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“This summer?”
It was already mid-July, so there were less than two months left. Barely a month and a half to prepare both the engagement ceremony and the wedding?
Even my wedding with Lucious had taken two months to arrange. For the emperor’s marriage to be prepared in just six weeks—it wouldn’t be easy. Just the wedding attire alone would take time. No matter how skilled Alexandra was, even she might find it difficult.
From the look on Lucious’s face beside me, he seemed to share the same thought. Watching Rayel carefully, he asked:
“Is there a reason you’re in such a hurry?”
“There are plenty. The sooner it’s done, the sooner the noisy birds will shut their mouths, and the state will settle down. Above all else…”
“…?”
Rayel’s words trailed off. He looked at Lucious for a moment, then glanced briefly at me before continuing.
“…I want to be with her as soon as possible. Like the two of you.”
“Ah…”
“Oh my.”
That was surprisingly romantic for Rayel. But what was that pause just now? He looked as if he had something to say to me before he hid his expression again.
Does he really envy me and Lucious?
In the original story, pressure from pro-emperor nobles demanding he take an empress, along with the growing power of the aristocrats, had forced Rayel to choose a bride. He intended to pick a lady who was useful enough, and by chance, he happened upon Angelica in the palace.
After a coincidental meeting in the secret garden—thanks to Rose—Rayel had taken an interest in Angelica. Learning that she was the daughter of the neutral Count Werner, and that she roughly fit his criteria, he proposed a contract marriage, partly to conceal what had happened in the secret garden.
Originally, their wedding had been in spring. The same May as Lucious and Tiana’s.
A year after Lucious and Tiana’s marriage, Rayel and Angelica were wed in mid-May. The date had been set purely because of the emperor’s faction nobles’ wariness of Lucious. Rayel had simply gone along with it, since the date itself didn’t matter much to him then.
But this time it’s different. He sought out Angelica first, and now he’s rushing into marriage. As soon as possible.
What had happened at the end of the original that made things change? It was certain he hadn’t been able to stay with Angelica until the end… Could something have happened to her?
Thinking of Marquis Even, it wasn’t impossible. Perhaps he had revealed his ambition too late, as he was doing now. I recalled that near the end of the original, he had asked Rayel to adopt his illegitimate son—the restaurant manager—as heir.
Marquis Even’s legitimate daughter had died young in an accident, and he had taken in his bastard son, Elam, as successor. Since the boy was clever, it had actually benefited the marquis.
Could Rayel’s haste to marry Angelica be related to that?
If something had happened to Angelica because of Marquis Even in the original… Rayel might have been blindsided by him. Then it made sense that Rayel wanted the wedding done quickly. The marquis had already made his move this time, and Angelica had been exposed. To protect her, it would be safest to bring her into the imperial palace quickly.
But one thing doesn’t fit—the marquis acted much earlier than in the original.
Back then, he had only revealed his true nature toward the ending. Could it be because of me, meddling with events? Because I disrupted his business?
But in the original, there had been no particular mention of Baron Evit, nor Café Roland. If Marquis Even’s partner had been someone who appeared in the story, surely there would have been at least one scene with them together.
If there had been no mention at all, then perhaps in the original, Marquis Even and Baron Evit had no connection.
Then why this time…?
Why target Baron Evit’s café, of all places? Even if it was the talk of high society, with his power and connections, Marquis Even could have built his own establishment.
To lash out just because of a refusal and a stolen product seemed excessive. Attacking a central branch was one thing, but shaking the neutral nobles to build his power? And the surprisingly underhanded tactics… plus his strange sensitivity toward the “foreign investor.”
Could someone have guessed my identity and tipped him off?
I usually visited the branch with Alexandra or Angelica. With Baron Evit, I was always cautious. But no matter how careful, there are always those who notice hints. Especially nobles attuned to marriage alliances.
If Marquis Even knew my true identity, things could get troublesome. To act despite knowing… he must be a bold man indeed. He doesn’t even seem afraid of Lucious by my side.
Well, he must feel confident now, having rallied half of the former neutral nobles around him.
Rayel’s weak authority as emperor came not only from nobles disliking his outward tyranny, but also from the lack of unity within his own faction. Few nobles truly acted for his sake.
Without loyal ministers to work hand-in-hand with him, Rayel had been forced to shoulder the throne’s burdens alone.
Originally, Lucious could have helped him, but thanks to Tiana and Marquis Calvino’s schemes, the brothers had been completely torn apart.
A cruel fate indeed.
Though they couldn’t show it, the brothers respected one another deeply. But their circumstances and surroundings had made closeness impossible.
When I possessed Tiana, I wanted to change Lucious’s fate. But I also had another wish: to change the fate between these two brothers.
I wanted to prevent them from being torn apart. Thankfully, the chances of that happening now were slim.
“Tiana?”
“Yes?”
Lucious called suddenly. As I answered, he took my hand gently.
“Are you alright? You grew quiet again…”
“Oh, did I space out? I was just lost in thought after His Majesty’s words. Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
“Did I startle you again?”
Rayel teased with a sly smile. I sighed inwardly and shook my head.
“No, not at all.”
“Then what’s troubling you? The date? Is it too rushed?”
“Of course! It’s so rushed I wish summer were longer! No matter how urgent things are, do you really think an emperor’s wedding can be prepared in just six weeks?”
“It doesn’t seem entirely impossible…”
“It is impossible. The palace staff will collapse from exhaustion.”
“Even if we scale down the ceremony?”
“Yes. Even then, there’s hardly much you could cut.”
“Hmm…”
Watching him ponder made me sigh. Lucious understood, so why didn’t Rayel? He could be strangely dense about these things. And he was missing the most important point.
“Your Majesty. The bigger reason I was lost in thought—it’s about Angelica.”
“About her?”
“You must consider her feelings. This will be her first and last wedding. Above all, it should be a happy memory.”
“Ah… I hadn’t considered that.”
“And if you shrink the scale and rush the date, there’s no way people won’t talk. Rumors about you two—especially Angelica—are already rampant. On top of that…”
Angelica would already carry a heavy burden. If nearly every noble in the empire felt her wedding was inadequate, how would they respond?
“Do you want people to say, ‘As expected, she’s of low birth and not treated properly’?”
“….”
Rayel fell silent. At once, his atmosphere changed. A menacing aura spread, and I swallowed dryly. Lucious, gripping my hand tighter, looked at me with concern.
Perhaps I had struck a nerve—no, I was certain I had. He had heard such words all his life.
Rayel and Alexandra’s mother, the late empress, had been a count’s daughter. Because her rank was lower than the current dowager empress, she had suffered greatly. And in the original, when Rayel decided to make Angelica his empress, Marquis Calvino had not opposed it precisely for that reason—Angelica too was a count’s daughter.
It was a situation in stark contrast to Lucious, who had married a duke’s daughter. No wonder Calvino had been pleased. He had always been one to mock the late empress behind her back.
I don’t know how Rayel will take my words. Even if he takes them badly, I must make him understand.
Angelica’s safety was important, and his urgency was understandable. But rushing could make things worse. If what I feared came true, the one to suffer would be Angelica.
I understood Rayel’s desperation to protect her, but he needed to think about the heroine’s perspective too. He knew better than anyone how much she would suffer.
As I watched tensely, his crimson eyes, sharp with cold light, slowly lowered. He closed them for a moment in silence. When he opened them again, he spoke.
“I see what worries you. But… you seem to know me surprisingly well, don’t you?”
“…Pardon?”
…Why did he have to phrase it like that?
