He declared that it was dangerous to return to the duke’s residence now during the blizzard, and said he would send a carriage when the weather calmed down.

As Sieghart moved away, he approached her with a meaning quite different from usual.

The departing man strangely evoked regret. Though it was Sieghart who had plunged into the cold, it was the ring on her slender pinky finger that exhaled the chill.

So Natasha ended up staring out the window for a long time. Until the man’s figure became a dot. Until that dot became empty space, she stood blankly staring only at the window.

‘I…’

And she realized belatedly.

‘I’ve fallen in love with him…’

That her heart was beating rapidly.

Afterwards, Natasha confessed her marriage plans to Lord Dante. Two days later, as soon as the blizzard stopped, he came rushing over and asked accusingly:

“Marriage? Princess! What is this all of a sudden!”

Her getting married? Lord Dante cried out in disbelief. Who is the other party, is she being threatened, is he really trustworthy?

Natasha hadn’t even opened her mouth, but Lord Dante, who had been muttering to himself, clutched his hair as if wailing. Finally, as if a person had come to mind:

“Don’t tell me… Is the marriage partner Duke Asthart?”

Because thinking about it, there was only one man she could marry.

At the tone of asking with certainty, Natasha nodded her head straight away without making excuses.

Good heavens! Lord Dante, with an expression of shock, let out a deep sigh.

“Princess, even if he has no direct crimes, he was close to the imperial family. Are you really alright with this?”

“Yes. It’s fine.”

She nodded her head again.

Lord Dante might not know the details, but Natasha had received a lot of help from the man. Putting aside the financial aspect, he was someone who restored vitality and happiness to her when she was struggling.

The moment he came to visit when she was sick with fever and silently held her hand.

The moment he appeared like a hero during the fight that broke out with the villagers.

The moment he readily handed her chrysanthemums and incense on her parents’ death anniversary, when Natasha was saddened by not even having a grave to mourn their deaths.

And the moment he gave her the ring.

Every moment became a warm memory for Natasha.

Building a happy home with the person she loved.

She thought that with him, she might be able to achieve the dream she had given up after tragedy struck.

Natasha Charliee wanted to be happy with Sieghart Asthart.

Faced with the princess’s firm resolve, Lord Dante finally raised the white flag.

Lord Dante had also been carefully observing Sieghart for half a year. Although the Duke of Asthart was not someone who could be called kind even in jest, he was certainly someone who would make Natasha happy. He also believed the man’s heart was sincere.

“…Alright. Since he’s the one who has kept the princess safe for half a year, I won’t try to stop you anymore. He should be able to protect the princess from both the imperial family and the duchy.”

“Yes, I also got permission for Lord Dante to come to the duke’s residence with me. You don’t have to worry too much. As Lord Dante knows by now, he’s not someone who would harm me.”

At Natasha’s bright smile, Lord Dante ended up smiling foolishly as well.

“Princess. You must be happy.”

“Yes.”

“You must live the most beautiful life that you won’t regret your choice.”

“Of course.”

To Lord Dante’s wish, she boldly promised.

Not knowing that it was rash arrogance.

Two days later, Sieghart appeared leading the duke’s carriage.

While the three people – Natasha, Sieghart, and Dante – were traveling by carriage, Lord Dante asked everything he had been curious about. Though they were questions on the surface, they were actually doubts and suspicions in disguise.

However, Sieghart answered kindly without changing his expression at all, and Lord Dante also dismantled his distrust. That kindness seemed too upright to be a lie, and the answers too meticulous to be false.

Contrary to what was planned, the two people who arrived at the duke’s residence were separated.

Unlike the original promise, Lord Dante ended up staying in a separate building, due to the claim of the knights that joining the Asthart knighthood as the fiancée’s close associate was tantamount to corruption. Even Lord Dante acknowledged the impropriety, so Natasha had no grounds to protest.

Thus, only Natasha ended up staying in the main building.

The two couldn’t sleep together before marriage. Natasha unpacked the luggage she had brought lightly in the new room assigned to her.

Afterwards, the maids assigned to her helped with the tidying. After unpacking, she took a bath in a tub filled with warm water. The fragrance oil that had thoroughly permeated the water made her feel languid.

Her hair, with the dye completely washed out, regained its original color after a long time. Her faded eyes also finally returned to their original hue.

‘Today I’ll be able to show His Excellency my real self.’

Natasha smiled faintly at her “real” self in the mirror. Her heart fluttered at the thought of finally showing the real Natasha Charliee that she hadn’t been able to show Sieghart.

But contrary to her expectations, the man did not appear at the dinner banquet.

Nor at breakfast the next day, nor at dinner. Not the day after that, or the day after that…

Not even on the night before the wedding.

Three weeks.

He had disappeared for a full three weeks. Realizing this was the price for the memories built with Natasha, she didn’t show it otherwise. She comforted herself, thinking he must be busy since he had neglected territory management and other work during the half year spent with her.

Still, it seemed too much to pretend not to know until today. Natasha felt resentful towards the man who had hidden himself until the night before the wedding.

‘He said he loved me.’

But she didn’t doubt the man’s heart. The six months they had spent together was too significant for that.

He was someone who had rushed to her and whispered love whether it snowed or rained. Someone who appeared like a hero and solved everything when there were difficulties.

‘It must be because of the wedding. Since there’s a lot to prepare, and he’ll likely be neglecting work after the marriage, in advance…’

The negative emotions were quickly resolved by the effort and sincerity the man had shown so far. She soon looked forward to the wedding tomorrow.

Natasha in a white wedding dress and Sieghart in a neat suit will promise eternity under everyone’s blessings. They will put rings on each other as shackles of love and share a beautiful kiss.

‘I wish tomorrow would come soon.’

She fell asleep with such happy imagination.

Not knowing that the past half year was actually an emotional shackle to prevent Natasha from escaping.

The sound of magnificent trumpets rang out in front of the woman marching with a bouquet of undecaying lily of the valley.

Natasha, appearing in a dress, carefully walked down the virgin road.

There was no time to marvel at the scene visible through the veil. The neatly dressed Sieghart stood out much more than the venue decorated with all sorts of splendid things like fresh flowers and jewels.

She stopped in front of him with a swelling heart. Natasha peeked at the man earnestly through the dense holes. As if wishing he would look at her who had adorned herself prettily.

Whether her gaze didn’t reach him, Sieghart stared blankly into empty space the whole time. His line of sight was as unwavering as his motionless body. Rather embarrassed, she deliberately averted her gaze. Though she tried to focus on other things, the man kept invading her field of vision despite her efforts.

After the customary officiating ended, the flower child walked in.

The groom put the ring handed by the flower child on the bride’s finger. In the center of the ring was a blue diamond symbolizing the Asthart ducal family. Her heart swelled, as if acknowledging that Natasha had finally become a member of the ducal family.

The two who had exchanged rings then met eyes. For the two who had shared the symbol of marriage, only one procedure remained.

The vow kiss, commonly called the flower of the wedding ceremony.

“Now it’s time for the two of you to prove your love.”

At the officiant’s words, Sieghart immediately moved. Her heart, which she had barely calmed, started pounding again at his approaching figure.

The veil touched the back of his broad hand. He lifted the lace with gentle force and entered Natasha’s space.

The man’s red eyes were much more beautiful up close. The eerie eyes inevitably made Natasha tense.

He was also staring at Natasha’s red eyes. As if fascinated by her appearance he was seeing for the first time, by her red eyes like his own, he kept murmuring the word “eyes”.

While they stayed in the cramped space, the two’s breaths mingled wildly. A strange sweet scent inflated the tension.

‘Princess.’

He moved his lips.

Was that the signal for the start of the kiss? Natasha tightly closed her eyes as his arms wrapped around her back and arms.

The hair occasionally touching her forehead tickled. The increasingly thick breath was sweet enough to suffocate if inhaled. Their noses bumped against each other.

Everything got closer. Except for their lips.

Feeling puzzled, Natasha slightly opened her eyes.

It wasn’t a misunderstanding. Their lips were not overlapping. The man had only brought his face close, while strictly maintaining the distance between their lips.

“…”

Ah.

A mute groan escaped through her teeth.

The man’s eyes looking down at her were colder than ever. The lowered blood-red pupils were coercive. As if commanding her to close her eyes.

The figures of the guests were reflected behind her shoulders. Not wanting to be caught in the shame of exchanging a false kiss, Natasha closed her eyes as demanded.

A moment later, cheers were heard. Congratulatory words whispering blessings to them followed. Then Sieghart stepped away as if he had been waiting for this moment.

‘Why…’

Natasha clenched her fists tightly.

‘Why on earth?’

To hide the unnamed emotion creeping up from her toes.

And to hide the wedding ring that was loose and ill-fitting.