Chapter 17: This Time, We’re Really Getting Married
The next day.
The impatient father finally made his decision.
“I give you permission to marry.”
After digging into Melson’s background all day long, Father caught his foul scent.
At first, he investigated the medicine prescribed to Rian and me, then he began to doubt the medical record that supposedly belonged to the Duke.
Of course, it couldn’t have been real.
“I was foolish.”
Father blamed his ignorance accumulated over the years.
“My mistake was trusting that guy without investigating thoroughly. It’s all my fault.”
I looked at Father’s face, suddenly gaunt overnight, and stepped closer. His shoulders were slumped today as if carrying a heavy burden.
“The one who deceives is at fault, not the one who is deceived.”
Father, betrayed in his deep trust, was the greatest victim.
His mistake was simply that his love for his child was too great.
He wanted to save his child, so he clung to even a straw.
“I would have done the same.”
It was less a fault than a mistake. A mistake anyone could make.
After all, this life was Father’s first time being a father.
So it was my job to keep Father’s eyes from clouding over. That’s what I thought.
“Marry the Duke. Or whoever you want. I don’t care. Do as you please. From now on, I will respect any choice you make.”
“Thank you, Dad.”
What was coming, came.
“I never expected to see His Highness the Prince here.”
At Luanna’s dress shop, I saw Serdis. Hertian had made a reservation for my wedding dress, so I came to check it out—and there he was, as perfect as always.
“Did Your Highness come to bring a gift for Her Majesty the Empress?”
Several young ladies surrounded Serdis, and a servant carried a box full of gifts beside him. He smiled brightly amid them.
“Not for Mother.”
“Oh my, then who is it for? They don’t sell men’s clothes here.”
If Serdis had a partner, it would be the future Princess Consort. The young ladies’ curiosity peaked.
“There’s someone I want to give it to separately.”
When he lowered his long eyelashes and smiled as if recalling someone, the young ladies squealed excitedly.
“Who’s the lucky one to receive the prince’s love? I envy her.”
“You’ll find out soon.”
“Could it be that your recent trip to Tier was to propose to her?”
“Yes.”
He was completely absorbed in his own romance.
Watching this from the entrance of the dress shop, I scoffed. Betty watched alongside me and asked with concern,
“Miss, should we come back another time?”
I hesitated briefly, then shook my head firmly.
“No. We’ll have to meet sooner or later.”
With my parents’ permission for marriage and Hertian’s promise not to break the contract, there was nothing left to hold back.
“Let’s go.”
I took a deep breath and confidently stepped into the shop. Luanna, the owner, spotted me first and greeted me warmly.
“Lady Leangberia, thank you for coming.”
“Nice to see you, madam.”
At the sound of my name, Serdis turned his head. When our eyes met, his face lit up. I approached him calmly and greeted politely.
“Your Highness the Prince.”
“Anette, it’s been a while.”
A friendly greeting.
I pretended to have forgotten, but Serdis clearly had no recollection of our last meeting.
“It’s been so hard not seeing your face.”
He had chased after me before and now greeted me as if nothing happened. I barely stopped my face from twisting in irritation.
“You two are close, then.”
“Yes.”
The young ladies whispered among themselves at his enthusiastic response. I didn’t like Serdis, but this situation wasn’t bad. The chatty young ladies and the dress shop—a hotbed of rumors. And Serdis.
“This might be a good opportunity.”
Thinking so, a smile naturally appeared on my lips.
“I’ve often heard you came looking for me, Your Highness. Sorry, I’ve been busy with various matters recently.”
My gentle voice made him smile brightly.
“No need to apologize between us. It’s good we meet like this. I actually have something to give you.”
He rummaged inside his white uniform. He seemed to think the same as I did—he was planning to propose publicly in front of all these people.
“But what kind of relationship do we have?”
Was one macaroon date enough to warrant a proposal? Edward, passing by, would laugh at that.
I didn’t want to give a loser who never properly confessed even one chance.
“Your Highness, before that, I have something to give you as well.”
“To me?”
When I shyly nodded, he stopped rummaging. Others inside the shop also held their breath to eavesdrop. Perfect timing.
“Wait a moment.”
I opened my bag and took out a prepared envelope. Serdis’s face showed confusion upon receiving the pristine white envelope.
“You wrote me a letter?”
Why waste ink writing a letter? No nonsense.
“Open it.”
“Here? It’s embarrassing.”
He imagined what was inside. Like someone receiving a love letter, his shoulders rose proudly. He broke the sealing wax and pulled out a card, looking quite tense. After a deep breath, he opened it.
“Your Highness is lucky.”
“There will be good news for the palace soon, right?”
Contrary to the young ladies’ laughter, Serdis’s expression darkened visibly.
I thought he might pretend to be illiterate, but he clearly understood. He stood frozen for several minutes like an ice block. I answered for him, who lost his words.
“Yes. There will be good news for the palace.”
“Oh my! Lady Leangberia, how did you become the Prince’s lover? You only studied at the academy; I never heard you two were seeing each other.”
“That’s what we want to know too.”
I smiled sweetly at them.
“You all know a lot about me. Now, I’ll give these to you two.”
This time, I opened my bag wide for everyone to see. It was full of white envelopes. I took out a bunch and handed them out to the young ladies and even to Luanna.
They looked puzzled, exchanging glances, hesitant to open the envelopes first.
“I’m getting married.”
Need I say more?
“To Duke Blandice.”
Those who finally opened the envelopes covered their mouths in shock. Inside was a wedding invitation. It stated that Hertian and I were getting married and invited the recipients to the wedding.
“Oh my…”
They stealthily glanced at Serdis. I looked at Serdis and drove the point home.
“Your Highness and I will become family.”
Call me cruel if you want.
Serdis and I were not lovers, and in the end, it was Serdis who pushed for the marriage.
If only the young men I was to meet at the information guild that day hadn’t been left alone, we wouldn’t have been tied as family.
“Please take care of me from now on.”
Veins popped on Serdis’s reddened neck. He looked ready to explode with a single poke. Regardless, I calmly turned to Madame.
“Luanna, will you show me the dress the Duke ordered?”
She disappeared quickly with two assistants.
“Then, see you at the wedding, Your Highness.”
I lightly held my dress’s hem and turned around. Luanna entered the shop and pulled off the cloth covering the dress. Under the white light, a subtle sheen of silk fabric emerged.
The dress was white but not dull, studded with small jewels throughout, creating a luxurious and elegant look. The jewels sparkled like magic when the light hit them at different angles.
“Oh my! I’ve never seen such a pretty and sparkling dress!”
Betty’s eyes sparkled like jewels. She sniffed proudly as she admired the dress. Anyone could see it was a work of art.
“The Duke chose this himself?”
Luanna smiled softly.
“He saw several dresses. At first, he had to leave abruptly for an urgent matter, but after handling it, he came back and took his time before deciding.”
I admired deeply in my heart. Not only had he chosen my wedding dress personally, but he had perfectly picked one that suited my style.
“Miss, this looks really expensive!”
I agreed. Compared to everything I had worn before, it looked so costly. I expected Hertian to pick something cheap since it was a contract marriage, but this was the exact opposite.
‘For a rushed wedding, I guess he wanted to avoid any unnecessary suspicion.’
“We were so curious who the Duke’s partner would be.”
She and the staff looked at me with envy. I smiled brightly, pretending to be a happy bride, so they wouldn’t doubt my marriage.
“Can I try it on?”
“Of course. It will be tailored to your size.”
But that was interrupted by Serdis who had followed. His gaze darkened deeply as he looked at the wedding dress. He seemed to finally grasp the reality.
“…Marriage? Don’t joke, Anette.”
“You’re shocked by the sudden marriage, I understand. But they say you can tell right away who you’re meant to marry.”
“That’s a lie.”
He didn’t believe me at all.
“Why do you think it’s a lie?”
“Well… because until then, you were looking for someone else to marry.”
Knowing he was whining, I lowered my voice.
“But suddenly marrying a guy who came back from war—is that reasonable?”
“So you remember.”
His shameless attitude made me snort.
“You fainted in front of me at the banquet. I worried you hurt your head. But you remember everything from that day?”
“Is that important now?”
Is it important? Serdis was just pushing his own feelings.
“If you remember, you should have something to say to me first.”
Sorry. An apology comes first. Conversation can happen after I forgive. Even for a prince, there are lines to keep.
“At the time, I thought you were just playing hard to get. I never planned to force you. Really.”
A pathetic excuse.
“You’re saying it was a joke?”
“Yes, a joke. When you suddenly avoided me, I…”
“Even if Your Highness calls it a joke, I didn’t take it as one.”
That day, I was so scared I thought I would die.
And now? A joke?
You still haven’t gotten your act together.
Wow. Don’t often see the groom being the one to pick the gown