KDYG l CH 25

Posted by Eleanor, Released on August 5, 2025

Chapter 25

“I saw her a few times while staying at the Duke’s mansion. What about you, Eric?”

“I arrived this morning by train. I only got to greet her quickly while she was getting ready for the wedding.”

That was true. It had been very difficult for Eric, a military cadet, to get permission to leave school. He left as early as he could, but arriving on the morning of the wedding was the best he could do.

“What did she say?”

“Nothing. I didn’t even get to talk to her. I just saw her face before she was taken away.”

Eric had rushed to the temple, but all he managed was a quick eye contact with Chloe as she was walking out of the prayer room. Right after that, the Duke’s attendants took him away.

“You’re Miss Amboise’s younger brother, right?”

Even for a bride’s family member, there’s a certain dress code for the ceremony. The attendants took Eric’s wrinkled school uniform and gave him a fresh one, styling his hair as well.

A woman named Julia ironed his uniform so perfectly that Eric wondered if she had been in the military herself.

“You look great, though! You’re glowing,” said Lea, admiring him.

Eric frowned at her compliment.

“What is all this? I got dragged around by strangers who washed me and dressed me up. It was so weird.”

“Why? I liked it. And Iris looks really cute, doesn’t she?”

Lea, who was also dressed in a fancy gown and silk gloves, smiled cheerfully while holding their youngest sister Iris, who had dozed off in her arms.

Even Eric, who didn’t care much about fashion, could tell that Iris’s dress was made of very expensive fabric—the kind their family could never afford. Her hair was also styled beautifully, and the usual birthmark behind her ear was hardly noticeable now.

Still, Eric couldn’t hide how annoyed he felt.

“Just because you wear some fancy dress, doesn’t mean you should smile like that. People are gossiping horribly behind our backs—are you okay with that?”

Lea quietly looked at her hot-headed brother and twisted his arm hard.

Eric winced and almost shouted in pain, but managed to hold it in.

“So, should we just cry about it?” she asked calmly.

“Hey!”

“Just shut up and stay quiet. Have you ever seen Chloe make a wrong choice?”

“She got a lot wrong in ethics class back in school…”

Eric forgot one important thing—Lea still hadn’t used her nails when she pinched him. He twisted in silence, holding back a scream.

Lea leaned in and whispered softly,

“Chloe made this choice. Let’s wait and see.”

Faced with the threat of losing his arm, Eric had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.

***

People who had been chatting excitedly finally sat down when the wedding bells rang, signaling the start of the ceremony. But the whispering didn’t stop.

“As the representative of the dragon Ibanes, we stand before the blessed union of Curtis Sian Berg and Chloe Amboise.”

While the priest offered sacred scrolls and led traditional rituals, people kept whispering.

“They did prepare everything properly.”

“Of course. If anything was missing, Duke Berg would’ve blamed the king himself.”

“Prince Frederick is really something too. Even if he’s the only heir, still…”

Because this was the royal prayer temple, guests sat shoulder-to-shoulder on long benches beneath the grand altar. They whispered so close together that no one far away could hear them—but the royal guards standing by the aisle on either side definitely did.

“Damn, they sure like to gossip,” muttered Captain Georges quietly from the front.

Ezra, who stood on the opposite side, twitched his lips. The third squad leader behind Georges leaned in and asked,

“You guys… Can you believe this is really happening?”

“I feel like I’m dreaming. Someone stabbed me with a knife.”

“Both of you shut it,” said Ezra sharply. They went silent, keeping their eyes on the altar.

But as the priest’s speech dragged on, Georges couldn’t stay quiet.

“To be honest, I volunteered to guard this wedding just to see if it was real.”

“You too? Same here…”

“Hey Ezra, are you okay though? Isn’t Chloe… your parents…?”

“I said shut it. We’re in the middle of a ceremony.”

Ezra’s voice was sharper this time. Georges pouted for a moment, but stopped when his eyes met those of Victor, the Marshal of the Army, standing just below the altar.

Everyone knew the story. A few days ago, the king had yelled at Victor for assigning a female aide to Duke Berg and dragging her all the way from the Navy.

Victor had only been trying to help. Aides were hard to find, and he finally got one—only to be scolded by the king because the two fell in love.

Maybe that’s why Victor looked so terrifying today. No one wanted to cross him.

As the priest stepped down, Victor climbed up the altar with a heavy sigh, taking his place. Prince Frederick also stood up from the royal seats and joined him.

The sacred rituals were over. Now the real wedding vows would begin.

The royal band started to play, and Ezra turned and shouted,

“Everyone, attention!”

The guards at the entrance walked in with perfect timing and joined their squad leaders.

All the guests stood up at once and turned toward the entrance to watch the bride and groom come in.

“Raise swords!”

The ceremonial swords were longer and shinier than the usual ones. The guards raised them in perfect sync, creating a beautiful arch. Even guests who had grumbled about attending couldn’t help but gasp.

Everyone was reminded that Duke Berg was a real war hero. Excitement spread through the crowd. They couldn’t wait to see him.

“I wonder how handsome he looks today?”

“He looks amazing even in his regular uniform. I came just to see him in person.”

Some young noble ladies sighed with regret.

The bride wasn’t considered a great beauty, but she was marrying Duke Berg. Surely, she’d be dressed in something stunning.

“I heard Prince Frederick opened the royal treasury for her.”

“And even unlocked Queen Mildred’s dressing room!”

“But it’s only been a week. How much could they prepare?”

“Well, the Duke is rich. And since the bride’s a bit plain, they probably dressed her up well.”

“Right. Otherwise, it’s like putting pearls on a pig, isn’t it?”

Even those who spoke rudely were clearly curious. They wanted to know how glamorous the couple would look—how fancy the dress and jewels would be.

Finally, the doors opened.

Without delay or dramatic pause, the bride and groom walked into the hall.

Everyone held their breath. Silence fell. Ezra stared straight at the entrance.

There stood the ever-dazzling Curtis Berg, side by side with Chloe—his closest friend.

Ezra felt his tension ease.

Before coming here, he had kept doubting that they were really getting married. But now that he saw them standing together, it felt surprisingly familiar. Just like always.

Except for one thing: they were holding arms.

But thinking about it more… These two were always together. He saw them side by side all the time at the Royal Guard’s training grounds.

Other than holding arms… this looked just like usual.

Ezra almost laughed at himself for being so nervous.

‘Ugh, what was I even thinking?’

He closed his eyes, then opened them again and shouted,

“Brigadier Curtis Sian Ibanes Berg and Lieutenant Chloe Amboise will now be…?”

Wait.

He paused mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something strange.

“Will now be… married…”

Hold on. “Just like always”?

‘They’re not supposed to look like they always do!!’