Chapter 32

Meanwhile, Cynthia, unaware that her appearance was the very embodiment of nobility and holiness, felt like she was dying inside.

‘Forget the cold—this stings! My eyes hurt! I feel like an ant under a magnifying glass!’

Unfortunately, sunlight was her weakness.

Fortunately, the light was gentle and not enough to cause burns.

The light shining on Cynthia spread down the wedding aisle, eventually reaching Massera, who stood opposite her in splendid formal attire.

Massera gazed expressionlessly at the bride, so white she seemed to emit light herself.

To him, Cynthia was nothing more than a shadow cast over his life.

‘If there comes a day when that bright face darkens because of me…’

Would seeing her completely ruined bring him relief, or would it leave him feeling uneasy?

Beyond his dark thoughts, the thick clouds parted and sunlight fell like curtains over the scene.

“I was sitting here ready to give them my whole-hearted blessings, you know!”

“I was the only one who recognized the value of that dress while everyone else was laughing at it!”

Fearing that they had incurred the wrath of God for their impure hearts, the guests began to hurriedly move towards the sunlit areas.

As Cynthia walked the aisle that gleamed like a path of light, her shoes sparkled like glass slippers.

“The princess is undoubtedly the reincarnation of the Frost Queen!”

“A princess blessed by the gods! I believe it! Please let me win the lottery!”

“The princess is truly the embodiment of good fortune! Please let me get a lover too!”

As the kitchen servants shouted loudly to create a sacred atmosphere, others followed suit and began calling out their wishes.

Even the designer from Mary Siren, who had created the dress, clapped his hands with a moved expression.

He really was lucky. If the weather had stayed cloudy, his masterpiece would have gone unnoticed and stayed just a plain dress until the end of the ceremony.

At the end of the wedding aisle, Massera stood with a solemn expression and extended his hand to Cynthia.

“Ah.”

Then he winced, shutting his eyes tightly against the light reflected off the jeweled bouquet.

Cynthia approached him with a smile.

‘You’re the one who insisted on this. This isn’t my fault. This thing is so heavy I could die.’

Massera, aware of the watching eyes, forced a faint smile.

‘I feel like I’m going blind. I shouldn’t have listened to that designer talk about how the jeweled bouquet would highlight the dress.’

Despite the two’s inner turmoil, to the guests, he simply looked like a groom overwhelmed by the bride’s beauty that he closed his eyes in awe.

What’s more, Cynthia’s dress and the jewels created a halo of light behind the two.

“The goddess herself must be blessing their marriage.”

Madam Lucanossa smiled in satisfaction, and so did her sisters, Madam Hills and Madam Veraché.

Helene, Cynthia’s elder sister, also kept a smile on her face.

‘She’s just a maid pretending to be a fake, but everyone’s praising her like a true princess. What pathetic people.’

“It was sunny all throughout our wedding too.”

The Dowager Duchess nodded.

“Yes, your marriage was blessed by the gods as well.”

No one mentioned the fact that a blizzard had begun as soon as that ceremony ended.

Meanwhile, Duke Henry Lucanossa watched Cynthia and Massera with a strange look.

‘How do they always manage to become the talk of town?’

Helene, who was true royalty, did not receive much public attention other than the fact that she was a member of the “Variessa Royal Family.”

Like the saying goes—if you’re famous, even pulling your pants down on the street gets applause, and with such fame comes both wealth and power. That was also why the incompetent Variessa royal family had reigned for so long.

The duke, who had married Helene for her fame and claim to the throne, let out a sigh.

From a show business perspective, Cynthia was the ideal star.

Her striking looks, her unique bright smile, her easygoing and down-to-earth demeanor, and the unusual events that seemed to happen around her—she was simply someone everyone would adore.

The same went for Brigadier General Massera del Vicente. His handsome looks and legendary achievements had turned even what should have been a lifelong blemish—his humble origins—into part of his heroic tale.

That was why even Princess Charlotte, daughter of the Yorkshire grand duchy and distant member of the Medeia royal family, had sent Massera a marriage proposal.

Princess Charlotte, who attended the wedding, sat upright with a dignified expression.

‘I was wondering what kind of great decision he had made after rejecting my proposal.’

She was still nursing her wounded pride after being rejected by Massera, a commoner. She had planned to marry the war hero to elevate her standing in the royal succession.

“Now, the bride and groom shall seal their vows with a kiss.”

The voice of the officiant, the Commander-in-Chief, rang out, slightly excited.

Cynthia stepped closer and as Massera lifted her veil, she whispered to him.

“Are we really doing this? Or just pretending? Or—”

“Close your mouth.”

Massera let out a faint sigh, thrown off because he’d actually meant to tell her to close her eyes.

There was no fooling the eyes of so many guests—especially not with reporters present.

‘Oh, telling me to close my mouth must mean we’re just pretending!’

Having come to that conclusion, Cynthia pressed her lips together firmly.

“Close your eyes.”

At Massera’s low voice, Cynthia slowly closed her eyes.

‘But how do you even pretend to do it?’

Cynthia, who had never kissed anyone in this life or her previous one, was briefly puzzled—until the scent of fresh wood at dawn drew near and a warm sensation brushed the corner of her lips.

For a fleeting moment, she thought that even a man as rigid as him could have a soft side—only to realize it was his lips and shrank back in flustered embarrassment.

‘Is this some kind of advanced technique—not quite doing it, but not exactly doing it either?’

His lips pulled away, and as applause erupted, Cynthia felt a little dazed.

All her attention was focused on his firm arm wrapped around her waist.

Then, Massera’s closed eyes slowly opened.

From up close—so close their noses were nearly touching—Massera’s eyes looked even more mysterious. Gazing into them, they were like a sea shimmering with iridescent light.

“They’re so pretty.”

He flinched at Cynthia’s words, which she had mumbled without realizing it, and hastily pushed her away.

‘But the way he acts isn’t pretty…’

Cynthia muttered inwardly and naturally turned to face the officiant as she was pushed away.

And as for the much-anticipated tossing of the jeweled bouquet, it was skipped for safety reasons.

***

By the time the ceremony ended, the weather had cleared as if the earlier gloom had never been.

I could sense that the way people looked at me had subtly changed.

It was like they were seeing some mystical being who could levitate or teleport.

“Lady Cynthia, shall we get you changed into your reception dress?”

I headed to my room, changed into a soft pink dress with a cape, and was about to go to the reception hall when Carlos approached.

“As your brother, I thought I’d escort you to the reception hall.”

“All right.”

I nodded for now and accepted.

At Carlos’s subtle signal to give us space, Dahlia gave a polite nod and stepped aside.

As he escorted me, he lowered his voice.

“It must be hard for you to accept marrying another man right now. But still, seeing you try your best makes me feel grateful and a little sorry too.”

“Trying my best?”

“Trying your best to win that man’s heart, I mean.”

Carlos took my hand and smiled, as if it were a reward for someone working hard for his sake.

If I were the real Cynthia, would I have been happy at his words?

“You’re right that I’m trying. But it hasn’t been all that hard.”

I looked up at him with a blank face and added—

“And it’s not just me trying. The General is making an effort too. Relationships are about both people putting in the effort, not just taking someone’s devotion for granted and using them.”

At my sharp remark, Carlos fell silent for a moment before speaking.

“He treats you a little nicer, and it seems you’re already getting carried away. Don’t tell me you actually think the general means it?”

Carlos continued, his voice tinged with resentment.

“There’s talk that once he gets what he wants, he plans to divorce you and remarry the Medeia grand duchy’s princess.”

***

As Major Rodriguez was turning the corner of the hallway, he came to a stop when he spotted Carlos and Cynthia.

And unintentionally, he overheard their conversation.

“...You’re nothing but a tool to be discarded once you’re no longer useful. To the Brigadier General and to Father.”

It wasn’t something an older brother should say to his sister.

Major Rodriguez had long felt a strange sense of kinship with Cynthia. It wasn’t just because they shared similar physical features.

In a world where he had no place, he chose to survive by making himself useful.

And he could see that Cynthia was no different.