Chapter 013
It was the white fur I had ordered along with the wedding dress. After coming to the north, I couldn’t find it no matter how hard I searched, and when I asked why, I was told that Iswen had taken care of it separately.
‘The outer garment was taken by the young lord.’
That outer garment had returned with gold buttons engraved with the Imperial crest.
Not through Iswen, but through Aiden.
“His Highness the Crown Prince said…” the attendant continued. It was a statement that I could hardly comprehend. Blinking, I tried to piece together how this situation had unfolded.
Did Iswen send the clothes to Aiden separately?
Suddenly, I recalled the day before coming to Raslet, when Aiden had visited the Rowen mansion in the capital.
At that time, he had rambled on about incomprehensible nonsense before hurriedly getting up from his seat.
‘Your Highness, may I ask if you could spare a moment for the young lord of Rowen before you return to the palace?’
Because Iswen had asked for a meeting.
Coincidentally, that day was when all the clothes, except for the wedding dress, which still needed some finishing touches, had arrived at the mansion.
That morning, I had personally checked all the items.
No matter what, it was my wedding, the day I was making my official first impression in the place I would be living, so I couldn’t believe Iswen would be involved in something like this, but the evidence was too clear.
It was shocking, and I couldn’t help but wonder what my family was truly hoping for.
‘Your brothers will take what is needed from Raslet. You just need to avoid doing anything foolish in the meantime.’
My father had certainly said that.
But what could be more foolish than implying an inappropriate relationship with the Crown Prince on the day of the wedding?
No, perhaps all of this was part of my father’s and Iswen’s plan. They had always acted without considering my position.
So, in this instance as well, their calculations might be laid out without the slightest thought for my situation.
But what on earth were they hoping to gain?
Amid the confusion, the attendant continued speaking.
“Though you have been sent far away, may it always wrap around your shoulders. To my dear Iella.”
It was such nonsensical talk that it barely registered in my ears.
I snapped back to reality when a scoff fell from above me.
Hah. Sioden looked back at me with a mocking smile, his usually calm expression now twisted with cold derision.
“So that’s why you said you didn’t need the clothes.”
He taunted me with an unbelievable chill.
“It seems your friendship ran quite deep.”
I should have insisted that it wasn’t true, that it was a misunderstanding, but the words wouldn’t come. I had no idea how to explain this situation.
Sioden briefly glanced down at me, who was frozen in place, before turning his gaze away. He commanded the nearby servant.
“We cannot let His Highness’s sincerity go to waste. Drape the lady’s shoulders.”
As the servant approached and placed the white fur over my shoulders, a chill ran down my spine.
The way everyone at the banquet was viewing me and Aiden, as if we had some sort of relationship, felt as vivid as the soft touch of the fur.
“But I wonder if His Highness knows.”
“…….”
“Excessive kindness can look like foolishness.”
If only I could shout that there was neither foolishness nor sincerity between Aiden and me. If I could, I would have stood up right then and there, but the reality was that I couldn’t even move a finger.
“Foolishness lingers ungracefully, so if you are a loyal subject, I hope you convey that well.”
With that, the palace attendant, unable to be brazen any longer, bowed his head and withdrew.
Watching this with cold eyes, Sioden stood up. The next group approaching halted. If either the bride or groom stood, the remaining gifts would have to be presented only after the meal was over.
Sioden looked down at me, unable to do anything but sit there in a daze.
However, before I could say anything, he turned his back on me.
He strode off with purpose, followed by a servant carrying black fur.
I sat there, stunned in the spot he had just vacated.
Just before Sioden turned away, a hint of self-mockery had crossed his lips, leaving me paralyzed, unable to act.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Once Sioden left, the whispers around me grew louder and more brazen.
Countless eyes scanned me up and down. The hostility was suffocating.
I wanted to hide somewhere, anywhere. Even my family home in Rowen felt like it wouldn’t be safe enough, but I longed to be alone, away from prying eyes.
As I stood up with trembling legs, a maid, not Apple, approached me.
I handed her the fur coat.
“Take this away.”
My heart was already churning. If I kept it on, I felt like I might throw up.
I slipped into any corner of the lounge that was shaded and secluded. My heart raced so fast I thought it might burst.
Curled up in a small armchair, trying to catch my breath, I heard the door creak open.
A group of people poured into the lounge.
One of them had a familiar voice.
“How can she be so shameless?”
Sezna.
“Not only did she steal the lady’s place, but she also revealed an improper relationship at the wedding. Doesn’t she feel any shame…?”
She, who had disliked me from the beginning, was speaking as if she were denouncing someone.
I huddled in the shadows and twisted my body to see who else had entered with Sezna.
There were four people in total: Merwen, Sezna, and two men dressed as knights.
Perhaps because I had even left my maid behind, it seemed that none of them noticed I had arrived in the lounge first.
They settled into the armchairs near the fireplace.
“Sezna, don’t say that. Complaining isn’t a good thing,” Merwen gently chided her in her characteristic soft voice.
“Miss, don’t hold it in. I can’t stand it.”
Only then did I begin to understand their conversation.
Sezna was talking about me, and when she mentioned that it was not enough to have “stolen the lady’s place,” the lady in question was Merwen.
So, she was saying that I had taken Merwen’s place.
I furrowed my brow, unable to grasp the meaning of those words. As if she could read my thoughts, Sezna spoke again.
“The lord must be indifferent. The lady has spent years in this castle, and he kept her by his side until she was of marriageable age. How could he…”
“Sezna.”
Merwen called her name sternly and let out a deep sigh.
“You’ve had too much to drink.”
But there was a subtle malice on her face that could not be explained away by mere intoxication. Even from where I sat, the intention was clear.
Sezna, in her frustration, spoke while keeping an eye on the reactions of those around her.
“I cannot accept this. All this time, Lady Merwen has taken such good care of the Raslet family. Even the former duchess cherished her above all.”
She was gauging whether the others were listening to her words and agreeing with her opinion.
“Sezna is right. I don’t know about anything else, but she’s causing a scandal from the very first day of her marriage. I don’t know how much more she’ll tarnish the family’s reputation.”
They were observing very carefully.
So much so that they didn’t even notice the door to the lounge opening behind them.
“Sir Deltin, I thought you would feel the same way. Speaking of which, the former lord cherished the lady very much as well.”
“Surely, they must have wanted her as a daughter-in-law…”
Before Sezna could finish her thought, a voice came from the open door, issuing a command.
“Enough.”
With that single word, the faces of those who had been animatedly engaged in the intoxicated and malicious conversation turned pale. It was as if they had been doused with ice water; the change was instantaneous.
Merwen, too, widened her eyes in surprise.
The man who entered the lounge paid no mind to the expressions of those who had been enjoying the conversation. He didn’t even glance back at them.
His deep blue eyes pierced through the darkness like the sea just before dawn. And then, as if sensing my presence, he turned his gaze directly toward me, where I had been shrinking back, unsure if I had been discovered.
