It Feels Like I’m About to be Divorced, But my Husband is My Favorite

Chapter 31

Euclid arrived at the temple after staying up all night.

Sleep had evaded him, consumed as he was by worries and complex thoughts.

Fortunately, despite all his deliberation, he had no regrets about deciding on today’s wedding.

In fact, thinking about Philip, the servants, and whoever in the royal palace had now likely heard the news of his marriage and the identity of his bride, filled him with a strange sense of satisfaction.

However, before the ceremony, there was someone Euclid needed to meet.

His soon-to-be wife, Evgenia.

He already felt apologetic toward her. Learning about the wounds she bore and the mindset she must have been in to agree to this marriage made it impossible to simply let things slide.

What if she showed any hint of regret during their conversation? He couldn’t exactly call off the wedding now…

Burdened by such worries, Euclid arrived in front of the bridal waiting room.

“Whew…”

Adjusting his pristine wedding attire, he tried to suppress the nervousness that coursed through him and knocked on the door.

But—

“…Lady Evgenia?”

No matter how many times he knocked, there was no response from inside.

With the ceremony so near, it made no sense for the bride to be absent from the waiting room. More troubling still, he had seen her maid leaving just moments earlier.

Then surely, Lady Evgenia must be inside alone…

As the thought struck him, a dreadful image he didn’t even want to consider suddenly flashed through Euclid’s mind.

Clenching his eyes shut, he reflexively braced himself against the wall.

His heart raced violently, and hot breaths escaped between his lips.

Unlike him, Lady Evgenia could stop this marriage anytime she wanted.

It would be as simple as running away, even now.

But why did the worst possible scenario—a horrifying image of her doing something unthinkable—take hold in his mind?

Overcome by an inexplicable, foreboding sense of dread, Euclid impulsively grabbed the door handle.

“!”

The moment he opened the door, he found Evgenia about to drink from a small, mysterious vial.

His blood turned ice cold.

Euclid completely lost his composure. He couldn’t even remember why he had come or what he had intended to say.

By the time he regained his senses, he was standing right in front of Evgenia, staring at the shattered remains of the vial on the floor with a furrowed brow.

Her gaze, filled with a mix of confusion and resentment, met his.

Unable to contain himself, Euclid opened his mouth.

“What on earth are you doing? No matter how much… no matter how much you dislike this marriage, this isn’t something you should resort to!”

His head drooped low, and for the first time, his previously unwavering resolve began to waver.

What had allowed him to push forward with such a selfish decision was the belief that Evgenia had consented.

Even though he had suspected—hoped, even—that she wasn’t taking this marriage seriously, that she had agreed in a fit of emotion, he had clung to that fragile justification.

Swallowing a bitter smile at his own contradictions, Euclid pulled out a handkerchief.

Instead of using his trembling hands, he carefully took Evgenia’s hands in his to check for any shards of glass or traces of the vial’s liquid.

Despite his scattered thoughts, he seemed to have managed his strength well. Her palms were unharmed and clean.

Relieved, Euclid finished wiping her hands and tucked the handkerchief back into his pocket.

Meeting her gaze directly, he spoke.

“I’ll go out right now and call it off. The marriage—”

“Duke.”

It was then that Evgenia, who hadn’t said a word until now, addressed him.

He had braced himself for her to react with panic or anger, furious that he had broken the vial without permission. But her voice was calm.

That one word alone made Euclid’s heart skip a beat.

Still, he hid his unease behind a practiced mask.

“It seems you’ve misunderstood something.”

…Or so he thought.

“That,” she said, gesturing toward the vial, “was a sedative to help calm my nerves.”

She smiled faintly, as though amused, the corners of her lips curling upward.

Euclid’s eyelids twitched violently at the sight of her serene expression.

Ah, this is driving me crazy!

Watching Euclid blink his innocent eyes a few times before finally realizing the situation and covering his flushed face with one hand, I barely managed to suppress the urge to burst out laughing.

Honestly, when the vial had first shattered, I had been too stunned to understand what was happening.

It felt as though some unseen force had hit me—more precisely, my hand.

But how could that be? Surely, the door had opened suddenly, startling me and causing me to drop it.

Though, I couldn’t quite figure out how the bottle ended up rolling so far away, or why it had shattered as if someone had thrown it against the wall…

I had no time to worry about such trivial details.

It was a shame to waste the medicine I had been so eager to take, even praying over it. But more pressing than that was my fear that the black liquid might have stained my pristine white wedding dress.

Upon hurried inspection, I was relieved to find no traces on the fabric.

Still, I decided to ask Anne to double-check for me later, just to be sure. As I made up my mind, I lifted my head.

Who on earth has the audacity to barge into the bride’s waiting room without knocking…

Wait, no, I take it back!

Retreat, retreat! He’s an ally!

The person standing at the door was none other than my one and only favorite, Euclid. Seeing him, I quickly revised my thoughts.

It couldn’t be that someone as considerate as him would fail to knock.

I must have been so absorbed in my prayers that I didn’t hear it.

As expected, Euclid, seemingly concerned about my silence, had entered with a furrowed brow and was striding toward me.

When his golden eyes—burning like molten sunlight—approached so close, my heart sank.

I had always thought of him as someone who carried a constant gentle smile, so seeing such an expression on his face startled me.

Yet, though unfamiliar, I didn’t dislike it. On the contrary, I felt oddly delighted, as if I had discovered a new side of him not shown in the novel.

Moreover, the black silk suit, meticulously prepared by the Basilian Duchy, suited him perfectly.

Everything—from his tie to his cufflinks to his shoes—was flawless. It was as if a professional touch had further enhanced his already handsome appearance. I found myself staring at him in a daze, as if entranced.

“What are you doing right now? No matter how… no matter how much you might be against this marriage, this is unacceptable.”

I blinked, momentarily unable to grasp his words.

The question marks swirling in my head quickly turned into exclamation marks.

Oh my goodness!

So that’s why he had flung the door open without permission—what an absurd misunderstanding!

Of course, given that until recently I had been obsessing over the Crown Prince, and he had caught me just as I was about to drink what might have looked like poison, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable for him to jump to such a conclusion.

But seriously, how adorable can he be?

What kind of misunderstanding is that?

I bit back a laugh, holding it in with great effort.

His pained expression, pleading with me not to do this, was so heartbreakingly beautiful that I wanted to savor the moment a little longer.

At that moment, Euclid pulled out a handkerchief and carefully took my hand.

Startled by the sudden touch, I froze, but Euclid began gently wiping my palm and fingers with slow, deliberate movements, as if to calm me.

Through the handkerchief, I could feel his warmth.

The heat of his touch flowed into my cold, tense hands, bringing them back to life.

Along with it, the negative thoughts and lingering fears that had gripped my heart began to dissipate, leaving me with a sense of peace.

With Euclid by my side, it felt like I could overcome any challenge.

So, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to indulge in this misunderstanding a bit longer…

“I’ll go out and say it now. The wedding is canceled…”

Wait—absolutely not!