“Raphel.”
Lizelle smiled softly when she saw him.
As soon as she saw him, the nervousness that consumed her disappeared without a trace.
“The young master wanted to see lady Wilhazelle—no, madam.”
Tia, who brought Raphel, smiled happily as she spoke.
“Did you?”
“Yeah! Raphel always wants to see Lizelle!”
Raphel giggled and wrapped his arms tightly around Lizelle’s legs.
“Oh, young master! You’re wrinkling the madam’s dress!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
As Tia rushed forward in alarm, Lizelle shook her head and lifted Raphel into her arms.
“Raphel, you look so handsome today!”
“Hehe.”
Raphel grinned brightly at her compliment.
Since it was a special day, he was dressed in a small suit with a red bow tie as the centerpiece.
His adorable appearance brought a smile to Lizelle’s lips.
The two chatted happily for a while.
Raphel boasted that he was able to jump up and ride the swing all by himself without Tia’s help.
“Impressive. As expected, my Raphel is good at everything.”
“It seems like the ceremony is about to start.”
Tia glanced outside to check the situation, then gently took Raphel from Lizelle’s arms.
“We’ll head out first, then. Congratulations on your wedding!”
“Congrats!”
Tia smiled shyly as she spoke, and Raphel enthusiastically followed her lead with his own cheerful congratulations.
Though Raphel didn’t seem to fully understand what was happening today, he looked genuinely happy at the thought of staying with her from now on.
Lizelle waved goodbye to Raphel with a smile as Tia carried him out.
Once they left, leaving her alone again, Lizelle let out a deep breath.
“Phew.”
Well, why cry over spilled milk.
This was the result of the choices she made.
She’d decided to get involved in the original novel. She said she’d stay by Raphel’s side. She said she’d marry Chase.
With a deep breath, she slowly calmed her trembling heart.
* * *
“Master, please relax your expression.”
Rohan whispered to Chase.
Rohan and Chase were in another prayer room that had been temporarily turned into the groom’s waiting room.
He was dressed in a tuxedo, befitting a groom.
His hair was neatly styled and he looked more radiant than ever.
However, his face was frozen with tension, to the point where no one would be able to tell he was getting married today.
“This is driving me crazy.”
He couldn’t recall a time he’d ever been this nervous in his life.
His situation wasn’t much different from Lizelle’s.
“Why are you so tense? Aren’t you happy?”
Rohan tilted his head, puzzled by his master’s unusual behavior.
After all, it was Chase who impulsively proposed to Lizelle in the first place. So why behave like this now?
His expression was so grim that it could send shivers down anyone’s spine.
At Rohan’s question, Chase fell into a brief moment of thought.
If asked whether he was happy, the answer was yes. He was, because he would soon be with Lizelle.
On the other hand, there was also regret. This marriage wasn’t happening because she wanted it.
If she were interested in him, he would have been happier.
That’s why he was nervous.
This was a fragile relationship, bound by a contract that could fall apart at any moment.
There was always the possibility that she might change her mind and not even come to the ceremony.
“Don’t tell me you’re worried Miss Wilhazelle won’t show up to the wedding?”
Flinch.
Chase’s shoulders twitched at Rohan’s remark.
This sharp-tongued subordinate…
“Don’t worry. She’s already waiting in another room in her wedding dress.”
Rohan realized his question, which he asked out of curiosity, hit the nail on the head.
Soon after, the chime of the ceremonial bell echoed through the temple, signaling the start of the wedding.
Chase stood from his seat.
His tense expression relaxed slightly.
He already resolved not to back down after today.
Once the ceremony was complete, she would have to live with him for a year.
There was no escape.
He intended to give it his all.
To win her heart by any means necessary.
* * *
“Do you swear to love each other sincerely and stay together for the rest of your lives?”
The high priest’s question echoed through the quiet temple.
Lizelle and Chase stood before the altar, facing the priest.
“Yes.”
In response to the question, Chase’s answer came out without a single moment of hesitation.
The corners of his lips arched up slightly with a satisfied smile.
“…”
On the other hand, Lizelle was staring blankly into space.
She needed to say the words, but couldn’t.
Because the moment she said ‘yes’, there would be no turning back.
Standing there in her wedding dress beside Chase, it finally felt real.
She was marrying him.
Life truly was unpredictable.
She needed money to live, so she took Raphel with her and moved into the Duke’s residence.
She never dreamed she would end up marrying him.
Of course, all this was a result of her own decision…
“Wilhazelle.”
Chase called out softly to Lizelle, who had yet to answer.
Lizelle looked up at his call.
He was radiant today. His face, as if a sculptor spent a lifetime carving it, was a masterpiece.
The tuxedo he was wearing also suited him very well. It was as if the groom was the star of the wedding.
For some reason, her heart began to tremble.
“Will you not answer?”
He asked very affectionately. He was the one who was waiting for her answer more eagerly than anyone else.
“Does the bride, Wilhazelle Frosier, swear to sincerely love and stay with the groom, Chase Halos, for the rest of your lives?”
The high priest repeated the question, prompting her to answer.
In the audience, a quiet voice called out.
“Lizelle.”
Raphel, sitting among the guests, waved enthusiastically at her with a smile.
Lizelle smiled back, then scanned the audience.
She saw her parents, dabbing at their eyes with handkerchiefs, wiping their tears.
And the guests who were gathered to celebrate their marriage that day.
She turned back and looked at the high priest.
She then spoke.
“Yes.”
There was no regret. This was the result of her own choice.
“We will now proceed with the exchange of rings, symbolizing your love.”
The two of them took out rings.
A 19-carat pink diamond ring was slipped onto Wilhazelle’s left ring finger.
Then, she placed a simple diamond ring on Chase’s finger.
Chase’s lips curved into a smile.
“With this, I declare that the two of you are now husband and wife before the goddess Armicane.”
The high priest bowed his head before the statue of the goddess with a reverent heart.
Lizelle and Chase followed the priests lead and clasped their hands, bowing their heads before the statue of Armicane, the goddess and protector of the empire.
The two were now truly married.
* * *
“Wow, I’m exhausted…”
Lizelle flopped onto the bed in her room.
It had been a really long day.
From getting up at the crack of dawn to getting ready and moving frantically non-stop. Before she knew it, the wedding was over.
But that wasn’t the end.
After the wedding, it took another hour just to take off all the accessories she wore for the ceremony.
There were dozens of hairpins alone, so it took quite some time to remove them.
“Phew…”
Now that the attendants had left, Lizelle was finally enjoying the long-awaited peace.
‘Now that I’m married, I can keep my promise to Raphel…’
That was fortunate, but on the other hand, she was also worried as she realized once again that she, who had been a bystander, was now involved in the original novel.
“…”
As she continued to think while staring up at the dark ceiling, Lizelle blushed as she remembered the wedding that had taken place earlier.
Chase seemed to monopolize all the beauty in the world.
‘Will you not answer?’
His affectionate voice was still lingering in her ears.
His words and gaze had been unmistakably directed at a beloved bride.
“…”
What on earth was he thinking?
Now that she had some free time, Lizelle tried to organize her feelings for him.
But a knock on the door suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
“Come in.”
Lizelle answered absentmindedly.
Tia went out to prepare some warm tea, it was about time for her to return.
“Are you ready?”
The deep voice that followed, however, was not Tia’s.
