Odely sat up in bed for the first time in a while and looked out the window.
The room where she was staying was quiet, but somehow the entire castle seemed to be in an uproar.
She could see servants hurrying around, and decorative fabrics being hung from the balconies.
It felt as though they were preparing for some huge event.
‘……What’s going on?’
Curious, she stopped Leona, who was hurriedly running toward her from across the hallway.
“Leona. Is something happening? Why is it so noisy?”
Leona finally came face-to-face with Odely and smiled with a mixture of joy and excitement.
“Ah, Lady Cardel……. No, I suppose I should call you Madam now!”
“I am going to be, but for now……”
“Oh, you’re Madam now. You’re preparing for the wedding, after all. I heard the ceremony will be held at the Grand Cathedral! The head butler said that since it’s a place used only by the imperial family, we have to prepare an elaborate ceremony worthy of it……”
Odely stared blankly at Leona, at a loss for words.
“……The wedding is being prepared?”
“Huh? Yes! His Highness personally ordered the head butler to prepare it!”
Only then did Odely understand the reason for the strange commotion that had been spreading throughout the castle.
‘Did Ludville lose even the concept of a contract marriage when he lost his memories?’
They were only supposed to become husband and wife on paper.
Odely was stunned, but by then, preparations were already well underway.
It was too late to say that a simple ceremony would be enough.
And not long after, a woman came to see Odely.
“This is the first time I’ve had the chance to formally introduce myself.”
A middle-aged woman wearing a black linen dress with a silver brooch.
Not a single strand of her hair was out of place.
Standing perfectly straight, she gave off the kind of presence belonging to someone who would not tolerate the slightest imperfection.
Even Theodore seemed like a ‘kind old grandfather’ when standing beside her.
“I am Freya, the head lady-in-waiting. From today onward, I will be assisting with the wedding preparations.”
Odely somehow had a feeling that things were about to become very troublesome.
“Your wedding dress has already been moved to the dressing room. I referred to the physician’s examination records for your measurements, and three sessions of movement training while wearing the dress are scheduled. Here is the timetable.”
She handed Odely a stack of papers neatly arranged on a wooden tray.
“It includes everything, from the route you will take during the pre-ceremony worship, the order in which you will move to the platform after the ceremony, and even the timing of when you will hold hands with His Highness the Grand Duke.”
“……You’ve already decided all of that?”
“I did not decide it myself. It is the standard procedure according to traditional ceremonial regulations, Lady Cardel.”
Odely had been married many times.
‘All of them were marriages to Ludville, though…….’
But none of the weddings she had experienced had followed such complicated traditional procedures.
Usually, only the necessary parts of the ceremony were borrowed, while the rest was left to the bride’s wishes.
Even when she married Ludville as Emperor and became Empress, it had not been this elaborate.
But the head lady-in-waiting’s standards were extremely clear.
“This is an occasion attended by the northern vassals, the central nobles, and especially the imperial delegation.”
She added in a firm tone.
“Not a single flaw will be permitted.”
Her voice was polite, but there was no room for compromise in it.
“Your hair will be styled at exactly eight o’clock. Your nails are split, so I will have them trimmed again. Now, please sit.”
Swept along by Freya’s momentum, Odely sat down before she even realized it.
The head lady-in-waiting quickly inspected the surroundings and began giving orders to the maids.
“The curtains by the window will interfere with the light when the Grand Duke enters. Adjust them.”
“For the embroidery, use both silver and gold thread. We need to weave the crests of both the Grand Duke’s family and the Cardel family together.”
She personally checked every detail, from the earrings and necklace that would be worn on the wedding day to the jewels that would be placed in her hair.
Diamonds specially cut to give off an unusually brilliant light, a tiara crafted by a northern artisan using traditional methods, and sapphires with a deep, vivid blue that looked as though they contained the winter sea……
After examining the jewels, she raised her head and said,
“Just as I expected, the sapphire suits you best. We will use this as the main ornament.”
Then, without asking for her opinion or consulting her, she simply made the decision and pushed it through.
It was convenient to have someone handle everything so efficiently, but it was also overwhelming.
Freya’s fingertips were precise, and her movements were decisive.
But Odely could feel it.
This was not simply being particular. It was almost closer to ‘obsession.’
Odely could immediately sense how much Freya had confined herself within countless rules.
“Thank you. I know this must be a lot of work, so I appreciate your effort.”
Odely spoke quietly to the head lady-in-waiting as she examined the angle of the sapphire placed on the hair ornament.
Freya’s hand paused for just a moment.
But it lasted only an instant.
She soon moved her hands again as if nothing had happened and replied.
“That is merely the basic duty. Please use a manner of speech befitting a noble lady. Expressing gratitude for something that is only natural may diminish your dignity.”
‘She’s shaken.’
Odely felt the subtle softening of Freya’s touch, so slight that no one else would notice it.
But it was definitely there.
She did not miss the opening.
“Don’t push yourself too hard. I’d like you to take care of yourself while doing all this.”
Freya stopped her hands and narrowed her eyes.
“Do not say such weak things. The reputation of the Exception family is at stake. A wedding is not a festival. It is state business. You must conduct yourself like someone who will become the Grand Duchess.”
Hmm……
Odely knew why the head lady-in-waiting was being so sharp.
‘This woman used to be in the Imperial Palace.’
The Freya she remembered had been capable, but she had not been this much of a perfectionist.
But after making one small mistake that incurred the anger of an imperial family member, she had been expelled from the court and eventually made her way to the North.
After building up her honor through unwavering loyalty to Ludville, she had now become the head lady-in-waiting of the Grand Duke Exception’s household.
Freya was obsessed with rules more than anyone.
It was not to prevent herself from making mistakes, but rather a shield to make sure she would never be abandoned by anyone again.
‘And the imperial delegation is coming this time, too.’
Perhaps creating and presenting a flawless Grand Duchess in front of the imperial family that had cast her aside was the only revenge she could take.
‘Will she be all right?’
Odely swallowed a sigh.
Freya had a chronic illness.
However, as long as Freya herself was determined to hide it completely, Odely felt it would be inappropriate for her to bring it up first.
She was the kind of person who tried this hard to appear perfect.
So Odely had no choice but to accept Freya’s stubbornness and let it go.
In her way, while protecting her pride.
‘……Because this will probably be my last wedding with Ludville.’
Comments (0)