‘Marriage is an illusion.’
That’s what Countess Bosgruni once said during an etiquette lesson.
‘A kind of display, really.’
At the ti, nine-year-old Leonia had been staring at an indistinct floral drawing, struggling to morize flower anings.
Amid the frustration of rote morization, the Countess’s words caught her interest.
‘A noble’s marriage tells you everything about their family’s wealth, connections, and current standing.’
‘Doesn’t matter to .’
It had nothing to do with the Voreoti, after all.
The Voreoti na alone was already prestigious and perfect.
‘I’ll make mine as extravagant as possible.’
The little beast, who had co to appreciate the joy of spending money, vaguely imagined her own wedding.
In the Empire, weddings were typically held in private gardens or temples, but Leonia once joked she’d hold hers in the monster-infested Northern Mountains.
But it was just that—a joke.
To Leonia, marriage was still sothing far away and irrelevant.
‘Still, I guess it depends on the person.’
Now that she thought about it, not all nobles were the sa. Rare as they were, so didn’t like grand, lavish events.
And that included the Voreoti.
‘...Maybe we shouldn’t have one at all.’
Leonia shuddered at the thought.
Just imagining the wedding preparations gave her a headache.
‘But why did she say that out of nowhere?’
‘It’s my wedding anniversary today.’
‘Ah...’
‘Also, it’s the day that bastard Ardea walked out of our house.’
That day, Leonia had focused intently on her lesson, quietly watching Countess Bosgruni for the rest of the class.
“......”
Hmm.
Recalling that childhood mory, Leonia let out a long sigh.
“What’s wrong?”
leis, who was pressing firmly into her back, asked.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“No. You can press harder.”
“Then I’ll apply more pressure.”
leis added strength to her arms.
Leonia, legs spread and torso bent forward, flattened even more under the pressure.
Her flexibility was the best in the entire knight order.
Since returning to the North, Leonia had been diligently training, building her body and learning swordsmanship.
She had trained daily in the capital as well, but it felt easier to focus and progress better up North.
After finishing her octopus-like warm-up, Leonia picked up a wooden sword.
“leis-unnie, are you going to get married?”
She swung down powerfully as she asked.
leis deflected the strike with ease and stepped right up into Leonia’s face before counterattacking.
“If you’re asking about timing, sure—it’s about right.”
As they exchanged wooden sword blows, leis continued.
“But I’m not really thinking about it.”
“No one good in the order?”
“Just tell not to get married.”
leis’s wooden sword ca down hard.
Leonia barely blocked it and quickly backed away, shaking out her stinging hands.
“That strike really hurt.”
“I could take a bath with those guys, no problem.”
“Whoa...”
“And they feel the sa way about .”
To her, the knights were comrades who had seen and endured everything together.
leis didn’t want to ruin her bond with them, and truthfully, she had never once felt even a flicker of romantic tension.
“Still, Paavo was pretty popular.”
She nodded toward Paavo, who was sparring with another knight.
“He looks like a total pervert.”
“Well, he knows his boundaries, surprisingly.”
Despite appearances. leis laughed.
The two of them kept training until it was ti for a break.
“So why’d you ask?”
“Because Mom and Dad said they’re not having a wedding.”
Leonia wiped the sweat from her face with a towel. Her breath, once ragged, was beginning to settle.
“They’re not?”
leis asked, visibly shocked.
“But it’s the Voreoti.”
It made no sense.
The North feared the Voreoti, but they also deeply respected them.
Word about Varia had already spread across the region. People were curious about the woman destined to beco the next Duchess.
Which ant their wedding was highly anticipated.
A marriage ceremony by soone like the Voreoti wasn’t just a spectacle.
It was a regional celebration—like a holiday.
“My younger brother’s going to be really disappointed.”
leis sighed.
“So why aren’t they doing it?”
“They said it’s annoying.”
“Ah...”
It was an absurd reason, but leis understood instantly.
If it was Ferio, who hated crowds and fancy displays, it made perfect sense.
“Was Madam upset?”
“Mom hated the idea even more.”
“Ah...”
This ti leis sighed with another kind of understanding. What a perfectly matched couple.
“Dad was the one who suggested it.”
Even if it’s a hassle, shouldn’t we still do it?
Leonia wiped the sweat from her chin with the back of her hand as she echoed Ferio’s words.
leis realized once again just how extraordinary this new addition to House Voreoti truly was.
***
To be honest, even Leonia had been surprised by the wedding talk.
Ferio was more proactive than expected, and Varia more reluctant.
“Why don’t you want to?”
Leonia eventually asked during a lesson. Varia, who had been reading aloud from a strange book titled The More Elegant the Speech, the Stronger the Words, suddenly looked up.
“...What do you an?”
“The wedding.”
“Well, we’re in the middle of class right now.”
Varia gently corrected her.
“This isn’t a lesson, it’s reading ti.”
Leonia was holding the exact sa book as Varia.
The two of them were doing their daily 30-minute culture class, which they’d agreed on back in the capital.
“But we do it every single day.”
Which ant it was definitely a lesson, Varia said with a smile—the smile of a victor.
“I underestimated you, Mom.”
Leonia grumbled—the sound of defeat.
She’d thought this culture class would be a breeze.
She already had enough of etiquette and refinent thanks to Countess Bosgruni.
But Varia was relentless.
Perhaps because she had faced death once, her patience and ★ ★ perseverance were unmatched.
She’d always found Leonia when she tried to skip class, and never budged even when Leonia tempted her with increasingly risqué muscle illustrations.
Even during their journey from the capital to the North, they kept up their lessons.
The little beast ran wild, but the mama beast soared above her like it was nothing.
Eventually, Leonia admitted defeat and now diligently studied under Varia every day.
“So why no wedding?”
Leonia asked again.
Varia glanced at the hourglass on the desk. The sand had nearly all dropped to the bottom.
Class was almost over.
“...No real reason.”
Varia closed her book. Today’s class ended at her discretion.
Leonia promptly closed hers too.
“I wanted to see you in a pretty dress.”
“There are lots of pretty dresses already.”
Ferio had given her enough to fill two rooms.
Varia honestly worried she wouldn’t be able to wear them all in her lifeti.
“But it’d be different if it was for a wedding.”
Leonia looked genuinely disappointed.
“If we made it super extravagant, it’d be great to crush so people’s pride.”
“So people?”
“Well...”
Leonia trailed off.
Then she subtly glanced at Varia.
“Like... your family.”
She refused to say ‘Grandfather’ or ‘Aunt.’ But now that Varia was her mom, those people were technically her relatives.
“...Sa for .”
Varia smiled bitterly.
The truth was, her family was exactly why she hesitated about the wedding.
Noble marriages were unions between families. And her relatives were still alive—aning they had to be invited.
“They’re despicable.”
It wasn’t that she hated weddings. She was just afraid her family would bring sha or harm to Voreoti.
“Hmm...”
Leonia didn’t ask further.
“Class was actually kind of fun.”
Instead, she offered her honest thoughts.
“Really?”
Varia lit up.
The little beast had chosen the perfect mont to change the subject.
“I learned a lot thanks to you.”
“I’m glad.”
“I was really short-sighted.”
“No, not at all.”
“Yes, I was.”
Leonia shook her head.
“I’ve realized that when threatening soone, it’s best to do it gently and gracefully.”
Even if refinent was annoying, there was value in learning it.
She had, in her own way, gained sothing from these lessons.
“......”
But this wasn’t quite what Varia had intended.
***
That night.
While Varia was bathing, Leonia asked Ferio about the wedding.
She told him Varia’s reasoning too. Though honestly, there was no need—Ferio had already figured it out long ago.
But hearing it from Leonia still made him feel a little sour.
“Hey, Dad.”
That’s when Leonia made a suggestion.
“What if we just chop off their heads and place them on chairs?”
That way, they wouldn’t say anything cruel to Varia, and everyone could enjoy a peaceful wedding and honeymoon.
“An astute proposal.”
Ferio praised his daughter’s sharp thinking.
Frankly, he’d lost count of how many tis he’d wanted to behead the Erbanus and Olors.
Especially whenever he recalled Varia’s childhood stories—it made him want to throw all his plans away and act on impulse.
But he didn’t.
“Varia would hate it.”
Ferio now understood how deeply Varia resented her family.
But that didn’t an she wanted them dead.
“Weddings should be peaceful.”
If Varia opposed it to the very end, he was ready to cancel the ceremony altogether.
He too hated crowded events.
Still, he wanted to show everyone—especially the foolish Erbanus clan—
That the woman they’d scorned and belittled was radiant, beautiful, and deeply loved.
And that House Voreoti would now stand for her.
“...A declaration of war?”
Leonia, who had been listening blankly, burst into laughter.
“Most sons-in-law kneel to their father-in-law and beg for permission!”
“I’d rather bring their heads and call it a day.”
“Pfft—hahaha!”
Leonia laughed uncontrollably.
Ferio stared at his daughter, confused. He truly didn’t understand what was so funny.
Kids these days were weird, but none could possibly be weirder than his kid.
“Stop laughing.”
You’ll hurt your throat.
Ferio watched his daughter with mild concern as her laughter turned breathless.
Fortunately, she stopped just before her chest started to hurt.
“...So.”
Still catching her breath, Leonia asked in a low voice,
“What are you going to do now?”
The cheerful, lively twelve-year-old girl was gone.
Cold black eyes stared past the darkened window.
Leaning deep into the sofa, she placed her long legs brazenly on the table.
She was the very image of an arrogant beast.
Reviews
All reviews (0)