I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke Chapter 98

The next morning.

 

Evelyn sat in the foyer parlor, watching the hired hands bustle about before her.

 

The castle was already immaculate, but the servants were scrubbing, polishing, and shining it under Mrs. Riktor’s direction.

 

“As it should be.”

 

Today was the day the emissaries from the Empire would be arriving to celebrate their wedding.

 

“Helen, is there anything I can do to help?”

 

“My lady, you may make yourself at home.”

 

Mrs. Riktor smiled gently, but Evelyn could not hide the nervousness in her face.

 

“This is Her Majesty’s first state visit, so please take care to maintain your respective areas.”

 

Mrs. Riktor’s expression was the same.

 

She looked as solemn and serious as the day she first saw her.

 

Her pride and affection for the duchy was palpable, and she was determined not to give the slightest hint that she might be caught.

 

Evelyn stared at it, then let out a nervous breath slowly.

 

“Huh…”

 

Even though she had calmed her mind during her morning practice, her heart was beating restlessly as time passed.

 

The Empress was in cahoots with Louise.

 

The crown prince who came to visit her and taunted her with stories about the saint.

 

The High Priest, who had allegedly set up a processing room in the temple and kidnapped the women of the Lindberg family.

 

The mere thought of facing them all in the same room made Evelyn feel strange.

 

“Will I be able to stand in front of them and not shake?”

 

Initially, the wedding ceremony was to be held with only a few people, including the elders.

 

It made her godmother uncomfortable, and it was also a consideration for Evelyn, who didn’t have any close family members to invite.

 

But it was Kalian who changed that decision overnight.

 

He sent out invitations to the palace, and the Empress, the Crown Prince, and the High Priest, all of whom were related to the North by blood, immediately responded.

 

Evelyn was puzzled.

 

“I don’t care about the others, but how will the High Priest cross the Dark Curtain?”

 

But the answer was surprisingly simple.

 

Kalian had said that he was a powerful man and could cross the Dark Curtain with ease.

 

“Still, I’d be nervous if I heard rumors about the curtain.”

 

Evelyn wondered if it was worth the risk, but it was the High Priest who offered his blessing for the wedding.

 

With that, Evelyn was convinced that the High Priest had a purpose for his visit.

 

It must have seemed both bizarre and extraordinary to him that someone who was supposed to be made into a spirit stone had somehow survived to become a grand duchess.

 

“That’s why he wants to see it with his own two eyes.”

 

She would be lying if she said she wasn’t afraid, but she was more eager to find out what they were up to than she was to be frightened.

 

“So we’re supposed to hope they cause trouble here? What are they up to?”

 

Evelyn’s spine tingles. She barely pushed herself to her feet, trying to ignore the creeping anxiety, when Benjamin picked her up.

 

“His Highness is expecting you.”

 

It was finally time to go greet the waiting outsider.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Cedric stared at the carriage and the dark curtain of darkness that drew ever closer with a bored expression on his face.

 

In front of him sat the Empress, her complexion somewhat tense, and the High Priest, who watched her anxiously.

 

‘This is ridiculous. You’re at odds with my father, yet you’re his brother-in-law.’

 

The Emperor has been unable to leave the palace to deal with the many events that have occurred within the Empire.

 

Cardassian is currently in a terrible state of disarray, with an ever-widening swath of contaminated land and the death of the Captain of the Guard.

 

Cedric was not pleased to see the High Priest sitting in the capital, unable to remain and wish the empire well, but proudly taking the Emperor’s vacant seat as if it were his own.

 

‘That’s not the only thing I don’t like about him.’

 

His unclerical appearance, his pretense of sensitivity, his pretentiousness, and his pretentious personality were all too apparent.

 

‘You can fool other people, but you can’t fool my eyes. I can’t help but go crazy over the colors.’

 

He snorted inwardly as he averted his gaze from the parasitic oraby-like face of the High Priest.

 

“Your Highness, do you see?”

 

The High Priest’s gaze snapped from the Empress to Cedric.

 

“That’s the Dark Curtain, the monstrosity that split the continent in half.”

 

“You’re talking out of your ass. Aside from the fact that the grand duke is a disgusting bastard, the empire would have been ravaged by the fiends from the south without the curtain.”

 

Cedric’s stomach turned at the High Priest’s words. In truth, he didn’t want to go north.

 

He was afraid of the demons, and he didn’t like the idea of seeing the woman he’d met in Parminion become a grand duchess.

 

The High Priest’s bullshit, on top of all that, made him irritable.

 

His head was pounding with worry that he hadn’t offended Kalian with his words when they arrived in the north.

 

“And what if he threatens me with a demon?”

 

It was true that he disliked Kalian.

 

He couldn’t wait to be Emperor and crush that smug little prick under his feet.

 

But even so, he had heard from a young age the virtues of a monarch.

 

He knew he had to be strong enough to keep someone under his feet. It’s just that choosing the right side isn’t always easy.

 

“Damn it, who do I know as a mindless idiot?” he muttered to himself and glared at the High Priest, but the Empress sighed and scolded Cedric for his behavior.

 

“Cedric, the High Priest is the head of the temple. Do not disrespect him.”

 

Then a voice that felt like butter spread straight to his ears.

 

“Your Majesty, the god is fine, don’t worry. He’s already weakened, and I’m afraid he might be overwhelmed.”

 

‘What? One would think you two were married.’

 

“Who’s making a fuss, damn it.”

 

Cedric shook his head, crossed his arms, and turned his attention to the window.

 

“What a day.”

 

The weather had been overcast all the way up, and as they climbed higher and higher, the surroundings were shrouded in fog and dark clouds.

 

The curtain, which rose and fell like a stormy sea, looked eerie.

 

The fear of stepping into the darkness and disappearing without a trace was overwhelming.

 

‘This is ridiculous. How dare you do that to me, the crown prince…’

 

It was then.

 

“We have arrived! The two of you, except for the Empress, will have to cross the border on foot from now on.”

 

As the carriage slowed down, someone shouted, “You must walk. From now on, only a minimum number of servants with relatives in the north were allowed to travel with them.”

 

Cedric, who had never traveled north before, wrapped himself in a thick fur coat and quickly stepped out of the carriage.

 

“Ugh!”

 

As soon as he stepped out, a harsh rainstorm flew like sharp needles, stinging his entire body.

 

The knights of the guard immediately formed a shield around him, but it was not enough to stop the thin streams of rain.

 

“Your Majesty, take care of yourself. We will stay in a nearby village and wait for you here when you return.”

 

“Very well. Thank you. You may all go now.”

 

With his escort gone, the surroundings became desolate, and the tabernacle was even more imposing up close than it had been from afar.

 

The High Priest approached Cedric, who was completely overwhelmed by the grandeur of the place, and held out her hand.

 

“I will create a shield with my holy power, and I will stand by your side to protect you.”

 

But Cedric shook his head stiffly.

 

“If you have such great power, you should not be here, but with the saint to cleanse the land of its pollution.”

 

“With all due respect, my duty to you two is as important to me as cleansing the land of pollution.”

 

Cedric snorted quietly.

 

“It’s a pity you see me, the would-be emperor of a nation, as so weak.”

 

Regardless of the Emperor’s treatment of him, Cedric respected him.

 

And the emperor had told him to drive nails into Cedric’s ears.

 

The High Priest must not be looked down upon at any cost, for he would surely do harm to the imperial family.

 

With the Emperor’s words in his mind, Cedric swatted the High Priest’s hand away from him.

 

Then he strode briskly through the curtain.

 

“Tsk, it’s nothing, isn’t it?”

 

Cedric snorted, remembering the myriad rumors about the Tabernacle, the product of the convergence of ancestral spirits.

 

“Huh? Where did everyone… go?”

 

Feeling a sudden chill, Cedric glanced around quickly.

 

He’d obviously kept pace with the Empress’s carriage, but there wasn’t a rat in sight inside the curtain.

 

“No way, she’s already gone.”

 

Even stranger, he couldn’t see the High Priest, who looked like he was going to follow him at any moment.

 

“Tsk! He said it wasn’t that long, so we’ll just have to keep walking straight ahead.”

 

He exaggeratedly fluffed his colorful fur to shake off his fear and quickened his pace.

 

Shoot!

 

The shroud began to rise like a wave, closing in on him from all sides.

 

Goosebumps rose up his spine. Cedric drew his sword from his belt and swung it wildly at the unseen opponent.

 

“Go, you insignificant thing, how dare you mock this body… ugh!”

 

But his words were unfinished.

 

Cedric was swallowed up by the gaping maw of the curtain with the last of his thoughts.