“It’s supposed to be done at the wedding ceremony, but…”

Eustar briefly fiddled with Laila’s left ring finger before slipping on a ring adorned with diamonds and deep blue sapphires.

The band, slightly thin compared to the gemstones, fit perfectly on Laila’s finger. As it caught the light, the faceted surfaces of the diamonds sang in a mesmerizing harmony, emitting a prismatic radiance.

Laila stared at the ring with a somewhat dazed expression before asking.

“This is…”

“It’s a royal ring. Passed down through generations to the Crown Princess or equivalent members of the royal family. I only had the band part newly crafted to fit your finger.”

After finishing his words, Eustar smiled with a hint of hesitation.

“Of course, you might not be able to wear it every day. I apologize in advance if that disappoints you.”

“That’s not the case.”

Laila replied immediately. But her response didn’t end there.

“However, I am curious about the reason.”

Eustar smiled with a pleased expression, as if he had anticipated this.

“Because before being my companion, you will become a knight of Tentinella. All members of Tentinella wear the same ring. It’s a magical device that also serves as a communication tool. So you’ll need to wear that…”

“Can’t I wear it on my right hand?”

“You already have the ring I gave you on your right hand.”

Laila then looked at her right hand. Today, there was no ring. The ring Eustar had given her, which allowed them to communicate from afar, was also a type of magical device.

“You want me to wear both?”

“Use the ring on your right hand when we need to have private conversations. The ring issued by Tentinella, well… it’s hard to explain precisely, but it allows members within a close radius to share wavelengths. So you can speak to multiple people at once. Of course, you can hear them all at once too.”

Laila wondered what kind of conversations she and Eustar might need to have in secret from others, but she thought it wise to just nod at this point.

It was clear that she wouldn’t be able to wear such a flashy ring with diamonds and sapphires every day anyway, if only because it would be too burdensome.

“His Royal Highness, Prince of Sierou, Grand Duke of Aecrot, Eustar Hyanmorik!”

As the attendant guarding the door of the audience chamber raised his voice, Eustar quickly kissed Laila’s hand and whispered.

“Relax. It’ll be fine.”

The attendant then glanced at Laila and announced.

“The Prince Consort’s wife, Laila Kristrad of Ligikers!”

Ligikers. At the sound of that name, Laila’s shoulders flinched momentarily. But as Eustar took her hand, she was quickly reassured.

The two entered the audience chamber amidst a shower of gazes. King Ord sat on the throne at the highest seat. Seen under the bright light, his face looked even more sickly, almost unbearable to look at.

However, Eustar knelt on one knee before his brother as if he were a healthy man, bowing his head without any sign of discomfort.

Laila also knelt before the king as Mel had taught her, making a gesture of respect and submission. As she pressed her forehead against Ord’s rough hand, she felt an indescribable chill. It was like touching the hand of a corpse.

At Ord’s gesture, Eustar naturally led Laila to sit in the prepared seat to the right of the king.

If he hadn’t guided her, Laila would have surely fumbled, not knowing what to do.

However, thanks to Eustar’s appropriate pushing and pulling – as if manipulating a puppet on strings – she was able to take her seat without any awkwardness.

“Lilrus Britier, Duke of Agile and Grand Chancellor of Sierou, step forward and pay your respects to Their Highnesses.”

Baso, the king’s chamberlain, commanded. Then, from among the people standing in a circular formation, an elderly man in ceremonial attire came forward.

He first kissed the ring on Eustar’s left hand, then kissed Laila’s ring as well.

When he took her hand to kiss it, Laila could sense the old nobleman’s impatient desire to let go as soon as possible.

It seeped into her mind and skin like water, and she couldn’t block it out.

However, he rose with an unperturbed expression and spoke solemnly.

“I sincerely hope that Your Highnesses’ future will be smooth, along with the prosperity of this country.”

“Thank you, Lord Britier.”

Eustar nodded slightly. The next order proceeded in the same manner. As Baso called out names, someone from among the nobles would come forward, kiss the rings of both, and offer brief words of blessing.

Laila simply sat still, extending her right hand, and occasionally nodding in agreement to their words, but as the number exceeded a dozen, she began to feel lightheaded.

‘I wonder if Duchess Himierd has come?’

Laila slowly surveyed the people through her veil, but Duchess Himierd was nowhere to be seen. It seemed she was still barred from entering the palace even today.

Laila felt an inexplicable sense of dejection. Considering the loss and anger she must be feeling, Laila questioned whether she should be sitting here at all.

As the nobles’ greetings finally ended, the tension eased from Laila’s shoulders. But no sooner had it done so than King Ord’s voice sounded from behind.

“The Prince Consort’s wife, remove your veil.”

Laila’s body flinched. She almost turned to face the king directly, but thanks to Eustar pressing gently on the back of her hand, she managed to restrain herself.

King Ord spoke again.

“Did you not hear me?”

Eustar whispered.

“Laila, remove your veil.”

“But…”

“It’s alright. Nothing will happen.”

That can’t be true. Laila thought. Even if everyone gathered here knew she was a witch, seeing her faintly veiled appearance versus seeing her unveiled would be different in terms of shock.

“Hurry.”

Eustar said. His voice also sounded anxious for some reason, and Laila had no choice.

As she lifted her veil and pushed it back, low groans erupted here and there. It was closer to involuntary sounds that people couldn’t help but make, rather than intentional reactions.

Laila looked at the faces of the people gathered in the audience chamber one by one. She almost lowered her head, but felt that she shouldn’t.

So instead of avoiding their gaze, she stared directly into their eyes.

Among those who met Laila’s red eyes, some quickly turned away or cleared their throats, pretending to be distracted, as if they thought they would be cursed.

Suddenly, a burst of laughter erupted from behind. It was a loud voice, like that of a madman laughing, completely out of place in the solemn silence that had prevailed until now. The culprit was clearly… Ord.

He beat the armrests of the throne, laughing for a while as if he had seen the most amusing spectacle in the world, then said.

“The expressions of you lords are truly worth seeing. With such little courage, how do you expect to overcome the crisis facing this country?”

Uncomfortable groans erupted among the nobles. Ord glared at them one by one with bloodshot eyes, then suddenly leaned back on the throne, tilting his sickly face askew.

“As you can see, my only blood kin has taken a witch as his wife. However, I do not consider this a misfortune. The Prince, who can provide an heir, is truly a loyal servant to Sierou, more so than a sick king who cannot even produce an heir. Has he not taken a wife who can continue the royal lineage, even if she is a witch?”

No one answered. Even Laila remained silent with a pale face. King Ord’s mockery was too severe. He was treating Eustar like mere breeding stock in front of all these people…

Then am I just a mare brought in to be bred by a stallion? She thought. Suddenly, the whole situation seemed so absurd that she felt like laughing ironically.

Eustar said nothing, showing neither anger nor shame, but simply looked ahead with a composed expression.

Laila tried to follow his example, but she couldn’t control the twitching of her reddened cheeks.

She had been gripping the armrest so tightly that she had to forcefully relax her fingers to unfurl them.

If Eustar hadn’t been beside her, if he hadn’t been so calm, she surely would have lost her composure as well.

On the other hand, she also wondered. How could this man remain so peaceful?

What on earth was Ord Hyanmorik, the king, thinking?

Soon, the sound of irritable coughing began. It seemed unlikely to stop easily, and Ord’s dark face turned a purplish-red as if about to burst. Then the loyal Baso supported the king.

“As His Majesty needs to rest, we will conclude the ceremony here. The noble officials may now withdraw.”

At Baso’s words, people murmured and left the audience chamber like an ebbing tide. The attendants seated the king in a wheelchair and took him to his bedchamber, leaving only Eustar and Laila in the empty audience chamber.

Laila still stared ahead, her lips tightly pressed as if she had been insulted. At first, she didn’t even hear Eustar calling her.

“Laila.”

When he called her name for the third time, she suddenly opened her eyes wide as if waking from sleep and turned her head. Her large red eyes trembled with anger.

“Why did you remain silent after hearing such words?”

“Which words do you mean?”

“What your brother said. That you’re a loyal servant to Sierou? Because you can continue the royal lineage? Is that all your value is?”

Ah, that. Eustar softened his eyebrows and smiled as if he finally understood.

Laila wanted to shout at him not to smile, to ask how he could smile, but her voice wouldn’t come out.

The voice in her mind – telling her not to get angry at him – was preparing to lash out at her. It seemed ready to whip her cheek immediately if she attacked Eustar.

“It’s not just me. People belonging to the royal family inevitably have to… submit to such a fate to some extent. As for why my brother chose to say such things, well… I think he was being a bit spiteful, but it wasn’t a statement that would cause problems.”

“I disagree.”

Eustar smiled gently and adjusted Laila’s veil, fixing its shape.

“But Laila, you don’t need to be so angry. There won’t be any children born between us. You haven’t forgotten, have you? Our marriage is just a facade.”