“Adeline.”

Perhaps because she didn’t want to think about anything, Adeline, who had entered the bedroom with Casius’s guidance, seemed to have fallen asleep.

Adeline lifted her eyelids to the gentle voice she heard as he stroked her hair.

“The priest is coming tonight.”

Adeline couldn’t escape the drowsiness under Casius’s continuous caress of her hair. She simply responded without much thought to his soft voice and touch.

“Okay.”

“Sleep a bit more.”

Casius patted Adeline for a while, and after confirming she had fallen asleep again, he left the bedroom.

He lowered his gaze to his hands.

When he had arranged for the priest through Eric, he had immediately sent a letter to the bribed priest.

He wished for her to be bound to him completely.

So that neither Marquis Credion nor the Crown Prince could take her away from him.

That’s why the Duke had sent a letter to the temple.

[Adeline Credion.

I send the name of the woman who will sign the marriage vow.

This name will only be written on the vow.

I hope it proceeds without anyone knowing, including the parties involved.

If you swear in the name of Goddess Helena,

The dukedom promises your convenience forever.]

What he held in his hand was the reply to that.

[We will prepare the vow as Your Grace wishes.

May the blessings of Goddess Helena be with you.]

The content was short and clear.

The fact that he had always treated the temple generously was paying off today.

The priests of Helena’s temple within the dukedom had no choice but to be favorable to the Duke.

Although it was as expected, he let out a long sigh of relief at the positive reply.

What good would it do to shackle a fabricated person?

The Duke intended to welcome her as the Duchess, not Del, but Adeline Credion.

As he was deceiving Adeline to write the marriage vow, he felt a pang of conscience for a moment.

Would it be better to speak honestly?

That’s why Casius had headed to Adeline’s bedroom as soon as he received and read the letter.

But when he actually saw her, he couldn’t bring himself to speak properly.

Because it was uncertain if she would allow it if she knew the truth, Casius decided to set aside his immediate guilt for now.

The most important thing to him was himself and Adeline.

For them to be bound as husband and wife. So that no one could separate them.

[This is the timeline separator]

Early evening.

Adeline ended her long nap to the sound of knocking on the bedroom door.

It was Becky who had come to wake Adeline. Adeline thought she had come to call her for dinner time. She thought it would be just the usual basic tidying up, but Becky pushed Adeline into the bathroom.

“Becky. Why are we doing such elaborate grooming when we’re just going for dinner?”

To Adeline’s words, Becky replied as if she didn’t understand.

“The priest is coming today! You need to cleanse your body. Dinner comes after that.”

‘The priest is coming tonight.’

It seemed that Casius had mentioned during her half-asleep state earlier that the priest was coming.

‘But, why?’

Why was the priest suddenly coming?

And what was this dressing up that Becky was helping with?

Unlike usual, she was wearing a flowing pure white dress without any accessories.

Adeline looked at Becky with curiosity.

“You’re not putting on any accessories? Usually, you hand them over even when I say they’re cumbersome.”

“Today is the day to swear allegiance to each other before God’s representative.”

God’s representative, mutual allegiance?

There was only one conclusion to be drawn from the combination of these two phrases.

Adeline thought it couldn’t be.

Who would do such a thing unless they were crazy?

Adeline carefully asked Becky.

“Becky. Can you tell me exactly what day it is today?”

At Adeline’s words, Becky also seemed to sense that something was amiss.

“Today is the day you officially become the Duchess, Del! That’s why the Duke visited earlier…”

Having grasped the situation from Becky’s words, Adeline immediately headed for the study.

Her steps towards the study were hurried.

“Your Grace.”

Casius, who had been handling work in the study, stopped what he was doing and approached Adeline when he saw her. His eyes looking at her were infinitely soft and affectionate.

“You’re here already?”

How could he wear such a calm expression after arranging all this?

Adeline questioned him.

“What business does the priest have here?”

At Adeline’s question, Casius strode towards her.

He carefully led her to the sofa placed at one side of the study.

His large hand touched Adeline’s hair.

It was a warm touch, just like when he had stroked her hair while she was napping.

“He’s coming to confirm our marriage scripture.”

“What do you mean by marriage scripture?”

“You gave permission, Adeline.”

There was no other way.

But who would skip everything and hold a marriage vow ceremony like this?

The Duke was the only one who could safely hide her.

That’s why she reluctantly took his hand. But to proceed like this, as quick as lightning?

Adeline was dumbfounded. It was too fast, even for being fast.

Where is there a wedding that takes place the very next day?

“We haven’t even had a wedding ceremony, what marriage scripture are you talking about?”

It was a valid point.

But there were procedures for noble marriages. Adeline couldn’t grasp the situation.

“Do you really want to have a wedding ceremony?”

Casius pulled Adeline closer.

“It’s already an agreed matter, just signing the marriage scripture is a simple issue.”

“If the Crown Prince shows up at the Duke’s wedding, you’ll be caught before you can even write the scripture. Adeline. I don’t want to be separated from you.”

Casius’s words, while gently stroking Adeline’s hair again, continued to shake Adeline’s heart.

Does the scripture under the non-existent commoner name Del give Casius a sense of security?

There would never be a union between Adeline of the Marquis Credion family and the head of the Duke Torpeo family.

In fact, Adeline also wanted to stay by Casius’s side, even as the commoner Del, until the end of this twist of fate.

Adeline no longer felt like running away. She just wanted to keep committing without thinking about the consequences.

“Alright.”

[This is the timeline separator]

After Casius also finished dressing, the two entered the reception room where the priest was settled.

“I greet the Duke and Duchess.”

“May the blessing of Goddess Helena be with you.”

After exchanging greetings, the ducal couple and the priest took their seats in one corner of the reception room.

“Although this has never happened before, as the Duchess needs to protect her body at this time, and the Duke earnestly requested, we decided to make an accommodation at the temple.”

After finishing his words, the priest pulled out a gold-rimmed paper from the envelope he had been carefully holding.

“This is the marriage scripture, already prepared for the convenience of the Duke and Duchess. You both just need to sign at the bottom.”

Casius quickly and elegantly signed his name on the presented scripture.

After receiving Casius’s signature, the priest lifted the scripture and pushed it towards Adeline.

Adeline picked up the quill pen to sign.

The priest kindly pointed out the position to sign with his hand.

Although her name wasn’t visible due to his hand covering it, Adeline signed her name without doubt.

“With this, the marriage scripture is complete.”

The priest, who had put the signed marriage scripture back into the envelope and tucked it into his chest, bowed his head slightly and continued speaking.

“I will offer this scripture to Goddess Helena and return.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

As it was a ceremony that would have been held at the temple originally, the procedure seemed to have changed slightly.

“Both of you should cleanse your bodies and wait.”

While the priest sought permission from Goddess Helena, the two finished preparing for the first night ceremony.

The Duke, who had finished preparations in advance, was seated in the bedroom.

The brief moment of waiting for Adeline seemed to pass excruciatingly slowly.

At the end of the wait, Adeline entered the bedroom wearing a veil.

It was just a single veil, but Casius couldn’t control his agitated heart.

He felt the urge to immediately remove her veil and look into her eyes.

Just as his hand unconsciously reached for Adeline’s veil, the priest entered the bedroom.

Casius, trying hard to suppress his rising desire, focused on the priest.

“The Goddess has granted permission to the Duke and Duchess. Now, after the prayer for the first night is finished, you will officially become husband and wife.”

After the priest’s prayer ended and he left the bedroom, Casius looked at Adeline as if he had been waiting for this moment.

The silence that flowed after the priest left made Adeline unnecessarily nervous.

“We’ve finally become husband and wife. I’m looking forward to tonight immensely.”

Casius broke the silence flowing between them and approached her side.

His large hand carefully removed her veil.

As the veil that had been blocking between them was lifted, his bright red eyes came into clear view.

Adeline’s eyes, which met his, shook endlessly.

Was it because the atmosphere had changed in the bedroom they always shared?

This bedroom, left with just the two of them, felt incredibly unfamiliar today.

Even though it was just a formal marriage scripture, this space they faced every night, his eyes that seemed to see nothing but her.

It made Adeline’s heart flutter endlessly.

As he gradually drew closer to Adeline, her heart began to pound violently.