Chapter 1
Ding.
Ding.
The bell tolled twice, announcing the bride’s entrance.
All eyes turned to the bride, resplendent in a pristine white gown. She stepped forward toward the groom, clinging tightly to her father’s arm, wary of tripping.
“The empire’s finest match,” someone whispered.
“Truly. They must be the most beautiful couple in the world.”
“With the previous duke and duchess so devoted, these two will surely live in sweet harmony, won’t they?”
“Well… I’ve heard rumors about the duke…”
“Shh. Don’t spoil a good day with talk like that.”
The bride, Helena, was entirely veiled by a delicate white lace.
“I just want Helena to be happy,” her mother had said.
With each step she took, the distance to her husband standing ahead grew shorter. In her mind, Helena cautiously pictured his face.
What kind of gaze would his eyes hold? How would his smile look when he laughed? What foods would he love, and which would he dislike? And what would be his happiest memory?
As she drew closer to her husband, the pounding of her heart grew louder.
It was an arranged marriage, one where she hadn’t even seen his face, but that was alright. The more she didn’t know about him, the more she could learn in the days to come.
At last, Helena reached the groom. Her father, Count Florence, shook hands with the groom.
Her mother’s voice echoed in her ears like a phantom whisper.
“Live fully loved and loving in return, my darling daughter. That’s all I dream for you.”
I’ll live happily, Mother. Just as you said… I’ll live happily.
Helena carefully placed her hand atop the large one extended toward her. After a lengthy string of blessings for the couple, the high priest smiled warmly at them.
“Kavil Destrian, the groom, and Helena Florence, the bride. Do you swear to protect one another from the trials of fate and to love each other for all your lives?”
“I swear,” Kavil said.
“…I swear,” Helena echoed.
“Before the divine, I proclaim your union as husband and wife.”
At the high priest’s words, the congregation rose, bursting into applause. Helena turned to face her groom. It was time for the groom to lift the bride’s veil and share a gentle kiss.
Blushing shyly, Helena kept her head bowed as the groom slowly lifted her veil. In response, she cautiously raised her gaze.
Her eyes traveled past a broad chest and shoulders, muscled and strong, to a chiseled jawline and sharp nose. Beneath jet-black hair, golden eyes blazed like flames.
Her husband was a man so breathtakingly beautiful, it stole her breath for a moment.
“You must be happy, my darling daughter.”
But when their eyes met, Helena’s shoulders stiffened. The groom’s refined, handsome face, having just beheld his bride,
Mother, I…
was fiercely contorted.
Will I be able to find happiness?
Kavil Destrian inherited the title of duke at seventeen.
That same winter, he volunteered to hunt magical beasts. He slew creature after creature, each with gaping, blackened maws lunging toward him.
Wherever he stepped, pools of dark crimson gathered, and severed beast heads rolled. At some point, he could no longer distinguish whether what he cut down was beast or ally.
When his own face, reflected in a puddle of blood, began to resemble a beast’s, the hunt finally ended. He returned as the empire’s hero.
It was his first return in six years. The entire empire hailed him with fervent praise.
His renown echoed so loudly it reached beyond the palace walls to the emperor’s ears. Yet, the first thing Kavil faced upon his return was not a warm welcome but the emperor’s stern command.
“Marry the daughter of the Florence family, Duke.”
The emperor claimed he wished for Kavil, weary from years of battle, to settle down and find stability. But no one was fooled—it was a command to keep him firmly under imperial control.
Some whispered that the emperor issued the order to preempt the princess’s pleas to marry Kavil.
Kavil, too, saw through the emperor’s intentions but paid them little mind. Marriage, family—such things held no meaning for him.
It was a task he’d have to face eventually. Whether now or later, it made no difference.
…At least, that’s what he thought before seeing his bride’s face.
Urged by the emperor, the marriage proceeded swiftly. And so, Kavil Destrian and Helena Florence faced each other for the first time at their wedding.
The moment he lifted the bride’s veil, her face came into view. A sudden memory flashed through his mind, accompanied by the voice of a young girl echoing in his ears.
“Promise you’ll come back soon.”
“…Alright. I’ll come back as quickly as I can.”
“It’s a promise. You’ll return, right? I’ll be waiting.”
Facing the radiant smile of his bride, Kavil regretted his hasty decision with every fiber of his being.
Helena sat alone on the bed, a solitary figure.
It had been six hours since she began waiting for her groom on their wedding night. Tapping her stiff legs, she noticed her pristine white gown had already wrinkled and straightened her posture.
Each faint sound from outside made her head turn toward the door, only to return to its place.
When will he come?
Her groom, who had vanished immediately after the ceremony, had yet to return. Boredom and exhaustion began to weigh on her, her eyelids growing heavy.
I mustn’t sleep. I have to wait…
As sleep threatened to overtake her and her head began to nod, a commotion erupted.
“My lord! At least wash before entering the room… My lord!”
“Gasp! M-Master!”
Helena’s eyes snapped open at the noise from the corridor. The sound of heavy, purposeful footsteps grew rapidly closer. Smoothing her wrinkled gown, she hurriedly stood.
Just then, the door burst open without so much as a knock—an audacious intrusion. Before she could identify the figure, the sharp scent of blood stung her nose.
Wincing, Helena turned her head.
“My lady.”
A familiar low voice called to her—the voice of the man who had reluctantly sworn love before the divine.
Realizing who it was, Helena slowly straightened her gaze. Leaning loosely against the doorframe, silhouetted against the bright corridor light, stood her husband, Kavil Destrian.
The same man whose fierce eyes had placed their wedding ring on her finger.
Kavil was cloaked in shadow from head to toe.
Only his blazing golden eyes, catching the light, fixed on Helena. They held the intensity of a predator sizing up its prey.
His relentless gaze traced her eyes, her cheeks, and finally settled on her lips.
Sensing the direction of his stare, Helena instinctively covered her mouth with both hands. At that, Kavil let out a scoff, a deflated laugh as if he found her reaction absurd.
The crisp sound of his polished boots echoed against the floor. Only when an appropriate distance separated them did his steps halt.
“……!”
Kavil leaned toward the frightened bride and whispered low.
