The Other Woman
As each person moved toward their own goals, time passed quickly.
Milena was at a loss for words as she watched the wedding preparations unfold, completely out of her control.
A wedding in the Grand Duchy was no small affair, requiring everything from musical performances to a grand ballroom reception. Yet, what should have been an overwhelming process had been drastically simplified—reused.
Every little detail, from the decorations to the venue, had been left exactly as Lariate had used them. There weren’t even any invitations.
“No guests?”
The head butler looked at her as if wondering why she was even asking.
“Yes. The master said there was no need for a grand affair since this is his second wedding. The only attendees will be the priests who assisted with the memorial service.”
It might have been his second wedding, but it was her first.
Not that she had ever truly intended to marry. Watching the preparations filled her with frustration, but in the face of her powerless situation, all she could do was feel hollow.
The idea of getting married in the same memorial hall where her sister’s coffin rested was absurd.
‘Does he plan to remarry in front of my sister? He really isn’t in his right mind.’
Milena couldn’t understand Calion’s thoughts at all.
“Do you have anything else to say?”
Despite the wedding being simplified, there were still many things that needed to be arranged. The butler, holding a checklist, inquired.
“No, just carry on.”
Letting them do as they pleased, Milena roamed about under the guise of inspecting the wedding preparations—her real goal was to find the marriage contract.
Meanwhile, there was another person seething at how this wedding was being forced through.
From afar, a small figure observed Milena moving from place to place.
Lexion, her escort knight, discreetly studied the child’s expression. The tiny fists clenched tightly and trembled with anger.
‘Aunt is pitiful. She can’t even run away because of this forced wedding. Once the marriage contract is completed, she’ll be shackled for a whole year.’
The child fully understood Milena’s situation.
‘So what? Young master, there’s nothing you can do for her.’
‘No. I’ll do something. I’ll do whatever it takes.’
It was a resolute answer—unlike a child.
Still, Lexion didn’t believe the young heir of the Grand Duchy could change anything. He silently ignored Asdel as he disappeared with determination.
Yet, his sharp eyes caught a glimpse of magic leaking from the boy’s body.
It bothered him, but he chose to ignore it for now. Finding the item he was searching for—alongside the woman he was following—took priority.
“You’re looking for the marriage contract.”
The man who had been trailing her all day suddenly spoke up.
“That’s right.”
They had ventured deep into the now-empty memorial hall. Lexion tilted his head slightly, as if he didn’t understand.
“Isn’t it an important document? Wouldn’t the Grand Duke keep it with him?”
“No. It’s more likely that it was placed at the wedding venue in advance. Since it’s a notarized document from the temple.”
Magic and divine power were known to be incompatible.
Perhaps because of that, Grand Duke Calion never directly handled or managed documents sent from the temple.
Milena had spent five years chasing after him—she knew this detail well.
Ha. Even her dark past turned out to be useful sometimes.
With a bitter smile, Milena searched every place where the contract might have been placed.
Typically, it would be set in the highest place at the ceremony, such as the officiant’s podium or a storage box nearby. But no matter where she looked, it was nowhere to be found.
Could the High Priest have it instead? Given that the paper contained divine power, it was highly likely.
“Since the High Priest is personally overseeing the ceremony, he might be the one holding it.”
Lexion nodded in agreement.
Milena had already packed her belongings. She planned to confront the Grand Duke and refuse the marriage, while also selling off some of the countless jewels in the dressing room. She had secured enough funds to leave whenever necessary.
All that was left was to steal the marriage contract and escape.
But that damned document was nowhere to be found.
“Do I have to ransack the High Priest’s room?”
She muttered seriously. Lexion chuckled.
“You might get struck by divine punishment.”
After searching every possible spot, even the hidden compartments beneath the floor, Milena straightened her back and sighed.
“I think I’m already being punished.”
What else could this be, if not a punishment?
A sister who had manipulated her with magic, a brother-in-law who ignored her, and now that same brother-in-law forcing a marriage upon her.
The Grand Duke had arbitrarily set the wedding date for one week later. And now, only three days remained.
If she could steal the marriage contract, at the very least, she could prevent Calion from signing it.
Time was running out.
At this point, she wouldn’t even care if she had to grab a random man and make him her husband.
Her gaze briefly flickered toward Lexion before she looked away.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s nothing.”
She shook her head.
There was a limit to how much she could rely on this man.
Would a stranger even agree if she asked him to lend his name for marriage?
She doubted it. It would be more realistic to steal the contract and use a guild to buy a name with money.
Milena sighed as she stood before her sister’s coffin, which was placed behind the podium.
Nothing was easy.
Through the faintly translucent glass lid, she could see her sister’s peaceful face.
Golden curls as if spun from pure sunlight. Delicate, angelic features.
Her sister looked like a sleeping angel.
‘Come back soon, sister. Your husband has lost his mind and is trying to marry me. Do something already.’
Anyone unaware of the truth would think it was a perfectly preserved corpse, untouched by decay even after five years.
The lavish coffin was enchanted with preservation magic.
But the reality was different.
An intricate illusion spell, sophisticated enough to fool even the Grand Duke, had been cast upon it.
If she hadn’t recalled the moment when her sister’s mage cast the spell, she too would have believed that was her sister’s corpse.
Then why were there gaps in her memory?
She remembered the words her sister had spoken. She remembered the mage casting the spell.
Yet, she couldn’t recall everything in a seamless sequence.
‘Just what were you thinking, sister…?’
Her wandering thoughts were abruptly interrupted when someone stopped her hand from touching the coffin.
“You shouldn’t touch it.”
A large hand gently but firmly held her back.
Lexion had somehow closed the distance and was now standing right behind her.
She lifted her gaze to meet his impassive expression, then turned back to her sister’s coffin.
“…Ah.”
Right.
There were layers upon layers of magic on this coffin.
Calion had insisted on it, fearing someone might steal Lariate’s body.
Back then, she had thought he was being overly paranoid.
But now, how did this man know about it?
“…Sir.”
“Yes?”
She glanced at the firm hand gripping hers.
“How long do you plan on holding my hand?”
“…Ah.”
Lexion was momentarily taken aback.
Was it his imagination?
The moment he held her hand, he felt… at ease.
He had always been at war with the violent magic within him.
Yet, for a fleeting moment, that chaotic energy settled.
Lexion looked down at his strong hand wrapped around hers before slowly releasing it.
“My apologies.”
“Don’t just grab people’s hands like that. I told you before—you might be reported for being rude to a lady. Or you might get slapped.”
Ha.
He stared at his own hand, veins prominent from tension, then stifled a laugh at her remark.
Was she trying to teach him how to treat a lady?
With a slight smirk, he resumed following Milena as she searched.
Then, suddenly—
He stopped in his tracks.
A powerful surge of unstable magic was erupting from deep within the Grand Duchy.
‘Well, now. What should I do?’
He had already gotten too involved in this mess.
But the decision wasn’t difficult.
Before regret could settle in, he acted.
“Miss Milena, there’s something you need to know.”
And when she heard his words, her face turned deathly pale.
She abandoned the contract and ran.
