Chapter 158
“Can you recommend something suitable for me?”
“For Lady Sophia’s beauty, how about a bare-back design that accentuates the waist with a long, voluminous train?”
Andrey suggested a dress that considered Sophia’s figure and current trends.
It was a design that not only revealed the shoulder line but also featured a daringly low back.
The dress looked incredibly beautiful on its own, but Sophia hesitated.
“Killian, isn’t this design too much?” Sophia asked, looking to Killian, who was watching from the side.
“It looks beautiful to me,” Killian replied, shaking his head.
“Isn’t the back too revealing?” Sophia pointed to the back of the dress. It was stunning, but the low-back design seemed more suited for a celebrity photo shoot than something she would wear personally.
Killian laughed. “It’s a wedding dress, so I think it’s fine.”
“Absolutely! It’s not too much at all. Plus, with a cathedral veil, the back will be covered, making it look less overwhelming,” Andrey explained.
He argued that showing at least down to the shoulder blades was beautiful, and even brought a veil sample to demonstrate on the mannequin.
After hearing Andrey’s explanation, Sophia realised he had a point.
“Why don’t you try it on?” Andrey suggested, handing her the sample dress.
Sophia followed a female assistant to the fitting room to try on several dresses recommended by Andrey.
However…
“Oh my, miss, you have a scar on your back!” the assistant exclaimed as she helped Sophia change.
“Oh… right,” Sophia replied.
The scar had healed long ago and didn’t hurt, and being on her back, she often forgot about it.
In the mirror, she saw a palm-sized scar extending across her lower back.
“I’m not sure if it can be completely covered,” the assistant said, suggesting they try on the dress to see.
After fastening the waist and adjusting the shoulder line of the dress, the edge of the scar was faintly visible.
“Don’t worry too much. If we inform the designer, he can adjust the bare-back line to accommodate the scar,” the assistant reassured her, explaining that with a custom-made dress, the back could still be exposed while the scar remained hidden.
Fortunately, the scar was located relatively low, making it easier to cover.
“I’ve tucked the back up for now. Would you like to take a look in the mirror?” The assistant said, stepping aside to give Sophia a clear view in the three-sided full-length mirror.
Thanks to the assistant’s adjustments, the scar was hidden.
“This is how it will look with the veil,” the assistant said, placing the veil on Sophia’s head.
Just as Andrey had mentioned, the back didn’t seem overly exposed.
‘The designer was right…’ Sophia thought. Her slender frame and straight back suited the dress perfectly.
“Do you like it?” the assistant asked.
“Yes. It seems the expert’s eye is indeed different.” Sophia complimented Andrey’s taste, and the assistant smiled.
“Let’s show it to His Highness as well. The designer will also take a look and decide how to adjust the back line.”
* * *
Killian waited for Sophia to come out after changing into the dress.
Did it always take this long to change clothes?
He felt restless, rubbing his palms together anxiously while staring at the curtains of the fitting room where Sophia had gone in.
It was a rare moment of peace where thoughts of the Black Moon, the Empress, or Estelle didn’t invade his mind.
How much time had passed?
Just as his palms were starting to wear thin from the nervous rubbing, the fitting room curtains parted.
The curtains drew back, revealing a beam of white light.
And beyond the red drapes stood Sophia, dressed in a pure white gown.
The sample dress was relatively simple, lacking detailed embellishments. It might have been less ornate than the dresses Sophia had bought before.
Yet…
“How is it, Killian?”
Sophia fidgeted, feeling awkward in the long dress. But despite her question, Killian remained silent.
“Does it look strange?” Sophia asked, feeling a bit dejected by Killian’s indifferent reaction.
She liked the dress, but did Killian find it odd?
When she prodded him again, Killian finally spoke.
“I… I’m not sure. I just… it’s just…”
Uncharacteristically, Killian stammered, causing Andrey to look at him as well.
Killian rubbed his lips with his hand, struggling to find the right words, then finally managed to speak.
“It’s just overwhelmingly beautiful,” he said, approaching her as if in a trance.
He didn’t know how to describe the emotions he felt. It was just another white dress, one of many he’d seen, so why did he feel this way?
Seeing Sophia in the dress felt like a huge bundle of happiness had just dropped into his life.
It wasn’t a gentle feeling like spring rain softening dry ground; it was a shock.
It felt like the ground he stood on had flipped, bringing everything underground to the surface and revealing it in the light.
Sophia would be his bride. She would be his partner.
For the first time, the reality of their marriage hit him.
The happiness and amazement made his heart race and tickle with excitement.
He felt unable to judge the dress; he was too overwhelmed by the emotions it stirred in him.
So I couldn’t dare to evaluate the dress.
Right now, it feels like anything would be fine.
Until just a moment ago, he was debating what to say when he saw her in the dress, but it was all in vain.
“It’s all good, what does it matter?”
“Just, thank you.”
Kilian said, holding Sophia’s hand tightly.
“What…?”
“…I’m asking you to promise to marry me.”
Sophia laughed at Kilian’s foolish answer.
“It’s really embarrassing.”
Feeling deep love in his hesitant eyes, Sophia’s heart also fluttered.
“It seems Your Highness likes it too!”
Andrey also smiled happily, realising that Kilian’s response was not negative.
“Look back for a moment, bride!”
Carefully considering the dress’s long train, Sophia turned about halfway.
“Did you lift the back a bit? Were you feeling uncomfortable with so much showing?”
“Oh, no. It’s because of a scar on my back.”
Sophia awkwardly smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist.
At that moment, Kilian’s expression became quite serious upon hearing Sophia’s words.
“A scar on your back?”
“Oh, yes. It probably wouldn’t look very nice.”
Sophia awkwardly touched the scarred area on her back.
But Kilian didn’t look pleased.
“How did you get the scar?”
“I don’t know. I think it’s been there since I was young. Why, Kilian…?”
Suddenly worried about Kilian’s changed mood, Sophia asked.
“Could it be… you don’t like scars?”
Upon realising his darkening expression, Kilian smiled.
“How could that be?”
Kilian smiled and took her hand, caressing each other’s scars.
To find fault with a scar would truly disqualify Kilian as a marriage partner.
But what worried him was…
‘Oh! Yes. There was a scar.’
It was because of the characteristics of the illegitimate child Hank had told him about.
A child with green eyes and a scar on their back.
‘There’s no way…’
The illegitimate child was adopted by a noble family.
But Sophia had been a legitimate heir from the start.
Of course, there was no way she could be an illegitimate child, but he was so concerned that I couldn’t help but react sensitively.
“It’s nothing.”
Kilian smiled again, looking Sophia in the eyes.
He didn’t want to ruin his time with Sophia with unnecessary worries.
* * *
“As Sophia became busier with wedding preparations, Ian grew anxious.
‘Do I… like Sophia?’
Since realising his feelings, it wasn’t just Sophia who felt uncomfortable facing each other.
He knew it too.
Even if their blood wasn’t mixed, Ian and Sophia shared the same family name.
Therefore, their relationship couldn’t progress beyond this point.
However, despite this, he wanted to prevent Sophia’s marriage.
Maybe because he didn’t want Sophia to marry someone else… He wasn’t sure.
But above all, the most important thing was the fact that Kilian was the Black Moon.
Being by his side would surely continue to endanger Sophia.
This wasn’t just jealousy but a rightful concern he should have as a person, even as a family member.
Although he provided false testimony to prove Kilian’s alibi for Sophia’s sake, it didn’t mean he would stand idly by and watch Sophia and Kilian get along well.
‘At the very least, I can’t let Sophia be taken away by a mad killer.’
It’s not about wanting to have Sophia for myself.
But at least the person Sophia marries shouldn’t be a crazy murderer.
‘So how do I stop it?’
If he were to reveal that the Black Moon who appeared when Kilian was imprisoned was fake, Sophia would eventually be in danger.
He fell perfectly into the trap Sophia had set.
‘Damn.’
Ian swung the sword nervously, causing the scarecrow in the Ruchtainer practice room to fall apart.
“Hoo…”
