If Idren did not come, it was decided that Penrel would participate in the ceremony as a proxy.

However, this was a great insult to the Reden side, and while she herself might understand, others might not.

Mahanas would want to marry her off because he didn’t want to return the bride price, but there was a slim chance he could demand compensation and ask for the engagement to be broken off.

And then he would look for another suitable groom.

As Mahanas was always short on money due to his many debts.

And Ophelia remembered that Netepel, who could have collected the largest sum from him, was gone.

Having killed Netepel, the person to press Mahanas had disappeared, so a separate plan had to be devised to corner him.

Bringing down Reden wasn’t difficult, but it was troublesome. Especially in a situation where Idren required time and attention.

Ophelia ignored the fact that in her first life, she had been devoted to her elder brother and Reden. People all change, and she had simply changed as well.

More importantly, had Netepel’s body been discovered?

After she left with Penrel, they would have searched the area again, so by now the body should have been found, but there was no word.

Thinking she should send someone to Reden to check, Ophelia rubbed her face. In truth, Netepel wasn’t that big of a problem. He was dead anyway.

But the marriage….. She barely swallowed the sigh she almost unknowingly let out.

Even if they somehow proceeded with the ceremony, there would surely be a banquet afterwards, and she couldn’t attend alone.

Of course, given the current situation in Aglante, there were no state guests. She had blocked the congratulatory procession that was supposed to come from Reden, and politely declined the Egelbamot delegation as well. This was done in preparation for Idren not returning, as they couldn’t loudly announce to the world that they had a half-baked wedding.

But there was no way to stop the Edegrun nobles.

Originally, it was a day for the spouse of a king from another country to make an impression, so there would have been many observers. Moreover, hadn’t the atmosphere in the capital been ominous recently?

Meanwhile, Idren had left a large portion of the wedding budget, so the venue was expected to be decorated very lavishly.

If possible, she wanted to cancel the audience, but couldn’t think of a suitable method.

It was because of her desire to resolve the situation in a way that was rational enough for everyone to accept, clearly showed where the budget was spent, and would benefit the royal family.

It was then that one idea flashed. Ophelia turned to Salode.

“About the banquet the day after the wedding. What do you think of doing this?”

Penrel Soer was very anxious.

There was one reason. The groom had not arrived until the day of the wedding.

He had heard through dispatches that the king’s army had come nearby. The news delivered just before the city gates closed last evening said that the king had almost reached Edegrun.

But if asked whether that was a distance that could be covered overnight, it was not.

Then it would be better to postpone the ceremony even for a day, but the king had sent word through dispatches that he would proceed with the ceremony as scheduled.

It was impossible to know what he was thinking, but the master was too far away to ask for countermeasures. It was something that could be misunderstood even if said right in front of him.

He couldn’t dare to convey anything by letter.

Still, the anxious feeling was unavoidable.

Moreover, it wasn’t just him who was anxious. Penrel glanced at Salode, who was standing on the city wall waiting for the royal flag to appear, just like him.

At first, he tried to keep his distance, saying she was royalty from another country, but at some point, the heir of Chesa began to get close to the Reden princess.

From what he heard, a few gold coins had acted as a lubricant, which was credible given that Salode was struggling with finances around that time.

Although her personality was fussy, she wasn’t a bad person, so it seemed Salode was worried too. Penrel thought that this strict financial advisor, uncharacteristically, didn’t want to disappoint the king’s betrothed.

But that wasn’t for them to decide.

In the worst case, Penrel would have to enter the ceremony venue in place of the king.

Penrel really didn’t want such a situation. He was still unmarried, and if he performed the ceremony as a proxy for royalty, his path to marriage would be blocked. After all, having performed the ceremony, he would have to live as a shadow groom of the royalty for life, with both body and heart pure.

It was a harsh fate for him, who planned to accept a lifelong companion with an open mind if the opportunity arose.

Moreover, not only was he unwilling, but Penrel also thought that the bride’s side wouldn’t want to have the ceremony with him either. How insulting.

Why should they go through something they both dislike? Just as Penrel was thinking about the irrationality of the system, a flag appeared in the distance. Seeing the royal crest on the fluttering cloth, he urgently shouted.

“Lower the bridge!”

The streets of Edegrun looked as if they were about to hold a festival. It was somewhat of a correct impression, as a royal wedding was similar to a festival.

People were walking around the streets with brighter expressions than when last seen. However, when the hooves of the army passed by, their expressions reflexively darkened.

Hazel passed by them, riding her horse following the king in front. Although the frozen atmosphere of the capital was a problem, what concerned her most was the king.

Of course, Hazel wasn’t one to worry much about those above her. The world was full of the weak who couldn’t be fully cared for even if one spent a lifetime doing so. In such a world, there was nothing as unnecessary as deeply caring for those above. Especially if it was a young, healthy man with much to his name.

Nevertheless, the king’s recent behavior aroused some concern.

Ever since beheading the crown prince of Brinwell in the snowy mountains, the king looked truly exhausted.

There had been strange signs even before that.

After returning from Reden, the king seemed to have lost something that made up a person. Hazel thought it was something closely related to humanity. That one of the parts that makes a person appear human had been lost.

However, if a leader fulfills his role well, that private realm is not illuminated.

Their king was the same.

During the war with Brinwell, he had never made a mistake in command. It was an action full of certainty, unbelievably so when you consider that he never hesitated.

The king, who acted as if he knew everything, finally killed Prince Hator in the last battle and achieved victory.

“Let’s return to Edegrun.”

The voice of the man muttering while holding the head of the enemy country’s prince on the snow-covered field full of corpses was weak. Hazel thought then that the king’s back looked too weary for a young man.

Regardless of her impression, the entire army rode without rest because of the commander’s order.

On the way back, they met a dispatch.

The dispatch, which had been waiting unable to climb the mountain, informed them that the Reden princess had already arrived.

The king made no particular comment about this, but Hazel could tell without hearing that the man was anxious.

It was the moment when something like irritation was seen for the first time in his expression, which had only shown weariness.

The march sped up even more after that.

If they hadn’t encountered a snowstorm in the middle, they would have arrived in Edegrun long ago.

When the snowstorm hit, the king seemed unusually flustered.

Although snowstorms are rare around this time, originally no one can predict the weather, but the king acted as if he had seen something that shouldn’t have happened. Frowning like someone whose mood had soured, he ordered to find out why the change had occurred.

The reason why the weather was unlike last year could be learned through an old man in the village where they ended up staying.

“It’s because the mountain is damaged.”

And the old man looked at the king’s reaction. It was natural, as it was he who had ordered to collapse the peaks and set fire to the snowy mountains as part of the strategy.

The king frowned as if he had something to think about after hearing those words. The man, who wasn’t particularly talkative but wasn’t that reticent either, had completely changed to be taciturn as if he had some worries.

After the snowstorm subsided, the march sped up even more.

By then, Edegrun was almost close, so the soldiers gradually began to get excited. The expectation of returning home and the pride of bringing back news of victory heightened the atmosphere.

However, the king, who should have been their focal point, became more depressed as they got closer to the capital.

Depressed. Hazel pondered for a moment whether it was appropriate to describe him in such a way. The emotion in those golden eyes seemed far too heavy to be wrapped up in just the word ‘depressed’.

The king seemed to be in a pit of misery beyond mere sadness and helplessness.

And Hazel recalled where she had seen a similar attitude. Wasn’t it just like a convict who knows he will be sentenced to death but still has to stand in court?

As if being slowly strangled…

Before finishing her thought, the king pulled on his reins. Hazel also stopped her horse following him. They were already standing in front of Sigrasal Castle.

In the distance, Penrel Soer approached urgently.

As soon as the king’s horse came to a stop, Penrel hurriedly approached him. Before he could grab the reins, the king dismounted and asked.

“The wedding?”

His grating voice was low and hoarse. A fishy smell wafted strongly from the man with a complexion paler than usual. Since there had been no news of him being injured, the thick and old smell of blood must have been that of others still clinging to him.

Penrel took the reins from him and answered.

“It’s about to start, but since we adjusted the order, if you prepare now and enter…”

The king didn’t listen to the end of his words and asked.

“Where is Ophi… no, where is the Reden princess?”

“The princess… she might have entered by now.”

Adjusting the ceremony meant that instead of the king waiting as originally planned, they had changed the order so that the bride’s side would wait. It was a Reden procedure, proposed by the bride’s side to hide the king’s absence as much as possible.

Damn it. The king cursed coldly and strode past him. Penrel, instinctively realizing where the man was heading, exclaimed in shock.

“Your Majesty! You should at least change your clothes before entering…!”

But there was no response. In the end, Penrel followed him to try to grasp the situation a little earlier.

The fishy smell brought by the one returning from the battlefield sharply swept through the corridor. The king strode through the air that seemed about to shatter.

Standing in front of the ceremonial hall with a body not yet free from the cold, the man commanded in a voice that seemed to have a metallic tang.

“Open the doors.”