♡ TL: Khadija SK
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What Annette wanted was to reaffirm her marriage vows.
The marriage vows were supposed to take place in a small church outside Laider, and all the necessary documents had been meticulously prepared. However, trust among the people was lacking.
Therefore, it was necessary to solidify the matter further by using the name of the central priest of the main church in the Odintian Empire.
Annette was determined to restore the lost honor of the cardinal by completing the construction of the abandoned church and using that honor to secure her marriage.
Degrelle smirked maliciously and said that he would personally review the marriage vows. With his approval, another person was added to verify Annette and Theodore’s marriage.
Theodore felt somewhat uneasy about the suspicious ease of the matter. He slowed down slightly and then opened his mouth.
The two had already left the church and were walking toward the carriage when he spoke.
“It turned out to be easier than I thought. I knew he would accept our proposal without the slightest doubt. Although he is a religious man, he is excessively honest when it comes to money.”
“Because he is a religious man, he cannot refuse. Even if it is just for show, he is still a priest. Every time he passes by the cathedral, which has become abandoned, he must feel ashamed inside. Moreover, since the construction costs have been finalized, he has no more money, so he cannot even go to the gambling house.”
“So that’s the real reason.”
Annette nodded.
“Are we coming to the church next week?”
“Shouldn’t we come to see how people reacted to our appearance today? If I had known the cathedral was such an interesting place, I would have come here more often.”
Annette agreed with him.
The people who had seen them seemed eager to rush to the newspapers and report everything that had happened today.
Everyone was well aware of Theodore’s temperament, so they did not dare approach him. However, Annette was more terrified of what would have happened if she had been left alone with them.
“You’re extremely useful in this way.”
“It’s an honor that the goddess has finally acknowledged my usefulness. It seems it was a good decision to come to the cathedral today.”
Theodore lifted Annette’s hand and kissed it.
Gasps and exclamations erupted from the people gathered around the cathedral at the sight of this unexpected scene.
Only Annette’s expression froze.
She knew very well that his kiss on the back of her hand was a warning sign.
“Your aunt is coming this way.”
Theodore smiled and conveyed the meaning of the kiss in a small whisper-like voice.
Cassilia and Bjorn, who had been approaching Annette from a distance as if they were about to come to her, suddenly stopped walking.
After staring at Annette for a moment, perhaps feeling embarrassed by Theodore’s actions, Cassilia turned toward the sacrament area and walked away from them.
“It looks like I’ll be meeting them soon.”
“I don’t know much about your aunt, but you’ll be able to handle your uncle just fine.”
“Why?”
“Even if he tries to trample you harshly, you’ll be able to overcome him because he’s an easy man to read. But Lady Cassilia is far stronger than Bjorn.”
Sooner or later, there would be a battle over the heir to the Marquis of Scheringen title.
Bjorn would claim the title for himself as a man, but his incompetence was a well-known fact among his relatives, and he posed no real threat to them.
However, Cassilia was different from her younger brother.
She was well known within the Scheringen family, knew how to manage affairs, how to disguise herself cleverly, and how to act shrewdly.
Cassilia had married at a young age, but her husband had died.
Although she had become a widow, she was a woman who had managed to win custody of her son against her late husband’s noble family, the Counts.
Her courage and audacity in essentially stealing the eldest son of an aristocratic family meant that she was by no means an ordinary woman.
In many ways, she was the most difficult opponent Annette had to deal with.
Annette nodded quietly upon hearing Theodore’s advice.
“We’ve achieved our goal, so let’s retreat for now.”
Now that the Grand Duke and his wife had made themselves known to the public, it was time to board the carriage.
But just before Annette placed her foot inside the carriage—about ten steps away…
A woman with pale pink hair was seen running gracefully through the area, her face beaming with a bright smile.
‘That girl…’
Annette immediately recognized who she was.
‘Yvonne Kepler.’
There were moments when Annette suddenly realized that this world was not real, and this was one of those rare moments.
It was the first time she had seen her, yet Annette knew her name instantly.
The woman had a soft appearance, but there was strength in her brilliant golden eyes. Despite the fear she carried, she seemed determined and persistent.
Because of her short stature and soft hair, it was said that she resembled a fairy.
She was the complete opposite of Annette in every way.
However, the greatest difference between the two women lay in their inner selves, making their outward appearances radiate completely opposite auras.
That girl was like a strong tree that did not waver even when fierce winds swept through the forest, and the unreal color of her hair only emphasized that she was someone special.
She seemed to be the only character full of color, stepping forward in a world dominated by black and white.
Everyone would recognize her uniqueness without even needing to think about it.
Because Yvonne was that kind of person.
Unlike Annette and Theodore, who deceived others by pretending to be noble, Yvonne was truly noble.
“She looks very cute.”
The moment Annette muttered this to herself, Yvonne, who had been running, suddenly stopped in place, startled.
Then, she quickly averted her gaze and continued on her way, deliberately ignoring Annette. But the emotions stirring within her were clearly visible on her face.
She had a defensive attitude toward Annette.
Annette was puzzled by Yvonne’s reaction, as she fled with eyes resembling those of a startled deer.
“What did I do to make her look at me like that?”
“Are you asking because you truly don’t know?”
“…I do know.”
“Even so, it’s not polite to openly avoid someone like that.”
“Excuse me?”
“The next time she ignores you like that, I will spill blood on that dress, not the wine you poured on her at the last party.”
“So that’s what I did to Miss Yvonne at the party? Is that enough for her to avoid me like this?”
If Annette had experienced such an incident instead of Yvonne, she would have avoided facing herself as well. However, even if she met Yvonne now with her new personality, there was nothing she could say in her own defense.
The current Annette knew nothing about the past, but she must have spoken harsh words and acted cruelly whenever she encountered Yvonne.
The more the previous Annette played the role of the villain who inflicted suffering with unwavering dedication, the more Yvonne suffered, and the more the novel’s plot developed.
Of course, Annette’s role was not only to bring hardship to Yvonne.
Annette had always been a character who made Yvonne’s kind and sincere personality shine in contrast.
The heroine’s struggles, first and foremost, were within her own family.
To summarize Yvonne Kepler’s life in one word, it was like that of Cinderella.
She played the role of a poor yet beautiful and kind girl with a detailed backstory.
Born as the daughter of a poor aristocrat in the countryside, Yvonne went to the city of Laider to earn money after facing all sorts of hardships. There, she met Crown Prince Hugo by chance and fell in love.
Then Annette, who was infatuated with the Crown Prince, began to bully and torment her.
In order to fulfill her duties as the villainess, Annette had to take responsibility and torment Yvonne until the day Hugo became emperor.
But now, there was no reason for Annette to love Hugo or to hate Yvonne.
“Even so, it would be wrong to be friendly with her. I don’t even like her.”
“Save your complaints until we get inside the carriage.”
It happened as Theodore opened the carriage door and held Annette’s hand to help her inside.
“It has been a while since we last met, Lady Annette.”
Yvonne, whom Annette had thought had already disappeared, suddenly reappeared and greeted her casually.
Annette was utterly taken aback.
She was already embarrassed that Yvonne had avoided her earlier as if she had seen something unpleasant, but now that she understood the reason for Yvonne’s avoidance, her shame deepened, and she felt overwhelmed with guilt.
Should she return the greeting?
“…It has been a long time… Miss Yvonne.”
Annette did not have the courage to remain silent.
Yvonne was a beautiful girl wearing a lovely dress adorned with a blue satin ribbon.
It had been mentioned in the novel that she was incredibly kind and compassionate, making it seem that becoming a nun would have suited her personality better than becoming an empress.
Her character, which was as beautiful as her appearance, made Annette feel dizzy.
What was the reason Yvonne had come to speak first with the woman who had bullied her in the past?
Annette really wanted to avoid Yvonne, but now that she had come right up to her and held her hand, she had no chance to escape.
She had yet to decide what kind of relationship she should establish with Yvonne.
She wondered whether she should be kind to her and try to become friends, or if she should coldly push her away as the original Annette had always done.
“This is the first time we’ve met outside the ballroom.”
“Is that so?”
“Are you pretending not to remember?”
“No… I truly don’t remember.”
“It must have been something insignificant to Lady Annette, so much so that you forgot everything. But not for me.”
Annette bit her lip while silently thanking the veil that covered her face.
Yvonne’s delicate and elegant face stirred her protective instincts, making her want to embrace her immediately and pat her back.
Her innocent expression made it clear to Annette why Hugo worked so hard to protect Yvonne from everything around her.
But what about Annette?
Annette’s beauty had one irritating flaw—it never made her look weak.
Even with her face covered by a veil, she was still breathtakingly beautiful.
No matter how much she tried to conceal her slender frame beneath long, hideous black clothing, she would still appear strikingly gorgeous and narcissistic.
So far, it was Yvonne who had approached Annette first, yet everyone would assume that Annette was the one who had approached Yvonne just to harass her.
But today, Yvonne had unintentionally intimidated Annette with an innocent face and resolute eyes that reminded her of her past mistakes.
The truth was, Annette didn’t even know what the original Annette had done to Yvonne, so she had no idea how to respond.
Why had Yvonne come to speak to her, for God’s sake?
Meanwhile, Theodore was watching the situation unfold, covering the corner of his mouth with his hand to stifle his laughter.
Seeing Annette struggle to adapt was utterly amusing.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I was away from Laider for a long time, so maybe I forgot…”
“No, don’t forget. Please don’t forget, because you owe me an apology.”
“Apology?”
“You spilled wine on my dress and insulted me with your words. I was in a hurry that day, so I didn’t get the chance to ask you for it, but now, I formally request a proper apology.”
Yvonne firmly insisted that Annette should apologize for what she had done.
Annette wasn’t sure if Yvonne was being deliberately clever or if she had unknowingly chosen this moment to humiliate her, but the cathedral had become a perfect stage for such a spectacle.
Right now, as soon as Annette left, rumors would spread about how she had treated the prince’s beloved—the man she herself had once loved before her marriage.
So Annette quickly decided to escape the situation by offering a proper apology and avoiding unnecessary trouble.
“I…”
“Miss Yvonne, Would you give me the chance to greet you as well?”
But just then, Theodore interrupted her apology.
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