After a few days of rest, a hectic schedule rushed back like a wave.

Elfreda felt like she was going to vomit as she memorized the terms used in the court and calculated the royal budget to the point where her head turned gray until the King’s face became naturally blurry due to exhaustion.

As she gradually forgot him, Elfreda found solace.

“Today, we will study the history from the previous Kings to the current King.”

Unexpectedly, she encountered him again in history class.

As she flipped through the book with a tired face, she suddenly paused. There was a face that resembled someone she knew. Next to it was a portrait of a beautiful woman, and below that, it seemed like someone’s image was inserted.

She tried not to look closely at the face below, but the history teacher began reciting the history of the previous Kings.

Suppressing her unease, Elfreda focused on the teacher’s story.

“…So, King Olaf III, who was a great ruler with excellent strategy and remarkable military leadership, unfortunately, passed away at the age of 31. He unexpectedly lost his life while attending the coronation ceremony in the Giver Kingdom due to an unforeseen storm.”

The teacher explained with a gloomy voice.

“At that time, his queen accompanied him, and as a result, only one young prince remained in the royal family. With the young prince’s age of only three, lord Philip ascended to the throne, becoming King Philip II.”

As the teacher continued explaining King Philip II’s reign, her expression gradually paled. It was because of the name that was inevitably going to appear at the end.

“…With remarkable strategic advantages and great determination, King Philip II managed to protect the kingdom even from the hooves of the savage Makaeri Empire, an empire formed solely by force and uniting many tribes. However, an unexpected situation arose five years ago when King Philip went on an expedition to the troubled Giver Kingdom…”

“….”

“…And he fell in battle alongside his son, Prince Anders.”

At this point, the teacher’s voice clearly slowed down and stiffened.

Elfreda, who had reddened eyes without realizing it, felt like she was being scrutinized by the history teacher’s gaze as her breath seemed to catch.

“In the end, Olaf III’s only son ascended the throne, and he is now the current King.”

There seemed to be no way to avoid it now.

Elfreda finally, with trembling eyes, looked at the man’s picture that she had tried so hard not to see. A dignified and elegant face met her gaze. Even though it was just a painting, it felt like it was capturing her entire body.

Her heart began to beat rapidly.

— Ejnar Machi

Elfreda, who learned his name for the first time, whispered it softly without making a sound. The soft rolling of her tongue tasted bitter. The history teacher, who stared at her with a gaze that was far from friendly, spoke.

“Shall we continue with the description of the current King’s reign?”

* * *

Time passed quickly, and finally, her wedding day arrived.

Perhaps due to the exhausting schedule that had felt like a war or maybe because she had no particular expectations for this marriage, Elfreda prepared for the wedding with a calm attitude that was uncharacteristic of the bride.

Her expression looked more like that of a woman going into the monastery than a wedding.

“Alright, all is finished.”

Wearing a delicate white lace veil on her head and an elegant and modest pure white dress, Elfreda looked beautiful enough in everyone’s eyes.

The maids who were dressing her acknowledged this fact inside, but no one dared to praise her openly. Complimenting a savage woman like her would hurt their pride, after all. Instead, they offered different words.

“It must be lonely when no one came from your homeland.”

Despite the content, it was a mocking tone.

Elfreda maintained a composed silence. She had heard the news that an embassy had been sent from Makaeri to celebrate her wedding. However, even if the embassy had arrived, it would not have elicited any particular enthusiasm from her.

The wedding took place at St. Diane’s Cathedral near the royal palace. As Elfreda rode in a carriage, she did not feel the reality of her wedding until the moment she waited in the bride’s waiting room.

Finally, it was time for her to enter, and Elfreda walked into the venue with an expressionless face.

“I present Elfreda Makaeri, the Princess of Makaeri.”

As soon as the door opened, unfriendly glances were directed at her. The hostility was so palpable that she felt like her breath was being cut off. She forced herself to take each step, feeling like she might vomit at any moment.

Finally, she stood by the side of a man, gasping for breath.

Only now did she realize what she had been oblivious to in the midst of countless gazes. His beautiful face was gazing at Elfreda.

Her heart began to race.

Even though she hadn’t felt her heart pounding on her way here, it was now beating rapidly. Elfreda found herself swallowing dryly, avoiding his gaze as if she had done something wrong.

“On this beautiful day with the sun shining, to the noble and great lineage of Machi…”

The bride had entered, and the wedding officiant began, but he soon stopped. The officiant hesitated, unable to find words to describe Elfreda.

Then, he started again.

“…A beautiful woman from distant lands is joining to create a new family.”

It was fortunate that words like ‘savage barbarian’ weren’t mentioned. After all, the person marrying that ‘savage barbarian’ was their sacred king. It would be best to avoid excessive disdain on such a formal occasion.

While the initially awkward ceremony continued, Elfreda, whose lips were drying up due to tension, glanced at the man standing next to her. He had a very indifferent expression and didn’t seem to be paying much attention to the officiant’s words.

What could he be thinking? Did he consider it unfortunate to marry a savage woman who killed his uncle?

Elfreda had mercilessly realized why he had to despise her when she learned his name during the history class.

In such a situation, her heart was beating so fast without any consideration. It was truly outrageous. How shameless and unscrupulous her heart was. She couldn’t afford for him to hear this sound. Elfreda tightened her grip on her dress and nervously wondered why her heart was beating so fast.

“Will the groom promise to love the bride and cherish her as his wife for the rest of his life?”

“Yes.”

The dry response lacked sincerity to anyone who heard it, but Elfreda found it better this way. If he had responded with sincerity, it would have been a far crueler lie.

“Will the bride promise to love the groom and cherish him as her husband for the rest of her life?”

…It shouldn’t be like this.

Elfreda’s eyelids trembled.

Unintentionally, she glanced at Ejnar. As if asking why she was looking at him, their eyes met, and Elfreda quickly averted her face as if she had committed a shameful act. Then, she replied in a hurried voice.

“Yes.”

“By this declaration, the two are now declared husband and wife.”

Congratulatory applause resonated throughout the venue.

Despite the presence of many guests, the applause felt low and sluggish. In the atmosphere where it was difficult to distinguish whether it was a funeral or a wedding, she closed her eyes in embarrassment, thinking that it might have been better that no one from her homeland had come.

After the wedding, they had to attend a banquet immediately.

Elfreda was exhausted, possibly due to the tension that she had not felt during the ceremony. She wanted nothing more than to rest, but now she was the queen of Machi.

As the mistress of the royal family, she had to exchange greetings with numerous nobles. However, when she entered the banquet hall, she hoped that she might be able to return home earlier than expected. Unlike Ejnar, who was surrounded by countless nobles of all ages, the bride’s side was sparse.

The phrase ‘as busy as a bee’ was no exaggeration.

“Seems like no one came to greet Your Highness.”

Marchioness Magnum sneered as if she had expected this and asked from the side.

“Staying here must be difficult for you. Would you like to leave now?”

“Is that so?”

While attending the banquet was the duty of a newlywed couple in Machi, there was no reason to do so if no one welcomed her. Elfreda was grateful for Marchioness Magnum’s words for the first time, which were just empty talk.

The bewildered Marchioness Magnum stared at her with a puzzled expression.

“I’ll go inside first. Marchioness can enjoy the banquet more.”

“All right. Another handmaid will attend to you.”

“It’s fine. I’d like to walk alone for a bit.”

Elfreda turned her body and walked outside the banquet hall and was about to go to her own palace…

“Elfreda.”

…If it hadn’t been that familiar voice, she would have continued to walk. Elfreda froze on the spot, startled by the unexpected voice.

__