27.
The sun of the wedding day rose.
Perhaps because it was the day of the family’s greatest celebration, Anita had to be up before the sun even broke the horizon.
According to Jill’s explanation, the Edenbahir wedding followed a tradition that had been passed down for over a century.
The tradition was simple.
On the morning of the wedding day, the groom, having visited the bride’s house, is presented with a silver sword by the bride’s father and a scabbard by her mother.
The groom makes an oath of eternity upon the sword he received at the wedding. He then gifts the sword, inscribed with that oath, to the bride.
After finishing a week of receptions, the bride and groom head to the groom’s family estate. They are then considered a complete married couple.
If a succession ceremony is scheduled, the procedure continues with the couple traveling to the royal palace to present a gold sword to the King; this part of the process is somewhat more relaxed.
When the eldest daughter succeeds to the head of the Edenbahir house, the roles of the bride and groom are reversed, but such cases have been rare throughout history. It is because, for generations, daughters have been rare in the family.
That long-standing custom was about to be broken in Lancelot’s generation.
By none other than Anita, the sole survivor left in Shavalon.
“The silver sword will be handed over by Norman, Lancelot’s paternal uncle, and the scabbard will be handed over by Matilda, his aunt.”
At Jill’s explanation, Anita retraced her memories of the day of the entombment.
Paternal uncle, aunt. Their faces and names were blurry, but there was one person among them she clearly remembered.
‘If he is Lancelot’s paternal uncle… he is the man who insulted the Duke at the entombment.’
[What do you expect from Ludwig? He is truly cold-hearted enough to make one click their tongue. He’s only aged, not matured at all.]
He didn’t seem like an elder who was close to Lancelot at first glance.
‘They’re having him stand in as her father?’
Lancelot’s nature was to cast away whatever he didn’t like. It was incomprehensible that he would have Norman stand at their wedding.
In truth, by custom, the absence of the bride’s parents should be filled by the bride’s close relatives.
However, Anita had refused that method. After she suddenly received greeting letters from cousins she hadn’t been in contact with for over three years, she had even added that she would rather have the Grand Duchess stand in for them.
Anita asked Jill, who had come to explain the wedding process in the midst of her busy schedule, “Was it Lancelot who decided on those two as representatives? Or the Grand Duchess?”
“Lancelot decided it himself. Unexpected, isn’t it? I was surprised as well.”
Jill shrugged her shoulders, shared a few other precautions and the number of guests attending the wedding, and hurried out of the room.
‘She looks very busy.’
She turned toward the vanity mirror and let out a long breath.
It went without saying, but she was nervous. However, there was a part of this that made Anita suffer even more than her fluttering heart.
“Just endure it until the reception, Duchess. The reception dress has a much roomier bust than the wedding dress. You won’t have to tighten your chest so drastically like you are now.”
Countess Milena, who comforted Anita, exhaled a long plume of cigarette smoke out the window.
Countess Milena had been invited to help with Anita’s wedding preparations.
Anita no longer had the energy to argue about the title of “Duchess.” She sighed once more and twisted her upper body back and forth to relieve the suffocating pressure on her chest.
‘It’s too small.’
The bust size of the wedding dress was terribly small.
A time-honored family like the Edenbahirs inherited their wedding dresses.
Of course, they didn’t wear the same one for every wedding. Since the bride’s preference was prioritized, there were cases where a new wedding dress was tailored.
‘But the marriage between me and Lancelot was decided so suddenly….’
It was too little time to have a custom dress made.
So, Anita decided to alter the wedding dress worn by the former Duchess for the ceremony.
But the problem was that even the altered wedding dress had a bust size that was too small.
The dimensions themselves were strictly average, but they were small for Anita. It was an unavoidable situation, as there was a limit to how much fabric could be added.
It was fortunate that Countess Milena had re-measured her chest size. If they had proceeded with the previous measurements, a truly terrible situation would have occurred.
“Duchess. Are you nervous?”
“It would be a lie to say otherwise.”
“Then, shall we share some interesting gossip to ease the tension? Do you love the Duke?”
Anita turned to look at Countess Milena. By now, she had stubbed out her cigarette and was sitting on a nearby sofa.
‘Since she is a noblewoman introduced by Lancelot… she must know at least roughly what this marriage means.’
There was no need to put up a smoke screen. But there was even less need to reveal her true feelings.
“No.”
Countess Milena’s long, elegant eyebrows lifted slightly.
“That’s surprising. It must be difficult to be like that at such a young age. There aren’t many people in Shavalon as charming as the Duke, are there? It’s rare not just in Shavalon, but throughout the entire kingdom.”
“If I had loved him, I wouldn’t have been able to keep a connection with him for ten years.”
“A strange logic. But, well. Given who the other party is, it’s understandable.”
It seemed that even in others’ eyes, Lancelot’s personality appeared as sharp as a blade.
“All right. Um… excuse me, but I think I have to ask a more rude question. I hope you understand. Are you going to have children?”
“Children?”
“You can answer honestly. I’m asking you instead of the Duke because I thought it would be better.”
That meant that even if Anita didn’t answer, she could extract the answer from Lancelot.
“We will not have children. We decided that.”
“Hmm. To have decided on such a serious matter in advance. You two were much closer than I expected?”
“We’ve known each other for ten years.”
“Duchess. Whether it’s ten years or a hundred, time isn’t that important. Men who can have anything they want just by reaching out don’t often make such promises. Regardless, it will be easy to deceive those around you now that you’ve agreed on the story.”
One of the goals of their marriage was to reassure the investors of the Callasgo Trust.
Since saying there were no plans for children meant the marriage had less stability, there was no benefit in it being known outside.
Countess Milena, who was more versed in affairs and rumors than anyone else, advised in a firm voice.
“Keep a spare bedroom on both sides of your marital suite. To make it easy to move each night.”
“Both sides?”
“Yes, both sides. You aren’t planning to sleep together every night, are you? Or is that irrelevant to you?”
“No, no. I will follow your advice.”
Anita shook her head with a rare, flustered expression.
Finding her honest reaction amusing, Countess Milena covered her mouth and laughed. However, her eyes soon became serious.
“Since this is a marriage of convenience, make sure you distinguish your private bedrooms clearly. That way, you’ll be able to bring in lovers without worry.”
Lovers?
Anita widened her eyes, wondering if she had heard wrong.
“Now that it’s come up, it’s a good thing. What kind of men do you prefer, Duchess?”
In front of Anita, who couldn’t say a word, Countess Milena chattered away happily as if she were a fish in water.
“Pretty ones? Or perhaps a dependable man? What about skin color or eye color? Please tell me what your preferences are for voices, too. Unexpectedly, this part is important…”
“It’s alright! Countess, lovers are unnecessary. I don’t have the room to worry about such things. Thank you for your concern, though.”
“…Oh my. I’ve broken the mood of the newlyweds without reading the room. I’m sorry. But if you ever change your mind, ask me anytime. Anytime.”
Countess Milena’s eyes held genuine, unadorned goodwill.
Anita, who had lived among various social strata, prided herself on having a fairly accurate eye for people.
Because she was such a person, Countess Milena’s goodwill could only be puzzling.
“Is there truly any merit for you to help a half-baked Duchess like me?”
Why was she helping her?
In the Kingdom of Montebio, there is a saying that one can get by in the middle just by breathing.
The Grand Duchess was of royal birth, and she was a person who exerted no small influence on aristocratic society due to the wealth and connections she had amassed.
And since Anita was of a background that was destined to be hated by such a Grand Duchess, from Anita’s perspective, Countess Milena, who had voluntarily decided to become her ally, made no sense.
That was the very reason she had probed her so explicitly. She was curious what kind of prepared answer would come out.
‘Perhaps she is a person sent by the Grand Duchess.’
Countess Milena said with a bright, honest smile.
“Would there be?”
It was a response that hadn’t even crossed the list of answers Anita had anticipated.
“But there is a merit to helping the Duke. The Duke, not the Duchess. Whether it’s money or power. Connections with an Edenbahir are not something just anyone can obtain. Is that too obvious? But that is the biggest one.”
Countess Milena’s face looked genuinely disgusted.
“I’m already on the outs with the Grand Duchess anyway. She goes around saying everything bad she can about me. That I’m unprincipled, that I’m arrogant, and so on. If I can groom the Duchess and insult the Grand Duchess as a bonus, I would be very happy.”
It was the most sincere thing she had said thus far.
‘I didn’t know they were on such bad terms.’
So the Grand Duchess treats those who fall out of her favor mercilessly, regardless of status.
For the first time, she felt the title “Grand Duchess” didn’t suit her at all.