The bride’s dress was entirely black. A black dress with a black veil. She looked as if she were attending a funeral.
And the bouquet in her hands was meant to match the color of her husband’s eyes. Even though silver-gray bellflowers had been prepared, she held blood-red roses instead.
Facing Milena from a distance, Calion showed no reaction.
‘Is she trying to make a statement?’
It didn’t matter. Calion only needed Milena’s body, so whatever eccentricity she displayed was irrelevant. All that mattered was the completion of the marriage vow.
Thinking nothing of it, as always, Calion signaled to the organist.
As the marching tune resonated through thousands of pipes, Milena, dressed in a black ceremonial gown like the knights accompanying her, took slow, deliberate steps forward.
At that moment, as all eyes were on the bride walking down the red carpet—
Clunk. Clunk.
The ceremony continued smoothly despite the bride’s unconventional appearance. But the first to notice something unusual was the priest standing beside the High Priest.
Clunk. Clunk.
What is that noise? A faint sound, almost drowned out by the grand organ melody, was grating on his ears. And it was coming from behind them. The priest glanced back and immediately turned pale.
“H-High Priest! Something is wrong.”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“T-there, look.”
Behind them, the coffin of the late Grand Duchess, which had been resting undisturbed, was trembling violently.
‘Hrk! W-what is this?! The coffin is moving on its own! But there should only be a corpse inside!’
Even as men of faith, the priests were horrified by the bizarre occurrence. They instinctively stepped back, trying to distance themselves from the coffin.
As the disturbance grew on the altar, Calion, who had been watching Milena approach, turned around to assess the situation.
But before he could fully grasp what was happening—
BANG!
With a deafening crash, the trembling coffin’s lid was flung off, soaring across the hall. At that moment, the organ music stopped abruptly.
A chilling silence followed.
Frozen in shock, everyone—including Calion—stared in disbelief at the surreal scene. Then, someone shouted,
“T-the gods are furious!”
The cry sent ripples of panic through the guests.
“No! It’s the late Grand Duchess who is angry! A marriage to her own sister—how outrageous!”
“The ceremony is happening before the bond between them was even severed! The gods must be furious!”
“Why else would there be a curse placed on the marriage vows?! The Duke violated a sacred promise, and this is the result!”
Among the murmuring voices, some belonged to people planted by Lexion. Following his orders, they fanned the flames, ensuring their words took root in people’s minds.
Whether it was divine wrath or the Grand Duchess’s fury, one thing was certain—the Duke was now condemned.
The wedding had commoners in attendance. They would undoubtedly spread what they witnessed as soon as they left the cathedral. It wouldn’t take long for rumors to spread throughout the Grand Duchy.
‘If things continue like this, Milena will be seen as a lady who was completely exploited by the Duke. The Northern Villainess will no longer exist.’
Lexion’s lips curled into a subtle smile.
Calion Luxen’s life was divided into two parts: before and after meeting Lariette.
His happiness had been like a fleeting star—brilliant for a moment before fading away. After his wife’s death, he lived an existence worse than before he had met her.
Lariette Luxen. The day she took on his name had been exhilarating.
My love. My beloved. My wife.
She had been irresistibly endearing, so beautiful that he had wanted to keep her all to himself. He had never imagined a world without her.
If she hadn’t left him with a final wish to stay alive, he would have followed her in death. That was how much he had loved her.
If I cannot follow you in death, then I must bring you back to my side. Death may have separated us, but we were always meant to be together.
And yet…
“Lariette…”
The chaos around him faded into irrelevance. Calion’s gaze was fixed on one thing alone.
“Lariette…?”
At some point, he had ascended the platform, kneeling before the coffin that had once held his beloved.
The lid had been flung away, revealing the empty space inside.
Calion gripped the edges of the coffin as if he might shatter it. How could this be? He stared helplessly into the emptiness.
His usually emotionless face crumbled in confusion and devastation.
“Your Grace!”
At the sound of the explosion, the knights who had been waiting outside rushed in. The knight commander quickly approached him.
“Are you all right, Your Grace?”
Something was off. And then he saw it.
The body of the Grand Duchess was missing.
Shocked, the knight commander swiftly scanned the surroundings.
The High Priest and the priests had shuffled away in fear, and many guests had already fled halfway out the door.
His eyes returned to his lord at the sound of his voice.
“Seal off the Grand Duchy immediately.”
His initial panic was replaced by a chilling calm. Yet within his voice, fury simmered.
“Assemble the entire Order at once. My wife’s body has vanished.”
Meeting the Duke’s silver-gray eyes, the knight commander felt an icy shiver run down his spine.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Calion stormed out of the hall, his presence radiating dangerous wrath—
Leaving his bride behind.
The groom, clad in white ceremonial robes, had left the wedding hall without so much as a glance at the bride.
Meanwhile, the bride, dressed in black, remained at the center of the hall.
Under her black veil, Milena lowered her long lashes.
As expected, Calion’s sole focus was Lariette’s body.
Would this have broken her heart in the past? Perhaps. But now, she felt nothing.
If anything, she was relieved that Calion was behaving according to plan.
As guests trickled out of the ruined ceremony, Milena, holding her crimson roses, walked gracefully down the red carpet toward the altar.
By the time she reached the front, only the High Priest and his assisting priests remained, too stunned to leave.
They watched in confusion as Milena slowly lifted her veil, revealing her face.
It was their first time seeing the notorious villainess up close.
People had whispered that she was inferior to her sister in beauty.
But the woman standing before them was as dazzling as a fully bloomed rose.
The priests swallowed hard.
The High Priest and his aides were mesmerized when she finally parted her red-painted lips.
“What are you waiting for? Why isn’t the ceremony continuing?”
“What…?”
A ceremony without the groom? What was she suggesting?
Their thoughts were written plainly on their faces.
Milena tilted her head slightly and gestured toward the knight standing beside her.
Her green eyes darkened as they landed on the marriage contract in the High Priest’s hands.
As expected, he was holding it.
She wasn’t aware of it, but last night, Lexion had stolen and then returned the contract.
If her signature hadn’t been on that paper, this marriage wouldn’t be happening.
But regrets were meaningless now. It was time to shed the past and move forward.
Even if that first step was marrying a man she barely knew.
“You must be mistaken. My husband is right here. Or do you refuse to proceed?”
“That’s correct. This is a sacred marriage ritual. You cannot simply appoint someone else.”
Was she trying to provoke the Duke? The High Priest stood firm.
But his defiance did not last long.
“Oh dear.”
For the first time, the knight beside Milena spoke.
His voice was polite, but there was a hint of disrespect—he did not address the High Priest with honorifics.
The High Priest frowned. A mere knight dared to interrupt?
Just as he was about to scold him—
The knight ran his fingers through his ashen hair, revealing his face.
The High Priest’s eyes widened in disbelief.
He was even more shocked than when the coffin had burst open.
“S-Silvert?! The Prince?!”
Why was the Empire’s notorious rogue here?
No, more importantly—why was he acting like he owned this wedding?
The High Priest was at a loss for words.
