<Chapter 39>

*  *  *

“The wedding will begin shortly. Prospective Duchess, aren’t you nervous?”

“Not really… I’m so tired right now that I can’t even feel nervous.”

I stifled a yawn beneath the veil draped over my head.

Still, the anticipation of the upcoming wedding had kept me up all night, leaving me utterly exhausted.

‘I’m beyond nervous at this point… I just want to lie down in bed and sleep.’

As I secretly stifled my third yawn under the veil, someone spoke up, “Excuse me, Prospective Duchess. Before the wedding begins, there’s a guest here to see you.”

“A guest? For me? Who would come to see me?”

I couldn’t think of anyone in the North who would be acquainted with Inosensia.

“It’s someone from the capital.”

Ah, come to think of it, the Emperor had mentioned sending a priest from the Great Temple to officiate the ceremony. They must have arrived in the North with that priest.

‘Well, at least Inosensia didn’t live a completely meaningless life. Even here in this remote northern region, someone came all this way to celebrate her wedding.’

“Who is it? A friend?”

“No. They claim to be your patron. They’re also the one officiating your ceremony.”

“Oh… Is there no one else?”

“No, that’s it.”

The maid shook her head and hesitated before cautiously asking, “Is there someone you were expecting?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Inosensia, Inosensia…

What kind of life did you lead that not a single friend came to celebrate your wedding?

‘Or maybe it makes more sense. Since the groom is the Monster Duke, it’s probably stranger for anyone to make the effort to come all the way here to congratulate her.’

Realistically, Inosensia has tried to end her own life rather than marry him, even throwing herself from a great height.

Though it’s only speculation, I wouldn’t be surprised if she has cried and protested all the way from the Great Temple to here…

‘Still, having a patron show up is better than nothing.’

Did they volunteer to come? Or was it one of those cases where the Emperor forced them to travel all the way to the desolate North despite their reluctance?  

For Inosensia’s sake, I really hope it was the former.

*  *  *

……That thought had crossed my mind just five minutes ago.

“Are you really Inosensia? You’re not a stand-in for the real one who ran off? Come on, take off that veil and prove it!”

What kind of lunatic storms into a bride’s room before her wedding and demands she take off her veil? If not bent on ruining the ceremony, no one would dare attempt such a brazen act.

‘No wonder I felt disgusted the moment our eyes met.’

Behind the veil, I made a face of utter disbelief.

“What will you do if I’m not Inosensia?”

“I knew it! The real Inosensia must have been murdered by that Monster Duke as soon as she arrived in the North! How else could he dare kill a bride personally chosen by His Majesty? This is treason…”

“Is this guy insane? It’s one thing to throw cold water on someone’s wedding, but cursing the bride to death?!”

“W-what? Insane?!”

“Yeah, you crazy bastard!”

I shot up from my chair and pulled off the veil in one swift motion.

“See for yourself! Look closely with your own two eyes!”

As the veil that had been obscuring my view disappeared, my eyes locked with a man sporting messy, curly hair. And at that very moment, I realized one glaring fact.

‘Come to think of it, my soul is a fake, isn’t it…?’

Sure enough, his eyes filled with certainty—a certainty that screamed, “This is definitely not the real Inosensia.”

I hesitated for a moment before regaining my composure.

‘So what? The one who put me in this body was God!’

God is on my side. Conversely, that guy? He’s a heretic. No need to cower.

Raising my chin defiantly, I replied, “Take a good look. Does this face look fake to you? Huh?”

“Hmph! That face might’ve been crafted well with magic, but you clearly didn’t bother imitating her personality. Inosensia would never act as headstrong as you! How dare you talk back and shout at your guardian? She’d never dream of it!”

“Guardian, my foot. What have you ever done for me to claim that title?”

The moment he became certain I was a fake, I caught a flicker of delight in his eyes.

So he thinks the real Inosensia is dead, and that makes him happy? No doubt he never properly acted as her guardian.

Sure enough, he flinched ever so slightly. I seized the opportunity to fire off a rapid barrage.

“Have you even once asked how I was doing? Whether I arrived safely, if I was in good health, or how I was getting along with my future husband? Shouldn’t those be your questions if you were truly my guardian? Where’s your proof that you are who you claim to be?”

“W-what are you saying?!”

“Hmph! What do you all think? For someone sent on His Majesty’s orders to oversee a union arranged by him personally, is it even possible to insult both the bride and the groom simultaneously?”

“Absolutely not, unless he has a death wish.”

“This must be a spy sent to disrupt the marriage and sow discord between the two!”

Monica, Alice, and the other maids, along with Kei, Cesare, and every knight guarding the bride’s chamber, all glared at him with sharp, murderous eyes.

To be fair, their gazes had already turned threatening the moment he mentioned that “Monster Duke.”

‘Well, of course.’

The Winstein knights and staff revered Duke Temenos with an almost fearful respect. However, as they say, no one else gets to criticize family—you may squabble among yourselves, but heaven help any outsider who tries.

‘Not that I was ever like that myself.’

“You, you… What’s with those looks?! You ignorant fools who’ve never witnessed divine power, daring to question the sanctity of Roam the Bishop!”  

Surrounded by those deadly stares, Roam’s face turned beet red as he thrashed around in anger.

“Behold! Witness the divine power granted to me by the Holy Father himself!”

Clutching a pendant in one hand, he raised the other toward the heavens. A faint glow, about the size of an apple, began to form in his palm.

…And that was it. That was the entire show.

Silence fell over the chamber like a heavy curtain. Finally, Klein, one of the knights who had won the honor of being an additional guard, muttered, “…That’s divine power?”

The tone of his voice clearly carried a “That’s it?” kind of disbelief.

But Roam, oblivious to the subtle insult, burst into loud, triumphant laughter.

“Indeed! This is divine power! A holy force that can never be faked with mere magic! Bask in its glory, for you shall never witness such a thing again!”

Oh, for heaven’s sake, he’s annoying.

Clasping my hands together, I closed my eyes and prayed.

‘Dear God, it’s my wedding day. Could you spare a grand show of divine power in my honor?’

God, as it turned out, was extraordinarily generous.

The moment my prayer ended, a brilliant white light erupted, enveloping my entire body and filling the room. It shimmered like a galaxy in the night sky, with golden sparkles twinkling across the pure white radiance.

“W-what is this…!”

Roam’s eyes widened in shock as he stared, utterly dumbfounded. He looked as if he had just seen the dead rise.

“Such overwhelming divine power… Even the Holy Father himself doesn’t possess…”

“What?”

The Holy Father doesn’t even manage this level? Could it be that guy’s all bluster and no bite?

“Ah, n-no! Of course not! The Holy Father simply isn’t one to flaunt his divine power needlessly!”

Realizing the implications of his earlier words, Roam scrambled to explain, spitting out excuses like a broken fountain.

Narrowing my eyes, I crossed my arms and studied him.

Is it really a matter of temperament… or just incompetence?

‘Hopefully the latter. That’ll make rooting out heretics like him a breeze.’

For now, I decided to shut up the loudmouth heretic once and for all.

“Yes, yes. I’m all about showing off my divine power. Why? Because God loves me dearly and blesses me abundantly!”

‘One more time, God! Make it sparkle!’

As soon as the prayer left my lips, another burst of dazzling light enveloped me. This one was even larger and more vibrant, tinged with golden hues. It lingered around me protectively, as if shielding me from harm.

‘See that? Even if I pray just to show off, my God still delivers!’

I tilted my head back smugly.

Roam stammered like a broken record.

“I-it’s impossible. Inosensia, you were… you were the weakest of the Saintess candidates…”

“Any further insults will be deemed an affront to Winstein.”

The knights guarding me moved in unison, hands resting on the hilts of their swords.

With a deliberate click, they partially unsheathed their weapons, the sound echoing menacingly in the chamber.

Their massive frames and intimidating expressions exuded palpable hostility, draining the color from Roam’s face.

‘Should I step in?’

Can we even hold the ceremony without an officiant? I hesitated, mulling over the next move.
 

<To be continued>

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