The dressing table had been placed in the adjoining chamber.
It was clearly brand new.
Dark wood, finely carved, its polished surface gleaming softly beneath the candlelight. A clear bronze mirror rested atop the table beside an intricately carved jewelry casket.
"It’s such a pity His Grace couldn’t see you on your wedding day."
Her dowry maid, Miriam, stood behind Elysia, carefully undoing the elaborate bridal hairstyle strand by strand. Her voice carried a faint trace of regret.
Elysia smiled faintly.
"There’s nothing to regret."
Her fingers brushed lightly against the sleeve of her wedding robe.
"Beautiful women are everywhere in this world. I’m nothing particularly special."
She was only seventeen.
Cassiel, meanwhile, was already twenty-seven.
In those ten additional years, he must have seen every kind of beauty imaginable.
Bright and lively women.
Graceful noble ladies.
Dangerous beauties capable of leaving unforgettable impressions.
Compared to them, Elysia felt painfully ordinary.
Besides...
Even surrounded by countless admirers, Cassiel had never married.
Rumor claimed his heart already belonged to someone else.
Elysia could not help wondering what kind of woman could inspire such devotion from the Duke of Draevenor.
Perhaps she must have been breathtakingly beautiful.
After washing and changing, Elysia slipped into a moon-white nightgown.
Bran personally brought over a new pillow and embroidered quilt, arranging them neatly beside Cassiel on the bed.
Once everything was prepared, the servants quietly withdrew.
The chamber fell silent.
Elysia climbed carefully onto the bed and lay down beside him as lightly as possible.
The wedding bed was wide enough to leave considerable distance between them.
A faint medicinal fragrance lingered around Cassiel.
Beneath it, she could feel the steady warmth radiating from his body.
Like her father and brothers, Cassiel trained year-round on the battlefield. His body temperature naturally ran warmer than most people’s.
Elysia turned slightly onto her side.
Outside, the night stretched deep and quiet beneath pale moonlight.
Inside the chamber, however, the wedding candles continued burning steadily, casting warm golden light throughout the room.
Bathed in that glow, Cassiel’s features appeared even sharper.
His profile resembled mountain ridges carved cleanly by years of wind and snow.
His lashes were thick and dark, casting faint shadows beneath his eyes.
Months of unconsciousness left his complexion pale, and faint stubble shadowed the line of his jaw.
Elysia studied him quietly for a long while before finally speaking.
"I’m truly sorry..."
Her voice sounded soft beneath the crackling candlelight.
"For saying I wished to marry you while you were unconscious."
Not far away, candle wax dripped slowly as flames flickered gently.
After a moment, Elysia continued softly:
"But I promise you..."
She lowered her gaze.
"I’ll take good care of you."
"I’ll fulfill my duties as the Duchess of Draevenor."
Compared to the liveliness of Draevenor Manor, the Crown Prince’s residence felt unbearably heavy.
Vaelen remained ill for several consecutive days.
Royal physicians entered and exited endlessly. Prescriptions changed repeatedly, yet his condition showed little improvement.
The Queen’s temper worsened daily.
Servants throughout the residence moved carefully with lowered heads and hushed voices, terrified of drawing attention to themselves.
Meanwhile, Vaelen knew nothing beyond the feverish dreams trapping him night after night.
In the dream, there was a wedding.
And the groom was himself.
Heavy rain poured endlessly from the darkened sky.
His boots soaked through immediately. Mud splashed across the hems of his robes, leaving him cold, drenched, and utterly miserable.
Then he stepped into the bridal chamber.
And saw Elysia.
She sat quietly upon the wedding bed beneath the candlelight.
Her hair had been carefully pinned atop her head beneath an ornate ceremonial crown. The ivory wedding robes she wore shimmered softly beneath the glow of the candles, embroidered with delicate patterns along the sleeves and hem.
She altered the gown herself.
As the youngest daughter of Hartwell Manor, Elysia learned far more than ordinary court etiquette. She could ride horseback and shoot arrows as well as any noble girl raised near the frontier.
And her embroidery skills were equally exceptional.
Now, seated quietly upon the bed, her cheeks carried the faintest flush.
A nervous smile touched her lips.
Small dimples appeared softly at the corners of her mouth, making her look warm and impossibly gentle.
Vaelen stared at her without moving.
The rain outside faded gradually into silence.
All he could hear was the violent pounding of his own heartbeat.
Then suddenly—
He woke.
Darkness filled his vision.
Only the heavy canopy above his bed remained visible.
Cold sweat drenched his entire body.
For a long moment, his thoughts remained chaotic and disoriented.
Then the door opened carefully.
"Your Highness, you’re awake?"
His personal attendant entered quietly.
Vaelen pressed a hand against his forehead.
His voice sounded rough from sleep.
"What time is it?"
"It is nearly the end of the night watch, Your Highness." The attendant lowered his head respectfully. "Her Majesty should be returning from Draevenor Manor soon."
Draevenor Manor.
Vaelen’s body stiffened instantly.
He pushed himself upright abruptly.
"What day is it today?"
The attendant looked startled by the question but answered immediately.
"The third day of the sixth month, Your Highness. Today was the wedding of the Duke of Draevenor and Lady Elysia."
Vaelen froze completely.
At once, Elysia’s image resurfaced before his eyes.
Dressed in wedding robes.
Smiling softly beneath the candlelight.
An invisible blade seemed to twist sharply inside his chest.
The pain spread through him slowly and relentlessly.
Just then, a servant announced from outside:
"Her Majesty has arrived."
Moments later, the Queen entered the chamber supported by an older matron.
Relief immediately crossed her face when she saw Vaelen awake.
"Vaelen, are you finally feeling better?"
He gave only a distracted response.
Nearby servants quickly lit additional candles.
The Queen sat beside the bed and examined him carefully.
Though the fever had faded slightly, his complexion still looked pale and exhausted.
At last, she sighed softly.
"Now that the Duke of Draevenor and Elysia’s marriage is finally settled, I can relax."
Her expression visibly brightened.
"From now on, I only need to focus on your marriage."
Vaelen stiffened slightly.
"Mother, I—"
"You are the Crown Prince," the Queen interrupted gently. "You have already come of age. Your father speaks of your marriage often these days. The entire court watches you closely."
Her tone remained calm and reassuring.
"Once your health improves, I’ll begin arranging suitable matches."
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"There are countless noble daughters in the capital. Graceful girls. Gentle girls. Talented and well-educated girls."
Then she added casually:
"Every single one of them is better suited than Elysia."
The moment he heard her name, the pain in Vaelen’s chest tightened sharply once more.
The Queen continued speaking, clearly in an unusually good mood.
"When you were younger, you should have focused on studying properly. Yet Elysia constantly dragged you out to play."
A trace of dissatisfaction entered her voice.
"She even sneaked you out of the palace once and nearly got you injured."
"From that moment onward, I disliked her."
"These past years, you devoted yourself to state affairs while she clung to you endlessly like a burden."
The Queen let out a cold laugh.
"If Hartwell Manor hadn’t still existed, I would’ve driven her from the palace long ago."
"Now the Hartwell family is gone. She no longer serves any purpose."
"At least she possessed enough self-awareness not to insist shamelessly on marrying you."
The Queen adjusted her sleeves leisurely before continuing:
"And Draevenor Manor is hardly a fortunate place."
"Cassiel lies unconscious. His relatives fight endlessly for control of the estate. If I hadn’t intervened personally, do you think the wedding would’ve proceeded so smoothly?"
A satisfied look crossed her face.
"Elysia will have plenty of suffering ahead of her."
Throughout the entire conversation, Vaelen remained silent.
Only after venting everything did the Queen finally appear fully satisfied.
She rose gracefully to her feet.
"Rest properly and recover soon," she instructed gently. "Once you’re better, I’ll arrange meetings with the noble daughters."
"With me protecting you, your position as Crown Prince will remain completely secure."
The next morning, before dawn fully arrived, Elysia slowly opened her eyes.
Miriam entered quietly to help comb her hair.
The moment she caught sight of Elysia’s expression, she hesitated.
"Your Grace... did you not sleep well?"
Elysia blinked slowly at her reflection in the mirror.
"I’m simply not used to the bed yet."
Nor was she accustomed to having a man lying beside her.
Even if that man remained unconscious.
She rubbed lightly at the corners of her eyes before speaking again.
"Miriam, prepare my court attire. We should—"
Before she could finish, an older voice interrupted from outside the chamber.
"Is the Duchess awake?"
The tone sounded aged, yet firm and steady.
Elysia turned toward the doorway.
An older matron stood there dressed in respectable clothing. Unlike the others, she made no move to bow.
Instead, she spoke plainly:
"Lady Melissa requests that the Duchess visit her this morning."
Elysia understood the situation within Draevenor Manor perfectly well.
Cassiel and the current King were full brothers, both born to Dowager Sereia of the Asheford family.
The Dowager Empress once had both a younger sister and younger brother.
The sister married into a noble family in distant Rivenbrook.
The younger brother, meanwhile, followed Cassiel into battle and eventually died saving his life.
Perhaps because of guilt, Cassiel later brought his uncle’s widow and children into Draevenor Manor personally.
That widow was Melissa.
Cassiel spent most of his life on the battlefield and rarely involved himself in household affairs. Eventually, Melissa volunteered to oversee management of the manor in his place.
Over time, Draevenor Manor gradually fell under her control.
Elysia also heard another rumor long ago.
Melissa once hoped to marry her youngest daughter to Cassiel.
She even formally proposed the match herself.
Cassiel refused without hesitation.
And now, the woman who married into Draevenor Manor instead...
Was Elysia.