Is this what it feels like to be a prisoner dragged to the gallows?
To outsiders, I must look like the nation’s greatest Cinderella, standing on the brink of a path lined with flowers. Inside, that’s exactly how I felt.
Cinderella. The word left a bitter taste in my mouth.
A sickly Viscount’s daughter, rarely seen outside her room, receives a divine revelation, clears the tragic Crown Prince of false rumors, and as a result, becomes the Crown Princess. And the two live happily ever after.
It sounded like a beautiful fairytale that could’ve come straight out of a storybook. But when it became my own story, it felt more like a never-ending nightmare. I found myself wishing time would stop forever in this carriage.
But today was the day—after twenty long years—that a Crown Princess would be chosen at lightning speed. For the people of the Empire, this day was nothing short of a grand celebration built atop another joyous occasion. Outside the carriage window, I could hear the sounds of the crowd in high spirits.
Fearing that the excited masses might flood the roads, the Imperial army had already locked down the path, so the ride was remarkably smooth.
The ceremony to verify the purity of the Crown Princess candidates was held at the capital’s grandest cathedral. Normally off-limits to commoners, it was now swarming with people hoping to catch a glimpse of the future Crown Princess.
“Oh! Over there! Look!”
Someone shouted upon spotting the carriage. The golden carriage, showing off its grandeur, slowed to a halt right in front of the cathedral steps.
Clack. The door opened.
“Please disembark, Lady Roha.”
Guided by the coachman, I stepped down onto the ground, and the crowd’s murmurs grew even louder.
“She’s the last one.”
“They say the other candidates aren’t even worth looking at.”
“Then she must be the one from the statue of the saint.”
“Yeah. The reason the Prince rushed the selection was because he was afraid of losing her to another house.”
“My, the Crown Prince’s quite the romantic, isn’t he?”
Whispers swirled around me. With every step I took, I could feel the sharp glances of jealousy and envy from the women around.
“She’s not even that impressive.”
“She looks completely average. Nothing like the statue.”
“What a letdown.”
But the women’s petty jealousy meant nothing to me. Such words went in one ear and out the other.
At this point, I had resigned myself. Whatever was going to happen, let it happen.
Inside the cathedral, with its windows and doors thrown open, the sound of the pipe organ echoed even outside. Though often described as the sound of heaven, to me it felt more like a solemn requiem.
Step by step, I slowly climbed the stairs to the cathedral. Along the crimson virgin road, people sat tightly packed on either side of the long benches.
The other candidates had already arrived and walked the path before me. Some of them had even come from estates farther than mine.
They sent my carriage late on purpose.
To draw everyone’s attention. The main character always appears last. I felt a chill at the Crown Prince’s meticulous planning—even down to trivial details like this.
“Milady, please proceed.”
A maid behind me, who had been adjusting my gown, gently nudged my back. She meant that I should stop stalling.
Slowly, I walked down the crimson virgin road. The contrast of the white dress and the red carpet made it look like a painting. In the distance, seated behind the Archbishop, the Crown Prince wore a victorious smile.
My seat was right in the center of the dais. Standing directly across from the Archbishop, I became the focal point of every gaze in the cathedral.
“Now that all candidates for the Crown Princess have arrived, we shall begin the ceremony to confirm their purity before the official selection.”
At some point, the pipe organ had gone silent. The Archbishop’s solemn voice boomed throughout the cathedral even without a microphone.
“Step forward when your name is called. Flauen Restia!”
[T/E N: 브라운 is the Korean for this girl, which can literally be called Brown, we decided it’s a horrible name to give a girl so we phonetically gave her something similar.]
The young lady standing farthest to the left took a step forward.
“Flauen Restia, second daughter of Count Restia… regarding her purity—”
The Archbishop paused briefly before continuing.
“If there is anything the divine must know, step forward and confess now. If it is something you cannot say at this moment, you must remain silent about it until your death.”
When the Archbishop finished speaking, the organ began to play again. Until the music ended, anyone who had something to confess or accuse about her had the opportunity to stand and speak.
Since all the windows were open, the pipe organ’s sound rang out even to those outside. If the music played through without interruption, it meant there had been no accusations regarding the lady’s purity.
The music ended.
“Flauen Restia, please take one step back.”
The young lady returned to her place. Her face showed a soft blush, as if she had just taken a deep breath of relief.
“In the name of the divine, the cathedral affirms that Flauen Restia’s purity is sufficient for her to become the Crown Princess.”
Applause erupted. Flauen Restia smiled shyly, her face glowing with happiness.
“Next, Charlotte Coré! Step forward.”
This was the seat of the Crown Prince’s wife—an opportunity to become the Empress, the most noble woman in the nation. Even if someone had promised marriage to another before, the moment that truth was spoken here, the woman would be branded for life by resentment.
Charlotte Coré had once been engaged. Jericho, the young man who had flirted with me before, was her fiancé. Everyone knew that, and yet—no one stepped forward now either.
In the end, this was nothing more than a rigged game.
Standing here in identical dresses like quintuplets was laughable. What was the point of all this? No one could go against the Imperial family anyway—and no one even wanted to. This entire ritual was a hollow performance.
And so, the third and fourth candidates went through the same ceremony without issue.
Now, only one person remained.
“Lastly, Vivian Roha. Step forward.”
The archbishop’s voice rang out, but I couldn’t move my feet. A moment later, the call came again, firmer this time, falling like a command from above.
“Vivian Roha. Step forward.”
With trembling legs, I barely managed a step forward. From afar, the Crown Prince watched me with a look of satisfaction.
My teeth clenched. I refused to look in his direction.
I knew what that smile meant. In this damn performance, only one person had the power to oppose my selection. And that person wasn’t here.
In this perfectly arranged game, the Crown Prince was already savoring the sweetness of victory.
The Archbishop repeated the same lines, like reading from a script.
“Vivian Roha, daughter of Viscount Roha… regarding her purity—”
Even the pause was the same as before.
“If there is anything the divine must know, step forward and confess now. If it is something you cannot say at this moment, you must remain silent about it until your death.”
Silence. Of course, it was silence again.
Maybe mother was right. Maybe I really should have run away to find Armin. The regret hit me at that moment.
“Vivian Roha, step back—”
I had already heard the same words four times before. Even before the Archbishop could finish speaking, I was about to step back.
And then it happened.
“I object to the selection of Vivian Roha.”
The voice came from the entrance of the cathedral.
‘What…?’
For a moment, I couldn’t comprehend what was happening. With the sunlight shining behind him, I couldn’t make out the face of the person speaking.
“I raise an objection regarding Vivian Roha’s purity.”
The murmurs in the hall grew louder.
Startled by the sudden intruder, the Crown Prince jumped to his feet. He looked as though he couldn’t bear even a single blemish on what he thought was a perfect plan, now nearly completed.
I narrowed my eyes at the distant voice. The man was speaking loudly, again and again, about me.
“There is something the divine must know regarding Vivian Roha’s purity. That woman cannot marry another man.”
“What is the meaning of this?! Shut the doors now!”
The Crown Prince’s furious voice rang out, and the soldiers scrambled to close the entrance—but the massive stone doors wouldn’t budge so easily. They had been fixed open to flaunt the grandeur of this ritual to all the world, and now that very decision was backfiring.
Step by step—unfazed by the chaos around him—the man walked forward with steady resolve. As he entered the hall, his figure became clearer.
But in truth, I already knew the moment I heard his voice.
I raised my bouquet and hid my tear-streaked face behind it.
It wasn’t until he was fully inside that gasps erupted from the crowd.
“Armin Grey!”
It was Armin Grey.
His face was far more worn than in my memories. His clothes were soiled with dirt, a far cry from the sharp, polished appearance I had known. His once-glimmering platinum blond hair was tangled and dulled with dust.
With people reeling on either side of him, Armin calmly walked forward. The black stains on his blue uniform—those were surely not just dirt.
In stark contrast to my pristine white gown, his disheveled appearance brought fresh tears to my eyes.
At last, Armin stood before me. He placed me behind him, shielding me with his body, then turned to face the crowd once more and declared:
“In accordance with the rite of purity, I swear before the divine without a single falsehood—Vivian Roha is a woman who cannot marry another man.”
