Chapter 69
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This wedding was attended not only by vassals from the North but also by envoys from the Imperial Palace and high-ranking nobles.
As it was the final event of the wedding, the guests all attended the reception without exception. In other words, the most important figures of the empire were gathered in one place, as much as at the wedding itself.
'It would have been much more natural if it had happened at the Grand Cathedral.'
It was a pity.
A ceremony held in the name of God, a place where countless eyes were focused.
And above all, the temple was an area beyond Excepcion's reach.
But now, the Ducal Palace.
To induce a Purification Ability Outburst in the middle of Archduke Excepcion's base.
There was a risk of getting caught if it failed, but there were no more options left.
'The risk is high. But if I succeed... there's no better stage than this.'
Odelia was now Grand Duchess Excepcion.
She held the role of symbol and person in charge of the entire North.
But what if, immediately after the wedding, an unidentified Magical Power Outburst occurred in her husband's territory?
'It will create a political justification that I am unqualified as Grand Duchess.'
It would naturally induce distrust among the Northern vassals.
That way, she could shake the Ducal Family and retrieve the Purifier at the same time. It was truly killing two birds with one stone.
'Not bad.'
Gawain retrieved the sacred object.
He removed the intertwined Spellwork without a trace and carefully returned the Crystal Stone to its original place.
So that no trace of manipulation remained, without a single Magical Power residue.
Having completed all preparations, he rose as if nothing had happened.
And he spoke gently to the priest who was waiting in front of the door.
"Priest, you may come in. There is nothing wrong inside."
It was a Saint-like smile.
* * *
After the wedding vows, the guests in the carriages returned from the Grand Cathedral to Archduke Excepcion's Ducal Palace via Warp.
While dozens of carriages lined up and slowly climbed the hill, Odelia calmly took breaths, looking out the window through the curtains.
Ludville in the seat opposite her had been silent all along.
He didn't ask who that man was or what had happened between them, like yesterday.
Just silence.
He seemed angry.
That Odelia had come to their wedding wearing a ring, presumed to be from her ex-lover, around her neck.
Without even knowing that he was that man...
'Should I have just taken it off when the maid asked me if I wasn't going to take it off right before the ceremony?'
Was it because it was a ring with the Gem of Regression embedded in it?
Or was it because it was the ring Ludville had given her when he first confessed to her?
Since the Regression, she had been wearing it habitually.
To not forget Ludville's sacrifice, and to remind herself of what she had to do in this life. So, to her, this ring was a kind of amulet.
An amulet to calm her mind.
I felt a sense of kinship, thinking that you must have had the same feeling as me when you wore this ring to the wedding.
'I didn't expect him to notice.'
To react immediately just by putting his hand on his chest.
Anyway, his instincts were beast-like.
'But is it something to get so emotional about?'
Would bringing up Article 9 of the contract now be like adding fuel to the fire?
Odelia, uncomfortable with the heavy atmosphere and unsure of what to do, simply had a complicated mind as she returned to the castle.
Before long, the Ducal Palace's massive gates slowly opened.
The castle was already lavishly decorated.
"......"
The Golden Banquet Hall.
The place where he held banquets every day, looking for the Blue-Eyed Woman.
The place where the wedding eve was held, and where the reception was being held.
All three banquets were ultimately held for 'Odelia.'
In the end, this Golden Banquet Hall was his way of welcoming Odelia.
Even if he didn't remember anything, even unconsciously.
That he had been waiting for you all along.
'What to do.'
I'm scared.
That Ludville will fall in love with 'Odelia.'
You might say that sounds like wishful thinking.
Ludville was a man who had only looked at one person during thousands of Regressions.
It would be okay if all his actions now were due to longing for his old love.
But if his heart is gradually turning towards 'the current Odelia.'
If it's turning towards the Odelia in front of him, not the shadow in his memory...
'...No, at least not yet.'
His current feelings are not love, but closer to obsession and possessiveness.
He is simply drawn to Odelia, who reminds him of the 'Blue-Eyed Woman' he has been searching for.
...Not yet.
Really, it must be so.
If his feelings are just a reaction to something similar, then this level of obsession is fine.
It just mustn't go any further.
'As long as it's not love.'
Odelia looked up at Ludville, who was escorting her, to continue her act.
Once the reception was over, she wouldn't have to play that tiresome 'lover' role anymore.
When that time came, she could redefine their relationship and distance again.
This much is just right.
If he reaches out his hand to her, she will step back before that hand touches her.
"Even if you look at me like that, I won't leave your side."
"......"
"I clearly told you in advance that you would never be able to separate me from you."
Ludville was steadfastly looking at her, even while he was angry.
No, it seemed he had become even more persistent.
Perhaps he thought she would tell him to stay away and not interfere, like at the last banquet.
"...That's not why I was looking."
Odelia sighed and continued.
"Rather, I'd like to get some help."
"Help?"
Ludville's eyes changed immediately, as if he understood the omitted meaning.
He muttered in a low voice, with blatant disgust.
"Has it come to this, after all."
"Yes, unfortunately."
She knew from the beginning that Gawain wouldn't back down like this.
No, rather, she hoped he wouldn't back down.
Now that the carefully prepared scheme had failed without even being attempted, he would surely attack again.
Odelia aimed for that very psychology.
She disrupted one circuit to make it look like a simple mistake on Cardel's side.
And she deliberately didn't retrieve the Chaos Stone either.
It was to induce him to use his familiar methods again.
It would be more difficult to predict if he used a new trick. Rather, it was much easier to handle him if he picked up a weapon he was already familiar with.
'As for the Chaos Stone...'
Cardel had been made by grinding down Purification Ability Users for hundreds of years.
Their abilities while they were alive, and their corpses after they died.
Such a cruel relic.
She had experienced it the most terribly.
Therefore, Odelia was more capable of handling it than anyone else.
'Gawain believes that it is the only powerful means to control me.'
Ironically, that sacred object had become the most familiar tool to Odelia.
Of course, it was a Control Device exclusively for Purification Ability Users, so it would be just as dangerous.
'It's worth using.'
