The day when Kishian came to the imperial palace was not as busy.
I busily dressed up pretending to be Letie in amid father's screams, but I still had room to breathe.
Unlike then, today, the day of the wedding, there was literally no time to breathe.
Even before the sun had risen properly, I was led by the maids to wash myself and sit down in front of the dressing table.
Finely ground pearl powder was applied to make the skin shiny, and the hair was also coated with fragrant oil to give it shine.
Of course, that wasn't the end of it.
Afterwards, they took out the dress they had carefully stored and put it on, and then they started applying makeup in earnest.
The three usually chatty maids didn't say anything at that moment.
They kept their eyes wide open and focused on decorating me.
Their eyes were burning with enthusiasm, like artists creating great works of art.
It was not until the morning sun came up that I finally heard a word from Anne.
"...The Grand Duke was a god. make you the best bride ever."
"...Did you?"
"Yes, so I'll do my best to decorate you. So that you can stand out more than anyone else today."
I was actually a little nervous until I heard that.
I wasn't always the main character, and even today, on my wedding day, I felt like I was going to be reduced to a supporting role.
The uneasiness that had melted away a little thanks to Anne was completely dispelled by the words that Madam Bianca and Frida had spoken next.
"You're beautiful as anyone else. That's the way it should be."
"I'll do my best!"
I didn't feel enxyous anymore.
Even if I had always been in Letie's shadow, I was sure that today would be different.
So I left it up to them to do the embellishment, and I was happy with the result.
"Oh my God... How could it be like this..."
"It's inspiring... I've seen a lot of brides over the past fifty years..."
"I've never met someone as beautiful as Your Highness! You'll be surprised!"
Unable to respond to their rather boisterous compliments, I stared in the mirror in silence."
In the mirror stood a gorgeous woman I had never seen before.
She was dressed as if her whole body was bathed in light.
A woman who seems to have been in someone's shadow for a single moment, who seems to have been born to be the lad actress from birth.
'Is this me...?'
A bewildering question came to my mind.
The 'Elona' I knew was someone who always had a dark atmosphere.
"..."
I stared at the woman in the mirror for a long time, with her cheeks and lips painted flesh red.
She said to the maids, barely holding back the emotions that were bubbling up deep in her heart.
"Thanks, everyone. Really..."
When they heard my greeting, they responded with a lot of enthusiasm this time as well.
They thanked me for believing in them.
After that, I was greeted by my guests.
While talking with the maids, the tension was completely relieved, so I was able to welcome the guests with a relaxed mind.
But even so, I couldn't help but feel tired.
I had to meet so many people.
The vassals of the Grand Duke Lennon, the nobles of the north, the nobles of the islands, and even the vlegy.
Among them, the ones that would make me the most tired appeared were at sunrise.
"Sister... No, Letie!"
My twin sister came to the bride's waiting room and hugged me awkwardly and changed the title.
Even though she had come in a carriage from a distant island, she did not look disturbed at all.
The makeup, the hair, it was perfect.
Even the Duke Herssen, who came with her, was perfectly decorated.
However, she made the big mistake of calling me 'sister,' so I pointed this out to her first before complimenting her outfit.
"You have to be careful what you say. I'm glad we're the only ones here, but you can't make a mistake in front of him. If you make a mistake..."
"Oh my God! How did you come up with this? You don't look like the sister I used to know!"
She didn't seem to listen to my pleas.
I sighed and let out a deep breath because it had always happened.
"That's because I've worked it. It's my wedding today."
Even so, she still seemed very surprised.
I could feel Letie's eyes incessantly scanning my makeup and dress.
I was surprised to see myself dressed up this morning, so it wasn't a reaction I couldn't understand.
I smiled slightly to thank her and asked again.
"Anyway, you know what I mean, right? Don't reveal our secrets, so don't show too much friendliness to the Duke."
My voice was low as I spoke.
Even though I had clearly stated that she was not to attend with Duke of Herssen, she was resentful that she had come with him.
Only then did Letie respond to my request.
"Of course! You don't have to worry about it, because it will never happen. The Duke and I are just close friends. Right, Duke?"
The Duke, who was arranging his red hair next to her, bowed his head to me belatedly.
"Absolutely. Rest assured that nothing will happen to you."
Duke Herssen.
He fell in love with Letie and got us in a lot of trouble.
Luckily, though, he was more talkative than Letie.
I looked into his calm green eyes and asked him softly.
"Take care of my sister."
"I'll keep that in mind. And you are so beautiful today."
Normally, I would have been polite enough to say thank you.
The only reason I couldn't because I saw Letie's expression a little distorted at that moment.
Apparently, I didn't like the 'beautiful' greeting that Duke Herssen had just given me.
After all, Letie wasn't immune to situations where others were in the spotlight more than she was.
The atmosphere seemed to have become awkward for some reason, so I turned to Letie again.
"I'll see you later, then."
"Huh? Alas. See you later, sis... No, Letie."
Again awkwardly correcting it, Letie hugged me.
After sending Letie and the Duke of Herssen, I was able to take a short break.
I'm glad I did. If I had gone through the main ceremony exhausted from greeting the guests, my face would have been tired.
During the short break, I fixed my makeup, and the ceremony was held in a recovered state.
"..."
Before entering the chapel, where the ceremony was taking place, I let out a long breath.
When the grand music announcing the bride's entrance began, my heart beat loudly.
I took a few deep breaths to control the tension, then moved slowly.
All eyes of the guests in the chapel were focused on me.
They were all different faces, but their expressions all expressed one emotion.
Ashtonishment.
I slowly walked across the chapel with a gaze full of wonder and curiosity.
"Kishian..."
Receiving the gaze of the guests, I fixed my gaze on Kishian the entire time I entered.
Another protagonist of the day, he entered before me and was waiting for me.
Even more radiant than usual.
"..."
I thought as I walked silently towards him.
If there hadn't been any rift between us, I might still be in love with him.
In the end, however, it was just a futile assumption, so I stopped thinking about it and moved on.
As I stood next to Kishian, the old priest began to officiate in a slow voice.
"On such a peaceful and beautiful day, the honorable bridegroom and a noble bride were united, a mircle from God, and an auspicious blessing that should be blessed..."
There was a long, long officiate ceremony that didn't require you to pay attention.
Thus, I thought that the story that flowed out of the old priest's mouth was rather boring music, and I became tainted with my thoughts.
Gradually, I left my mind go blank.
My mind, which had been swallowed up little by little, became clear again when the old priest asked me this question.
"Does the Grand Duke swear to love his wife-to-be forever?"
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