Karina was so shocked that she couldn't speak.
"So the one who killed Jeremiah's parents was... My father?"
As she read the letter, Karina's face turned pale and bloodless. Now she understood. Why had Jeremiah ignored her and treated her so coldly in the past? It was all because of Marquis Milliner. Meanwhile, David, who was checking the contents of the letter with her, opened his mouth in surprise.
"Hmm. This is evidence that Marquis Millainer ordered the assassination of the former Grand Duke and his wife."
Unlike Karina, who was shocked, David's expression showed no sign of surprise as if he had already known.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince already knew?"
"..."
He looked back at her curiously at that question and added.
"Anyone would have had questions about the carriage accident that killed the former Grand Duke and his wife."
"Yes?"
"There were more than one or two strange things about the carriage accident that happened to them. To be honest, it didn't make sense that the carriage of the Grand Duke's family, which was maintained every day, broke down due to poor maintenance. At the time, many people were muttering that it wasn't just a simple carriage accident."
"..."
"And at the time, the previous Grand Duke was gaining fame by eliminating the monsters that were appearing in the village and successfully blocking the foreign forces that were trying to come over to the Empire. As a result, he was admired and supported by the people of the Empire. Just like the current Grand Duke of Colesberg. The Marquis of Millainer was very displeased with the situation. Furthermore, the imperial family was also wary of his growing power, so to speak..."
The more she listened to his explanation, the more Karina's expression became worse.
"That means..."
"The Grand Duke of Colesberg must have known that the Marquis of Millainer was behind the carriage accident. Perhaps he was unable to pursue the Marquis because there was no clear evidence."
"!"
"It seems that the Marquis intended to kidnap you this time to prevent the divorce and threaten the Grand Duke of Colesberg while he was at it, but he failed. There's no way the Grand Duke would be easily swayed."
David continued speaking calmly, but Karina was frozen in shock and couldn't hear what he said next.
'Jeremiah already knew all about this...'
She stared at the ground for a while with empty, hollow eyes. This was the very reason Jeremiah had hated and loathed her all this time. The daughter of the enemy who killed her parents. Karina smiled in vain with a weak face.
"He must have hated me."
She felt sad. But it was a fate that was already twisted. She thought it was ironic that she found out about this now, right before his remarriage.
"What are you going to do now?"
David asked.
"Are you just going to leave like this?"
Karina answered his question.
"No. I have to go see my father."
"Yes?"
"It would be a shame to end it like this without doing anything, right?"
There was a faint anger in her eyes.
"I'll go and find out. Why did he do this? Was power that important?"
It wasn't just her job. The death of her nanny, the former Grand Duke and Duchess, and maybe... Karina clenched her hands into fists.
"I should go and ask why."
Go and make her father pay the price for his wrongdoings.
***
The wedding day arrived. The warm, cozy sunset light streamed through the windows, warmly dyeing the walls of the white temple. The sunset light passed through the colorful stained glass, sparkling with various and mysterious colors. The temple, decorated with a canopy that fell in a smooth curve from the ceiling to the floor and soft, translucent silk curtains, was neat and magnificent. And the interior, elegantly decorated only with snow-white lilies and purple lavender, exuded a restrained nobility despite being not extravagant. Lucia, with her beautiful platinum hair neatly tied up and wearing a pure white wedding dress that fit her body perfectly, was very beautiful.
"Lucia."
Emil, the high priest, came to see her.
"Welcome."
Lucia greeted her friend warmly.
"This day has really come. It always felt so far away..."
Lucia smiled brightly at him as he muttered bitterly.
"That's what I mean. After preparing this and that, before I knew it, it was already the wedding day."
Emil, who had been silently listening to her, who was laughing and chattering about how time seemed to pass too quickly, suddenly spoke in a deep, subdued voice.
"Lucia. If you ever want to quit, just tell me. Then I will..."
"Emil."
Lucia cut off Emil's words, who was looking at her with an anxious expression, and smiled brighter than before.
"Don't worry. Today will be the happiest day of my life."
"..."
Emil couldn't say anything more as he saw the Saintess smiling brightly as if she was bathed in sunlight. A meaningful light of unknown meaning flashed in her eyes and quickly disappeared.
"I see. If that is what you mean, I understand."
Emil nodded indifferently and spoke while resting his forehead on the back of the Saintess's hand.
"I will continue to watch from behind."
Emil, who had left a greeting, turned around. Lucia felt sorry for him, but also grateful for his concern for her until the end.
"Thank you."
"..."
Emil stopped for a moment after hearing her soft thanks but left without looking back. As soon as Emil left, the splendidly dressed noble ladies appeared one by one.
As the wedding time approached, noble ladies of high status from all over the empire began to gather in the bridal waiting room where Lucia was.
"Welcome. Thank you for coming."
Lucia greeted them kindly. The noble ladies who had come to the bridal waiting room asked the Saintess who was smiling like a child.
"Saintess, are you really that good?"
"Yes. You don't know how long I've waited for this day. It's no exaggeration to say that I was born for this day."
Lucia answered in an excited voice.
"Oh my God."
The noble ladies, who had been laughing contentedly among themselves, asked again.
"Is His Highness that nice?"
At that question, the Saintess hesitated as if embarrassed, then spoke carefully.
"I... I really like this place."
There was sincerity in those words.
"You are a really well-matched pair."
"Your Highness the Grand Duke has finally found the right match."
"That's why. The two of you should have been connected from the beginning."
"This is what happened because one duck caused a commotion among the swans."
The noble ladies were gossiping, making it obvious who they were talking about.
"Oh my."
"Still, how fortunate am I that everything worked out so well?"
At that time, the noble ladies were chatting loudly.
"You should get ready now. You have to come in soon."
The maids who came to fetch Lucia said.
"Oh my. Already?"
"Then see you inside."
"We will witness the birth of a perfectly matched pair."
"I'll be waiting."
The noble ladies, their mouths covered with their fans, smiled and left after saying a few words to Lucia.
"I will tidy up the hem of your skirt."
Lastly, while checking her dress, Lucia picked up the bouquet that the other maid next to her handed her. It was a bouquet made entirely of white flowers, containing the purity and nobility that those who serve the Gods must possess. When she put her nose to the bouquet and inhaled, the fresh scent of the flowers filled her lungs.
"Phew."
Lucia took a deep breath with the fragrant scent of flowers and calmed her nervous mind. Today was a very important day.
'It's okay. I can do it.'
The Saintess steeled her heart.
***
"Bride, enter!"
As the door of the main temple, decorated as a wedding hall, opened, a long wedding road appeared. And in the distance, Jeremiah, dressed in a suit, stood. With his clothes that fit him perfectly and his hair neatly combed, he looked as handsome as a perfect statue, and the way he waited for his bride was as beautiful as a painting. However, even though he was at a wedding party, his expression was dark and gloomy. It was a face that anyone who didn't know would not believe that he was the new groom. Lucia smiled bitterly, fixed her expression, and took a step forward.
Clap, clap, clap!
"Wow!"
With every step she took, applause and cheers erupted from the surroundings. As she approached Jeremiah, responding to the cheers from those around her...
"Ah..."
Lucia stumbled once after stepping on the hem of her dress. Fortunately, she was able to avoid falling by grabbing Jeremiah's hand, who was standing next to her. However...
"Oh my, oh my."
"As expected, His Highness the Grand Duke."
"I guess he wanted to hold Saintess's hand already."
The people around them laughed and chattered wildly. Jeremiah, who reluctantly held the Saintess back from falling due to their commotion, furrowed one eyebrow slightly. The Emperor soon appeared in front of the platform where the two were standing. The Emperor, who had approved Jeremiah and Lucia's remarriage, offered to officiate the wedding himself, saying that he would congratulate them on their marriage.
"The Grand Duke is popular because he is young and has a good personality. Even though he was divorced, he remarried the only Saintess of the temple. Is he even loved by the Gods? It's interesting."
The Emperor, wearing a golden crown and red mantle, spoke with a joking air, showing off his majesty. However, despite his soft tone, the Emperor's eyes were not smiling.
Jeremiah opened his mouth to say something, but Lucia was faster.
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Emperor, for your help."
Thanks to that, the Emperor's gaze, which had been looking at Jeremiah, turned to Lucia, and the heavy air that had been hovering between them slowly dispersed.
"Congratulations on your wedding."
The Emperor, who had congratulated the two, began the wedding ceremony. While the wedding ceremony continued, Lucia glanced at Jeremiah and whispered softly.
"Your Highness, please smile for me just today."
"..."
"Just once."
But Jeremiah didn't smile at all despite Lucia's request. Then Lucia raised the corners of her lips faintly and said this out of the blue.
"I envy the Grand Duchess. She seems to be very loved."
"..."
Jeremiah turned his gaze to Lucia after hearing those words, but she only smiled incomprehensibly. Then, the Emperor spoke solemnly as if declaring:
"I hereby declare that the marriage of the two is consummated. Now, in the ceremony of the vows..."
The Emperor's eyes widened as he looked at Jeremiah's stern face, and then narrowed.
"The kiss of oath cannot be omitted."
"...!"
At the Emperor's words, Jeremiah's face distorted in an unseen manner.
"On this joyous day that marks a new beginning, how wonderful it is to see the newlyweds and newlyweds so happy."
It was a playful, mischievous expression, but there was a malice in that smile. The Emperor was clearly enjoying this situation. He knew that Jeremiah had not accepted the Saintess and that he was not willing to marry her. Knowing that Jeremiah was holding back, he forced and persuaded him into a situation he did not want.
"You two. Kiss."
At the Emperor's command, Jeremiah closed his eyes tightly. For the sake of Karina, he divorced her and even married the Saintess. However, no matter what, he could not kiss the Saintess.
"Your Highness. What are you doing? You shouldn't keep your new bride waiting."
At the Emperor's urging, Jeremiah bit his lower lip.
'I'm kissing a woman other than Karina!'
His jaw clenched as he gritted his teeth, and veins stood out on his reddened temples. It was just impossible.
"It's okay."
At that moment, a calm voice was heard. It was Lucia's voice. When he turned his head, he saw the Saintess smiling brightly. Her flawless smile looked as pure and holy as that of a Saintess ready to endure anything.
"I'm sorry."
She left a small apology to Jeremiah. Lucia's voice was so quiet that only Jeremiah, who was right next to her, could hear it. Immediately afterward, Lucia took something out of her bosom.
'Dagger?'
It was something completely unexpected. The Saintess took out a dagger from her bosom and held it with a determined expression. She quickly pulled the sword out of its scabbard and rushed towards the Emperor.
"Emperor, blinded by greed that is eating away at and making the empire sick! By the will of God, I will execute you here and now!"
Shouting firmly, Lucia thrust the dagger into the Emperor's body with all her might.
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