The Archduke’s Gorgeous Wedding Was a Fraud

When the dismissal order was given, the maid quickly took the cream and soap and left. Peridot silently stretched her arms as she watched her maid waddling back.

A root slithered after the maid without making a sound. She wants to make certain that she does everything correctly.

‘Lacius.’

The man who refused to be hers. Peridot was completely perplexed.

They are not ordinary people, and they should not date someone for trivial reasons like love. So it would be only natural to choose the woman with the best qualifications and pursue an arranged marriage.

He should not be keeping a girl with unknown origins on his side instead.

The mere appearance of a woman named Titania in the seat of ‘his fiance’ has already weakened Crisiona’s authority. Peridot was so enraged that she couldn’t take it anymore.

‘I’m going to make some good wine and send it to the God of the Sun temple.’

He might as well die and disappear if he doesn’t have a relationship with the Crisiona family.

The poison will manifest itself if he uses the products brought to the Knights’ residence and then drinks the wine.

It was said that the descendants of the Sun God live with a lot of sun energy, but can they survive if it gets even hotter?

‘The fever poison will spread throughout the blood vessels and ignite fire within the body.’

He will die in excruciating pain. Peridot stared coldly through the glass at the sky.

She wanted to see that man die in front of her eyes.

* * *

“……?”

It’s been exactly a week and a half since I passed out from the champagne.

I was now sitting in the princess’s palace, slightly perplexed.

Because I finished two paintings yesterday and fell asleep at dawn, my mind is still blank.

‘The Second Cat’ and ‘Viking’ were the titles of those works.

My wrists throbbed a lot after drawing both of them because they were so difficult to draw.

It was a long day, but it was worth it because I was able to get some work done before heading to bed.

I slowly stood up, dressed, and prepared to eat, but what happened?

I was now at the princess’s palace after regaining consciousness.

“An engagement ceremony isn’t all that difficult.”

Princess-unnie, who appeared to be very excited, started the special lecture by placing dozens of pamphlets in front of me.

“Weddings should be conducted according to procedure, but engagements are literally informal. It’s enough to dress nicely, eat well, and have fun.”

“Is… that so?”

“Yes. So, in that sense, pick one of these options. What kind of engagement ceremony do you want?”

I couldn’t help myself because it was a voice full of anticipation.

And since I’m already here, let’s just go ahead and do it.

I tried to keep my confusion at bay and carefully examined the pamphlets.

“All right, I’ll start with these. The weather is nice because it’s spring, so I don’t want to do it indoors in a gloomy mood.”

“All right, then, to the trash can.”

I divide them into two large groups, indoors and outdoors, then place the indoors to one side. Dame Ziontin, who was standing nearby, grabbed them and tossed them in the trash can.

In fact, the presence of Dame Ziontin was the source of my embarrassment.

It was a sudden call, but Dame Ziontin came running shortly afterwards.

The princess had made an urgent call.

However, the reason for the princess called Ziontin was most likely insignificant by knightly standards.

“Ziontin, why don’t you look over the pamphlet as well? Which do you think is more beautiful, roses or wildflowers? Or should we use lilies?”

“I’m not sure, Your Highness.”

“Don’t be like that. Your one and only friend is getting married. We should sit down and talk about it with her.”

The princess’s voice was smeared with amusement, like chocolate.

Now that she can’t bully Lacius, I’m wondering if she’s shifted her focus to Ziontin.

Ziontin, unable to hide her disgust, forced herself to read the pamphlets.

“Your Highness, I like lilies.”

“Really? That is surprising. I assumed you preferred brightly coloured flowers.”

“How about we save it for the wedding?”

I handed princess-unnie the pamphlet I liked best with a big smile. A pillar resembling something from Greek and Roman mythology has a flower resembling a lily wrapped around it. The light, which is subtly expressed to spread, is quite stimulating.

A mysterious and vulgar atmosphere. That’s why I liked it.

“Alright. It’s time to try on the gown I prepared for you.”

“I’m really looking forward to it.”

My soul, which had escaped a little, has now returned.

The door on the other side of the room opened when the princess snapped her finger, and the maids who had been waiting for a long time entered one by one.

With a purple cloth, they created a separate area for changing clothes, and I went inside.

Because there were so many people, the fitting was over in the blink of an eye.

The princess nodded, her face pleased.

“Okay, that’s good. It’s lovely.”

“I’m the one getting engaged, but why does Her Highness appear happier?”

“Because playing with dolls is a one-of-a-kind experience.”

The princess spoke terrifying words in a dignified tone while adjusting the accessories on my head.

The dress, which started out as pure white, became more elegant as it went down and became gold.

It didn’t look decent because of the low neckline, which highlighted one’s cleavage. It was rather bold.

With the exception of a ribbon on the sleeve to adjust the length, there are no frills, so it feels clean and light.

To summarise, it’s a dress that looks great on me.

“I made a request to the madame of the clothing store you opened. They seemed more than happy accepting it.”

“Madame must have been overjoyed. Receiving orders from the princess is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

The dress fits me perfectly as if I’d been wearing it since birth.

The maids who decorated me gasped as soon as they saw me; I must have appeared very innocent and pretty.

“Your Highness, but aren’t the shoes a little too high? I’ve never worn anything this high.”

“It suits you well. You’ll be as tall as Lacius if you wear this, so I ordered it on that purpose.”

“Aha.”

It was natural for Lacius to be taller than me.

Because I, who is approximately 170 cm tall, must look up when facing him, he must be approximately 190 cm tall. I carefully pushed my foot into the heels, which were so high that I thought I’d die if I slipped while wearing them.

Is this a pair of shoes that will transport me to the afterlife?

“Should I… walk?”

I’m a little worried. In my previous life, I had never worn anything this high.

I took a cautious step forward. Then came the second and third steps. I stepped on the hem of my long skirt just as I was about to gain some confidence.

“Ah……!”