TMWL 03

Chapter 3

“So getting married has made you bold, huh? How dare you look down on the House of Rydell?”

“The House of Rydell abandoned me first, so I’m saying I have no interest in this family either. You don’t have to worry anymore about me taking your place, so isn’t that a relief for you?”

Pesha spoke casually as she walked past Jeremy.

She had already been forbidden from leaving the house, and she didn’t want to get into another pointless argument with Jeremy, only for Father to catch them and become even angrier.

From behind her, she heard Jeremy huffing angrily before knocking on their father’s study door.

“Jeremy. Did your lessons go well?”

And then came her father’s voice, sounding pleased to see his son despite everything, as though he had never shouted at Pesha moments ago.

It would be a lie to say that didn’t hurt.

But for now, finding a way to survive came first.

The marriage between Count Owen Namoi and Lady Pesha Rydell became the hottest topic in high society for a very brief time.

Pesha’s unexpected outburst kept people talking about it a little longer, but that was all.

In the end, the marriage was not canceled.

Duke Rydell, humiliated by what had happened at the party attended by the Emperor, turned the wedding into a private ceremony attended only by close relatives.

On top of that, almost nothing was known about Count Namoi’s private life. He had been born a commoner and had spent more than a decade of his youth on the battlefield.

There was simply nothing to speculate about when nobody knew anything about Owen Namoi.

The only other thing people talked about was how unfortunate it was that Pesha, whose beauty was considered among the finest in high society, was being married off so helplessly.

Their interest quickly faded.

And in the meantime, a month passed.

The day of the wedding arrived.

The bridal waiting room beside the chapel of the temple where the ceremony was to be held had the gloomy atmosphere of a funeral parlor.

Pesha sat before the vanity, looking at herself in the mirror, while Mini, the maid who had cared for her since childhood, brushed her hair with an expression that looked ready to burst into tears.

“My lady, you look so beautiful today. Sob… You’re so beautiful, and yet why…”

“Enough, Mini. Do you want Father to scold you too?”

Pesha scolded her maid as she had her shining silver hair braided into one thick braid that hung down her back.

Her light violet eyes, like violets, were just as gloomy as Mini’s, but she forced herself to comfort the maids.

“Girls, I’m not being sold off somewhere. I’m just getting married…”

Actually, I am being sold off.

The more Owen Namoi’s reputation grew, the louder the public demand became for him to be granted a ducal title.

It was what the people wanted.

No matter how powerful the Emperor was, there was no way he could ignore the overwhelming support of the people.

But granting the title of duke to a young mercenary-born man who was not even thirty was a blow to the Emperor’s pride.

So the Emperor came up with a clever solution.

Instead of granting Owen a dukedom, he arranged a marriage with the daughter of a duke.

Publicly, he could play the role of a generous ruler who had provided Owen with a powerful family on his wife’s side.

In reality, however, his intention was to prevent Owen Namoi’s influence from growing any further.

If it were Io, she would somehow find a way to make this marriage work.

But Pesha was different.

If only I had that damn purification power too. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about any of this.

Pesha secretly let out a long sigh.

Even though she tried her hardest not to worry, anxiety kept flooding back.

What if he decides he hates me because I humiliated him and makes my life miserable?

Then again, it wouldn’t exactly be strange if he did.

But she had known perfectly well that she might die if she married him. How could she possibly have obediently agreed to the marriage on the spot?

I really did try to live a good life. I never did anything bad!

As long as his territory remained contaminated and Io possessed the power to purify it, the two of them would inevitably need each other.

This is my only option now. I’ll make as much money as I can as quickly as possible, hand Owen over to Io, and get out of there.

While Pesha was making her plans, the time for the wedding approached.

A servant standing outside the bridal room knocked on the door.

“My lady. Are you ready?”

The maids all turned their eyes toward Pesha.

She had been calming her nerves while staring at her reflection in the mirror.

Then she gave a heavy nod and stood.

“Yes. I’m coming out now.”

The maids, who had been wearing miserable expressions, quickly composed themselves and lifted the hem of Pesha’s wedding dress.

“Open the door.”

At Pesha’s command, the maids opened the door to the bridal waiting room.

Pesha tightened her stomach as if bracing herself and walked out with stiff steps.

The chapel, located directly beside the bridal room, had its doors thrown wide open, like the gaping jaws of a terrifying beast waiting to swallow its prey.

Entering felt like walking willingly into a tiger’s den.

The first thing Pesha saw was her relatives sitting in the chapel pews.

The relatives of House Rydell were seated on the left, while on the right…

Huh?

Pesha’s steps suddenly stopped as she was about to walk down the aisle.

There were only four or five people sitting on the right side.

They were wearing ordinary formal suits, but their stiff, perfectly straight postures made it obvious to anyone that they were soldiers.

They were probably Owen’s aides.

Oh my goodness. There weren’t enough people to fill the seats, so he had to put his aides there.

It made sense.

Owen was an orphan.

Since he didn’t even know who his parents were, there was no way he could invite relatives.

But still!

The relatives from House Rydell were clearly whispering among themselves while pretending not to notice the empty seats on the right.

Pesha found it slightly irritating and glanced toward Owen, who was standing at the end of the aisle.

Whether he knew she had arrived or not, he was staring only at the High Priest who had been chosen to officiate the ceremony.

Pesha stared at his broad back, so wide that the fabric covering his body was pulled taut.

She swallowed nervously before walking toward him almost as if charging into battle.

For a bride, her stride was surprisingly fearless.

When she reached the groom’s side, the officiating High Priest, who looked just as bewildered as the guests on the bride’s side, cleared his throat.

“Ahem, ahem. Then let us begin with the declaration of marriage.”

“……”

“The bride and groom have vowed, in this glorious place surrounded by family and friends offering their blessings, to become husband and wife and share both joy and hardship for the rest of their lives. Is that correct?”

“……”

“Is that correct?”

The officiant asked again, but Owen gave no answer.

So Pesha belatedly replied in a small voice.

“Y-Yes…”

She stole a glance at him.

Owen stood there with a stiff expression, simply glaring at the High Priest officiating the ceremony.

Does he hate this marriage so much that he’s glaring at the poor officiant?

The thought made Pesha dislike the marriage even more than she already had.

As if I’m getting married because I want to.

She was inwardly pouting when the officiant continued with the wedding ceremony.

She remembered that even at weddings she had attended as a guest, the officiant’s speech had seemed unbearably long.

But perhaps because this frightened High Priest desperately wanted to get away from Owen’s intimidating glare as quickly as possible, he hurried through his words.

“Then please exchange rings.”

For the first time that day, Owen turned toward Pesha.

It was almost the first time she had gotten a proper look at his face.

As he slipped the ring onto her finger, Pesha stared intently at Owen for those brief few moments.

Until now, she had been so consumed by the fear that this man might kill her that she had failed to notice just how extraordinarily handsome he was.

Beneath his slightly disheveled caramel-colored hair were thick eyebrows following the strong lines of his face. His black eyes, set beneath slightly sharply raised eyelids, were so fierce that anyone caught in their gaze would instinctively shrink back.

Then there was his razor-sharp nose and tightly pressed lips.

If not for his social status, he would have had noblewomen lining up to marry him.

He radiated an intense, unmistakable masculinity.

Before Pesha could even realize it, the ring had been slipped onto her ring finger.

Now it was her turn to put the ring on Owen.

With slightly trembling hands, Pesha slid the ring onto his thick finger.

The matching rings sparkled in the sunlight.

For some reason, seeing them made her heart feel unbearably heavy.

As she stared at the ring with an inward sigh, the officiant continued.

“Now, you will seal your vows with a kiss.”