SWT 4

 Since the bride and groom couldn't enter separately, Vivian, who had arrived first, naturally had to wait for a long time.

Not being able to enter the hall while bearing the heavy tiaras on her head was quite a torment.

The corset was so tight it made her heart feel constricted, and Vivian's complexion gradually turned pale.

In reality, making a bride stand in this manner was extremely insulting.

However, she showed no sign of discomfort, not even a slight movement. She seemed as if nothing was wrong.

Unable to contain her anger at the sight of the pale Vivian, Marianne spoke up.

“This is really too much. How can you make the bride wait for so long?”

Even amidst this, Vivian maintained a calm demeanor as if it wasn't about her.

‘He must not like me.’

She hadn’t expected the wedding to go smoothly anyway, so she wasn't shocked.

She was just curious.

‘If he was going to act like this, why did Cassius push for this marriage? Was it just to vent his anger?’

Surely, he wouldn’t have agreed to the marriage with a normal intention.

If it could help Cassius feel better to vent his anger this way, she was ready to endure anything.

Waiting here for hours was nothing.

While waiting for Cassius with resignation, there was constant commotion inside.

She didn’t need to see to know.

‘They must be gossiping about Cassius and me.’

Amidst that, Diarov Snowfel would be breaking out in a cold sweat trying to maintain his dignity.

And her father...

The name ‘Siron Rosemary’ stood out on the guest list in Vivian's eyes.

‘I didn't think he would come…’

She couldn't fathom how her father felt seeing another family's daughter standing in place of his own at her wedding.

Even so, she could guess his reason for coming.

Her father was quite fond of Cassius.

Cassius, who did anything for him, was a hard person to dislike.

Suddenly, she recalled how her father, who rarely spoke seriously, had praised Cassius more fervently than anyone else.

‘If my father hadn't shown up here, the issue between Cassius and Rosemary would have come up again.’

That would undoubtedly have a negative impact on Cassius, especially with so much talk about the issue now.

Standing at the front of the hall, I stared at the firmly closed door and then made a decision, speaking up.

“Open the door.”

“What? But...”

The attendant, unable to bring himself to say that Cassius hadn’t arrived yet, opened the door reluctantly under Vivian's resolute gaze.

As the door opened, all eyes turned to me.

Duke Diarove, thinking the wedding march was about to start, visibly frowned when he saw his daughter standing alone.

Suppressing his trembling appearance and hiding his boiling anger, the duke's gaze was sharp.

His reaction was expected, given he was a man with a strong sense of honor.

Thus, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction.

Of course, opening the door now wasn’t just to spite Diarov Snowfel.

In a secluded corner opposite Diarov Snowfel sat my father, Siron Rosemary.

As expected, no one was seated around him.

The reality was that it was better to curry favor with the Snowfel family than with the fallen Rosemary.

Everyone knew of Diarov Snowfel’s pettiness in deliberately choosing the opposite side, but no one could blame him for it.

In the current noble society, the Snowfel family, to which the future Empress Vivian belonged, held the real power.

Given the circumstances, my father was indeed an awkward presence for the nobles to deal with.

Many nobles either pitied him or mentioned him as a topic of conversation, but that was all.

She opened the door to spare her father some of the disgraceful attention, even if only for a moment.

That was all she could do right now.

Through the open door, she carefully observed her father's profile.

Deepened wrinkles, bitter and vacant eyes, slumped shoulders...

He seemed even more desolate, left alone in the world.

His empty eyes, as if he had lost everything, stared blankly into space, oblivious to his surroundings.

There were no tears on his dry, weathered face, as if he had no tears left to shed.

‘While I was gone, those left behind were in the fires of hell.’

She thought this was the best way to save him, but now that the moment had come, her weak heart wavered.

The distance between us was the only comfort that wrapped around her heart.

If they had been closer, he would have seen her unsightly teary eyes.

In her heart, she wanted to run to him and shout that she was Rachel, his daughter.

But if she did that now, all she would face was death for breaching the contract.

The emotions she had tried to ignore over the past few days surged within her.

Although she did not regret this choice, as it was Cassius who had turned back time and given her life from the start.

But thinking of the family who would now live in hell, her heart felt like it was sinking into a bottomless pit.

She couldn’t help but despise herself for being able to do nothing but watch.

‘If only Tikan could have stayed by father's side…’

As Cassius’ guard, her brother’s duty today was crucial.

It was obvious that her father would not have allowed him to abandon his duty for his sake.

Silently shedding tears of blood in her heart, she repeated words that would never reach him.

‘Father, I’m sorry.’

Tears filled thoughts bloomed like fog in her head.

‘I will survive and come to see you.’

If she succeeded in fulfilling the conditions set by the contractor, the restrictions would be lifted, and her family and loved ones would return to how they were before.

So she must accomplish it. A determined resolve firmly took root and rose above her heart.

*

It was a long time before Cassius finally entered the wedding hall.

His presence silenced the severe murmuring that had filled the space.

After placing her hand on his proffered arm, they proceeded down the aisle.

The sense of distance that persisted despite their physical closeness felt uncomfortable.

His unrealistically handsome face, with its characteristic hollow gaze, and his sharp features were expressionless, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.

One thing was certain.

He had no desire for this marriage.

Cassius’ face was so pale that he looked like he might die at any moment.

‘Having used resurrection magic to save him, his body should have recovered by now.’

His transparently pale appearance could not be hidden, no matter how hard he tried.

Cassius, with his face ravaged by severe mental suffering, looked like a shadow of himself.

The ring they shared rested on his finger.

She felt grateful yet sad that even in such a moment, he did not separate from her.

From now on, what she needed to erase from Cassius and herself was her past.

‘Can I do it? Can I remove that ring from him? Can I erase myself?’

She quickly shook off the doubt.

This was something she had to accomplish, and questioning it would only confuse her.

Finally, they reached the end of the aisle.

The officiating high priest solemnly declared,

“The bride and groom should hold hands as a promise for eternity.”

Cassius looked so intense that she worried he might refuse.

If he had intended to refuse, he wouldn’t have agreed to this marriage in the first place, but he seemed that precarious.

After a brief silence, he slowly turned and extended his hand.

Only then did her breath release, and her legs wobbled. The fact that even this small action made her so nervous was laughable. And she was supposed to seduce him. A bitter laugh escaped her.

As she carefully placed her hand on his, a cold sensation flowed to her fingertips.

Even without turning her head, she could feel his intense energy surging through her like an electric current.

Though she had watched Cassius for a long time, she couldn’t fathom his thoughts now.

His tightly sealed lips conveyed a numb aura that didn’t suit a wedding at all.

*

As they walked down the white aisle, she could feel the scorching stares of the nobles all over her body.

Well, anyone with eyes could sense the atmosphere. It was a marriage devoid of love.

A groom who entered late, a face without a hint of a smile, a pale complexion... His cold demeanor made the wedding hall feel more like a battlefield.

Everything about it underscored that point.

In that scene, the nobles naturally thought of Rachel Rosemary.

“Is it that His Highness still can’t forget Lady Rachel?”

“There are rumors that he’s still looking for her…”

“What are you talking about? If that were the case, why would he marry Lady Vivian?”

“Maybe the Snowfel family has some leverage over His Highness.”

Given the circumstances, everyone, including the high priest officiating the ceremony, as well as the nobles, was just trying to gauge the situation. Thanks to the high priest’s quick thinking, the wedding ceremony concluded swiftly, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

***

Cassius, who hadn’t even looked at her with his stern expression throughout the wedding, hurried back to the Crown Prince’s palace the moment the ceremony ended. Tikan quickly followed him.

Judging by his frazzled look, even Tikan hadn’t anticipated this situation.

Without the main character, the after-party quickly turned noisy.

Although the Snowfel family members were still present, everyone was undoubtedly gossiping about the relationship between Cassius and her.

Cassius had made a late entrance and an even quicker exit, making it obvious what kind of rumors would spread.

If she stayed here any longer, it was clear that more attention would be focused on her. She wanted to leave this suffocating place as soon as possible.

Whether from the tension since yesterday or the disappointment, she felt an overwhelming fatigue.

Her steps, taken without much thought, halted when she spotted her father.

Ah, her father was still at the party.

His gaze was vacantly fixed on the orchestra, seemingly waiting for the next piece to begin.

‘Being a cautious man, he’s probably waiting for a moment when he won’t attract attention to leave. I’ll just hold on until he departs.’

She didn’t think her presence here would change anything, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave her father alone.

As she stayed still, the noble ladies approached one by one to greet her.

Their greetings were a mix of polite flattery and disguised curiosity.

Despite secretly cursing the ruthlessness of the Snowfel family, their efforts were commendable.

Of course, she didn’t intend to blame them. The social world was always like this.

She maintained a suitable smile and matched their conversation for a while. Then, Duke Diarov Snowfel, struggling to maintain his dignity among the nobles, approached her.

Though he smiled, she could already guess what kind of hidden barbs lay behind it.

As the nobles stepped aside at the Duke's approach, he feigned a kind smile while spewing venomous words from his mouth.