Chapter 50
Odelia, after a long while, rose from her bed and looked out the window.
The room she was staying in was quiet, but somehow, the entire castle felt bustling.
Servants hurried about, and decorative cloths were being hung from the balconies.
It felt as if a large-scale event was about to take place.
‘……What’s going on?’
Curious, she stopped Leona, who was rushing down the hallway opposite her.
“Leona, what’s going on? Why is it so noisy?”
Leona finally faced Odelia and smiled with a mixture of joy and excitement.
“Ah, Princess… no, I should call you Madam now!”
“That’s the plan, but not yet…”
“Oh, come on, you’re Madam now. The wedding preparations are underway. The venue has been decided as the Grand Cathedral! The Head Butler said so. He said it’s only used by the Imperial Family, so we have to prepare grandly to match our status…”
Odelia stared blankly at Leona, speechless.
“…The wedding is being prepared?”
“Yes? Yes! His Highness ordered the Head Butler directly, I heard?”
Only then did Odelia realize the cause of this suspicious busyness that permeated the entire castle.
‘Could it be that Ludville lost the concept of a contractual marriage along with his memories?’
It was only supposed to be a marriage on paper.
Odelia was dumbfounded, but the work was already well underway.
It was impossible to say now that a simple wedding would suffice.
And soon after, a woman came to find Odelia.
“It’s the first time I’m formally greeting you like this.”
A middle-aged woman wearing a black linen dress and a silver brooch.
Not a single strand of her hair was out of place.
Standing ramrod straight, she exuded an aura unique to those who allowed no room for error.
Even Theodore would feel like a ‘gentle grandfather’ in front of her.
“I am Freya, the Head Maid who will be assisting with the wedding preparations from today.”
Odelia somehow had a feeling that things were going to become very troublesome.
“The wedding gown has already been transferred to the gown room. Your body measurements were referenced from the physician’s records, and there are three scheduled movement training sessions after wearing it. Here is the timetable.”
She held out a neatly arranged bundle of papers on a wooden tray in front of Odelia.
“It includes the movement during the pre-ceremony worship, the order of moving to the platform after the recessional, and even the timing of holding hands with Grand Duke.”
“…You’ve already decided on that?”
“It’s not what I decided, but the standard procedure according to traditional etiquette, Princess.”
Odelia had been married many times.
‘All to Ludville, though…’
But none of the weddings she had had followed such complicated traditional methods.
Usually, they only adopted the necessary parts ceremonially, and left the rest to the bride’s wishes.
Even when she married Emperor Ludville and became Empress, it wasn’t to this extent.
But the Head Maid’s standards were very clear.
“The vassals of the North and the central nobles, especially the Imperial delegation, will be attending.”
She added in a firm tone.
“No flaws will be tolerated.”
Her voice was polite, but there was no room for compromise in it.
“Your hair will be styled at exactly 8 o’clock. Your nails are split, so we will have them redone. Now, please sit down.”
Odelia was swept away by Freya’s momentum and sat down in her seat before she knew it.
The Head Maid quickly surveyed the surroundings and began giving orders to the maids.
“The window curtains, the light is misaligned when the Grand Duke enters. Adjust them.”
“The embroidery will use a mixture of silver and gold threads. We must weave the emblems of both the Grand Duke’s Family and Cardel at the same time.”
She personally checked each and every piece of jewelry that would be set in the earrings, necklace, and hair ornaments to be used on the wedding day.
Diamonds with a unique brilliance due to special craftsmanship, a tiara made in the traditional way by artisans from the North, and sapphires with a deep and clear blue color that seemed to capture the winter sea…
Looking at the jewels, she raised her head and said.
“As expected, sapphires suit you best. We will use this for the main decoration.”
Then, without asking for her opinion or consulting her, she arbitrarily decided and pushed forward.
It was convenient that she took care of everything so efficiently, but it was also bewildering.
Freya’s fingertips were precise, and her movements were assertive.
But Odelia felt it.
This wasn’t just being picky, but rather bordering on ‘obsession’.
She could immediately sense how much she had confined herself within so many rules.
“Thank you. It must be a lot of work, thank you for your effort.”
Odelia quietly spoke to the Head Maid, who was examining the angle while placing the sapphire on the hair ornament.
Freya’s hand paused for a very brief moment.
But that was only for a moment.
Soon, she moved her hand again as if nothing had happened and responded.
“That much is basic. Please use language befitting a noblewoman. Expressing gratitude for something obvious can damage your dignity.”
‘She’s wavering.’
Odelia felt the touch that had softened almost imperceptibly. It was a subtle difference, but it was clear.
She didn’t miss the opportunity.
“Don’t overdo it too much. I hope you’ll take care of yourself while you do it.”
Freya stopped her hand and narrowed her eyes.
“Don’t say such soft things. The reputation of the Excepcion Family is at stake. The wedding is not a festival, but a state affair. You must act like the Grand Duchess.”
Hmm…
Odelia knew why the Head Maid was so on edge.
‘This person, she used to be in the Imperial Palace.’
The original Freya was a capable person, but she wasn’t this much of a perfectionist.
But she incurred the wrath of a member of the Imperial Family for a minor mistake and was kicked out of the court, eventually drifting to the North.
After dedicating her loyalty to Ludville and building up her reputation, she is now the Head Maid of the Excepcion Grand Duke’s Family.
Freya was more obsessed with rules than anyone else.
That wasn’t to prevent her own mistakes, but a shield to prevent her from being abandoned by anyone again.
‘Besides, the Imperial delegation is coming this time.’
Showing the Imperial Family, who had cast her out, a flawless and perfect Grand Duchess might be the only revenge she could take.
‘Will she be okay?’
Odelia swallowed a sigh.
Freya had a chronic illness.
However, as long as Freya herself was thoroughly concealing that fact, it was difficult for Odelia to mention it first.
Because she was someone who tried so hard to appear perfect.
Odelia had no choice but to accept Freya’s stubbornness and move on.
In this person’s way, within the bounds of protecting this person’s pride.
‘…Because it will be my last wedding with Ludville.’
