Chapter 4

“What did you say?”

At Kaiden’s low voice, Evelina’s heart seemed to sink. And the ring crumpled in his hand before being put on hers.

“It’s true. I mean, I oppose the marriage of Evelina and His Majesty.”

It was true that Evelina had little social activity since she got engaged, but that didn’t mean she had no place in society at all.

Moreover, she did not seem to know why Ianathas Peran, who she had been close with since childhood, suddenly opposed her marriage. However, she was more afraid because she was not in a close relationship with Ianathas at all like the original. She thought he might just be a cause of her death.

It was obvious that Ianathas did this because he was an old friend of Evelina. Because it’s definitely going to ruin the Emperor’s day.

“Do you know what that means now? Marquis of Peran?”

Ianathas was technically related to Kaiden. He was the son of Kaiden’s uncle.

“Yes, I know.”

Evelina started to tremble when the Emperor reached for his sword, which was still not dry from blood. As soon as the wedding began, a maid died. The maid died horribly without even being tried.

Evelina suddenly scanned the place where Mary was standing. There was not even a trace of how it was cleaned. However, the faces of the guests who had seen the scene were still pale. With fear that the Emperor might take out his sword again.

“Ian…”

“Lina. Don’t do it, this marriage.”

Ianathas looked afraid. His bright gray hair and dark gray eyes looked calm for the first time. It was him who always seemed light-hearted.

“Who are you to interrupt my wedding?”

“Lina, this is….”

“Would you mind not disturbing me?”

Evelina said sternly, reinforcing Kaiden’s demeanor. Kaiden opened his eyes as if he were a little surprised by Evelina’s attitude, and soon made eye contact with her, he smiled with his bright red eyes. Then he took his hand off the handle of the sword and began to touch the ring he was holding.

“I know it’s a political marriage anyway.”

Kaiden’s expression hardened again at the subsequent words of Ianathas. Therefore, Evelina said as if she had no choice.

“No, I love this marriage.”

She thought there was no way that the emperor, who killed even his stepsister’s beloved maid without blinking, would not kill Ianathas. That’s why she decided to do what he wanted.

“Can I kiss him first?”

When Evelina asked the cardinal, he was surprised and said, “Yes,” and looked at Kaiden’s countenance. It was the moment when Kaiden looked at the cardinal with bored eyes and then at Evelina.

“… Uh…”

Evelina kissed him first.

“You didn’t raise the veil, Lina.”

As soon as the lips touched, Kaiden smiled and said.

“Oh, that’s right.”

She didn’t know how to kiss him for the first time in her life, so she tried to look down with a bewildered face, but her eyes met with Kaiden’s big hand touching the veil. Because his hands were so big and hot.

“Let’s do it again.”

He carefully rolled up the veil of Evelina. Then moist red eyes and purple eyes met for a few seconds. Evelina felt as if his eyes were penetrating her again, so her heart was pounding. She thought she would get caught doing this to save Ianathas.

It was that moment.

“Uh…”

Most of the kisses on oath were originally done with only lips. Most of the aristocratic marriages were usually a combination of families, and few nobles were married because they loved each other. Although there were some unusual cases where people became interested after marriage, almost all aristocrats used to have a paramour while fulfilling their aristocratic duties.

“Hhhhh…”

Kaiden took her breath away, covering her lips. She shuddered in surprise at the ball of flesh rolling in her mouth, forgetting to breathe. As she pulled away, he grabbed her chin as if to prevent her from running away.

Evelina couldn’t even turn her head, so she had to endure his outlaw-like invasion.

“Ha…”

Soon, Kaiden, who made eye contact with her, took off his lips.

It was very quiet around. Ivelina’s heart fluttered with shame that she had acted like that in front of people. Then she stood with her back to the guest and buried her face in her hands.

Evelina tried to ignore Ianathas’ seemingly bewildered expression.

“You kissed by oath, so the two of you have become a couple… No, the ring…”

The cardinal panicked and asked Kaiden for the ring. Then Kaiden looked at the crumpled piece of platinum that he had crumpled and held in his hand, which should be Evelina’s ring, and then began to unfold it by hand.

Evelina thought he couldn’t even fix it, although she didn’t even know how it was crumpled in the first place.

She wanted to carry on with her thoughts. But her lips were so sore, and her head seemed to go in circles. Besides, his red eyes that looked at her when she opened her eyes. Her head was confused and she could no longer carry on with her thoughts.

“Evelina.”

“Yes?”

“Hand.”

“Ah yes.”

Evelina, embarrassed, held out her hand, and he smiled and took it. Then he put her ring, which she did not know how it fit, on her finger.

She was even more horrified when the ring fit perfectly, as if it had never been crumpled. He reminded her of the original psychopath.

“Now, I hereby recognize you two as a couple!”

So Evelina had to be Kaiden’s wife and he, her husband.

~~~~

The way to get on the carriage together was uncomfortable.

Kaiden reached out as if to escort her, but she smiled uncomfortably. Then, she tried to move while holding the dress with both hands.

“Oh my god!”

“The dress must be heavy, Evelina.”

He picked up Evelina and moved to the carriage. She felt like she was going to die of embarrassment that she had to pass the way while people lined up to celebrate the wedding. She felt like she was in the spotlight, so she wanted to hide in a mouse hole.

“Do you want me to put you down?”

“Oh, no! I’d rather go faster!”

Hearing Evelina’s words, he laughed and walked quickly.

Her heart ached at the sight of the Marquis of Logias, who wept and waved at her as she passed the guests quickly.

When she got into the carriage, Kaiden dropped her off and sat next to her. Evelina thought he would sit in front of her, but he sat next to her cramped side and she was a little afraid when her skirt fell on him. It’s like he was warning her not to run away.

She felt like a rabbit caught by a black anaconda.

“I didn’t know you’d be so happy to get married.”

Evelina felt as if his question were mocking and her heart was shrinking.

“Because I was engaged a long time ago.”

“Did you want to get married because you had a long engagement?”

“Yes.”

She didn’t know what else to say. It was the first time on the day of the revolution that Evelina saw Kaiden properly. Before that, the Marquis of Logias had kept her so tightly hidden that they didn’t see each other.

Even when Kaiden visited the Marquis’ house one day to see her, the Marquis wouldn’t let him meet under the pretext of an epidemic.

“Same for me.”

Evelina, who couldn’t understand what he was sympathizing with, turned her head and looked at him without realizing it. Then he laughed and said, as if he were the winner of a victory.

“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for this day to come, Lina.”

At his words, Evelina felt thrown back into reality. It was like she heard a warning.

He couldn’t have had any good feelings for her. She was the daughter of the family that killed his mother, and it was her father who repeatedly tried to assassinate him, and the family that pushed him into a corner to prevent him from getting into any position under the pretext of engagement.

They were her angelic adoptive parents, but not to others. Even more so for Kaiden.

When she went crazy at the thought, Evelina felt her blood go cold.

“Really…”

Kaiden sighed willingly and let go of the hair that clung to her cheek.

“I didn’t expect to be so happy, Lina.”

With ecstatic eyes as if to admire the loot.

~~~~

They came back to the Imperial Palace like that, but surprisingly, Kaiden had other things to do and had to go straight to the audience room.

Evelina knew he wouldn’t be back tonight. Not having an early night on the wedding day. There can be no greater insult than that.

She thought so and, guided by her maid, headed to the palace assigned to her.

“Where are you going?”

Evelina was surprised to have been led to an unfamiliar place rather than her assigned palace.

“Follow me calmly, Your Majesty.”

Evelina was startled by the hard tone of the maid, whom she had never seen before. She had to walk without even changing her wedding dress. Because her heels were so high, she had to limp with every step she took.

Her big toe hurt, her calves felt like they were going to split in half, and her thighs were too tight, but she had to keep walking without a word.

She had no one to care for her in the Imperial Palace. That she knew well. Her father was a supporter of the now purged second prince. Now, all the powers of the second prince have been cut off, and she was part of a traitorous family who barely survived under the pretext of marriage.

“Walk faster, my lady.”

The maid walking in front of her spoke nervously and walked faster. Evelina sighed a little and walked quickly after her maid. She ached as if her ankles were about to break, her feet swelled, and her shoes were tight, but she couldn’t help it.

She arrived after walking a long way.

“How dare you look with your eyes open?”

She was the owner of the Empress Dowager Palace. Kaiden’s grandmother.

“I see the Empire’s Moon.”

Evelina greeted her as she had been taught and looked at the Empress Dowager. Then the Empress Dowager said with her hardened face.

“Again.”

“Yes?”

“The etiquette is very poor. Say hello again.”

A maid next to her added to the Empress Dowager’s words. Evelina greeted the Empress again, who sat in the patron’s chair and held her chin upright.

“I see the Empire’s Moon.”

“Again.”

At the words of the maid, Evelina realized that this was not a call to greet her.

“Maybe because she’s the daughter of a traitor, the etiquette smells like it’s from the gutters.”

Evelina replied with a smile.

“My etiquette was taught to me by the deceased Marquis Ecartina.”

Marquis Ecartina was the twin sister of the Empress Dowager.