Enemies Meet at the Engagement Ceremony

 

 

 

“Please, don’t come. Don’t come, please…”

 

With a light tap, the poorly groomed fingernail, not even neatly trimmed, broke and snapped off on the tooth.

 

The aimless gaze wandered through the lavishly adorned bride’s waiting room.

 

The bride’s waiting room, adorned entirely with precious flowers, seemed like a place where one could lose their mind just by looking at it.

 

In the midst of it all, holding a white bouquet in the hand, there was me.

 

With only the desire to hide if there was even a mouse hole.

 

“If you come, I’ll kill you, Enoch Gray.”

 

I always knew this day would come, but it wasn’t until the day of the engagement ceremony that I realized.

 

I wasn’t ready yet.

 

Especially for the engagement with Enoch Gray, my lifelong rival and nemesis!

 

“Today it’s a good day, so please smile, Lady Cherrya.”

 

How distorted was my face?

 

Jessia said, pressing between my eyebrows with her fingers.

 

“Are you planning to change into a dress anytime soon?”

 

“Huh I’m not going to change? What’s wrong with this?”

 

Looking in the mirror, I saw myself with red hair tightly braided as if preparing for a fight.

 

In my father’s endlessly loving pumpkin-colored eyes, there was a deep sense of self-loathing.

 

Even if I were a person being led to the gallows, my expression was fitting.

 

“What does it matter?”

 

Jessia squinted her eyes and let out an exasperated sound.

 

“Which noblewoman comes to an engagement ceremony in a knight’s uniform? And with a sword, no less!”

 

In response to Jessia’s earnest plea, I examined my attire.

 

The Emblem-clad uniforms of the pure white and ornate gold knightly order complemented my red hair quite well.

 

It was a rare occasion for me to wear the formal knight’s uniform, and it had been a subject of negotiation with my father, who insisted, ‘Just go around like this, please.’

 

“As the commander of the Emblem Knights, this is the best attire I can arrange.”

 

Even this was a compromise after my father tearfully pleaded with me, as I intended to come out in my usual squire’s attire.

 

Seeing my visibly unfair appearance, Jessia erupted in frustration.

 

“This can’t be, Lady Cherrya. There’s no such rule in the world. What kind of engagement is this, really…!”

 

“Crying? Are you crying now?”

 

“Then, am I not allowed to cry? What do you think of this engagement, Lady Cherrya?”

 

“Parents forcing a display of unnecessary friendship?”

 

“Lady Cherrya!”

 

The poignant plea tinged with tears swiftly transformed into anger.

 

Jessia, now with a crimson face, began to scold me.

 

“It’s the union of Emblem and Gray! What does this even mean?”

 

“Jessia, hold on, you’re getting too worked up.”

 

“The entire continent is eagerly awaiting this engagement! Do you know how many countries have sent congratulatory envoys for the engagement of Lady Cherrya and Lord Enoch?”

 

Angry Jessia couldn’t be stopped, not even by her mother.

 

Eventually, I sighed deeply and urged the spirited Jessia to calm down.

 

“Why would I not know that? I’m aware of everything.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Of course. With the Emblem Knights and the Gray Knights historically growling at each other like enemies, the heirs of both families getting hitched is like a thrilling spectacle for everyone, isn’t it?”

 

“Lady Cherrya!”

 

I chuckled again, watching Jessia shout in frustration.

 

While teasing Jessia was delightful, the truth was my statement wasn’t entirely wrong.

 

My mother, the leader of Emblem, and Enoch’s mother, the leader of Gray, shared a miraculous friendship known as the ‘miracle of history.’

 

They even made an agreement that if they each had a child, they would arrange a marriage, sharing unnecessary details of their pregnancies.

 

“Enoch Gray has been missing in the Kratyn Demon Forest for a week now. If we’re lucky, the engagement might be canceled. In that case, I gladly give up the honor of being the first lady to attend an engagement ceremony in uniform in the empire.”

 

“You shouldn’t say such cruel things. If the one Lady Cherrya is engaged to doesn’t return….!”

 

“Canceling the engagement would be just fine, wouldn’t it?”

 

At my resigned voice, Jessia opened her eyes wide again.

 

If not careful, I would end up listening to a sermon about the impact of the reconciliation between Emblem and Gray, all while being held captive.

 

Before Jessia could issue another disapproving shout, I opened the door to the waiting room, intending to escape.

 

Outside the door, the guys who had been peering inside scattered and tumbled to the floor.

 

“Aah!”

 

The ones scrambling to recover beneath my feet were members of my knightly order. What’s the point of wearing the Emblem Knight uniform so impeccably if they end up looking this pathetic?

 

“What are you guys doing?”

 

“What’s up with you all?”

 

At my chilly voice, they nervously wiped their sweat and started awkwardly laughing in unison.

 

“We heard a false rumor that the commander was wearing a dress and wanted to correct it right away…”

 

“Jack said he wanted to see it first.”

 

“No, it was Lucas who suggested peeking through the crack in the door.”

 

“What? When did I say that?”

 

“Then when did I say that?”

 

Whether it was embarrassing to get caught trying to sneak a peek into the waiting room or embarrassing for knights to be tumbling on the floor, I couldn’t tell.

 

Watching them unnecessarily escalate the argument with raised voices made my head ache.

 

“What are you all doing here?”

 

“Well, if the deputy commander won’t be participating in the engagement ceremony, they say you should just leave without looking back. An exit has been prepared.”

 

“What? Do you even know where we are right now?”

 

This was the Imperial Palace Banquet Hall. It meant that this was an engagement ceremony hosted by the Emperor.

 

Looking at me, questioning with disbelief I couldn’t hide, these guys, as if understanding, spoke with somewhat weary faces.

 

“All you have to do is say that the commander won’t participate.”

 

“The more he avoids it… No, forget it. It’s faster to just go through with the engagement ceremony than waiting for someone who won’t come anyway.”

 

“Excuse me? What did you say?”

 

“Bishop, he’s the one who saw it.”

 

“Yes, I saw him standing next to the pulpit.”

 

“Alright, step aside.”

 

I pushed through the shoulders of the crowd that had gathered and moved forward.

 

Dealing with such formal engagement ceremonies was giving me a headache.

 

Following their directions, I found the bishop standing in the middle of the engagement ceremony, smiling benignly.

 

“Bishop, you’re here.”

 

As our eyes met, he poured out concern as if he had been waiting for me.

 

“Oh, Lady Cherrya. I heard that there is still no news about Lord Enoch. But do not worry; I’m sure he is with the divine, accompanying you.”

 

“If the skill to perish monsters is there, I’ll bring Enoch’s child back to you and defeat them. So, Bishop, you don’t have to worry.”

 

“Truly, you are unwavering.”

 

The bishop’s compassionate voice awkwardly lingered.

 

I quickly cut in to prevent the bishop, who was about to give a sermon much like Jessia, and went straight to the point.

 

“Rather than that, please proceed with the ceremony right away.”

 

“Surely, you’re not suggesting to hold the ceremony alone without the fiancé?”

 

“Yes. It seems Enoch won’t be coming today, and it doesn’t seem polite to turn away the guests who have arrived.”

 

“But Lady Cherrya, no matter the circumstances, an engagement cannot take place without the involved parties. And if you proceed with the engagement without Lord Enoch and he doesn’t return safely, Lady Cherrya, you will be left alone…”

 

“Living alone without getting married. Well, that wouldn’t be too bad.”

 

As I spoke, the bishop’s eyes became moist, and he covered his mouth with his hand.

 

It was clear that I had caused a misunderstanding.

 

“May the Lord bless Lady Cherrya’s noble and beautiful heart. To think that you disliked it so much…”

 

“Bishop!”

 

“Yes, Lady Cherrya. Let us begin the ceremony. Only so that Lord Enoch can remain as your eternal fiancé.”

 

“I didn’t mean it in that way, you know. Do you really have to say it like that?”

 

“Hehe.”

 

The bishop happily laughed and pulled a bell from his robes, ringing it joyfully.

 

The clear sound of the bell was the signal that the ceremony would soon begin.

 

People gathered with puzzled faces, aware that Enoch had not returned from his mission.

 

Observing their curiosity, I flashed a smile of realization.

 

A solo engagement ceremony due to an absent fiancé.

 

It was a perfect situation to formally complain to the Duke of Gray.

 

‘Let’s use this as an excuse to break off the engagement.’

 

That’s when I made that resolution.

 

In the distance, amid the noisy scuffling, a familiar presence was felt.

 

“What is this sound…”

 

Narrowing my eyes, I looked towards the source of the commotion and saw him.

 

A man walking towards me as if he were a messenger, his silver hair soaked in blood.

 

“Enoch Gray…”

 

Uttering his name like a suppressed moan, Enoch momentarily stopped and looked in my direction.

 

From head to toe, the man, drenched in blood, exuded a strong smell of death.

 

The gathered guests collectively raised their voices.

 

“Oh my, it’s Enoch Gray. He went to subdue the monsters in Kratyn, and now he’s just arrived.”

 

“An engagement bride with a sword at her side, and an engaged man appearing with blood-soaked armor. It looks more like a martial arts arena than an engagement ceremony.”

 

“But in a way, this might truly be a fitting engagement ceremony for the history of the Emblem and Gray families.”

 

At that moment, Enoch’s graceful lips formed a beautiful smile, and the buzz in the venue momentarily ceased.

 

Today, the azure eyes, typically praised by ladies as ‘drowning in them and wanting to suffocate,’ seemed particularly intense.

 

Thus, he gathered everyone’s attention and confidently strode towards me, standing before me.

 

“Did you really think of having the engagement without me, Cherrya Emblem?”

 

“How did you end up like this…”

 

“I had to come.”

 

Enoch’s voice, firmly cutting off my words, was as low and dense as if soaked in blood.

 

For reasons unknown, Enoch Gray seemed completely unhinged, from head to toe.

 

Narrowing my eyes, I asked.

 

“What happened in Kratyn?”

 

“What happened…?”

 

Enoch grabbed onto the end of his sentence, staring at me quietly.

 

His gaze, lowered intensely, scrutinized my eyes, nose, and lips.

 

“But more than that, there’s something I want to ask you, Cherry.”

 

“I told you not to use that nickname. It makes me want to vomit.”

 

“Still, go ahead.”

 

Though normally Enoch might have protested my words, this time he interrupted me again.

 

He seemed unexpectedly anxious now.

 

“Tell me.”

 

As if ready to listen, he clenched his fist. Then, Enoch’s smile, previously charming, deepened for a moment.

 

Watching that, I felt a strange sensation somewhere in my chest, as if something familiar yet incredibly unfamiliar.

 

Something with a familiar and yet profoundly strange feeling.

 

“What’s going on with you?”

 

I had spent almost my entire life growing up with Enoch Gray.

 

Even though we had despised each other as if wanting to kill, I couldn’t deny that I had spent most of my life with Enoch Gray.

 

Yet, the Enoch Gray in front of me felt strangely unfamiliar. Even though it couldn’t be.

 

“Why did I only realize it now, Cherry.”

 

“What?”

 

“To have it right in front of me and not recognize it until now, I’ve never felt more defeated. If only my memories had come back a little sooner…”

 

“I can’t understand a single word you’re saying right now.”

 

“It doesn’t matter.”

 

Enoch’s face, pouring out incomprehensible stories, drew closer.

 

Before grasping the situation, Enoch’s lips, which had been smiling, met mine.

 

Softly parting lips opened, and with a deep fragrance, something warm brushed against my tongue, stirring up my mouth.

 

“Oops!”

 

“That guy did this to the Commander…!”

 

The sound of startled breaths echoed around.

 

Only then did I realize that Enoch Gray had kissed me.

 

‘Crazy, Enoch Gray, this bastard!’

 

Just as I abruptly regained my senses, I tried to push him away forcefully.

 

Enoch, who had been kissing passionately as if swallowing my very breath, slightly parted his lips and whispered.

 

“Didn’t you miss me, Inspector?”

 

Inspector. A word that didn’t exist in the Lutinas Empire emerged from Enoch’s lips.

 

I froze in the posture of pushing him away.

 

“What did you just say?”

 

It was a language that no one living here should know, a language that only I should be aware of.

 

I even knew the tone and manner of speech.

 

“You can’t be…!”

 

At my astonished reaction, Enoch smiled, twisting one corner of his mouth.

 

Looking at his face filled with joy, I could understand.

 

I had encountered my archenemy from a past life on a suspension bridge, and here, I met my nemesis at the engagement ceremony.

 

My archenemy from my previous life.