Her heart was pounding.
Far too fast for no reason.
The sound of her heartbeat rang in her ears, so she could barely hear what the High Priest was saying.
A beam of light streamed down through the window in the ceiling.
It was the moment of blessing.
The cathedral was as quiet as if everyone were holding their breath, and the High Priest’s voice echoed softly.
“In the name of God, these two souls have become one. May they hold on to love even in pain, and hope even in despair.”
As the High Priest read the final words, he raised his hand and blessed their marriage.
Ah.
Odely absentmindedly recalled the wedding ceremony from her previous life.
The High Priest had read exactly the same words back then.
That was why.
Without thinking, her fingertips reached for the pendant around her neck.
More precisely, for Ludville’s ring, which she had hidden beneath her dress so no one could see it.
She seemed to stand there in a daze for a moment, completely lost in thought, when suddenly—
“Ha.”
A dry laugh came from right beside her.
Startled, she looked up.
One corner of his mouth was raised in a crooked smile.
It was an expression of deep displeasure, one she had not seen from him recently.
Odely quickly lowered her hand, realizing her mistake.
‘Did he notice?’
She had even changed the chain to a delicate one that matched her dress, and the ring was completely hidden.
Ludville’s gaze was fixed on the spot over her chest where she had placed her hand.
An inexplicable anger slowly began to rise within him. Thoughts sparked like embers and started to consume him.
Why had she worn that ring around her neck all the way here?
The token of that man she clearly could not forget?
Of all days, today.
Of all people, in front of me.
Even at my own wedding?
If she had come here carrying those memories of the past……
His heart pounded as if something were squeezing it tight.
Jealousy, desire, possessiveness, and an indescribable longing tangled together.
“And finally, let us offer proof of their love to God……”
The next moment, Ludville moved.
His hand suddenly pulled Odely hard by the waist.
Odely’s eyes widened in surprise.
Without any warning, Ludville covered her lips with his.
It was a kiss that seemed to steal even the air from her lungs.
The bells announcing the blessing rang out, mixing with the guests’ shocked, breathless reactions.
It was so sudden, so intense, and perhaps even so rude.
But to anyone watching, it looked like a kiss between lovers who were madly in love……
In truth, it was a mark he left to confirm once again that she belonged to him.
The kiss had started as if he were devouring his prey, but gradually, it slowed.
And grew deeper.
As if he were making sure, as if he meant to hold her there with him.
Don’t run away.
Don’t forget.
You are marrying me right now.
His movements, constantly seeking her, seemed to say just that.
For a moment, Odely’s eyelids trembled slightly.
‘But this is your ring…….’
The ridiculous misunderstanding was only growing deeper.
It was frustrating that she could neither explain it to Ludville nor find a way to do so.
Just then, perhaps because the sun had shifted, a beam of light from the stained glass surrounded the two of them as if blessing them.
****
After the wedding.
The guests were waiting for the warp portal to be ready, still carrying the warmth of the blessing with them.
They would be moving to the reception hall prepared at the Grand Duke’s castle.
‘Damn it. What on earth happened?’
Taking advantage of the commotion in the cathedral, Gavin quietly slipped away.
He approached one of the priests who was still inside the grounds and spoke in a low voice.
“I sensed an unusual mana reaction near the magic circle during the ceremony. We need to find out what caused it. Could you show me the way for a moment?”
“A-a mana reaction? Are you sure?”
“It was very faint. I may have been mistaken because I am sensitive to such things, but we should check just in case.”
His status as the eldest son of a hero family gave him authority.
On top of that, his reputation as a messenger of God and a savior gave him the perfect excuse.
The priest hesitated, but soon bowed politely.
“Then please, go ahead and check.”
Most of the guests had already left.
Outside, a long line had formed in front of the warp portal. Inside, the priests were busy taking down the curtains and putting away the ceremonial items.
Gavin calmly followed the priest toward the corridor behind the altar.
There was a small ritual chamber underground where the magic circle was maintained.
It was the place where the Cardels had hidden the holy relic during this wedding, hoping to make Odely appear unstable.
Normally, only high-ranking priests of the Grand Cathedral were allowed to enter that area.
But today, in preparation for the wedding, all control over the area had been temporarily handed over to the Exception side.
Besides, the Cardels were the bride’s family.
Security was bound to be a little lax on a day like this. The priest had naively assumed that the Cardels would never approach the altar without permission, so he had let Gavin through without even checking.
“I’ll go in first.”
Gavin continued in a calm voice.
“The magic circle might actually be unstable. It could cause an uncontrollable reaction, so I’ll check whether it’s safe myself. Could you wait outside? It will only take a moment.”
The priest, who had been about to follow him inside, hesitated for a moment.
But seeing how serious Gavin was, he nodded and stepped back.
“……Please do. I’ll wait right outside.”
Leaving the priest behind, Gavin hurried down the stone stairs.
He urgently examined the ritual magic circle to see what had happened……
‘The holy relic…… is still here.’
The holy relic he had secretly placed inside the magic circle was still there.
A Chaos Stone.
It was a device that distorted the flow of a purifier’s purifying power.
The Cardel family had spent decades developing Chaos Stones to control the purifiers.
They had two main purposes.
To prevent the purifiers from turning against the family.
And to keep their purifying powers from growing too strong and affecting the ‘barrier’.
‘If the Exception side had noticed anything, they would have taken this holy relic away immediately.’
Wasn’t the Chaos Stone the only holy relic capable of controlling a purifier?
Even if Ludville had married a purifier because he truly loved her, there was no way he would leave the Chaos Stone alone. It was the one thing that could expose her only weakness.
Gavin knelt down and examined it closely.
On the outside, there seemed to be nothing wrong. There were no signs of damage, either.
Then why hadn’t it worked……?
Puzzled, he lowered his head to get a closer look. The veins on his forehead suddenly bulged.
‘……One of the spell formations is missing.’
The complex network of spells connecting the holy relic to the magic circle looked complete at first glance, but one crucial part was missing.
More precisely, one connection point needed to amplify the reaction.
That part had been cleverly left out, rendering the entire circuit useless.
It was an absurdly simple mistake.
‘Veloa, you idiot…… You couldn’t even check the most basic things?’
Gavin ground his teeth in anger.
Veloa was the one who had designed the plan, but she was not the one who had installed it herself.
But as always, Gavin’s anger was directed at the easiest target.
In any case, it was now clear that the mistake had been made within the Cardel family.
He slowly stood up and muttered through gritted teeth.
‘……There’s still one more chance.’
The reception was still ahead.
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