"Grace?"
A while ago, I remembered getting scolded by her—she said I acted as if I didn't care whether my marriage prospects were ruined.
But today, I used every last bit of social skills from this life and my past ones… What's the problem now?
"Ah, Dory! I just heard the news! His Highness formally proposed to you, didn't he?"
Grace, who had stepped closer, was smiling as brightly as a sunflower.
"His Highness Tristan… After all the trouble he caused, he didn't forget the most important thing in the end."
"…Right."
"Did he give you a gift?"
"A necklace. Want to see it?"
"No, I might get jealous. Back in my day, all I got was a huge bouquet of flowers."
Honestly, though, her expression when she emphasized the word huge didn't look all that bad. I said frankly,
"A bouquet is nice too."
"…That's what I thought too. But later, my parents clicked their tongues. They knew exactly how much he earned, yet all he gave me was a bouquet."
"…"
"I realized later that they were just anxious—it was their first time sending a daughter off to marriage, and they worried the other family might look down on her. If the first button was fastened wrong, it'd set a bad precedent for my younger siblings too. …So, let me ask you this."
Sister took a deep breath before speaking.
"Dory. Did my married life seem problematic to you?"
"Huh?"
"You're not happy about Natalie's marriage prospects, right? I wondered if… maybe it's because my marriage looked unhappy to you, and you got scared in advance."
That was unexpected.
"No way! I haven't seen you two together often, but you're doing fine, aren't you?"
"Fine is the word. A 'suitable' marriage without love, lived 'exemplarily.'"
"…"
"I think this kind of life is good too, but… I wondered if you expected something more from marriage."
"No! I've always admired your life, sister."
I meant it.
At banquets, they'd smile at each other like friends, always offering their hands and time to one another.
Even if they were partners matched by a family contract, isn't a life where you've gained a lifelong friend still a happy one?
Luckily, my emotions must have shown clearly on my face, because 's expression slowly softened into a smile.
"Thank you, Dory. I wanted to hear that from you."
"Sister…"
"Seeing how His Highness Tristan acted today, I think he'll make a good husband. With just courtesy and trust, married life can be happy."
"…Yeah."
"Ha… Honestly, I'm more worried about Natalie. She kept smiling all day today, and it made me uneasy. Do you know where she is right now?"
"No idea."
"Ah, she must've run off knowing I'd come to scold her! That girl's intuition is freakishly sharp."
Sister sighed and strode down the hallway. Watching her retreating back with mixed feelings, I asked a question I hadn't been able to voice earlier.
Sister. Did Tristan really seem okay to you today?
'To me, something felt off.'
If I analyzed it piece by piece, everything was perfect.
He knelt on one knee to propose, talked about my eyes while giving me the gift, and finished with the decisive line: "I'll definitely make you happy."
It's a good thing—this is exactly what I'd been hoping for since the start of the year, marching steadily toward success!
'Then why do I feel so uneasy?'
…I won't say I wasn't excited.
But I couldn't fully rejoice either.
What am I missing?
Even if I marry…
'Will I be happy?'
With these doubts lingering?
I opened the gift Tristan gave me again. Of course, there was no answer inside—just an emerald, framed like a portrait in champagne gold, more beautiful than my own eyes, staring back at me.
Tristan.
That infuriatingly honest bastard who used to drive people crazy—what could he possibly be hiding now?
"Oh my, so prettyyy."
"Ah, sister."
Natalie suddenly appeared, resting her chin on my shoulder. She was warm, probably from dancing and drinking.
"Grace was looking for you earlier. I think she's still awake—want to go?"
"She's just going to scold me a million times. Why do -types always want to lecture their younger siblings? They know we're all different!"
"…"
"…Ah, no, but!"
Natalie seemed to immediately grasp the meaning behind my silence—'You were the same.'
She groaned.
"Anyway. What did she say to you?"
"That married life can be happy with just courtesy and trust."
"That's just the only way she knows. Maybe happiness lies in not marrying at all."
I lowered my voice.
"Like you used to say?"
"Yeah. You said everything's ready, right?"
"Yes."
"Good. Well, I'm finally getting married, so be happy like Grace said."
Natalie absentmindedly patted my head.
I almost asked her, 'Don't you think Tristan seemed weird?' but held back. The hand stroking my hair was trembling with tension.
Whether we marry or not, we're all stepping onto paths we've never walked before.
Even if the day comes when we regret our choices, I hope we never regret not giving it our all.
October.
The sky was high and beautiful, as if someone had made a wish upon it.
Nobles entering the chapel bowed their heads before the king and queen.
"Congratulations. The heavens themselves seem to be blessing this day—it's truly beautiful."
Though the wedding had been hastily arranged, as if to sweep the disgraced Percival under the rug, it was still a royal celebration. Nobles who rarely appeared in social circles filed into the chapel one by one.
'Commoners must be waiting outside just to see the procession.'
Meanwhile, chapel workers scurried about like shadows.
Grace whispered beside me.
"You keep looking around. You were too young to attend the Crown Prince's wedding, right? The royal chapel must seem fascinating."
"It's as wide as a theater. How many people are even coming…?"
"Why are you nervous? It's not even your wedding— Oh. Yours will be here too, won't it? Sorry."
"…"
"The ceremony will be over before you know it—just a blur of applause. A bride only needs to see two things: her husband's face and the priest's."
"That feels like something's missing."
"Don't look at your family. You'll cry."
"Ah…"
"Men have it easy. They don't cry at weddings, it seems."
Sister smirked, one side of her lip quirking up.
Soon, the chapel doors closed, and soft music began playing from within the altar.
The wedding had begun.
A man in a tailcoat strode confidently toward the raised platform where the priest and deacon stood. For a wedding, he looked annoyingly refreshed.
Next entered Natalie and Father.
"Wow…"
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Dressed in a classic, voluminous wedding gown, was as beautiful as a divine being emerging from sea foam.
Her usually loose red hair was elegantly pinned up, drawing all eyes to her face.
Even Percival, who had been grinning arrogantly as if he were the star of the show, lost his smile and stared blankly at as she walked down the aisle.
Pretty, right? Pretty, right? Pretty, right?
Why do I feel so proud?
Finally, the bride stood beside the groom. Father returned to sit beside Mother.
The priest cleared his throat.
"We now commence this sacred union of souls. Let it be known that none may treat this rite as a tool for vanity or take it lightly…"
Royal weddings were famously dull. Every necessary procedure had to be included, making them the world's most exemplary ceremonies.
Older nobles, knowing the sermon and hymns would drag on, had already lowered their eyes.
But today would be different.
The priest spoke.
"First, I ask the groom: Do you understand that you must participate in today's rite with the purest heart of your life?"
"I understand."
"Next, I ask: Do you swear that you acknowledge yourself as half of a soul, prepared to become someone's one and only companion…?"
Just as Percival, looking bored, began to raise his right hand—
BANG!
The chapel doors burst open.
"Wait! He has no right to marry here!"