The next day.

My impatient father made a decision.

“I will allow the marriage.”

For a full day, my father investigated Melson’s background and caught wind of his foul odor.

At first, he began investigating the medicine prescribed to Rian and me, and then he started doubting the medical records said to be the Duke’s.

Of course, they couldn’t have been real.

“I was foolish.”

Father blamed his own ignorance for many years.

“It’s my fault for believing that scoundrel without thorough investigation. It’s all my fault.”

I looked at my father’s gaunt face that had changed overnight and approached him. Today, his shoulders seemed especially slumped as if bearing a heavy burden.

“It’s the deceiver’s fault, not the deceived.”

Father, betrayed by deep trust, was the greatest victim.

Father’s only fault was that his love for his children was too great.

He wanted to save his children, so he grasped at straws.

“I would have done the same.”

It was more of a mistake than a fault. A mistake anyone could make.

This is probably Father’s first time being a father in this life too.

So it was my duty to keep Father’s eyes from becoming clouded. That’s what I thought.

“Marry the Duke. No, it doesn’t matter who. Do as you wish. I’ll respect whatever choice you make from now on.”

“Thank you, Dad.”

What was bound to happen came.

“I didn’t expect to see Your Highness here.”

I saw Serdis at Luanna’s dress shop. I came because Hertian had reserved my wedding dress, and there he was. As always, looking perfect.

“Did Your Highness come to get a gift for Her Majesty the Empress?”

Surrounded by several young ladies, Serdis’s attendant was holding gift boxes full of presents. Amidst them, he smiled brightly.

“Not for Mother.”

“Oh my. Then for which lady? They don’t sell men’s clothing here.”

Serdis’s match would be the future Princess Consort. The young ladies’ curiosity peaked.

“There’s someone I want to give it to personally.”

As he lowered his long eyelashes and smiled as if recalling someone, the young ladies squealed excitedly.

“Who could be the recipient of Your Highness’s abundant love? I’m envious.”

“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 love story.

Standing at the entrance of the dress shop watching this scene, I couldn’t help but sneer. Betty, also watching this, asked worriedly.

“Young lady. Shall we come back another time?”

I thought briefly before shaking my head.

“No. We’ll have to face him eventually.”

Having received my parents’ permission for marriage and Hertian’s promise not to break the contract, there was nothing left to hesitate about.

“Let’s go.”

I took a deep breath and confidently stepped into the dress shop. Luanna, the shop owner, spotted me first and greeted me warmly.

“Lady Leanberia. Thank you for coming.”

“It’s nice to see you, Madam.”

Hearing my name, Serdis turned his head. When our eyes met, his face brightened. I approached him with an indifferent expression and paid my respects.

“It’s an honor to see you, Your Highness.”

“Anette. It’s been so long.”

It was a friendly greeting.

I pretended to forget, but Serdis seemed to have truly forgotten. How our last meeting had been.

“It’s been difficult to see your face.”

Moreover, he chases after me and then greets me as if he’s glad to see me. I barely managed to keep my face from crumpling.

“I didn’t know you two were close.”

“Yes.”

The young ladies whispered something in response to his excited reaction. I didn’t like Serdis, but this situation itself wasn’t bad. Gossip-loving young ladies and a dress shop, the source of rumors. Plus Serdis.

‘This is a good opportunity too.’

Thinking that, a smile naturally formed on my lips.

“I often heard that Your Highness came looking for me. I’m sorry. I’ve had a lot going on recently.”

He smiled brightly at my suddenly kind voice.

“There’s no need for apologies between us. It’s good that we met like this. Actually, I have something to give you, Anette.”

He rummaged inside his white uniform. It seems he had the same idea as me. He was planning to propose publicly in front of all these people.

‘But what kind of relationship do we have?’

Were we close enough to propose after just eating macarons once? Edward would laugh if he passed by.

I didn’t want to give even a chance to this loser who couldn’t even properly confess once.

“Your Highness, before that, I also have something I wanted to give you.”

“To me?”

When I nodded shyly, he stopped rummaging. Everyone else in the dress shop also held their breath to eavesdrop on our conversation. The timing couldn’t have been better.

“Just a moment.”

I opened my bag and took out an envelope I had prepared. Serdis’s face showed confusion as he received the pure white envelope.

“Did you write me a letter?”

What a waste of ink. Why would I write a letter? Just open it without complaint.

“Please open it.”

“Can I open it here? It’s embarrassing.”

What does he think is in the envelope? His shoulders rose slightly as if he had received a love letter. He removed the wax seal and took out the card inside. He seemed quite nervous. He took a deep breath before opening the card.

“How fortunate Your Highness must be.”

“There must be good news coming to the Imperial Palace soon. Right?”

Contrary to the young ladies’ laughter, Serdis’s complexion visibly darkened.

I thought he might pretend to be illiterate, but he seemed to have understood the contents clearly. He stood still like an ice block for a few minutes. I answered on behalf of him who had lost his words.

“Yes. There will be good news for the Imperial Palace.”

“Oh my. Lady Leanberia. But how did you become lovers with His Highness? You only studied during your academy days. We hadn’t heard that you two were dating.”

“That’s right. We’re curious.”

I smiled gently at them.

“You ladies seem to know a lot about me. Here, I’ll give these to you two as well.”

This time, I opened my bag wide for everyone to see. It was full of white envelopes. I took out a bunch and gave them not only to the young ladies but also to Luanna.

Those who received them looked at each other with puzzled expressions. No one dared to open the envelopes first.

“I’m getting married.”

Is more explanation needed?

“To Duke Blandiché.”

Belatedly opening the envelopes, they covered their gaping mouths after seeing the contents. They were wedding invitations. Containing the news that Hertian and I were getting married and inviting them to the wedding.

“Oh my…”

They carefully glanced at Serdis. I also looked at Serdis and drove the final nail in.

“It seems Your Highness and I will become family.”

I didn’t care if they called me cruel.

Serdis and I were never lovers, and in the end, it was Serdis who encouraged the marriage.

That day, if he had just left alone the informants I was supposed to meet at the Information Guild, we wouldn’t have been entangled as family.

“I look forward to your support in the future.”

Blood vessels bulged above Serdis’s reddened neck. He looked like he might explode if touched. Regardless, I turned to the Madam with a calm face.

“Luanna. Could you show me my dress that the Duke ordered?”

She quickly disappeared with two employees.

“Then I’ll see you at the wedding, Your Highness.”

I lightly grasped my dress hem and turned around. Luanna went inside the dress shop and removed the cloth covering the dress. Under the white light, a dress made of silk fabric with a subtle sheen was revealed.

It was an elegant and luxurious wedding dress with small jewels embedded throughout the white fabric that could have been monotonous. Moreover, this dress, with light reflecting off the jewels at different angles, was like magic.

“Oh my goodness! I’ve never seen such a beautiful and sparkling dress!”

Betty’s eyes, like black pearls, sparkled. She examined the dress shown by the Madam from all angles, exhaling heavily. It was an artistic dress by anyone’s standards.

“The Duke chose this himself?”

Luanna smiled softly.

“I showed His Grace several dresses. At first, he left saying he had an urgent matter, but after handling it, he came back and spent a long time looking before deciding.”

I was deeply impressed. Not only did he personally choose the wedding dress, but he also perfectly picked my style among them.

“Young lady, this looks incredibly expensive!”

I agree. It looked incomparably more expensive than anything I had worn before. It was the opposite of my expectation that Hertian would have chosen something cheap since he was choosing it himself.

‘There was no need to choose something so expensive for a contract marriage.’

It seemed he wanted to avoid unnecessary suspicion for the hastily arranged wedding.

“We were so curious among ourselves about who His Grace’s match could be.”

She and the employees gave envious looks. I smiled brightly, pretending to be a happy bride. So that they wouldn’t doubt my marriage.

“May I try it on?”

“Of course. We plan to send it to you after adjusting it to your size.”

But even that was prevented by Serdis, who had followed. His gaze on the wedding dress was deeply shadowed. It seemed to be sinking in for him.

“…Marriage? Stop joking, Anette.”

“I understand you’re very surprised by the sudden marriage announcement. But they say you know your destined partner at first sight, right?”

“You’re lying.”

He didn’t believe my words at all.

“Why do you think it’s a lie?”

“Because… until then, you were looking for other marriage partners.”

His voice lowered, aware of how pathetic he was being.

“And suddenly you’re saying you’re marrying a guy who just returned from war? Does that make any sense?”

“So you do remember.”

I couldn’t help but sneer at his brazen attitude.

“I was worried you might have hit your head when you fainted in front of me at the banquet. But you remember everything from that day?”

“Is that important right now?”

Is that important, he asks?

Serdis was just pushing his own emotions.

“If you remember, don’t you have something to say to me first?”

I’m sorry. An apology should come first. We can have a conversation after you ask for forgiveness. Even if you’re a prince, you should maintain at least this level of decency.

“At that time, I thought you were deliberately playing hard to get. I didn’t intend to force you to do anything, really.”

It was a flimsy excuse.

“You’re saying it was a joke?”

“Yes. It was a joke, a joke. When you suddenly started avoiding me, I…”

“Even if Your Highness says it was a joke, I didn’t take it as one.”

That day, I was so scared I thought I was going to die.

And what? A joke?

You still haven’t come to your senses.