman in the kingdom—was no small thing.
And Curtis, being a Duke, could’ve ordered the most expensive dress made just for Chloe. But instead, he pulled this dress from storage at his mother’s summer home.
When Chloe had asked him why, his reply was:
“There’s no time.”
“Right.”
“Also… it makes it look like I love you.”
On the surface, it sounded romantic and symbolic. Wearing the late queen’s dress and her ring—it would definitely look like love.
Even Chloe agreed with that.
But there was one major problem: Queen Mildred had been very small and delicate.
“Are you sure this isn’t a child’s dress?! I really can’t breathe!”
Chloe, in contrast, was tall, strong, and the ideal image of a healthy soldier.
The young maid tightening Chloe’s dress gasped and apologized.
“I’m so sorry, Lady Amboise!”
Her name was Julia, a maid who had worked in the Duke’s estate since childhood. She had been assigned to serve Chloe personally because very few servants were considered suitable.
Chloe waved her off kindly.
“It’s not your fault. Don’t worry.”
But Curtis, standing in front of her, was as shameless as ever.
“Why don’t you just skip meals until the wedding?”
“Say one more thing, and I’ll cancel this wedding!”
Julia looked nervously between them. After all, all the servants had been told this marriage was based on true love. Even though they were trustworthy, no one could know the real story.
“But why are they bickering like this…?”
No one had been allowed into Chloe’s private annex for the past three days. Today was the first time Julia and the other maids were allowed in to help prepare for the wedding.
They were excited and curious. Who wouldn’t be? She was the fiancée of Duke Verque.
The newer maids often wondered:
“He’s so handsome and perfect—what kind of woman would he marry? She must be gorgeous and noble.”
Older servants had more complicated thoughts:
“Only someone bald would survive marrying him.”
“If it’s a love marriage, maybe he won’t care about hair?”
“Come on, he’ll only marry someone high-ranking. Who could stand that personality?”
“Well… he’s so handsome, maybe even that can be overlooked?”
But when they finally met Lady Amboise, all their assumptions were shattered.
By the way, the title “Lady Amboise” had been given by Curtis himself. Since they weren’t married yet, she couldn’t be called the Duchess, and she didn’t hold a noble title to be called “Lady.” So he told everyone:
“She’s my fiancée and a soldier. Call her ‘Lady’ like I do.”
“But she’s only a lieutenant. That title doesn’t usually go with it…”
“Would you rather I call her ‘my wife’ already?”
“Haha! I’ve always dreamed of being a knight!”
(That last conversation is secret, of course.)
Still, she was nothing like what they expected.
Not only was her status surprising, but her appearance was far from delicate. She looked strong and healthy. But hey—everyone has different tastes. Maybe that’s what Duke Verque liked.
She actually had a unique charm. Her well-built shoulders, long legs, and firm muscles made her look bold and confident. In fact, she might outshine the famous female actors from the all-women theater troupe in Godfroy, the city of entertainment.
So the Duke falling for her wasn’t hard to believe.
What was surprising, though, was their constant arguing.
For a couple that had supposedly been in a secret relationship for three months and were being forced into marriage by the King… they didn’t exactly act like lovebirds.
“You’ve never even tried on a dress before?”
“I told you already! I don’t have any evening gowns! I’ve never owned a custom dress!”
“Lady Amboise, you’ve lived such a modest and simple life.”
“Wow. That hurts.”
Their conversation sounded more like a fight than wedding prep. Julia tried to step in gently.
“So… Lady Amboise, you’ve really never had a custom dress made?”
Chloe, who had been arguing fiercely just seconds ago, suddenly turned a bit shy.
“Honestly… since I joined the army at 18, I’ve only worn uniforms.”
“Even dogs get new coats twice a year.”
Curtis added with his usual sarcasm, making Chloe scowl. Julia frowned and scolded him.
“Duke, really! That’s too much. Lady Amboise is already stressed from the dress fitting!”
Curtis scoffed.
“We only have a week. She needs to memorize the noble families’ names while dancing in that dress.”
That’s right—Curtis was holding a list of noble families, which Chloe had to memorize before the wedding. That’s also why he was here, inside the ladies-only dressing room.
The maids, including Julia, were shocked.
“Is it really okay for him to be here?”
But Chloe just sighed and said:
“It’s fine. I’m used to this, Julia.”
“They really did fall in love at work!”
The maids started feeling sorry for her. A new bride should be treated gently—but Chloe seemed overworked already.
At least, to protect her privacy, there was a velvet curtain between them. But even through the curtain, their conversation was anything but romantic. Curtis recited names of noble families without pausing, while the maids grew more and more exhausted.
Honestly, it was too much.
Who pressures a bride, struggling to breathe in a tight dress, to answer questions?
Julia, who had once been doted on by the late Queen Mildred as a child, clenched her fists.
Among the maids, she was the only one brave enough to maybe speak out to the Duke.
And now, she believed…
“For the sake of this poor bride… I have to be the one to stand up!”
