Chapter 03
Today’s wedding ceremony was soon to be canceled, so there was no need to waste people’s time.
Having finished speaking, Roshanne scanned her surroundings. Viscount Zichelia was nowhere to be seen. Though the ceremony was said to be starting soon, he seemed to still be resting in the waiting room.
“Well then, I’ll be going…”
She had conveyed everything she needed to say, and the person she was looking for wasn’t here, so there was no reason to linger any longer.
It was at that moment, as Roshanne turned to go find the viscount, that it happened.
“W-Wait, Lady.”
A voice laced with dissatisfaction caught hold of Roshanne’s ankle.
“What on earth is this rudeness? If you’re going to go mad, at least do it gracefully. Do you think this is just any wedding? Everyone gathered here is for the duke…”
“The duke?”
“Ha, never mind. Does Duke Railaten know about your current attitude and remarks?”
“…He does.”
“What did you say?”
“The duke knows about it.”
The calm, even-toned reply struck clearly.
At the nonchalant response, the people were left speechless.
“Is there a problem?”
She had already told him multiple times before coming here that she wouldn’t go through with the marriage, so there was no way the duke didn’t know.
But was that really such a big deal?
“It’s my wedding, so I’ll do as my heart desires.”
If even Duke Railaten knew, then the people had no further grounds to stop her.
Moreover, judging by her demeanor, which showed no awareness of what was wrong, it was clear that Roshanne had gone utterly mad. Whatever else, one shouldn’t provoke a mad person.
Perhaps Duke Railaten was leaving Roshanne alone for that very reason.
“N-No, no…”
Even the man who had boldly grabbed Roshanne now lowered his waist further in deference.
“I’ll… be on my way.”
Roshanne glanced at him as if he were some strange creature and turned away.
Suddenly, the image from ten years ago came to mind—of Duke Railaten desperately trying to avoid joining the dragon subjugation party, claiming he was afraid of dragons.
‘It seems your prestige has changed a lot since then, Duke.’
While everything else had changed, it was always Roshanne alone who remained stuck in the same place.
With a bittersweet smile, Roshanne walked on and detected Viscount Zichelia’s presence beyond the corridor.
Thanks to absorbing the memories of the deceased Roshanne, she could now distinguish the presence of anyone the original Roshanne had met in person.
For now, she needed to leave this place and take time to slowly regain her composure. Roshanne turned in the direction of the presence.
“Viscount.”
The viscount’s back came into view. She didn’t want to waste time on lengthy explanations.
At Roshanne’s call, the viscount half-turned his body. His appearance was far less impressive than what she had seen in her memories.
‘Memories tend to be idealized.’
Roshanne shook her head, thinking she shouldn’t trust the memories entirely.
“Roshan…”
“The wedding today is canceled. I’ve told the guests and the duke, so you can inform Marquis Zichelia yourself, Viscount.”
“Wh-What?”
“I can’t marry a pervert.”
Before his filthy gaze could insult her further, Roshanne firmly opened her lips.
“Roshanne. What did you just…”
The viscount’s face flushed red as blood rushed to it. It looked like he might explode at any moment, or perhaps collapse backward.
“It’s not Roshanne—it’s Lady.”
“…What?”
“Not ‘What?’ but ‘Pardon?’ Viscount. We’re not some passionately involved couple; we’re just about to enter a political marriage for our families’ sake… You should know to respect your partner.”
This impudent young brat.
“What is this… Do you even know how many people have gathered to celebrate us right now?”
“I know, and that’s why I’m saying this. I think it’s better to call off the engagement before entering the ceremony hall than to get married out of fear of people’s stares and then divorce later.”
“Ha. Roshanne.”
The viscount scolded Roshanne with a pitiful gaze, as if looking at an immature child.
“You’re the one who stepped forward saying you wanted to help the family. And now that it’s time for the real marriage, you’re scared?”
The voice filled with mockery choked Roshanne’s throat. It felt as if a water-soaked cotton ball was lodged there, making her chest feel stifled.
“You’re beyond saving, Roshanne.”
Roshanne lightly ignored the viscount’s words, brushing her palm over her chest to soothe it.
As if comforting herself that it was okay.
Watching Roshanne lower her head and calm her shocked heart, the viscount smiled thinly.
To the viscount, Roshanne was an enjoyable prey to hunt.
She was the one and only duke’s daughter in the empire, and her face was so beautiful that it could be counted among the finest on the continent.
However, she was timid, and with no one around willing to step up and help her, it was easy to wield her as he pleased.
Just like now, whenever he pushed this hard, Roshanne always followed the viscount’s opinion without any rebuttal.
So, the viscount had absolutely no intention of letting Roshanne go.
“Do you understand now?”
The viscount gripped Roshanne’s shoulders firmly. At the same time, Roshanne’s brows furrowed.
Through the thin fabric, he could feel her slender shoulders. A hot desire welled up in the viscount’s eyes.
“Roshanne. If you abandon the wedding like this, what do you think Duke Railaten will think of you?”
“He’ll think of me as the lady.”
“Yes, he’ll think of you as the lady… Ha, no.”
Frustrated by the conversation that kept veering off strangely, the viscount let out an exasperated sigh. He irritably ran his palm over his parched face.
“Why can’t you understand what I’m saying today?”
As Roshanne refused to follow his lead, the viscount poured out his surging irritation.
Then, Roshanne, who had been silent all along, slowly parted her lips.
“…Viscount, why can’t you understand what I’m saying either? Ah, you never did before, so it’s not just today.”
“What?”
“See? You can’t understand again. Don’t you remember how, whenever I said something, you’d always respond with something completely different?”
“Roshanne. It’d be best if you didn’t do anything you’d regret.”
“I clearly told you earlier to call me Lady, but you still can’t get it? You should get some proper education before marriage, Viscount.”
“I clearly… warned you not to do anything you’d regret.”
“No, perhaps you need to grasp your place first. Ah, don’t take it the wrong way. Understanding who you are is important.”
The viscount’s tightly clenched fist trembled. His jaw, gritted with force, took on a demonic shape.
“Once you understand who you are, you’ll realize you’re not suited for me, Viscount. Our temperaments don’t match.”
From Roshanne, of all people.
The fact that he was being insulted by Roshanne, who always cowered in front of him, made the viscount distort his face.
“I clearly told you not to do anything you’d regret.”
The viscount raised his tightly clenched fist high. His unhesitating action showed no sign of guilt.
Roshanne’s eyes turned toward the firmly gripped fist.
‘Is that even supposed to be a fist?’
The fist, clenched with all his might, looked like a fluffy cloud bread.
But right now, Roshanne’s body felt like cotton candy melting in hot heat. Even a sloppy fist like that would surely hurt a lot if it hit her.
‘Then I just need to dodge it.’
It was as Roshanne tried to lightly evade the fist flying swiftly toward her face.
Thud.
Even faster than that, a hand intervened between the two, blocking the viscount’s fist.
“I was trying not to interfere since it’s between you two, but this toward a lady is a bit much.”
The intervening man stood with his back to Roshanne, as if protecting her. His deep navy-blue hair fluttered.
“Are you alright? Lady.”
The man asked, turning his head while safely ushering Roshanne behind him. His ruby-like red eyes captured Roshanne’s gaze.
‘What?’
For a brief moment, the red eyes seemed to sparkle like real gems. By the time she blinked again, the radiance had already vanished.
Roshanne slowly scanned the man’s face.
With thick eyebrows and a prominent nose bridge, he had an overall fierce impression. Add to that his wide-open eyes, and he was undeniably handsome.
As expected, she had no memory of such a handsome man. It was a face she’d never seen before.
“…Uh.”
This man—she couldn’t sense any presence from him at all.
He had come this close, yet she hadn’t noticed anything. Even if she hadn’t met him before and didn’t know his specific presence, she should have at least felt someone approaching.
‘How is that possible?’
Had the issue with her body’s protective barrier extended to her ability to sense presences as well?
Or was this man the unusual one…
“Y-Your Highness, Grand Duke Barpheus.”
It was the viscount who interrupted Roshanne’s wandering thoughts.
The viscount hurriedly lowered the fist he’d swung and bowed his waist, stepping back.
‘Grand Duke Barpheus?’
Roshanne furrowed her brows as she looked at the man’s back. It was a quite familiar name.
Cheyton Barpheus.
The current emperor’s nephew, and the one the emperor desperately wanted to kill.
She couldn’t forget. The emperor, who had summoned the hero, had once begged him personally to kill his own nephew.
The emperor, harboring an inferiority complex toward his deceased brother, wished horribly for his nephew Cheyton to die, simply because he resembled that dead brother too much.
But the hero’s purpose was to protect, not to kill, so he had refused.
‘Ten years ago, he bestowed the title of Grand Duke Barpheus on his fifteen-year-old nephew and forced him to join the dragon subjugation party to seal the mad dragon.’
He survived back then, and he’s still alive now. It stirred a fresh wave of emotion.
Roshanne gazed proudly at the back of the man who had grown so splendidly.
