"Also, did you burn the scented candle?"
Barcas, staring into my eyes with dilated pupils, said reproachfully.
My cheeks became hot for a moment.
I just took medicine because it hurt.
I didn't do anything wrong, but I don't know why I feel like I did something that deserves to be scolded.
As I tried to lower my eyes to avoid his gaze, a dry sigh tickled my forehead.
"...Maybe it's a good thing."
Muttering bitterly, Barcas pressed his knees to the floor and wrapped one hand around my back.
I looked up at his sharp jawline in bewilderment.
He tucked his other arm under my leg and slowly pulled me up.
I reflexively grabbed the hem of my skirt. I wondered if the dress would curl up.
"I can go on my own feet."
"You should just be drunk on medicine."
Barcas got out of the carriage and said dryly.
"It will be easier for me to endure today."
I, reading the sarcasm in his voice, shrugged my shoulders. For him, today seemed to be a day he had to endure. As I was lowering my head in despair, I heard an unfamiliar voice nearby.
"Sir, His Majesty seems to be a little late."
I slumped into his arms.
Barcas opened his coat to cover my body and gave instructions in a blunt tone to the man who spoke to him.
"Go to the chief minister and tell him about it."
Then he strode to the marble-carved arch.
I unconsciously grabbed his shirt tightly. Through the thin coat that smelled of mint, I could see the sky with thick clouds.
A gloomy gray light, as if hinting at its dark future, illuminated the faces of the saints carved into the stone walls and pillars.
As the faces got closer, the fear in my stomach crept up my esophagus.
I opened my mouth impulsively.
"The weather is too gloomy today."
His blue eyes, filled with silver shards, fell on my forehead.
I avoided his gaze and stammered.
"No one gets married on a day like this."
So I should quit. Just as I was about to say that, his lips opened.
"Then, we will be the first."
With a soothing voice, I swallowed the words that rose to my throat.
If it were my whim, he was a man with a tooth. It was just a word that was spoken to make me feel good.
I tried to control myself like that, but my heart, without pride, was beating wildly.
I lowered my head to hide my heated face.
Presently, the great mouth of the basilica devoured us. The cold, heavy air pressed down on my body, wrapped in a thin dress.
I crouched on my back and spied outside through the hem of Barcas' coat. Hundreds of people filled the corridor. The number of guests was higher than expected.
They could not have gathered to celebrate this marriage.
Everyone must have been forced to attend because they were looking at Senevere.
Perhaps, they came to see what the illegitimate Princess would have become.
I lowered my gaze to see if my legs were well hidden under my clothes. Even though I saw the hem of the cloth covering my toes many times, my anxiety did not subside.
With my sweaty hands, I grabbed the end of my skirt and pulled it underneath, checking the pews to see if anyone would be spying on my legs. Then I saw hundreds of pairs of eyeballs that were wide open.
I stiffened my back, wondering how horrible I looked, but a dark coat obscured my vision.
"I think we will have to wait until His Majesty comes."
His voice was strangely soft.
He passed through the intersection and headed to the relatively quiet place, and added.
"Until then, keep your eyes glued."
O looked up at the tip of his chin with blank eyes.
Today, he says a lot of strange things. Where in the world is there a bride who sleeps at her wedding?
Just as I was about to say that, I heard a familiar voice behind me.
"Lord Sheerkan."
I cast my gaze over his collar. The knight who had been following Barcas like a shadow was running towards them.
"The Marquis of Oristain is looking for you. He said he wanted to talk to you for a while before the ceremony."
The Marquis de Oritstin was the maternal grandfather of Gareth and Ayla. Why did such a person come to the ceremony?
I looked up with a puzzled expression and saw a slightly hardened face. After a moment of silence, as if thinking about something, Barcas put me down on the choir seat. Then he took off his coat and put it over my shoulder.
"Wait a minute. I'll be back soon."
I reached out to grab him, then hurriedly lowered again.
He was forced to take over by the Emperor's order. I have to get used to being pushed to the back burner.
"I'm guarding it."
Barcas spat out as if to plead with the knight and walked gracefully out of the airport.
I looked at his back and bit my lip nervously.
The Marquis de Oristain must have come to prevent this marriage. What words will he say to persuade Barcas?
As I was thinking about it in a daze, I felt a stinging gaze on my cheek.
I turned my head and was horrified to see a pair of dark brown eyes staring down at me.
The knight, who had been stealing a glance at me with a strange look, turned his head in a smirk. Sweat formed on my back.
Why did he look at me like that?
Maybe there was a problem not only with my legs but also with my looks.
I looked down at my body, surrounded by a flowing dress. I wondered if the outline of my legs was reflected on the hem of my clothes.
"Can I bring you something to drink while you wait?"
The knight cleared his throat and asked in an awkward voice.
I hid my anxiety and said in an enviable and arrogant tone.
"No... I don't need it."
However, my tongue, which was loosened by the weak energy, did not move as I wanted.
I moistened my parched lips and rolled my eyes to look around.
In addition to the knight standing beside me, there was a long line of priests and attendants who seemed to be waiting for the event.
They and even the people gathered at the Intersection glanced at me. Those sticky gazes caught my nerves.
I bit my lip. I wanted to scream at him for what he was staring at.
Senevere's voice rang in my ears, saying that ugly things were meaninglessly ridiculed and trampled on.
I wanted to leave my seat right away and run out of the ceremony. But if I do that, I'll be crushed in front of everyone. Laughter will pour down on me like a torrential rain.
Cripple
Worst bride ever
"Your Highness, your complexion is not good. Shall we call in a priest?"
The knight approached me with a worried face.
I shook my head.
"That's it."
"Receiving even a simple healing spell..."
"Do you have a hearing problem? I say it's done."
The man who was annoyed by the nervousness snapped his mouth shut. However, he does not take away his strange gaze.
Soon, this man's presence began to bother me. The gaze that clung to me was terrible.
I stared nervously at the spot where Barcas had left.
"When are you going back?"
What am I talking about, and why is it taking so long?
Suddenly, Ayla's voice echoed in my mind, saying that I would regret it. Perhaps she had instigated her grandfather to play a trick.
Yes, that's definitely the case. Barcas's marriage to me. It was ridiculous in the first place.
Perhaps all of this was a play to embarrass me from the beginning.
Barcas must have already left the wedding hall. And I would be a miserable bride who was abandoned at the ceremony because I'm an illegitimate child and lack of cripples.
"I want to go back."
The knight looked at me with bewilderment.
I tugged at Barcas's coat and threw it to the floor, staggering to my feet. I avoided the tired eyes staring at me and stepped towards the small side gate at the end of the wing.
The knight, who was looking at the situation with a puzzled expression, hurriedly blocked the way.
"Where are you going? It's a ceremony soon."
"Get out of the way!"
I reached out to push the man away. However, the Ironclad knight could not be pushed aside by my weak strength.
I shot a hostile look at the man.
"Don't you hear my words?"
As I reached out to push him again, my legs gave up, and my body tilted to one side. I reflexively grabbed his arm.
I felt the knight's body stiffen. It was horrible, but so was I.
It was horrible for a man to touch me. I was horrified by the huge body that I couldn't control.
The only thing I could touch was Barcas. However, the man left me at the ceremony. Suddenly, tears burst into tears.
"Let this go!"
As I shook off the hand that was wrapping around my shoulder as if to support me, my body suddenly floated.
I looked back in surprise. I could see Barcas's cold eyes.
He looked at my face as if he was going to break down, then turned his gaze to his subordinate.
The knight turned red and lowered his head. Barcas, who had stared at him silently for a long time, turned around, hugging my waist.
"All the guests have arrived. The ceremony will begin now."
A chilling voice echoed clearly overhead.
"It's too late to turn back."
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