The conflict between Winfred and his younger brother-in-law was resolved with Noah's apology, and the wedding preparations proceeded smoothly without any problems.
Of course, there were some very minor issues. Things like Roderick's mild wanderings, as he wanted to keep his daughter by his side for a long time after finding her with great difficulty.
Sometimes he would stare into space with a gloomy face, and other times he would get drunk and go to the room of his daughter, who was about to be married, and then he would act recklessly and get dragged away by his wife, Ophelia.
But of course, he wasn't truly opposed to the marriage. Roderick, more than anyone else, wanted Aila's happiness.
And time passed quickly, and the wedding day arrived.
Roderick managed to pull himself together and stand before his daughter in her wedding dress with a smile on his face.
“Oh my goodness... she’s so beautiful, my daughter. Isn’t she, Roderick?”
Ophelia gasped in admiration, seeking his agreement, but he remained speechless. It wasn't that he disagreed with his wife's opinion; he simply feared that opening his mouth would lead to tears and a sense of helplessness before the wedding ceremony even began.
Aila blushed shyly.
“Why are you so embarrassed, Mother?”
"Oh my, isn't it true that you're pretty even if you look at it? You put in all that effort to look pretty, so what if you don't? It was all a waste of effort."
Ophelia replied, pointing to the large mirror before her. The bride's face flushed a little more at her words, but she was right.
Even Aila felt that her reflection in the mirror was beautiful.
She wore a white flower arrangement studded with small diamonds on her elegantly tied long hair, and behind her back she wore a veil long enough to reach the ground.
The dress, which revealed her shoulders and back, was covered in delicate and gorgeous lace.
A small teardrop-shaped scabbard was cut out beneath the lace that gently wrapped around Aila's long neck, revealing a bit of skin, and a frill of transparent material flowed naturally down her arms, creating an elegant atmosphere.
The dress, which clung to the body up to the waist and subtly showed off her body line, puffed out abundantly around the hips and bloomed like flower petals.
She's tried on a lot of dresses, regardless of their type, but she's never seen anything as gorgeous and beautiful as today, so much so that her reflection in the mirror felt unfamiliar.
“Oh, that’s true.”
Aila smiled awkwardly and nodded. She'd put so much effort into this day. No matter what anyone said, wasn't she the undisputed star today?
“Father, why haven’t you said anything since earlier? Is it not good?”
When she looked at Roderick and asked, he, who had been keeping his mouth shut, opened it in surprise.
"How could that be? You're truly beautiful. The second most beautiful bride I've ever seen. The first, of course, was your mother."
Ophelia's face flushed bright red at his answer. It wasn't out of shyness, but rather a sense of embarrassment at his seemingly indiscriminate ramblings.
“Was my mother that beautiful? I wonder, too.”
Aila asked, her eyes wide. Her parents' wedding had happened before she was even born, so it was only natural that she hadn't experienced it.
"Yes. She was truly beautiful. I can still see that moment as if it were yesterday. Your mother's dress, unlike yours, wasn't as ornately embroidered, but she looked so elegant in that lustrous white dress, like a swan..."
“Enough. That’s enough, Roderick.”
As he closed his eyes slightly and began to recount the moment, Ophelia couldn't help but cover her husband's mouth. She felt like hiding in a hole if possible.
“What are you talking about, you little rascal, when you can’t even offer words of encouragement to your daughter who is about to get married?”
Ophelia shook her head, saying it was much better when he just kept his mouth shut and sobbed.
And it was while the family was having a friendly conversation.
“It’s almost time to leave.”
The guide from the palace announced that it was time.
“...It’s already that time.”
Roderick's expression darkened instantly. It was time to say goodbye to his daughter, whom he had been away from for so long and had not treated well.
"It's not like I'll never see you again, Father. Why do you look so sad?"
“Yes, Roderick. We’ll see her at the wedding soon, so don’t be so gloomy.”
When Ophelia poked his ribs, Roderick reluctantly smiled. He hoped Aila would be able to leave with a light heart.
But Aila's footsteps were unsteady, and she kept looking back. Her heavy steps weren't just due to the voluminous hem of her silk skirt.
She boarded a carriage prepared by the imperial court. It was a carriage lavishly decorated with fresh flowers.
And the carriage, as expected, slowly passed through the road decorated with flowers and ribbons and headed towards the palace.
When the carriage she was riding finally arrived in front of the palace, Winfred, dressed in a pure white uniform just like Aila's white dress, was waiting nervously.
“Welcome, Aila.”
He smiled brightly as he greeted his dazzlingly beautiful bride. He looked as if he had everything in the world.
“It’s so pretty.”
“Thank you. You’re pretty too.”
When he whispered in Aila's ear, she smiled faintly in response.
Winfred, who usually had his bangs flowing down naturally, was neatly swept back and looked quite presentable, as befitting the star of the day.
“Let’s go, Aila.”
Winfred smiled broadly and extended his hand to her.
Aila took his outstretched hand and began to walk cautiously with him on the white silk carpet strewn with red rose petals.
She felt a strange sensation, as if she were floating, walking on clouds. She was thrilled and happy, but it felt unreal.
Looking at Winfred's expression as he stood beside her, keeping pace with her, it seemed he, too, was feeling the same way.
Aila looked around nervously. Her parents and younger brother Noah, who had set off in a different carriage than hers, had already arrived and were watching her.
Noah, wearing a cute bow tie and overalls, was standing there, his mouth tightly shut, holding Ophelia's hand as if trying not to cry, while Roderick, who was worse than his young son, was sniffling.
At the end of the Silk Road, which sometimes felt as if it would never end, and sometimes as if it was very short, stood the Emperor, Hiram, with his eyes reddened.
Originally, it was customary for the Empress to put the tiara on the Crown Princess, but since the position of Empress was vacant, the Emperor did it himself.
As Aila sat down on the small chair prepared on the stage, Hiram solemnly placed the Crown Princess's crown on her head.
It was also the crown worn by Selene a long time ago.
Trying to suppress his longing for his departed wife, Hiram whispered to Aila in a gentle voice.
“Aila, please take good care of our Winfred.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
"If this guy ever makes you cry, let me know. Well, I think you'll figure it out. Don't they say a daughter-in-law loves her father-in-law?"
Aila burst into a small laugh at the sight of him, unable to hold back his jokes even in this solemn moment.
“I hope this feeling never changes.”
“That will happen, Father.”
Winfred confidently responded to Hiram's words. He was most confident in his unwavering love for Aila.
And that night.
A bridal chamber was prepared for the two in the Crown Prince's Palace.
Red petals were scattered in the shape of hearts on the clean silk quilt, and simple snacks and drinks for the two were placed next to it.
In the dark room, only the faint scent of incense was shining.
“...”
“...”
And the two people left in that strange atmosphere just looked at each other in silence.
Although they have been dating for quite some time, this is the first time for these two people who have been dating in such a healthy way to experience this kind of atmosphere.
'... I shouldn't have left it to Joseph to decorate the room. What the hell is this?'
Winfred, with a bashful expression, fiddled with the silk blanket, avoiding Aila's gaze. It was truly embarrassing, and he couldn't bear to live.
“That, that place...”
And it was Aila who spoke first, unable to bear the silence.
"Should we just sleep? Uh, you don't have to push yourself too hard. It's okay to just hold hands and sleep."
She, too, was avoiding eye contact, sweeping the floor with her toes. She was so embarrassed that even her earlobes were flushed red. It was an unexpected sight.
Since she was the one who confessed her love first and kissed him first, she never imagined that she would be embarrassed on their first night.
And her words, 'Don't push yourself too hard, just hold my hand and sleep, it's okay,' touched Winfred's pride.
Winfred abruptly rose from his seat, grabbed Aila by the waist, and slowly laid her down on the bed. Despite the forceful rise, his movements were remarkably cautious.
“Hey, Winfred?”
When Aila asked with wide eyes in surprise, he opened his mouth with a red face.
“I, even though I look like this, am a model Crown Prince.”
"Yes?"
At his words, she tilted her head, as if she didn't understand what he said. Of course, she knew Winfred was a model student, but she couldn't quite see how that related to the current situation.
"Well, actually, the Crown Prince's training program... includes training to satisfy the Crown Princess. It's my first time experiencing it in practice, though."
What he meant was that he had been receiving various training for moments like this.
And indeed, the same was true for Aila. As she navigated her way to becoming Crown Princess, she learned that the relationship between a married couple was filled with things she never imagined.
“Well, what I mean is... If it's okay with you, Aila...”
Winfred asked for her permission with a very nervous expression.
This was her first time in this situation, so she felt awkward and embarrassed, but she didn't dislike it, so Aila nodded cautiously.
"It's okay."
“...Okay, then.”
Winfred gently kissed her lips, his hands digging into her thin pajamas. His touch was warm and affectionate, a touch that belied his usual nature.
The next morning.
Aila, who had fallen asleep late at night, woke up at dawn as usual. It was a habit ingrained in her, having spent her entire life waking up early to practice.
Ugh. She struggled to get up. Her body ached here and there, perhaps because she was using completely different muscles than she normally uses for strength training.
Aila gazed intently at Winfred's face, sleeping beside her. His peaceful expression, sleeping so peacefully, was incredibly endearing.
As sunlight streamed through the drawn curtains and touched his face, Winfred frowned slightly and groaned.
He seemed like a completely different person from the manly appearance he had the night before.
He proved with his whole body that the words "model student" are not an empty boast.
She chuckled and shielded his face from the sunlight with her palm, then lay down next to him again.
With him, she felt like it would be okay to be lazy like this.
It was a happy morning.
Of course, there were some very minor issues. Things like Roderick's mild wanderings, as he wanted to keep his daughter by his side for a long time after finding her with great difficulty.
Sometimes he would stare into space with a gloomy face, and other times he would get drunk and go to the room of his daughter, who was about to be married, and then he would act recklessly and get dragged away by his wife, Ophelia.
But of course, he wasn't truly opposed to the marriage. Roderick, more than anyone else, wanted Aila's happiness.
And time passed quickly, and the wedding day arrived.
Roderick managed to pull himself together and stand before his daughter in her wedding dress with a smile on his face.
“Oh my goodness... she’s so beautiful, my daughter. Isn’t she, Roderick?”
Ophelia gasped in admiration, seeking his agreement, but he remained speechless. It wasn't that he disagreed with his wife's opinion; he simply feared that opening his mouth would lead to tears and a sense of helplessness before the wedding ceremony even began.
Aila blushed shyly.
“Why are you so embarrassed, Mother?”
"Oh my, isn't it true that you're pretty even if you look at it? You put in all that effort to look pretty, so what if you don't? It was all a waste of effort."
Ophelia replied, pointing to the large mirror before her. The bride's face flushed a little more at her words, but she was right.
Even Aila felt that her reflection in the mirror was beautiful.
She wore a white flower arrangement studded with small diamonds on her elegantly tied long hair, and behind her back she wore a veil long enough to reach the ground.
The dress, which revealed her shoulders and back, was covered in delicate and gorgeous lace.
A small teardrop-shaped scabbard was cut out beneath the lace that gently wrapped around Aila's long neck, revealing a bit of skin, and a frill of transparent material flowed naturally down her arms, creating an elegant atmosphere.
The dress, which clung to the body up to the waist and subtly showed off her body line, puffed out abundantly around the hips and bloomed like flower petals.
She's tried on a lot of dresses, regardless of their type, but she's never seen anything as gorgeous and beautiful as today, so much so that her reflection in the mirror felt unfamiliar.
“Oh, that’s true.”
Aila smiled awkwardly and nodded. She'd put so much effort into this day. No matter what anyone said, wasn't she the undisputed star today?
“Father, why haven’t you said anything since earlier? Is it not good?”
When she looked at Roderick and asked, he, who had been keeping his mouth shut, opened it in surprise.
"How could that be? You're truly beautiful. The second most beautiful bride I've ever seen. The first, of course, was your mother."
Ophelia's face flushed bright red at his answer. It wasn't out of shyness, but rather a sense of embarrassment at his seemingly indiscriminate ramblings.
“Was my mother that beautiful? I wonder, too.”
Aila asked, her eyes wide. Her parents' wedding had happened before she was even born, so it was only natural that she hadn't experienced it.
"Yes. She was truly beautiful. I can still see that moment as if it were yesterday. Your mother's dress, unlike yours, wasn't as ornately embroidered, but she looked so elegant in that lustrous white dress, like a swan..."
“Enough. That’s enough, Roderick.”
As he closed his eyes slightly and began to recount the moment, Ophelia couldn't help but cover her husband's mouth. She felt like hiding in a hole if possible.
“What are you talking about, you little rascal, when you can’t even offer words of encouragement to your daughter who is about to get married?”
Ophelia shook her head, saying it was much better when he just kept his mouth shut and sobbed.
And it was while the family was having a friendly conversation.
“It’s almost time to leave.”
The guide from the palace announced that it was time.
“...It’s already that time.”
Roderick's expression darkened instantly. It was time to say goodbye to his daughter, whom he had been away from for so long and had not treated well.
"It's not like I'll never see you again, Father. Why do you look so sad?"
“Yes, Roderick. We’ll see her at the wedding soon, so don’t be so gloomy.”
When Ophelia poked his ribs, Roderick reluctantly smiled. He hoped Aila would be able to leave with a light heart.
But Aila's footsteps were unsteady, and she kept looking back. Her heavy steps weren't just due to the voluminous hem of her silk skirt.
She boarded a carriage prepared by the imperial court. It was a carriage lavishly decorated with fresh flowers.
And the carriage, as expected, slowly passed through the road decorated with flowers and ribbons and headed towards the palace.
When the carriage she was riding finally arrived in front of the palace, Winfred, dressed in a pure white uniform just like Aila's white dress, was waiting nervously.
“Welcome, Aila.”
He smiled brightly as he greeted his dazzlingly beautiful bride. He looked as if he had everything in the world.
“It’s so pretty.”
“Thank you. You’re pretty too.”
When he whispered in Aila's ear, she smiled faintly in response.
Winfred, who usually had his bangs flowing down naturally, was neatly swept back and looked quite presentable, as befitting the star of the day.
“Let’s go, Aila.”
Winfred smiled broadly and extended his hand to her.
Aila took his outstretched hand and began to walk cautiously with him on the white silk carpet strewn with red rose petals.
She felt a strange sensation, as if she were floating, walking on clouds. She was thrilled and happy, but it felt unreal.
Looking at Winfred's expression as he stood beside her, keeping pace with her, it seemed he, too, was feeling the same way.
Aila looked around nervously. Her parents and younger brother Noah, who had set off in a different carriage than hers, had already arrived and were watching her.
Noah, wearing a cute bow tie and overalls, was standing there, his mouth tightly shut, holding Ophelia's hand as if trying not to cry, while Roderick, who was worse than his young son, was sniffling.
At the end of the Silk Road, which sometimes felt as if it would never end, and sometimes as if it was very short, stood the Emperor, Hiram, with his eyes reddened.
Originally, it was customary for the Empress to put the tiara on the Crown Princess, but since the position of Empress was vacant, the Emperor did it himself.
As Aila sat down on the small chair prepared on the stage, Hiram solemnly placed the Crown Princess's crown on her head.
It was also the crown worn by Selene a long time ago.
Trying to suppress his longing for his departed wife, Hiram whispered to Aila in a gentle voice.
“Aila, please take good care of our Winfred.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
"If this guy ever makes you cry, let me know. Well, I think you'll figure it out. Don't they say a daughter-in-law loves her father-in-law?"
Aila burst into a small laugh at the sight of him, unable to hold back his jokes even in this solemn moment.
“I hope this feeling never changes.”
“That will happen, Father.”
Winfred confidently responded to Hiram's words. He was most confident in his unwavering love for Aila.
***
And that night.
A bridal chamber was prepared for the two in the Crown Prince's Palace.
Red petals were scattered in the shape of hearts on the clean silk quilt, and simple snacks and drinks for the two were placed next to it.
In the dark room, only the faint scent of incense was shining.
“...”
“...”
And the two people left in that strange atmosphere just looked at each other in silence.
Although they have been dating for quite some time, this is the first time for these two people who have been dating in such a healthy way to experience this kind of atmosphere.
'... I shouldn't have left it to Joseph to decorate the room. What the hell is this?'
Winfred, with a bashful expression, fiddled with the silk blanket, avoiding Aila's gaze. It was truly embarrassing, and he couldn't bear to live.
“That, that place...”
And it was Aila who spoke first, unable to bear the silence.
"Should we just sleep? Uh, you don't have to push yourself too hard. It's okay to just hold hands and sleep."
She, too, was avoiding eye contact, sweeping the floor with her toes. She was so embarrassed that even her earlobes were flushed red. It was an unexpected sight.
Since she was the one who confessed her love first and kissed him first, she never imagined that she would be embarrassed on their first night.
And her words, 'Don't push yourself too hard, just hold my hand and sleep, it's okay,' touched Winfred's pride.
Winfred abruptly rose from his seat, grabbed Aila by the waist, and slowly laid her down on the bed. Despite the forceful rise, his movements were remarkably cautious.
“Hey, Winfred?”
When Aila asked with wide eyes in surprise, he opened his mouth with a red face.
“I, even though I look like this, am a model Crown Prince.”
"Yes?"
At his words, she tilted her head, as if she didn't understand what he said. Of course, she knew Winfred was a model student, but she couldn't quite see how that related to the current situation.
"Well, actually, the Crown Prince's training program... includes training to satisfy the Crown Princess. It's my first time experiencing it in practice, though."
What he meant was that he had been receiving various training for moments like this.
And indeed, the same was true for Aila. As she navigated her way to becoming Crown Princess, she learned that the relationship between a married couple was filled with things she never imagined.
“Well, what I mean is... If it's okay with you, Aila...”
Winfred asked for her permission with a very nervous expression.
This was her first time in this situation, so she felt awkward and embarrassed, but she didn't dislike it, so Aila nodded cautiously.
"It's okay."
“...Okay, then.”
Winfred gently kissed her lips, his hands digging into her thin pajamas. His touch was warm and affectionate, a touch that belied his usual nature.
***
The next morning.
Aila, who had fallen asleep late at night, woke up at dawn as usual. It was a habit ingrained in her, having spent her entire life waking up early to practice.
Ugh. She struggled to get up. Her body ached here and there, perhaps because she was using completely different muscles than she normally uses for strength training.
Aila gazed intently at Winfred's face, sleeping beside her. His peaceful expression, sleeping so peacefully, was incredibly endearing.
As sunlight streamed through the drawn curtains and touched his face, Winfred frowned slightly and groaned.
He seemed like a completely different person from the manly appearance he had the night before.
He proved with his whole body that the words "model student" are not an empty boast.
She chuckled and shielded his face from the sunlight with her palm, then lay down next to him again.
With him, she felt like it would be okay to be lazy like this.
It was a happy morning.
<I will pay with my life for deceiving me> Side story complete.
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