Kishian, who had been saying difficult words, then opened his mouth.
"She made you uncomfortable, you know."
"Did she make me uncomfortable? My sister?"
I wanted to laugh it off and proudly say that there was no such thing.
But unfortunately, he wasn't wrong.
The reason I came to the North in the first place was to escape from the life I lived in Letie's shadow.
How could that child's presence not be uncomfortable?
However, no matter how much I thought about it, it was a weakness, and I didn't want Kishian to find out.
"Never."
"Do you not see how hard your expression was when the Princess came to greet us?"
"..."
"You looked so obviously uncomfortable."
He was a really uselessly sensitive man.
The moment I met Letie, he seemed to have keenly noticed the change in me that even I had not noticed.
This time, too, I tried to pass it off as a lie, but Kishian didn't give me the chance.
"Being my wife means you have become the most noble woman in the world. Even if you deny it, I intend to make it so."
"..."
"So it's not right for you to feel uncomfortable and avoid others. Whether they're your biological sisters or someone else."
His eyes sparkled even more today, reflecting the moonlight.
In those golden eyes, Kishian held me in his gaze, unwavering and single-minded.
"That's why I allowed her to stay a few more days."
"So, you want me to act like a brat to my sister for a few days? Are you telling me to put my nose in it like that?"
"Rather than that, I want you to overcome it."
There was no need to ask what it meant.
Overcome.
It would mean stepping out of Letie's shadow, breaking our twisted relationship, and standing upright as my complete self, not as someone else's imitation.
So that I don't feel uncomfortable about that child anymore.
"..."
Kishian left the place, leaving me in silence.
It seemed as if he believed that I would do as he said without necessarily having to hear an answer.
Left alone, I sat quietly lost in thought.
Get over it?
It was a pretty plausible story. But...
'Nobody wants a fake.'
Letie is the savior, and I am the fake.
Our destiny is so certain, can I overcome it if I try to?
Is that even possible?
"..."
Even after I was left alone, I couldn't leave that place for a while and just swallowed the silence.
***
Kishian returned to the banquet hall.
It wasn't just to fit in with the crowd.
He walked past the crowd, a glass of champagne in his hand, and headed to the second-floor balcony.
Closing the glass door to the balcony blocked out some of the noise from the banquet hall.
So isolated from people, he drank the champagne he had brought in one gulp.
"..."
As the alcohol wore off, his heated heart seemed to cool down a little.
With that cold heart, he thought quietly.
About the woman who became his wife.
'Why do I care so much?'
In fact, it was none of his business whether the Grand Duchess found his sister uncomfortable or not.
No, rather, it should have been refreshing.
Wasn't she the woman who betrayed Kishian himself?
But that couldn't be done.
The moment he saw the Grand Duchess, who seemed to want to disappear to a place where her sister was not, an inexplicable emotion boiled inside him.
'You were always shooting in front of me, but why are you acting like that in front of the princess...?'
The heat that had barely cooled down with alcohol was eating away at his insides again.
Every time he recalled the Grand Duchess' gloomy face, his fever grew even stronger.
So he thought, he wish she would put away that gloomy expression and smile a little.
"..."
Kishian let out a long sigh, his confused mind flowing.
He could no longer understand it.
Whether he wishes for the Grand Duchess's misfortune or his happiness.
He could be certain of only one wish.
Stop worrying about other people and just focus on your own husband.
Whether the Grand Duchess is unhappy or happy is ultimately a secondary matter.
Before that, Kishian wanted to own it first.
He wanted to make the Grand Duchess's heart his own so that no one eIse could dare touch or hurt it.
Even if she cried, even if she laughed, even if she lost her mind and broke down in pain, it had to be him who made it happen. Not some unqualified stranger.
As Kishian lowered his gaze, he saw his wife coming out of the garden and heading back to the banquet hall.
He moistened the tip of his tongue with the last drop of champagne left in his glass and walked back to the banquet hall.
***
The excitement of the noisy wedding party died down as dawn came.
The exhausted and drunk guests returned to their rooms, and soon the banquet hall was empty.
I stared blankly at the empty space and muttered to myself.
... It's finally over.
The wedding was held safely in front of everyone, and the guests were treated without any problems.
Now that it was almost finished, I felt like I could relax a little.
It was when I relaxed my stiff shoulders.
At some point, Kishian came up to me from behind and hugged my waist.
"It's not the end."
A low, cool voice with a hint of alcohol.
My mind, which had been exhausted, suddenly woke up dizzy.
While I stood there in surprise, his fingers entangled themselves with mine.
"Because the most important thing remains."
There was no need to question the meaning of those words.
Because I wasn't so naive as to not know what the final steps were that had to be taken after the wedding.
I barely managed to calm my breathing, which had started to become a little tense due to the tension, and looked at Kishian.
"Are you sure you want to spend tonight with me?"
He didn't give an immediate answer to the question I barely asked.
He looked at me for a long time, and only when the moisture in my mouth had completely dried did he finally answer.
"What a strange question. Then who did you think I would spend it with?"
He couldn't help but laugh for a moment, wondering if my question was funny.
Only after the laughter had died down did his lips open again.
"You are my wife, so who should I spend my first night with?"
"But..."
Don't you hate me? I wasn't prepared to ask that question, so I awkwardly cut off my words, and Kishian's smile became a little crooked.
"You don't want to get involved with someone like me again?"
"...That's not it."
"No? Then there will be no problem."
No further opportunity to respond was given.
He grabbed my wrist and led me away, as if he wouldn't hear any more.
It was a rather rough movement, considering that he was leading a bride who had just finished her wedding.
There was no one here to stop him, the King of the North, and we soon reached the bedroom.
The soldiers who had been guarding the bedroom stepped aside as if they had been waiting and opened the door.
Kishian glanced at me and then walked back into the bedroom.
The interior was filled with the scent of unknown flowers, not knowing when they had been prepared.
The bed was also neatly made, and there were clothes prepared for a change of clothes after work.
Seeing that sight made me realize anew what we had come here for.
"...Kishian."
"It's no use saying no. You know it's too late to turn back."
Kishian whispered, his lips close enough to touch my earlobe.
It seemed as if he had assumed that I would refuse and push him away.
I didn't mean to say that.
He continued talking right away as if he didn't even want to give me a chance to speak.
"I fought for three years in that damned place full of monsters. I survived even the tricks of the assassins sent by your father."
"..."
I felt his grip tighten around my waist.
Likewise, a voice that had become even deeper fell on my ear.
"So I can't back down any longer."
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