78.

Although it was a historic wedding with a high priest officiating, the high priest in question had been trapped in Baghdad for months.

The same went for Nicholas Diazi, who couldn’t attend his beloved brother’s wedding because the seal on Nyx couldn’t be left unchecked even for a day.

Naturally, the officiant for my wedding became the highest-ranking priest from the western temple, High Priest Edio.

Whenever Edio saw the ‘Head of the McFoy family,’ he trembled as if he were facing a wild beast, and to him, officiating this ceremony felt like a terrible punishment.

However, no one of lower rank could possibly preside over the wedding between McFoy and Diazi. In the end, he swallowed his tears and accepted the prestigious role.

“Uh… So, um… First—”

With every word he uttered, he stuttered twice as much, and thanks to Edio, the frown on my forehead refused to relax.

I gave him a disbelieving look, and Edio, wishing nothing more than to return to the goddess, nervously watched for my reaction.

“You two must share something old.”

In a wedding of the Western Empire’s nobility, the bride and groom exchange two things.

First, something old.

Usually, they exchange heirlooms, such as rings that have been passed down for generations.

Norma Diazi shyly held out his hand. I took his hand and began to remove his glove.

My fingers trembled as I took off his glove, overcome by a strange tension. I hoped he wouldn’t notice, but I knew he probably did.

Trying to hide my nerves, I calmly slipped a ring with a purple gemstone onto his left ring finger. Amethyst wasn’t the most remarkable gem, but this ring was one of the oldest heirlooms of the McFoy family, traditionally owned by the lady of the house.

The ring, which had long been without an owner, had been worn by me for years. If I had married Phillip Morfolk, the ring would still be on my finger.

It felt strange to see my mother’s ring on Norma’s hand. Though his hands were pale and delicate, the ring looked somewhat odd on his long, veiny fingers.

Norma Diazi placed my hand in his palm. His large hand was reassuring. With gentle movements, he removed the glove from my hand.

Norma had prepared a ring that had belonged to his late mother, Gwyneth Diazi, the former lady of the Diazi household. If I remembered correctly, Milan had gifted that ring to Gwyneth when they first married. In the place where his mother’s ring had once been, he now placed her ring, adorned with a blue gemstone, on my finger.

“And next, you two must… share what Mehra has given you.”

Second, the gift from the goddess.

During the wedding, the bride and groom share the third name bestowed upon them by the goddess.

Sharing this third name, typically passed between parents and children, symbolizes becoming true family. But from the perspective of someone without faith, this third name was nothing but a vulnerability—if it were carelessly revealed, it could be used in Alpho’s curse.

This time, Norma went first. He took a step closer, bending down as if to meet me at eye level.

I widened my eyes and endured the closeness, with our noses almost touching. It was obvious that the groom was clenching his teeth to keep from laughing at his malfunctioning bride.

“Zoë.”

As he whispered the name, Norma couldn’t resist and playfully bit my earlobe. His unexpected and playful action left me frozen in place.

Startled by the sudden shift in the monotonous ceremony, I looked at Norma with an expression of disbelief. However, he, who had recently become quite bold, only blushed slightly and didn’t avoid my gaze.

“Th-the bride also…”

Seeing me glaring at Norma with a murderous look, Edio hesitantly interrupted in a small voice.

I snapped back to my senses and shot Norma one more fierce look for his audacity. Without a hint of shame, he quickly leaned in, bringing his ear close to my lips.

“….Kinis.”

Norma straightened his back and faced me again, and we held hands in preparation for the next part of the ceremony. Because of the height difference, I had no choice but to look up at him.

“Uh… Then, the two of you, please each make a vow.”

Staring at his golden eyes, which sparkled in the noonday sun, I slowly opened my mouth.

“I will do my best to make you happy.”

From the beginning, all Norma Diazi wanted from this marriage was happiness. I wasn’t sure what exactly he meant by happiness, but since he said that being by my side made him happy, I figured it would somehow work out.

At my vow, Norma made a face I had never seen before. It was a smile, but different from his usual one.

He was definitely smiling sincerely, but there was a certain heaviness to it. It was similar to the expression I had seen on the tower when I had ruined his proposal so spectacularly.

___

On the other hand, just hearing Aisa’s vow to do her best to make him happy made Norma’s heart race with an overwhelming sense of happiness.

But she didn’t know that his desires had grown day by day, to the point where just being beside her was no longer enough. That’s why she could say such things so easily.

Norma tried hard to appear cheerful in front of her.

On the last day of the carnival, eager to see her, he had hurried to the tower after sensing something strange. He had been right—it was the man with the red hair, who looked like a wild beast.

Climbing the last step, prepared to cut his throat if necessary, Norma had seen Aisa viciously beating the man while screaming.

 

‘I could never love Norma Diazi!’

 

Her sharp cry had rooted him to the spot, unable to rush over and twist the neck of the man who had grabbed her wrist.

At that moment, Norma realized something. It wasn’t enough to simply sit next to her. His desires had grown, and now he wanted her heart as well.

The shock he felt was akin to the sensation he’d had years ago, when his body had been shattered into dust, piece by piece. He stood frozen, unable to punish the man gripping her wrist.

 

‘Keep pretending to be innocent, you little fox. I’m curious to see how long it’ll last.’

 

As Norma stood stiff as a board, the red-haired man brushed past him, sneering. His voice dripped with malice, enough to make Norma’s golden eyes turn cold.

Noticing the faint bite mark on her neck, Norma kissed the spot and thought to himself.

‘I should have killed him.’

At that moment, all Norma wanted was to run away with her, somewhere no one would ever find them, and never leave her side for even a second.

‘Would it be okay if I kidnapped her and ran away?’

But he knew that wasn’t what she wanted. If he did that, she wouldn’t smile. Norma forced himself to push away the dark thoughts that had unknowingly grown inside him.

He had seen Aisa smile a few times before. Her smile was precious, and Norma would do anything to make her happy. Especially when she smiled—it gave him an indescribable feeling of joy.

‘So what can I do…?’

All I can do is stay by your side, waiting for your gaze. If you smile even once, if you laugh even a little, then that’s all I need.

With that thought, Norma lifted the corners of his mouth in a faint smile.

“I vow never to leave your side.”

I could see her frown deepen as she looked up at me, but I knew it wasn’t out of anger.

“Even if you tell me to get lost, I won’t go far. I’ll always stay close enough for you to reach me.”

Just like she had once yelled in frustration, I used words I wouldn’t normally say. It felt awkward coming out of my mouth.

She looked at me as if I had said something ridiculous. After blinking a few times, she let out a puff of laughter. And then, she laughed out loud.

‘Ah.’

It was the first time I had seen her laugh like that, and I widened my eyes in surprise as I watched her.

‘I…’

My face flushed quickly, and I barely managed to stop myself from squeezing her hand harder. Now, I was sure of it.

‘I really am fine with just this.’

Norma had considered countless dark possibilities, but now he discarded them all. He became the happiest man in the world as he followed her lead and laughed.

Watching the two of them laugh together, Edio trembled as if he had witnessed the end of the world.

‘Oh, Mehra.’

After all, Edio had only ever seen her smirk or laugh out of anger before.

He had rudely assumed that this marriage had been forced, with the witch-like head of the McFoy family using threats to win over the noble knight. He had seen the radiant knight before him as a pitiful hostage.

‘Could it really be a love marriage? The head of the McFoy family?’

But now, it seemed like the rumors about the love between the two were true.

In a daze, Edio was reminded of a legend about a beautiful woman who had tamed a tyrant.

Lost in thought for a moment, he snapped back to reality when he realized that Aisa McFoy was glaring at him. He quickly hurried through the final part of the ceremony.

“I now declare you husband and wife in the name of Mehra. You may kiss the bride.”

Thankfully, Edio managed to deliver the final line without stuttering.

The head of the McFoy family and her now-husband, the flower-like man beside her, shared a light kiss, receiving the goddess’s blessing.

Crown Prince Billinent, seated in the most prominent position where he could see the ceremony clearly, watched the scene with displeasure. Never having bothered to hide his feelings before, he didn’t try now.

Despite the grand spectacle of the wedding, Billinent’s eyes never left the head of the McFoy family.

She looked quite stunning today, but that wasn’t why he couldn’t take his eyes off her. The only thought in Billinent’s mind was how much he wanted to crush that small head of hers.

For him, staying in his seat and not ruining the wedding took considerable restraint, given his wild nature.

Just before the ceremony had begun, Billinent had received a report.

‘We’ve found someone who saw a pirate with red hair at the western seas.’

 

Billinent had used his sources to uncover this information just days ago.

If the pirate with red hair was indeed the man named Kano, the same man who had been involved with that McFoy woman…

Billinent nervously bit his thumbnail.