It took less than a day for rumors to spread throughout Sierow Palace that the wedding ceremony of Prince Eustar and Laila Kristrad would be omitted by the king’s will.

The palace officials, who had been frantically preparing for the prince’s wedding without even thinking of sleep due to the tight schedule, were stunned and at a loss for words. Those who had been eager to see the face of the witch—whom they usually enjoyed calling “that insolent woman”—who had snatched away the prince, were also speechless in various ways at the absurd news.

Sui, that is, Duchess Himierd, was the most strongly opposed to King Ord’s actions, but she could do nothing as she was banned from entering the palace.

She was not even able to attend the ceremony where Laila would become Eustar’s official consort and receive greetings from other nobles.

Laila had to wake up before dawn at Mel’s insistence. Although the fatigue from her visit to the Adiak branch a few days ago had not yet fully dissipated, Mel seemed to have no intention of showing mercy.

“Lady Laila, no, Lady Kristrad. You can’t still be in bed when time is of the essence!”

Then Mel frowned at the other employees lined up with their hands clasped in front.

“What are you all doing? The high-ranking officials and nobles will be coming to pay their respects to His Highness the Prince and Lady Kristrad as soon as the 7 o’clock bell rings!”

In reality, they were still unsure of how to treat Laila.

Although she was to become the prince’s consort, she was still a witch. Moreover, a commoner unfamiliar with royal etiquette…

No matter that the prince himself had brought her, for those who had only ever seen nobles from birth, Laila’s presence was bound to be disconcerting.

She captivated everyone’s attention and made them uneasy, like a poppy that had suddenly sprouted in the middle of a garden full of lavender, laurel, and camellia trees.

Whether it was because of her jet-black hair and red eyes, or her indifferent and acerbic attitude unlike other ladies walking around the palace. Either way, they found Laila uncomfortable, and Laila was well aware of this fact.

But to Mel, such facts were irrelevant. Mel had been ordered by both Duchess Himierd and Eustar to “take good care of” Laila.

Although she was an employee, she had a tendency to act like the old servants. That is, to obey without question whatever the master’s orders might be. It was a perfect disposition for working in the royal palace.

Mel said,

“Have you still not come to your senses? Move quickly! If Lady Kristrad is late to receive the first greetings from the officials and nobles, you’ll all be kicked out without a single coin!”

The lined-up employees finally moved in unison. Laila, who had been pretending to still be asleep with her eyes closed, finally looked at Mel with an indifferent face after everyone had disappeared.

“You don’t need to fuss over people because of me, Mel.”

“Lady Kristrad, from today you are officially the prince’s consort. You must lower your speech not only to me but to all the employees working in the palace.”

“Do I really have to?”

Mel nodded.

“Yes, you must.”

She was one of those who had grasped Laila’s nature quite well in just a few days.

If you wanted to make her do something, there was no need for vague assumptions or leaving room for other possibilities.

If told ‘you must do it this way,’ Laila would generally comply. Although that wouldn’t necessarily erase all the questions inside her, Mel didn’t have the luxury to worry about that as well.

“I’ll quickly go over your morning schedule, so please listen carefully. First, when the employees prepare the bath water, you must thoroughly wash your body. After that, they will escort you to the toilette room. The dress you’ll wear today has already been decided, and there are also accessories that match the formality. I’ve checked them, so only use what’s laid out on the dressing table and shelves. If anyone suggests other accessories, dismiss them immediately.”

Laila’s eyes blinked. Mel felt strange, as if looking at an innocent child who had just understood human speech for the first time in their life.

“Will that happen?”

Laila, who had asked the question, bit her lower lip slightly as if she had made a mistake, then looked at Mel again.

“Will that happen, Mel?”

Mel said,

“It might. Although one must pass several extremely difficult interviews to work in the palace, that doesn’t explain everything about a person. There are quite a few people with malicious intent. So it wouldn’t be strange if someone tried to put you in a difficult situation. So remember. You must only use what’s laid out. That’s the rule. At least for today.”

Laila, who had been lost in thought for a moment, slightly raised one corner of her mouth. For an instant it looked like a mocking expression, but Mel knew it was just a habit.

When she first realized this, Mel felt uneasy thinking that Laila must have lived her whole life without having a reason to smile naturally.

“So there are such people, but I can trust Mel unconditionally. No, that’s what you’re saying.”

Mel looked at Laila with a solemn expression, without a trace of a smile.

“I am loyal to His Majesty and His Highness the Prince, Lady Kristrad. I am loyal to anyone who is a member of the royal family. So I will be loyal to you as well.”

It was a sentiment that Laila couldn’t understand, but she decided to respect Mel. Soon, a voice announced that the bath water was ready, and Mel personally escorted Laila to the bathroom before saying,

“I will come to escort you when you have finished changing, Lady Kristrad.”

“I understand… I understand, Mel.”

The most perplexing thing for Laila was having to speak casually to unfamiliar people without hesitation.

While the employees were attending to her bath, she fidgeted restlessly, still wide-eyed at the drops of perfumed oil falling one by one into the bathtub. Her expression was as if they were dropping toad venom.

A young girl, observing Laila’s expression and not knowing what to do, carefully said,

“Um, Lady Kristrad. Is there anything making you uncomfortable?”

Laila suddenly looked at the girl. She was a cute child with freckles across her nose bridge and innocent-looking eyes. She looked about fifteen or sixteen years old.

“No, it’s not… That’s not it. I was just looking because it’s fascinating.”

The employees whispered among themselves at Laila’s strange answer before silently resuming their bath attendance.

Wearing only a thin undergarment—which was pointless since it was soaked—and having to stay still while others scrubbed her entire body was still something she couldn’t get used to and sometimes felt like torture.

But Laila remained docile. She thought this must be part of their job too.

‘Just as I have to pretend to be married to Eustar, they must have their own circumstances.’

That’s how Laila endured the long and arduous morning grooming.

When she entered the toilette room, everything from the dress to accessories, the veil for her head, and the thin lace decorations for her wrists were indeed prepared. Laila worried that someone might suggest something different, but that didn’t happen.

When Mel returned, Laila had finished her adornment from head to toe. The dark blue dress, sparkling diamonds, and the sapphire tiara symbolizing the Sierow royal family with the veil hanging below it were beautiful.

Mel adjusted the thin lace decoration covering the back of Laila’s hand once more before pulling the veil forward to half-cover her face.

“The ceremony itself is simple. His Highness the Prince will explain it to you beforehand, but let me tell you in advance, you just need to sit still.”

Laila’s eyes blinked behind the veil. Even the veil had a slightly bluish tint, so her eyes no longer appeared as bright red as usual.

Mel looked at Laila for a moment with an expression that seemed unsure whether this was good or not.

Laila asked,

“What should I do while sitting?”

“The officials and nobles will come forward one by one to greet you and His Highness the Prince. You’ll be wearing a ring on your left hand, and they will kiss that ring and offer brief words of blessing. You can nod or respond to them.”

Laila wanted to ask more, but there was no time as Mel was in a hurry.

Other employees followed behind, holding the hem of her dress, while Mel walked a step behind Laila. It was similar to how she had assisted Duchess Himierd.

It still felt strange that Laila herself was now in the place where the duchess used to be…

“Laila.”

The moment she saw Eustar waiting in front of the audience chamber, Laila felt a refreshing sensation as if a cool breeze had blown in from somewhere.

It lasted only for an instant and she quickly realized it was an illusion, but his smile, with his long platinum blonde hair flowing and dressed in ceremonial attire, seemed as bright as a lamp illuminating a dark cave for a moment.

“You look beautiful.”

Eustar said. Laila lowered her gaze while fixing her eyes on his face, which appeared slightly blurred through the veil.

“But people would have wished for another lady to become your consort.”

Eustar smiled.

“You mean a lady with honey-sweet golden hair and eyes as blue as the summer sky or as green as the scent of fir trees?”

Laila nodded. Somehow, she felt her mood sinking.

“Yes. That kind of lady. And a lady who isn’t a witch.”

“I should tell you that it doesn’t matter to me at all who others wished to be my companion. And I have no complaints about you becoming my companion.”

Laila looked at him for a moment with an inscrutable expression before saying,

“It’s a temporary companionship, Eustar.”

Eustar smiled faintly.

“That’s true. But the people gathered here don’t know that fact. Let’s keep it our secret for now.”

As he said this, he leaned his head deeply towards Laila, startling her enough to momentarily shrink her shoulders.

But neither his lips, forehead, nor the tip of his nose touched her. Only his long hair that had fallen slightly forward brushed against Laila’s veil.

“Hold out your left hand, Laila.”

Eustar said. Laila held out her left hand with a slightly dazed expression due to Eustar’s action just now. Soon, the ring he was holding moved slightly and sparkled.