The wedding hall was very quiet. There was a congratulatory envoy sent by the Emperor, and of course, the vassals of the Duke Cardian attended, and many other high-ranking nobles attended the wedding.
The Lord and his wife of the Marquisate of Montague, the bride's parents, were also seated.
However, the seats of Cardian's parents were empty. Leonis' mother was afraid of the Duke and ran away with another man, and the former Duke was afraid of his own madness and ended up committing suicide.
“I think there is a lady who wants to marry the Duke of Cardian.”
“It's His Majesty's command, right? Who can reject it?”
“How long can the Duchess of Cardian last? Even nowadays, the peasants hear a scream every day...…”
The face of Ramona Montague, who heard the voices of the guests around her, was pale and worn. The former duchess weren't killed at the hands of the late duke, but Celia could be affected.
“Arthur….”
She thought it wasn't too late, so she grabbed the arm of the Marquis of Montague, but the Marquis looked down at his wife with a hard face.
Ramona felt like she wanted to scream at him, seeing the determination on his face.
'It's our daughter! It's our daughter who marries that maniac!'
However, for the Marquis of Montague, a child was just an dispensable person. Although he was middle-aged, he thought he was still young, and if Ramona refused, he would stop having children from other women.
“Arthur, it's not too late yet.”
As Ramona cried out in a small voice, Marquis of Montague said in a cold voice.
“She's just a daughter. Eventually, I would have sent any family.”
In response, Ramona glared at the Marquis with angry eyes. The Marquis ignored her and left to hold Celia's hand to escort her. Ramona, left alone, held back her tears desperately to prevent her makeup from spreading.
In the meantime, music began to play. The wedding begins and the groom enters.
Ramona stared at him, feeling a tearful pain in her mouth. It was the day that her daughter, her only daughter, became the wife of a murderer.
'What's the use if your beautiful face!'
Leonis Cardian was one of the best handsome men in the empire but was evaluated as the worst bridegroom for one reason that he had a curse.
It was natural that the first routine he will do as soon as he open his eyes is to slaughter somebody. His body always smells of blood, and there are terrible rumors that he makes perfume by drawing the blood of the person he killed.
'Ah, Celia! Poor thing! I have to send my daughter to a monster like that...…. It looks like my heart is breaking! My poor fate...….'
Ramona groaned inside and stared at Leonis' back as he moved forward to the podium. It was the day of the wedding, but his expression was cold.
When she thought he was going to cut her daughter's throat with that face, Ramona felt like her heart was clogged again.
Although Celia had not yet entered the coffin, Ramona had already treated Celia as if she had been murdered by Leonis.
'I can't appeal to this resentment to both the emperor and my husband. I don't know what to do with this sadness.'
Meanwhile, Leonis stood before the High Priest. As the music changed, people's eyes turned to the entrance of the ceremony. Finally, it was the bride's turn.
A little late, but a bride in a pure white wedding dress stood at the end of the path. She was wearing a veil to cover her pale face.
Just as people cannot see my expression because of the veil, so did I. I saw Leonis standing in front of the priest, but I couldn't figure out what his expression looked like.
From dresses to high heels. Even if it was not the one who got up after robbing the sick, it was difficult to move.
However, the marquis, holding Celia's hand, stepped into the hall. Because of that, Celia had no choice but to enter the wedding hall as if she was dragged by her father.
In the quiet, only the sound of music was ringing.
The Marquis of Montague slowed down and whispered as if he had noticed Celia's poor condition late.
“You stupid thing. Can't you walk properly?”
He wanted to shout as usual, but there are too many eyes and ears at them. The Marquis of Montague rushed Celia, noticing that Leonis, who stood before the main ceremony, was looking this way.
Whenever I took each step, a cold sweat sprang from my forehead.
It was said that I had taken poison, and it was clear that my body had not yet fully recovered even after being treated by a healer.
'Ah…... so tiring. When does Leonis go away?'
The wedding would be impossible, but if he went to subdue the monster instead, he would be able to take a rest in the meantime.
The ceremony was ending while Celia was holding on with one conviction that she should not pass out. When Leonis replied, "Yes," the officiating head turned to Celia.
“Ms. Celia Montague. To welcome Duke Leonis Cardian as your husband...…”
At the prolonged ceremony, Celia glanced at the side, shedding the rites with one ear. I wondered what Leonis' face was like.
Only in the novel did Leonis see Celia's face, but Celia passed by without knowing that he was the Duke of Cardian.
'Would you be handsome? I think he must have been handsome, of course, but...…'
When the priest was silent, Celia realized that the time had come. Anyone would have noticed because there was already a cold silence in the attendees seats.
"Yes."
“The two of you are now married…”
Celia glanced at Leonis, feeling dizzy and clenched her teeth. Although she recovered after receiving treatment, the wedding was unreasonable.
Leonis, who felt Celia's insignificant movement, seemed to be looking at Celia's side face, perhaps because of her arms folded.
"Your Grace!"
The moment the high priest blessed the couple who had just been married and offered a kiss of oath, a group of knights in armor entered the hall. Celia beyond the veil heard their voices and smiled.
'Oh, finally... … .'
“Please forgive the rudeness! The walls of Acylus have collapsed, and the monsters are attacking now!”
Those who entered the middle of the path knelt on one knee to report the situation. It was at the same time that the knight's metal knee brace hit the carpet under the middle path and Celia's body collapsed.
Amidst the screams of surprised guests, Leonis took Celia's body and pulled it into her arms. When he took off the veil with rough hand movements, a pale face came into his eyes. Leonis clicked his tongue, checking her face soaked in a cold sweat.
'I heard that you just gained consciousness, but it seems it wasn't enough to hold a wedding.'
After making an urgent report, they seemed embarrassed by the bride's fainting. Leonis hugged Celia lightly and looked at the High Priest.
In this state, it was unreasonable to have the kiss of oath.
“… … The wedding is over, right?”
When asked, staring at the high priest with a scary face, the high priest quickly nodded.
“Yes, of course! The two of you became a married couple recognized by the Goddess!”
The story that the two will be together forever until death, which is usually followed by that word, has been omitted. Leonis, as if satisfied with the words of the High Priest, walked away, holding Celia.
"Ah! Duke, what are you doing right now?!”
The Marquis of Montague who was watching the Duke walking away towards the door. For some reason, it seemed that the Duke of Cardian would go to the battlefield holding Celia as it is.
The appearance of the Marquis of Montague in front of him had brought a wrinkle on Leonis' handsome forehead.
“What do you mean? I just had a wedding and I'm taking my bride out of the wedding hall. What is the problem?"
The Marquis of Montague, who recklessly confronted the cold gaze, stopped. Unlike before, his voice blurs the end of his words as if he had lost his energy.
“Aren’t you going to subdue monsters? If so, the bride...….”
He only wanted to prepare for an unforeseen occurrence. In case Leonis died, he hoped Celia to return immediately to the Marquisate of Montague.
Acylus was the capital of the Duchy of Cardian, and it is said that its walls were broken in a worse multitude...… It is said that the monsters that are almost equivalent to the army were crowded in.
If that was the case, so if it would kill Leonis, the Marquis of Montague could have used Celia to devour everything of Cardian.
Of course, the Cardian's vassals would argue for the annulment of the marriage for the reasons they did not spend the first night.
“My bride goes with me of course.”
“What……!”
"I'm a Cardian."
Leonis' arrogant voice quieted not only the Marquis of Montague but also the nobles who were gossiping. Leonis said with cold ridicule.
“You don't expect Cardian to collapse with just this kind of thing, right Marquis?"
The gaze overlooking the Marquis of Montague, who can be said to be quite tall, was full of contempt. It was a glance that could not be considered familial given he had just married into and formed an alliance with the Montague.
The face of the enraged Marquis of Montague rose sharply, but Celia had already married him. It was impossible to tell him to put Celia down now and brought back.
When the Marquis of Montague clenched his teeth and stepped aside about half a step, Leonis frowned his handsome eyebrows and moved his body.
Leonis was a man with wide shoulders and a large physique as he was tall. Naturally, he collided with the Marquis of Montague, but he didn't get out of the way.
The Marquis of Montague, who had been pushed back by force, stepped back a couple of steps and stared at Leonis's back. He was already leaving the wedding hall with his coat flapping in the air.
* * *
The sound of a bonfire burning in the midst of the woods. In the distance, a crow was crying and a cricket sound could be heard.
It's very wide.
At the sound of firewood burning, Celia recalled the fireplace. There was no fireplace where she originally lived, but this is the world in a fantasy romance novel.
In the duke's bedroom, wouldn't there be a fireplace?
'Huh?'
Celia, who opened her eyes, was embarrassed to see another sight from the first time she opened her eyes in this world. As I looked around, I saw a man wearing a shirt.
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