Previously
Aracella meets with her friend Paula, who is shocked by the news of the marriage given Aracella's previous vow of celibacy to become the Master of the Magic Tower. Later, Aracella meets Frederick for lunch and secures his permission to make a surprise announcement at his upcoming imperial banquet.
Damian looked at Aracella standing on the platform, feeling somewhat baffled by her boldness.
He had had no idea the wedding announcement would be so sudden and unexpected. Nor had he known Aracella would make the declaration without him.
‘I naturally thought she’d force me to do it….’
Dressed in a gown like a blooming flower, she wore a brilliant smile, as though eager to display her dazzling presence to everyone.
It was a striking and enchanting sight, yet that was not the only reason people were captivated.
Damian chuckled softly as her title suddenly came to mind.
As if she could not even see the stunned crowd, Aracella pressed on with what she had to say.
Aracella stepped down from the stage with a confident stride.
Her steps were headed toward the spot where Damian stood.
Seeing her ask with such a proud look on her face, Damian let out a low chuckle.
It was undeniably a masterstroke; even Duke Vandermeer would be unable to stop or reject it. After all, Aracella was the one who had made the announcement, not Damian.
Moreover, Marquis Hugo would now insist on their marriage if only to protect his daughter’s honor.
Aracella shrugged as Damian voiced the common prejudice society held against mages.
Yet contrary to her apology, not the slightest hint of remorse showed on her face.
Damian placed a hand over his chest, bowed politely, and walked away.
It was Paula who filled the empty space beside Aracella.
She nudged her friend’s shoulder, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Accustomed to Aracella’s unpredictable antics, Paula shrugged.
Just as she said, everyone in the hall remained in a state of shock, muttering among themselves.
It was all the more shocking because the pair in this sudden marriage announcement were a mage and a knight, two kinds known never to mix.
Seeing the crowd’s reaction, Aracella felt pleased, having achieved exactly what she set out to do.
Though he was not here now, Paula had a fiancé chosen by her family.
The two had been betrothed for over ten years, and it would not have been strange for them to wed at any moment.
Just then, a dark, low voice called out to Aracella.
It was Frederick, his face pale.
Frederick glanced toward Paula.
Paula waved her hand and signaled for Aracella to go ahead.
The two stepped out into the garden outside the banquet hall.
They stood facing each other beneath a tree in the quiet night, bathed in moonlight.
Not having noticed how grave Frederick’s expression was in the darkness of the night, Aracella offered her thanks naturally.
Frederick’s lips trembled.
Beneath the moonlight that broke through just in time, his deeply shaken face became plain to see.
Faced with his utter disbelief, Aracella shifted her stance and answered casually.
Frederick began to laugh like a man who had lost his mind.
Aracella tilted her head, wondering why on earth he was acting this way.
To be precise, it was the precognitive dream that had changed her mind, but Aracella had never told anyone about her gift.
‘If I told anyone about this, they’d treat me like a madwoman.’
So she had always masked her foreknowledge with suitable excuses and magical aptitude.
Frederick, barely holding back his shock, let out a choked voice.
His sorrowful red eyes glistened beneath the golden hair falling across his brow.
“We decided that if neither of us was married by the time we turned forty, we would marry each other. I still hold to that promise….”
Despair washed over Frederick’s face as Aracella tilted her head and brushed it aside.
He was speechless for a moment before finally managing to force out his voice.
Aracella had resolved to remain celibate ever since her youth at the academy.
She must have been immature when she cracked such a joke back then.
Frederick was a comfortable, dear friend, much like Paula.
Aracella smiled fondly, remembering that he had even helped her in her precognitive dream.
She assumed he saw her merely as a friend as well, but that was not what Frederick truly felt. What he harbored was nothing like ordinary friendship….
Frederick muttered despondently and turned on his heel, clenching his fists as though fleeing.
Aracella stared in bewilderment at her friend’s retreating back as he left without even saying goodbye.
Was he really that shocked by her marriage announcement? Though, he had seemed more angry than surprised….
His reaction was utterly baffling, but Aracella shrugged it off.
If she sent him a gift later, that would smooth things over, wouldn’t it?
The surprise marriage announcement of Aracella Hugo and Damian Vandermeer caused a massive uproar in the morning papers the next day.
Having arrived early for work at the Magic Tower, Aracella read the newspaper on her desk with a serious face.
Sally and Rudy burst through the door, firing off a barrage of questions.
Astounded by the news that their respected senior was marrying the Commander of the Red Falcon Knights, they had rushed straight to her.
Aracella, wearing non-prescription gold-rimmed glasses, wore an exceedingly solemn expression.
Sally and Rudy, growing tense as well, swallowed hard.
Aracella pointed toward the several morning papers lined up on her desk.
In almost all the headlines, Damian’s name came first, followed by Aracella’s.
Aracella was still an ordinary mage belonging to the Magic Tower, whereas Damian was a commander of knights.
Aracella muttered, having somewhat grasped Rudy’s explanation.
Ignoring Sally and Rudy stamping their feet, Aracella recited the same excuse she gave everyone, as easily as breathing.
To them, it looked as though she was fiercely committed to this marriage.
Remembering that Aracella was the type who could never be stopped once she set her mind on something, Rudy and Sally slumped in dejection.
Sally asked with a worried look, wringing her fingers.
It was the exact same question Aracella’s family had asked her the night before.
She had given her family the exact same answer.
Sally and Rudy’s faces brightened a little upon seeing that their senior’s ambitions remained unchanged.
Throughout the morning, Aracella had to endure endless questions from her peers at the Magic Tower about whether she was truly marrying a knight.
A few were openly cynical, but she shut them down regardless of who they were.
After that, the only one left who could speak was an old administrator of the Magic Tower.
Aracella addressed him with polite poise.
By the afternoon, not a single person dared bring up the topic of marriage in front of her.
With her working environment considerably more pleasant, Aracella left the office earlier than usual.
Now that their marriage had been officially announced, she wanted to discuss the contract at Damian’s estate before taking the next step.
The white-haired butler bowed politely.
Aracella answered without much thought.
Suddenly, a woman’s scream rang out.
A woman came running down the stairs in tears.
Following behind the butler, Aracella paused and turned her head.
Her eyes met those of a petite woman with reddish-blonde hair.
As she tilted her head, finding the woman somewhat familiar, the woman suddenly marched toward her with a fierce glare and forceful strides.
She practically lunged at Aracella, slamming her shoulder into hers before speaking in a furious voice.
What on earth was she talking about?
Caught off guard, Aracella replied calmly.
The woman truly was that petite, whereas Aracella was taller than the average woman.
Her face flushing red, the woman stomped her foot as though consumed by rage.
Aracella rested a hand on the woman’s shoulder with a look of genuine concern.
At those words, the woman’s expression turned utterly frantic.