Chapter 39

Chapter 39

The news of the Duke of Sentoren’s second engagement quickly spread across the royal capital.

“The Duke of Sentoren is getting married in secret. That’s what they’re saying.”

“A secret wedding? With whom?”

“He’s doing it with Madame Katana, obviously.”

The Duke of Sentoren convinced the Bishops’ Church. It was said that the wedding was going to be presided over by the Cardinal himself. It was a secret wedding, and only a few people were invited.

Upon hearing the news of the Duke of Sentoren’s wedding, the nobles speculated many things, but the date was never revealed.

The Duke of Sentoren’s bride was not Princess Marianne, but her maid, Madame Katana.

Everyone was intrigued by the rumor.

“Why is the Duke in such a hurry to marry Madame Katana?”

“Why did the Duke choose the biggest and ugliest woman in the palace?”

“Isn’t the Duke of Sentoren’s taste strange?”

“But why with Princess Marianne’s most hideous maid?”

There were a lot of people who did not understand the Duke of Sentoren. Countless bets were made all over the royal capital as to how long the Duke’s marriage would last.

***

Ailte Palace was quiet and peaceful. Marianne suffered from the teachers sent by the queen.

Exhausted from her classes, Marianne collapsed on the couch to rest and recalled Riv for the first time in many days.

Marianne’s maids were waiting with her favorite chocolates and cookies.

Marianne remembered Riv at this moment.

“Riv did my homework well.”

She hadn’t found a proper replacement after she left, so she suffered on her own. The other maids could not do her homework as well as Riv, and their embroidery skills were also lacking.

“Is Riv alive?”

At Marianne’s question, the maids avoided her gaze.

“The Duke’s patisserie baked sweets very well.”

The maids answered Marianne, who was talking to herself.

“There is no news of Madame Katana’s death.”

“That girl must be pretty tough.”

The handmaiden answered with a pale face.

“Even if Riv Katana died, wouldn’t it be difficult to spread rumors because of the Duke’s power?”

“Yes, it would.”

Marianne was easily convinced.

Marianne was currently unable to see guests because she was being imprisoned by Queen Selina.

Some of the guests who visited Marianne also told her polite lies.

“El, I still don’t know why Lionel took her away. Madame Katana is monstrously huge. Does he even see her as a woman?”

“I, I don’t know. Perhaps it’s because she looks pitiful.”

“If you think about it, Lionel, who was r*ped by that girl, is more pitiful. Is he not?”

She tried to kill Lionel, and imprisoned him with Madame Katana.

She had completely forgotten her evil deeds.

“Madame Katana is a girl who is a symbol of unhappiness, so Lionel, who has her by his side, will also be unhappy. He will regret abandoning me.”

Marianne convinced herself and then laughed.

If Riv Katana bore the Duke’s heir, it would be a tragedy for Lionel.

Because Riv Katana’s child would be the ugliest in the world.

“Maid, my father said he wanted me to become a widow right after I married Lionel. Then the Duke’s properties…”

“Everything would be mine and they would all belong to the royal family. I was going to become a wealthy widow and start my second life.”

The maid did not know whether Marianne’s story was real or fake.

However, it was indeed true that the king urged and persuaded Marianne to marry Lionel.

She could have a lover as long as she gave birth to the Duke’s heir. Even if a scandal broke out, her father would cover it all up.

Marianne believed that even if Lionel and Riv got married, they would divorce soon.

Ah. Marriage to Riv would be horrifying.

“Lionel will want to come back to me. But is there any guarantee that I’ll be single after he gets divorced? I’ve got suitors lining up for me.”

Marianne smiled charmingly, but El and the maid couldn’t see her as charming.

“Let me know once you hear that Riv is dead.”

Marianne enjoyed eating the chocolate.

El and the handmaiden decided to keep the rumors about Riv that were spreading in the royal capital to themselves.

No one knew how crazily Marianne would react once she heard the news of the Duke and Riv’s marriage.

They didn’t want to die yet.

***

At the same time, Queen Selina was alone with the king and was hysterical.

“Your Majesty! Are you going to ignore the Duke of Sentoren’s wedding? Why did the Duke of Sentoren take that girl, Riv, instead of our daughter? What the hell!”

The middle-aged king just felt that the queen’s hoarse voice was bothersome.

Even if the king tried to pressure the Bishops’ Church, the strict Cardinal and monks would never move.

‘I was so confident!’

“The Bishops’ approved the marriage of the Duke of Sentoren!”

“Then what about our poor daughter? What about our Marianne?”

The king was annoyed by the queen’s repeated insistence on undoing the nullification of the engagement.

The breakup was decided, and no matter how much they tried to pressure the Duke of Sentoren, it was unlikely that he would marry Marianne. If Marianne’s scandal broke out, the royal family would be the only ones at a disadvantage.

“Queen, if Marianne had not tried to kill the Duke of Sentoren, the engagement would have continued and a nominal marriage would have been possible. But on top of that, she even brought in the infamous Marquis of Quill!”

“Wasn’t that an accident? Without Madame Katana, our daughter could have taken Riv’s place!”

The king grew tired of his wife’s absurd assertions.

“The Duke of Sentoren will marry Madame Katana. Do not try to kill the soon-to-be Duchess!”

***

“Huu.”

Riv laid down on the bed and let out a short sigh.

She couldn’t sleep last night, and she only got some shut-eye late in the morning.

She didn’t even sleep that long. When she opened her eyes, it was already the morning of her wedding day.

When she opened her eyes, her mind became more fuzzy.

Just then, a knock was heard outside the door.

“Miss, are you awake?”

It was Claudel’s voice.

Riv looked out the window.

It was already bright outside.

She gave up on sleeping and got up.

“Come in.”

The door opened and the maids entered. The maids’ hands were all holding something.

The room, which she thought was quite spacious, was quickly filled with the maids and their gifts.

“W-What is it all about?”

“It’s everything that you’ll need Miss.”

The maids brought luxurious chests, boxes of clothes, and accessories. A couple of them were carrying food, and a few carried baskets of bath products.

Claudel, who was leading them, said.

“Miss, you must hurry to prepare for the wedding.”

“Isn’t it too early?”

When Riv, who was puzzled, asked, Claudel laughed.

“It takes a long time for noblewomen to dress up. Today is the day a woman should look her most beautiful.”

Riv felt a sense of incongruity when her wedding was brought up.

Lionel Sentoren and Riv Katana, their own wedding. Riv was rubbing the backs of her hands, which had become smooth from only a few days of care. The maids before her were experts who could make anyone look like a princess or queen of a country.

She didn’t know that their long labor would make her hands and nails so smooth. They seemed to be in great spirits, saying that they would decorate Riv properly.

“We have a lot of work to do today, Miss.”

Claudel was also determined.

“We will dress you up in the most beautiful way, soon-to-be-Duchess.”

“Call me Riv, Claudel.”

“Of course. I was very satisfied because the wedding dress of the late Duchess turned out so good.”

“Haha.”

Riv remembered the beautiful dress.

When she had her fitting, the wedding dress wrapped around her body as if they were one.

Even though it was a dress from nearly thirty years ago, it was stored well and was in good condition. It had hardly faded.

The dress was carefully brought into the room. The maids were all ready to dress Riv.

She took a deep breath and looked at her maids.

“I’ll be in your care. I am not good at dressing myself.”

“Of course.”

Riv was pushed by her maids into the bathroom.

Riv was bathed and cared for for several hours. Riv was mesmerized as she went through the long process.

Riv admired Queen Selina, who dressed up for two hours every morning, and Marianne, who changed dresses five or six times every day.

“You must wear a corset.”

“It’s my first time wearing a corset.”

Riv was terrified by the mention of a corset.

“You will get used to it. Since you have a slender waist, we won’t need to tighten it too much.”

The maids tightened the straps around her waist as carefully as possible. Then, as Riv’s back straightened, they put makeup on her and fixed her hair.

Riv thought it was like an optical illusion. Her waist looked much thinner than usual. Her dark, dull hair was curled up and looked graceful when lifted up. With her makeup on, her face gleamed with vitality.

Then it was time to wear the wedding dress.

The late Duchess’ wedding dress was simple and not flashy at all. The skirt had been slightly lengthened to match Riv’s height.

“Look in the mirror.”

Claudel and her maids looked extremely proud of their work.

Riv blinked her long eyelashes as she looked at herself in the mirror.

‘Who is this?’

Was the elegant woman in the mirror really her? It felt like she transformed into another person.

“You’re so beautiful.”

The maids were looking at Riv with sincere expressions.

“You look so elegant since you’re tall. The Duke will fall in love with you at first sight.”

“Obviously.”

Riv wore her veil as well as the wedding shoes they gave her.

“The Duke will fall in love with you again in an instant.”

Riv stared at herself as she looked in the mirror.

Her long, cumbersome black hair and pale white face had been turned into a ravishing beauty.

It was as if they had done magic on her.

The wedding would be perfect. Riv laughed to herself.