“If you speak that way, rumors will spread that you behaved improperly to entrap me into marriage.”
Aha.
In other words, he was worried that rumors would circulate claiming that a daughter from a humble family, who had long admired the war hero Curtis, had deliberately joined the army and used vulgar tricks to snatch the position of Grand Duchess.
Chloe tilted her head lightly.
“…Isn’t that already the case?”
“It is, but… your own words and rumors circulating behind your back are two different matters.
Do you want to ruin your future marriage prospects?”
“I believe they are already ruined, though.”
Chloe gave a decisive thumbs-up, as if confirming her point.
Curtis narrowed his eyes and asked back.
“Are you cursing me?”
“No.
If I wanted to curse you, there are plenty of other reasons, so why would I do it like that?”
“For example?”
“Like the prayer I have to go memorize right now on His Highness’s behalf?”
Having said that, Chloe declared, “I will go pray now,” and made a swift escape.
The corners of Curtis’s mouth twitched.
Whether he was laughing or dumbfounded, even he couldn’t quite tell.
“I mean that I hope my uncle, with his notoriously difficult temperament, has finally found someone he loves so much he cannot help himself.”
‘Well, Frederick.
You, of all people, have clearly seen the conclusion of such love.
So, don’t you know better than anyone that such a thing is absolutely impossible for me?’ Curtis touched the corner of his mouth.
It didn’t take long for him to return to his usual indifferent self.
War hero Curtis Sean Berk was marrying his adjutant of only three months today.
And to a daughter of a family that was not just humble, but widely considered low-class.
It was a wedding forced through at the royal temple in just a week, undeterred even by a ban on entering the royal palace.
The number of people who wanted to witness this current state of affairs was truly enormous.
“Isn’t this the spectacle of the century?
To think that the arrogant and haughty Grand Duke Berk is marrying in such a rush.”
“Why wouldn’t it be?
Why else would he go so far as to defy His Majesty the King?
Is she that much of a beauty?”
“Actually, about that….”
“Oh my!
How vulgar!
But it might not be true, right?
My nephew, who is in the Royal Guard, said that couldn’t be the case.”
“Well, we’ll know if the bride-to-be is pregnant or not when we see her at the ceremony.”
This kind of gossip fueled their eagerness to attend.
Since it was already widely known what kind of person the bride was, most people were dying of curiosity about Chloe’s face or her current physical condition.
Naturally, Grand Duke Berk sent wedding invitations only to carefully selected people.
The excuse was that since it was a rushed marriage, it would be held on a small scale.
Everyone was desperate to get their hands on an invitation.
Some sensationalized tabloids even secretly put a bounty on Grand Duke Berk’s wedding invitation.
They planned to send in a sketch artist to publish the bride’s appearance in the newspaper.
A lucky few riffraff did manage to acquire invitations.
But most were caught by the strict inspection of the Royal Guard and chased away.
“Marquis Bern?
Since when did you grow a mustache?”
“Ahem.
It’s been three months.
Let me in.”
“You imposter!
Marquis Bern is my cousin who turned eighteen the day before yesterday. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Get lost immediately!”
It went roughly like this.
Since the Guard was composed of noble children, there was no need to check the noble registry.
Thanks to that, perhaps?
The atmosphere among the guests inside the venue before the wedding began was a spectacle in itself.
Everyone felt secretly proud, thinking they were included on the list of people carefully selected by ‘the’ Grand Duke Berk, yet they were quite nervous.
They would feel proud sitting in the prayer seats usually accessible only to royalty, but then gather like frightened mice here and there, whispering in low voices.
“Still, there are quite a lot of people, aren’t there?”
“Phew, when you’re someone like Grand Duke Berk, naturally there are a great many people to invite.”
“Isn’t this going to get us on the wrong side of His Majesty the King?”
“But if we didn’t come, wouldn’t we get on the wrong side of Grand Duke Berk?”
“Marchioness Flandre sent only a proxy.”
People glanced at each other, curious about who had been invited.
Most of the expected people were present, but there were also unexpected guests.
“Oh my.
Isn’t that person…
the rumored Duchess Glintland?”
“Good heavens, she came here?”
In fact, this wedding was practically a compilation of diplomatic discourtesies toward Glintland.
The royal family would have sent an invitation to the Duchess as a formality, but there was no reason for her to attend.
However, Isabelle of Glintland attended.
And she was stunningly beautiful.
In the temple at midday, her brown hair shining pink in the sunlight was incredibly charming.
“Nice to meet you.
I am Isabelle of Glintland.
What a blessed meeting.”
Moreover, she acted remarkably amiable.
Considering the circumstances, wasn’t it the King of Ivanes who initially proposed this marriage alliance?
Isabelle of Glintland had every right to be here; this situation was hardly her doing.
Those who found nothing to criticize were swiftly captivated by her beauty, began vying to offer their greetings.
Young noblemen of marriageable age were especially eager.
The kind-faced beauty smiled gently, exchanging greetings with each Ivanes noble in turn.
One spirited, if somewhat naive, young man even offered a greeting that verged on a diplomatic faux pas.
“Duchess, what are your impressions of Ivanes?
I fear the regrettable incident might have cast an unfavorable light on our nation itself.”
However, Isabelle gracefully and skillfully parried his words.
“Not at all,” she replied, her smile unwavering.
“It is perhaps presumptuous to say, but I like to believe that, thanks to my intervention, a pair of lovers who nearly parted ways will now be united for a lifetime.
Upon hearing of their impending marriage, I was the first to dispatch a ‘beryl’ vase as a gift.
It may sound audacious, but it is no exaggeration to call it a national treasure of Glintland.”
“Your beauty, Duchess, seems to extend to your very soul,” the young man simpered.
“Oh, but that cannot be,” Isabelle demurred.
“The two souls uniting today are surely the most beautiful.”
A group of seasoned madams retreated slightly, exchanging clandestine whispers.
“That woman appeared quite out of the blue, didn’t she?” one madam murmured.
“I heard she was originally from a collateral branch of the Glintland family.”
“Indeed,” another replied.
Still, her deftness is quite something.”
“What good is all that skill, really?” a third scoffed.
“It doesn’t alter the fact that she’s been made to look rather foolish.”
“But look at her beauty,” a fourth countered.
“It’s quite understandable why she made a beeline for Ivanes.
She is undeniably pretty, wouldn’t you say?”
On that point, everyone agreed.
“If she stood next to the Grand Duke,” one remarked, “they would have been quite a striking pair.”
“Well… I suppose so,” another conceded.
Around that time, people’s gazes sharpened, fixed on a particular spot: the seats reserved for the bride’s family.
“Are the Amboise family members… not arrived yet?” someone whispered.
“No, they’ve reportedly arrived,” another replied.
“Over there.”
“Where?” a voice piped up.
“But there are only children!”
After that, a wave of blatant cynicism washed over the assembly.
“They say the parents didn’t even attend,” a matron sniffed.
“Good heavens!” another exclaimed.
“Isn’t that utterly improper?
It’s their own daughter’s wedding, after all!”
“Well…”
Everyone feigned discretion, yet their words were clearly intended to be overheard.
Their barbs were aimed squarely at Chloe Amboise’s family, whom they deemed vulgar and the primary cause of this hastily arranged marriage.
“Would parents who raised their daughter so improperly,” someone drawled, “bother to attend to such a significant event properly?”
The root cause, of course, was Grand Duke Berk’s defiance of the King.
However, just as Chloe expected, people readily shifted the blame to the Amboise family for the war hero Grand Duke’s precipitous marriage.
They prattled on, utterly unrestrained.
“They’re really just spewing whatever nonsense comes to mind…” the young man, who had been sitting stiffly in the temple’s prayer seat for some time, muttered, his jaw clenched tight.
Eric Amboise.
He was Chloe’s younger brother, the second child of the family, and on the cusp of commissioning from the military academy.
He possessed black hair with a blue sheen and rare pink eyes.
His striking resemblance to Chloe left no doubt in anyone’s mind that they were siblings.
“Please endure it, Eric,” Leah, sitting next to him, reached out and worriedly gripped his hand.
Eric massaged his throbbing temples and whispered softly.
“I will endure it.
If I don’t hold back here, I’ll only bring further shame upon Chloe.”
“Wow,” Leah drawled, a hint of surprise in her voice.
“You actually said something right… The military academy actually made a decent human being out of you.”
“Do you have a death wish?” Eric retorted under his breath.
‘It was at school that Eric first heard the news of his sister’s marriage.’
“Ahem, Cadet Amboise.
Is your sister’s name… Chloe Amboise?”
“Yes, sir?
That’s correct.”
‘The professor, who had always looked down on Eric, suddenly extended his hand for a handshake.’
“Congratulations.
I look forward to our future collaborations.”
‘What is he talking about?’
‘It was immediately after that another friend at the academy shoved a newspaper at a bewildered Eric, demanding, “Is this for real?” Even after reading through several newspapers, his confusion only deepened.’
‘Horrified, Eric immediately attempted to submit a leave of absence, declaring, “Something is clearly amiss.” But the Royal Military Academy was not so easily swayed.
They informed him that absences for immediate family marriages required a wedding invitation to be submitted a month in advance.’
“I understand the importance of the matter, but it is a matter of principle.”
‘Maxim, Eric’s classmate and year representative, who pushed up his glasses as he delivered this pronouncement, would have Grand Duke Berk to thank for the rest of his life.
Had it not been for the Grand Duke’s timely request for cooperation, Eric would have undoubtedly punched the sanctimonious Maxim squarely in the nose, knocking him to the ground then and there.’
“For the first time,” Eric grumbled, “I’m grateful to Maxim, that jerk…”
“Why?” Leah asked, intrigued.’
“Because that jerk incredibly bolstered my patience throughout my time at the academy.
If it weren’t for him, I would have caused trouble a long time ago.”
“Thank you, Mr.
Maxim,” Leah chirped, a mischievous glint in her eye.’
“I didn’t actually mean for you to thank him, you know?” Eric muttered.’
Eric stopped scolding Leah in a low voice and asked, “Did you see Chloe?”