“Ugh, my ears are itching. Is someone talking about me?”
Idel scratched her ear irritably, still wearing her robe, and scanned her surroundings again.
Seeing the entrance of the temple more bustling than usual made her feel quite proud.
This meant that her efforts to sway public opinion among the noble society had been successful.
‘The preparations are complete.’
She had already spoken with Vivian, Ivan, as well as the Bright family and the temple officials.
Now, they just needed to make sure Farell acted as planned…
‘Hmm, this doesn’t worry me much.’
So far, her experience with Farell Underwood had been that of a villain straight out of a bad script. He wasn’t as malicious as Melisa, so he wasn’t the final boss, but rather a sub-villain who would exit midway.
For someone like him, today was an opportunity he could not afford to miss.
‘Although I did set things up for that purpose.’
That was why the wedding was announced as an open ceremony that “anyone” could attend.
“I hope he brings the black magician with him.”
According to Vivian, Farell’s pride had been thoroughly hurt, so he wouldn’t think of taking the seat next to her now.
If she were to guess, the most likely scenario was that Farell would use the black magician to attack them.
“If I had to predict more specifically, Farell would try to draw attention to his pregnancy, and in the chaos, the black magician would cast a spell.”
Then, if they could subdue Farell as planned, the problem would be resolved.
‘…That said, the real goal today is actually that black magician.’
As Idel thought this, she glanced subtly beyond her robe. She saw Sigmund, also in a robe, and Vilred, who had changed his appearance.
Next to them, Gianna’s face was red with excitement, constantly exclaiming in awe.
‘Lucky me.’
Gianna had expressed her desire to play with Sigmund, making it unnecessary for Idel to worry about finding a way to get them to leave.
‘These days, she keeps prying about Sigmund whenever she gets the chance.’
Did she really like him that much?
He might have a bad personality, like a true villain from the original story, but Gianna didn’t know that side of him.
‘Well, even if she does, I won’t be bringing her along next time.’
In fact, Gianna had been brought along this time only because she happened to get involved in the field trip. Otherwise, regardless of her personal feelings for Gianna, she would never have included her.
There was nothing good that could come from getting entangled like this—neither for her nor for herself.
While Idel was briefly contemplating how to shake off Gianna, the temple’s characteristic clear bell rang out brightly.
It was the bell announcing the start of the wedding.
“Wow! Idel, it looks like it’s about to start!”
“Shh, quiet! Just call me Del. I told you to call me Del.”
“Oh, right! Del! Del!”
Seeing Gianna, who looked strangely happy despite being scolded, made Idel narrow her eyes.
‘I did say that the Duke and Duchess wouldn’t be attending, but it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious…’
Perhaps she had been overly enthusiastic about the’secret’ aspect, which might be too thrilling for someone like Gianna, who had been properly raised in the duke’s household. Just look at how excited she was.
Unaware that Idel was watching her with distrustful eyes, Gianna’s eyes widened in surprise.
She spotted a familiar face on the platform set up in the temple.
“Del, Del.”
“What?”
“It’s the Countess and Ivan!”
“Ah.”
At Gianna’s words, Idel turned her head toward the platform and let out a small snort.
The two people, dressed in white suits that suited them perfectly, looked like a painting.
As she watched the protagonists of the day, who showed no signs of nervousness, the priest’s voice announced the beginning of the ceremony.
“We will now begin the wedding of Vivian Bright and Ivan Ernest.”
– Ding, ding, ding!
With the resounding chimes marking the start, the ceremony officially commenced.
Unlike the shocking developments that had shaken the social scene, the wedding proceeded normally and smoothly.
“Vivian Bright, do you swear to take Ivan Ernest as your companion?”
“Yes.”
“Ivan Ernest, do you swear to take Vivian Bright as your companion?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Very well. The vows of the two have been accepted under the blessing of the gods. Now, is there anyone who objects to this marriage?”
And then, the much-anticipated moment…
“Me.”
Idel felt the atmosphere around her, which had been cooling down, quietly yet quickly heated up.
Among the murmurs of people who couldn’t believe what was happening, Farell strode confidently forward as if he were the main character.
“I object to this marriage.”
Perhaps due to his gaunt appearance, a collective gasp was heard from the crowd. An aristocratic lady, who had hastily opened her fan, expressed her intense emotions, confirming the rumors of a ‘love triangle.’
“Silence! Silence!”
The priest, striking the table with the scripture he was holding, asked Farell in a stern voice.
“Sir, who are you, and what is your reason for opposing this sacred union?”
“I am Farell Underwood, the fiancé of Countess Vivian Bright. And the reason I oppose this marriage is…”
“…Sir?”
“Because there is a child of the Countess and me in my belly! Look!”
“Gasp!”
As Farell dramatically exposed his belly, the crowd’s eyes widened in shock. Farell’s abdomen was visibly swollen.
“So, the rumor about a man being pregnant…”
“It’s true.”
Receiving the words that slipped out from an audience member, Farell glared at the couple on the platform.
“The Bright family was the only family that participated in the male pregnancy experiment conducted by the royal family long ago. I knew this fact because I had been the fiancé of Countess Bright for a long time.”
“……”
“After Vivian inherited the title of a Countess and was knighted, she demanded that I have a child based on that experiment using ‘black magic.’ I accepted the Countess’s proposal, thinking it was for her benefit. But then….”
Clenching his fists in frustration, Farell continued in a sharp voice.
“I was abandoned in an instant! Because of that man, Ivan Ernest!”
“Gasp…!”
“I must dare to intervene in this sacred marriage for the sake of this child! If you don’t believe me, let the priest confirm it himself!”
Farell raised his chin defiantly, as if he had nothing to hide.
As an atmosphere of suspicion formed about whether his claims were entirely true, Vivian sighed and looked at the priest.
“…Priest.”
“This…”
With a sound of discomfort, the priest swallowed hard and eventually looked at Farell with a pitying expression.
“Sir Farell, I have heard your claims.”
“So…?”
“Just as the Countess had hinted beforehand. Pregnancy… This is truly serious mental manipulation.”
“…What?”
The priest’s words caused the mood in the crowd to shift once again.
“M-Mental manipulation? My mind is perfectly fine! I’m telling you, I really am pregnant!”
“…”
“Ha, Farell….”
Vivian, shaking her head, called out to Farell with a sympathetic voice.
“I’ve told you countless times. You’re not pregnant. You refused treatment so adamantly…”
“Treatment? Ha, Vivian, what are you trying to say right now?”
“Indeed, I’m glad I listened to Ivan.”
Gripping her lover’s hand gratefully, Vivian stepped forward and raised her voice again.
“Farell, the Count’s family has been worried about your condition for a long time. You’ve been obsessively fixated on me. You’d sneak into my room, follow me around while I was on official duties. I was worried you’d cross the line, and then suddenly one day, you appeared claiming to be pregnant.”
“What are you trying to say…”
“The truth is, you’re being manipulated by black magic and are under the delusion that you’re really pregnant. You refuse treatment and run away, so I was wondering what to do with you, but Ivan said this.”
“…”
“If we get married without going through the process of breaking off our engagement, you’ll definitely show up. So we decided to use that as an opportunity.”
And it really happened just as he said.
“Finally, I can help you.”
