Some time later, the news of Aeplin and Lucent’s marriage was splashed across every newspaper in the empire.
Naturally, the news of their marriage sent a great shock through the entire empire.
Since Aeplin had always been mentioned as the Crown Prince’s prospective bride, rumors ran wild everywhere.
But as Aeplin had wished, Lucent provided the newspapers with a perfect love story.
Just then, as rumors spread that the Crown Prince was in an improper relationship with an opera singer, all kinds of theories proliferated—that the meeting of an old noble family and a newly rich magnate was not a relationship built on worldly calculation, but one bound by love.
And at last, the day of the wedding of the century arrived.
The place where the ceremony would be held was the Grand Cathedral owned by the imperial family, which only nobles who had received the Order of Merit could use—and the Hapen family qualified.
Aeplin headed to the Grand Cathedral in a top-grade white automobile with her mother Lilien and her maid Laurel.
“No matter how much times change, an automobile? It is custom for a bride to ride in a four-wheeled carriage with dignity……. Well, I suppose those people would not know the decorum of a royal family.”
“Still, Grandfather sent a congratulatory telegram.”
At Aeplin’s words, Lilien pouted her lips and answered.
“Lucent Bank is building a factory in Monas, so what king would refuse? There is nothing more vulgar than trying to solve everything with money……. Just how much money must he have?”
When the marriage was first mentioned, Lilien had adamantly opposed the marriage to the Blackakson family.
There was only one reason: the families did not match in rank.
Of course, it was nothing more than empty bluff.
Thanks to Lucent, the plan to save Count Hapen’s life had been carried out on site, and the family’s debts had been cleared.
As a result, even Lilien, whose love for her husband was extreme, had escaped from hell.
So it was the last bit of pride she could wield.
Inwardly, Lilien was also pleased with the expensive gifts Lucent had sent.
“Madam, even so, this automobile is one of only three in the empire.”
Laurel spoke with an innocent face, but in truth, it was an indirect rebuke aimed at her vulgar mistress.
Of course, the lady herself would never notice……. Lilien was the kind of person who thought that if there was no bread, one could eat cake.
‘Tsk, she likes it inside too……. Snob.’
Laurel grinned broadly, cursed Lilien inwardly, and shifted her gaze toward Aeplin.
“How much like a goddess our lady looks today—His Highness the Crown Prince should be seeing this……. Sigh.”
Laurel was in the middle of confirming with her own eyes that the reputation attached to Aeplin was by no means exaggerated.
Of course, every bride in the world is said to be beautiful, but the fact that Lucent had paid an additional 3 billion sallings to take Aeplin as his wife was, even to a maid like her, by no means a losing deal.
“Do not even bring up that thoughtless Crown Prince.”
Lilien glared at Laurel and snapped.
Aeplin watched the two women bickering and smiled gently.
Even the leisure to squabble was possible because they had overcome the crisis.
So she did not regret the marriage to Lucent.
It was an extremely political marriage, but the life ahead would depend on how they built it.
Meanwhile, Lucent clutched his forehead with his hand when he saw his mother and younger sister.
Had they mistaken today for their own wedding?
They appeared in white dresses, hats decorated with feathers, and all kinds of glittering jewels dangling down to their toes.
Among the distinguished guests who had already arrived, low whispers and stifled laughter spread.
“It seems there are quite a few brides today.”
“No matter how much money one has, one cannot help one’s innate nature and dignity.”
“To be so thoughtless, tsk, tsk—”
Lucent shut his eyes tightly at the sound of the distinguished guests clicking their tongues at his mother Monica and his sister Marie.
“Whether they do not know it goes against decorum, or know it, the problem is the same.”
“Indeed.”
If Leon had not timely informed him that the bride had arrived, he might have driven the troublesome mother and daughter out of the ceremony hall.
Lucent went outside the Grand Cathedral to receive Aeplin.
Soon, a white automobile slowly stopped before the red carpet.
The door opened, and lace and a veil like white clouds embraced Aeplin and set her down on the ground.
Her slender shoulders, fully revealed, shone even without excessive ornament, and a single lily adorning her chest instead of expensive jewels made the pure bride shine even more.
Her dress, as if imbued with moonlight, had a beauty of restraint that made Aeplin stand out all the more.
The scent wafting from the lilies and calla flowers she held in both hands made the marriage feel real.
“My noble bride.”
When Lucent held out his hand, Aeplin smiled softly and took it.
“You are noble as well.”
“……?!”
She sounded sincere for a ceremonial compliment, and it was surprising.
Aeplin was considerably surprised by Lucent’s manner as he warmly took her hand.
He seemed to have briefly hidden the cold, stiff bank president, for in this moment he was warmer than ever.
A man like the golden sun, his soft and neat blond hair and sculpted appearance were flawless beyond reproach.
His dark blue ceremonial robes embroidered with gold thread did not bury Lucent—they merely supported him.
It was also surprising that his blue eyes, which had been so cold and sharp they seemed capable of cutting, could look so gentle.
Who would call this man lowborn?
Aeplin hesitated for a moment, then reached her hand out to Lucent.
She lightly adjusted the slightly crooked corsage on his chest.
“You look splendid, Lucent.”
She was a woman who made her words as sweet as honey, whether she meant them or not.
Since deciding on the marriage, even in the short time he had spent with Aeplin, he had come to know it.
When he was with her, he felt as though he had become a good person.
Perhaps that was why.
Lucent had earned money like a dog, but Aeplin made him spend it like a noble.
Through this marriage, Lucent had donated meat, flour, potatoes, beans, and the like to the slums, and for the first time, he appeared in a newspaper article for a good deed.
Lucent and Aeplin stood before the ceremony hall of the Grand Cathedral.
By then, Lucent’s brief joy had also ended.
It was because his mother Monica came running at full speed.
“Oh my, oh my! Our noble daughter-in-law……!”
Monica called Aeplin loudly, as if for everyone around to hear.
Soon, when Lucent’s brow furrowed, his secretary Leon flinched.
It was his mistake not to have grasped Monica’s movements in advance.
“Mother…….”
Aeplin’s eyes widened when she saw Monica adorned with jewels of every color.
It was because she had never before seen a lady wearing jeweled rings on all ten fingers.
“Yes, yes, I am your mother. But what happened to all the money my son gave you, and why is your dress so plain?”
Monica’s face hardened, apparently displeased by Aeplin’s simple wedding dress.
“Leon.”
At Lucent’s firm command, Monica was all but dragged away by Leon.
There was still a little time before the ceremony was to begin, so he headed to a small prayer room with Aeplin.
If left alone, Marie would surely come running next and cause a scene.
“Lucent, is my dress plain?”
Aeplin asked with an innocent face.
“Not at all. It suits you.”
“Do you…… like it?”
“Is my opinion important?”
At his words, Aeplin smiled awkwardly.
‘He was quite warm just a moment ago…….’
Even if it was a loveless marriage, today of all days she was trying to be happy, having sweet conversations like any couple.
But his speaking as if it were someone else’s affair felt a little hurtful.
“Because I want to be praised—that I have good taste…….”
“Ah, I see.”
Seeing Lucent flustered, Aeplin realized she had expected too much.
‘He is not marrying me because he loves me……. after all.’
She had wanted to attach meaning to even the smallest, most trivial things, but it seemed time was still needed.
That was when it happened.
Leon and Laurel appeared together at the prayer room.
“Bank president, I have something to report.”
At Leon’s words, Lucent asked Aeplin’s pardon and left the prayer room.
Instead, Laurel attended to Aeplin.
“What is it?”
Seeing Leon’s flushed face, Lucent’s expression and tone turned rigid, as they did when he was working.
Surely something troublesome had happened.
“The Crown Prince is on his way here, saying he will stop the two of you from marrying today.”
What kind of nonsense was this? Lucent’s brow furrowed.
“It has been revealed that the opera singer was in fact a married woman, and that she even has two children.”
At Leon’s report, Lucent let out a hollow laugh and moved toward the corridor.
He took a deep drag from the cigar Leon handed him and exhaled deeply into the empty air.
‘So the scales have finally fallen from his eyes?’
“He is coming leading his guard, saying he must return Lady Aeplin to her original place……”
“Leon.”
Lucent glared at his secretary with blazing blue eyes.
“Yes, bank president.”
“See that the Crown Prince is returned to his original place.”
“Pardon? But the other party is……”
Receiving an order to stop the empire’s Crown Prince was not easy to accept.
If one touched a member of the imperial family, one could be charged not only with disrespect but also with treason and severely punished.
It was no different from invading a sanctuary.
“Should I run out in the middle of my wedding and stop him myself?”
Only then did a peculiar light flicker in Leon’s eyes.
“No. I will stop him, bank president.”
“Good. Then I will go and fetch my beautiful bride.”
Lucent’s lips twisted sharply.
