Translator: Nox

Chapter 23

The bride was sulky, and unexpectedly proactive from the groom’s side—the wedding drew near.

The Lüsenford Duke took the lead in making every possible preparation to welcome the Duchess. From Ostein, her father from her family home was the one making the biggest fuss. He checked over and over to ensure nothing was missing in the wedding preparations for Kaella, who had no mother.

Amid all that, the bride alone had no opinions. Even when the groom’s side asked what she wanted, she gave the most awkward responses, saying anything was fine.

Pheon had deliberately paid her no attention and tormented himself alone during their first wedding, so he barely remembered it—and he felt sorry for that. Kaella had no idea, but he felt so apologetic that he wanted to treat her even better than back then. He put his heart into every single detail.

But he was finding it harder and harder to keep hold of his reason.

Had he ever married again a woman he had killed with his own hands?

*

The woman walking quietly down the aisle on her father’s arm was a radiant spring bride.

She didn’t match at all with the man who ruled the north, burdened by its bleak and gloomy winters.

That’s right. She didn’t match. Her cheeks were a shy rose pink, her eyes shaded by long lashes held the clear sky, and her straight nose and lips as red as her cheeks were neatly arranged on her small face.

The wedding dress and veil draped around her slender body were extraordinarily long, symbolizing Ostein’s wealth and Lüsenford’s glory. The woman was beautiful.

“This is the first rushed wedding I’ve ever seen, but they’ve still managed to put on all the proper trappings.”

“The Duchess of Mond couldn’t come, could she?”

“If she did, she’d be executed on the spot. Who does she think this place is?”

The whispers brushed past the ears of the man marrying the same woman for the second time. They hadn’t reached his ears during the first wedding.

Today, for the first time, Pheon noticed that the bride walking toward him had no expression on her face. What had it been like before his regression?

The indifferent husband couldn’t even remember. As long as the unhappy bride being dragged into a forced marriage hadn’t cried as she was pulled toward him, that had been fortunate enough. She had one of the wealthiest fathers in the empire now, but she was still an unhappy bride.

“A delicately raised duke’s daughter, heading off to that freezing place of all things.”

“There must have been better grooms out there, but even His Majesty…”

“The Lüsenford Duke gets a wealthy wife, so he’s happy. And His Majesty saves on subsidies, so he’s pleased too.”

The majestic organ music was clearly a celebratory wedding march, but to the ears of the bride walking down the aisle, it sounded like a funeral dirge.

Had she ever married again a man who had killed her?

Despite all her rejections and rebellions, Kaella was quietly walking down the path to death once more, marrying the Lüsenford Duke again on this bright spring day. This must be the road to death, she thought, walking meekly like livestock being led to the slaughterhouse.

“Kaella. Walking with you like this was my dearest wish, and today I’m truly happy.”

Adeo, who walked her to the end of the aisle, smiled tenderly. Amid the stinging glares, only the bride’s father poured out his genuine care and affection for his daughter.

This wedding meant nothing at all to Kaella, so she felt utterly indifferent. It wasn’t her first marriage—this was her second, with the same man, so why would she be nervous?

Flowers symbolizing a happy marriage, gold coins sewn into the soles of her shoes for a prosperous union, a long dress and veil signifying the groom’s love.

Kaella, who had once assigned meaning to every one of those things, now knew it was all pointless. Her previous marriage had taught her well that all the fuss led nowhere.

The young bride who had lost her father back then had tried her best to get everything right, even if just for appearances, so she wouldn’t be criticized. But with no adults to look after her, there had naturally been plenty to pick at, and she’d cried alone a lot.

But this wedding was different—the bride wasn’t fretting. Her father from home was pushing through with sheer volume, insisting it was all for his daughter’s marriage.

Her dad was there, holding her hand and walking with her to the very end, saying how happy he was. So Kaella could smile at him genuinely, just once, looking right at him.

“Both of you must be happy.”

Pheon had no face to show to the Ostein Duke, who said his daughter and this man both had to be happy.

“Today we gather to bless this sacred marriage…”

He was committing an unforgivable sin against Kaella once more. The man who had foolishly ruined a sacred marriage clung desperately to his sanity as it began anew.

From this moment, standing here, Ostein and Lüsenford were one body. He couldn’t falter. He just had to think of achieving his goal without wavering this time—and protecting Kaella well in the process.

‘No, protect her and then send her away.’

He kept conveniently forgetting the part about sending her away. He had to send her away. His one and only bride, standing beside him now, was too beautiful, too noble for someone like him to deserve. But he kept forgetting that so easily.

Now that he was confident he could protect her, the easy thought of just keeping her with him dominated his mind first. He had no intention of hiding his beastly nature after regressing, but in front of Kaella, he still had to maintain propriety and keep his promises.

He had promised to send her away, so he had to keep it.

The wedding, held while the Empress lay fallen, was quiet and solemn, grand in its dignity without being flashy.

Pheon remembered his pre-regression wedding only as tedious, irritating, and humiliating—he hoped Kaella wouldn’t feel that way about this one.

“It feels more like a ritual praying for Her Majesty the Empress’s recovery than a wedding.”

He heard snide remarks from the northerners, known for not fearing the Emperor. It was mockery aimed at the Emperor, who had only now realized he was growing old amid the crisis of possibly losing the Empress.

For Gregory, parked in that nominal Crown Prince seat, they were belatedly searching for a Crown Princess, and ahead of that, sorting out Pheon’s marriage, which should have happened long ago. It was all just the Emperor’s one-sided notions.

“At least I’ll have some face with the Empress now.”

After the ceremony, during the endless wedding banquet, the Emperor’s so-called words of blessing had come out like that—it was obvious. Drunk on his showy acts of ‘fatherhood’ and ‘emperorship,’ he seemed to believe that would somehow bring the Empress around.

“I was so worried that if she woke up soon and I’d done nothing in the meantime. But you two have done something big for me. Now I can face her.”

He had subjected the Empress to nothing but violence and abuse from start to finish—rushing through the formal parent-child motions everyone else did wasn’t going to make her turn back. Of course, Kaella just answered politely with ‘Yes, yes’ in front of him, like an empty doll.

The hastily wed couple would stay briefly at the imperial palace before heading straight to Lüsenford.

With the heavy responsibilities on the duke’s shoulders, there was no separate honeymoon—the journey to Lüsenford would serve as the new bride’s honeymoon. To Kaella, it was a road she’d already traveled, so it held no interest.

“The girl’s a bit frail, so I’m worried. Take good care of her.”

Adeo had no choice but to say ‘take good care of her’ in this situation, and his face was full of concern for his daughter.

“I’ll do my utmost. I ask you to take good care of us as well.”

Pheon bowed his head sincerely only to Adeo, and even as a newlywed groom fresh from the ceremony, he couldn’t smile.

“Be happy.”

Leaving behind the blessings for happiness from the Emperor—the greatest cause of all her misfortunes—the newlyweds boarded the carriage.

Kaella had gotten up at the crack of dawn to prepare, changed her dress twice, restyled her hair twice, and spent from morning ceremony to the end of the long banquet greeting people nonstop, so by sunset, she was utterly drained.

Not being nervous didn’t mean it wasn’t exhausting. It being her second time didn’t make the wedding familiar. If anything, this one was far grander in scale, so honestly, she was more tired and worn out than ever.

As the carriage door clicked shut and they left behind the waving crowd, heading toward the palace outskirts, the cheers faded, and silence filled the carriage. Only then did Kaella realize what had left her.

‘Hope, I guess.’

A sense of resignation weighed her down. With hope gone, there was nothing to look forward to.

She sat primly like a well-made porcelain doll as they entered the annex Lüsenford Duke used whenever he came to the palace. It was called an annex, but it was just one of the fine mansions belonging to the imperial palace.

Today, the Emperor had declared two days of holiday, praying for the Empress’s recovery and for her son’s happy marriage.

But unlike the cheers outside, the place where the newlyweds stayed was wrapped in quiet peace for the couple. Kaella couldn’t have cared less whether it was peace or whatever.

“Please rest comfortably.”

The bridal chamber she entered after washing her weary body naturally had only Kaella in it. She knew exactly what lay ahead, so it felt no different from before.

Pheon wouldn’t enter this room tonight. Even when they shared a room, he always slept on the sofa far away—he’d never once gotten into the same bed.

“Ah, I’m so tired…”

Someone had said remarriages were done simply. Kaella flopped face-down on the wide bed, ignoring any pretense as a new bride, and let out a small chuckle.

What had the first wedding night been like? Had she cried remembering her late father, or pinned pointless hopes on her new husband? Or had she just tried to stay calm, waiting for the husband who never came?

But right now, the only thing that came to mind was her father’s happy smile today. He’d been so proud, saying walking his daughter down the aisle was his natural duty as a father.

She’d had a wedding where she wanted to show off how well she was doing but had no one to show, but today her father was there, so that made it a good enough day. That was sufficient.

Kaella lay there sprawled for a while, reached that conclusion, then sluggishly moved. She crawled roughly over the perfectly smooth bedding, groped for the covers, lifted them, and flopped down again.

Even getting under the covers felt hard. Spending the whole day in this heavy dress and shoes was familiar as a duke’s daughter, but today the fatigue was worse than ever.

‘I’ll rest a bit and then get under and sleep.’

She was trying to muster the strength to lift the covers again when click—the door opened, and someone came in.

“…Asleep?”

The quietly falling voice wasn’t a question but a confirmation.

Why was that man coming in? Still face-down, Kaella shot back bluntly.

“No.”

Ah, I should get up. It’s rude to greet someone like this. And from now on, I need to use proper formal speech again. But would making a little slip-up really be a big deal? Her dulled mind moved slowly. Or maybe she just lacked the will to move quickly.

“Why are you like that? Very tired?”

“I only have the strength to move my mouth. No, I don’t.”

She heard heavy footsteps approaching. A typical noble lady would feel threatened being alone in a bedroom with a giant of a man like Pheon, but Kaella wasn’t scared at all.

This man wasn’t the low-class type to lay hands on a woman directly. Besides, why would he even be interested in her?

So Kaella, who had been lying completely prone, was startled when her body was suddenly lifted. Pheon scooped her up effortlessly, pulled back the covers, and laid her down with only her feet sticking out.

“Take off the slippers.”

“Huh? Why?”

“You’re getting on the bed with shoes?”

Of course not. Blinking, Kaella kicked off the slippers with a couple of taps. She was about to ask if that was good when she heard a soft chuckle, and he tucked her straight under the covers.

Handling her as easily as if she were a featherlight doll or a cat, he frowned slightly, then strode back to open the bedroom door.

“Is there no one who knows how to give a massage?”

A junior maid from the Empress’s palace, waiting outside, blinked.

“The Duchess’s legs and feet are so swollen she might not be able to sleep.”

“Ah. We’ll prepare a basin of hot water, towels, and oil.”

“No, just someone who knows how to massage…”

The older maid smiled brightly. She had long handled practical duties in the Empress’s palace and was acquainted with Pheon.

“The best would be for the new groom to do it for the Duchess himself.”

The new groom was flustered. The shift from ‘duke’s daughter’ to ‘Duchess’ felt novel, and he knew exactly what the maid meant by her smiling words, which made it all the more embarrassing. Whether they’d prepared hot water already or not, the maid quickly gathered the items.

“Have a good time.”

What is this? Kaella alternated looks between the extremely awkward Pheon and the firmly closing door.

Her legs were swollen, sure, but falling asleep with some ache somewhere was familiar. She’d planned to ignore her husband, pull the covers over, and sleep her fill—but why was this man doing things he never did before?

“I’ll just sleep, um.”

She’d meant to say she’d just sleep, but after all, she’d stood beside Pheon and signed the marriage vows today. So now she was the Duchess, and she needed to go back to formal speech like before.

And honestly, that was more comfortable. Using informal speech meant they were that close. She and Pheon, who had erased any childhood playmate bond right after marriage, weren’t close.

“I’ll just sleep, then.”

His broad shoulders seemed to twitch at the formal speech again. Well, it must sound awkward. But what could she do?

Now that she was the Duchess again, she couldn’t have rumors flying that the Duchess was being insolent with half-speech to His Grace the Duke. Remembering her duchess days, when she’d been almost obsessively rigid about etiquette and rules—yes, formal speech was definitely better.

“Please don’t worry about it.”

With that, she completely shut him out of her mind and closed her eyes.

“…All right, then.”

Along with his hesitant low voice, the room grew a bit darker.

“Good night.”

An unexpected greeting she’d never heard before reached her. Instead of replying, Kaella turned over and shuddered, her shoulders trembling.

For some reason, she had a persistent, ominous premonition that this man she’d married this time was truly strange—but for now, she squeezed her eyes shut. There was no turning back now. Irreversibly, she had to walk the road to death she’d trod before.

.