SWT 3

 I was dumbfounded and my mind went blank. 

A marriage...?

Was he saying Cassius had agreed to pursue a marriage with Vivian?

'Why would Cassius do that?'

While Duke Diarov may have applied pressure in his own way, Cassius was not someone to yield to him.  

It would be more like him to use the incriminating information he had to blackmail Diarov into calling off the marriage with Vivian.

Of course, from my position needing to fulfill the contract, it was fortunate...but still.

'Cassius, just what were you thinking?'

My reverie broke as Diarov's voice overlaid like an answer:

"Rachel has been gone for 7 years now."

"..."

"After crazily searching for that dead woman all this time, it seems he's finally come to his senses."

Diarov couldn't hide his satisfaction that the marriage had been agreed to.  

But he soon hardened his expression in warning:

"You are to become the empress. Straighten your mind properly."

"......"  

"Don't let foolish words distract you from the task at hand."

His condescending gaze urged me to respond.  

For now, it was best to answer meekly. I closed my eyes briefly before looking up at him.

"Don't worry."

Only then did Diarov leave with a satisfied smile.

*

Diarov did not show himself after that.

One thing was certain - the publicly portrayed father-daughter relationship of the Snowfels was completely false.  

For me, it was rather fortunate. That repulsive face made me want to draw my sword just looking at it.

There seemed to be strict control over information within the duchy, and only the head maid Marianne visited me.  

Thinking I had amnesia, she thoroughly inculcated me with many details.

Day by day, I became the perfect 'Vivian Snowfel'.  

The Snowfel family creed, customs, Vivian's usual speech patterns, etc... Unbelievable things were drilled into my head.

I could guess why Diarov went so far as to mold me into the perfect Snowfel.  

If it was revealed that Vivian's mind was unsound, it could cause issues with becoming the crown princess.  

The position of crown princess seemed more important to Diarov than his daughter's wellbeing after years of dancing with death.

It made some sense why Vivian had gone mad clamoring to become crown princess.  

Of course, that didn't mean I forgave her actions.

The overly luxurious solitary cell stimulated loneliness more than anything. 

But one fact reassured me:  

That Cassius was alive and well.

After the relief at that heavy truth always came the tsunami of doubts crashing in.

'Have you forgotten me by now?'

For the mission I had to carry out, and for his sake, I wished he would completely forget me.  

So that his suffering could be lessened, even slightly.

Today again, I wished and wished.

After announcing the marriage, Cassius became even more immersed in his work.  

His hardened expression and pale complexion looked nothing like that of a man facing marriage, but rather someone being led to the executioner's block.

Watching his lord in such a state, Tican's worries deepened.

The more he saw, the less he understood his lord's decision this time.

Cassius had made thorough preparations for the meeting of great nobles.  

He had leverage to silence the major nobles, so there was no need to follow their opinions.

And yet.

'To agree to a marriage with the Snowfels?'

For the first time, Tican posed a question to his suddenly changed lord.

"What were you thinking?"  

With one arm draped over his forehead as he lay down, Cassius murmured languidly with downcast eyes.

"I'm thinking of tearing the Snowfel family apart."

"Pardon?"

It made no sense to marry Lady Vivian while intending to destroy the Snowfel.

Puzzled by the contradictory actions, Tican quietly studied Cassius.

In an instant, a bitter, inscrutable smile bloomed on Cassius's face.  

"There is no pain like falling from a great height."

With a tap tap, he knocked on the hourglass before flipping it over.

The true cause of this entire tragedy, from start to finish, was the Snowfel.

If the Snowfels had not framed the Rosemerys for treason, he would not be living a cursed life. He would not have had to push Rachel away.  

This tragedy of her disappearance, leaving his heart torn apart, would never have happened.

With his limited life remaining anyway, Cassius decided to gamble everything on witnessing the Snowfel' downfall.

*

The turbulent thoughts made time feel both sluggish and swift in passing.

Over the past few days, I learned new things about this body.  

In addition to the scars I had previously seen, there were several other scars scattered about.

Mainly on the back where they would not be visible, it seemed they had never been exposed outwardly.  

Come to think of it, even on hot days Vivian insisted on wearing high-necked, unseasonable dresses as if trying to conceal them.

While receiving imperial tutoring, a renowned foreign healer tried healing the scars, but could not erase them completely.

Most striking was the scar on her left wrist.

'Could it be Vivian who tried to k1ll herself?'

Complex doubts arose but found no easy resolution.

The only answer from the occasional visiting maid was that they were scars from a beast attack in childhood.  

'But they clearly do not look like injuries from a beast...'

Having researched beasts quite extensively, I could tell that much at a glance.

With so many lingering suspicions, my thoughts kept trailing on.

But no matter how much I pondered, nothing specific stood out.

The Vivian I had known was the worst kind of villain, not someone to just sit around being victimized.  

Just recalling how she last lusted for Cassius while sending my Rosemary people to the wasteland Yergol made my teeth grind.

'If she had only pushed me aside, I would have thought it was just the petty behavior of a noblewoman who couldn't have what she wanted...'  

But she had schemed to drive out my entire Rosemary family.  

The very idea of such a person being victimized felt absurd from the start.

Still...

Complex thoughts arose, but I quickly brushed them aside.  

I had no leisure now to dwell on such matters.

The wedding was just around the corner.

As the ceremony draws near, the anxiety grows like a snowball. 

'Will I be able to seduce Cassius with this body?'

[D - 6]

It's ironic that I, now as Vivian, am getting married, something Rachel couldn't do. 

There has been nothing good since becoming Vivian, except for this one thing.

Cassius, I'll be able to see you every day.  

[D - 5]  

Yesterday I had a nightmare, of you looking at me with contempt.

I suddenly wonder,

What expression will you have on your face when you look at me?

The day you confessed your love to me,

I only imagined the wedding...

Will you smile and come into my dream today?

[D - 4]

There really is no hell other than this. 

The terrible patterns we cursed are all over the walls.

The most unbearable of them is the mirror. 

Looking at my reflection makes me want to smash the mirror, it's so dreadful.

Can you marry someone like me, Cassius?  

The only thing keeping me sane is knowing you're still living on borrowed time.

[D - 3]  

I even doubt whether it's right for me to marry you.

Are you living well now? 

It's silly for me to ask this after deciding on my own.

You were such a fool, scouring the entire empire to find me, that I can't even delude myself into thinking you're doing well.

It's a night when I miss you.

[D - 2]

That dream repeats again, of you looking at me with contemptuous eyes.

But since you're alive, I can't really call it a nightmare.

At least you're alive and looking at me.

That's enough.  

[D - 1]

I want to see you, but I don't.

As the wedding nears, needless anxiety rushes in.  

What if I can't complete the contract?  

What if I can't save you?

[D - 0]

The wedding day has finally dawned. 

It was time for me to accept that I am Vivian.

The head chambermaid Marianne gleefully placed an ornate necklace around my neck.

"When His Highness sees you like this, he'll surely fall head over heels for you."

In the mirror was the glamorously adorned Vivian.  

No matter how many times I look, I can't get used to this appearance, but setting aside the scar, I certainly do have striking beauty.

Unlike my former self who was often called pure and innocent, my feline eyes now stand out, noticeably glamorous and haughty.

With the luxurious dress and tiaras added, that beauty doubled.  

However, contrary to what Marianne said, there's no way Cassius would like Vivian.

Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I feel certain of it.

'If even I feel nauseated just looking at myself, how must you feel?'

A shackle of helplessness tightly bound my heart.

Countless guests gathered to celebrate the joyous occasion of decades for the Ulfdor Empire.

However, the main celebrants did not make an appearance for quite some time.

Murmurs did not cease in the audience.

"I saw the bride waiting earlier."

"It seems His Highness has not come out yet."

"Could it be that His Highness is not pleased with this marriage?"