Chapter 3 They got married

"Isn't that a messenger from Arandel? Why is she with the second prince?"

"Did they sleep together last night?"

"I know that the second prince is friendly to anyone, but he is not a man who easily sleeps together with foreign women."

"Have they met before?"

The whispers sounded very clear in Elodie's ears. Her head was still dizzy, the effects of alcohol. It was her own fault for letting herself get drunk with Keyden. Yes, Keyden was also drunk, causing both of them to lose control of themselves. Elodie could still remember what happened last night. She was drunk, and Keyden escorted her back to her room. She thought he went back to his own room. However, she was wrong. Keyden was sleeping next to her. Wasn't that what could lead to bad gossip about her? Even though they did nothing, the thought of the servants seeing Keyden coming out of Elodie's room in the early morning caused controversy.

As the servants helped her change, their gazes seemed to differ from yesterday. It was as if the gossip that was quickly circulated tainted their minds. No matter what, if she were in their shoes, Elodie would think so too. Envoy Arandel had a one-night stand with the second prince.

"Are you alright, Your Highness." Rifian startled Elodie.

"I'm fine. Just a little dizzy."

"Do you know the man sitting on the main podium? He's been staring at you ever since."

It seemed Rifian had not known about the news circulating in the servants. Naturally, since their places of stay were different.

"Ah, he's the younger brother of His Majesty Emperor Rhydian."

"Really? I just found out that the bastard has a younger brother. You should stay away from the Higala imperial family. It's possible that the two men have the same characteristics."

"You can't call him that, Rifian. He's still the emperor of Higala after all, even if his attitude is an asshole." Elodie smothered her mouth to keep the sound of her laughter from escaping.

Rhydian's wedding went smoothly. Elodie thought she would feel a lot of pain, but she was wrong. She only felt a little claustrophobic when she saw Rhydian and Lady Ophira kissing at the formalization of their marriage. She should have been there, shouldn't she? The dream she had hoped for didn't happen. She always came to the chapel, praying day and night that Rhydian would successfully become emperor. Elodie always asked the Gods not to hurt Rhydian. However, she forgot to pray that they could still be together. Rhydian could achieve victory, become the emperor, and live a healthy life, but they had to part because of their incompatible destinies.

Elodie and Rhydian's gazes met. The man's gaze was still the same, warm and soothing. Elodie immediately looked away. She couldn't be like this. Her world no longer belonged to Rhydian. Everything had changed, and she had to forget about him. Accept fate and immediately focus on her own life. Although they still loved each other, Elodie didn't want to be blinded by love. Their passionate love must not dominate and make their lives fall apart.

Many people will be disappointed if she insists on staying with Rhydian. Her family, her people, and Lady Ophira could not carry out her plans. As a fellow woman, Elodie knew how Lady Ophira felt. Marrying a man who had killed a beloved. Sounds painful, doesn't it? Every time she looked at Rhydian, the wound would sting. Lady Ophira would constantly remember her late lover.

***

"Do you want to go straight back to your country? Isn't that too soon?"

"I also have another business, Your Highness Keyden."

Keyden furrowed his brows. Why was Elodie suddenly calling him like that? She liked it when Elodie called him by name only, not using any honorifics. When Elodie called him with honorifics, he felt all foreign. "Don't call me like that. I like it when you call me like yesterday."

Elodie smiled awkwardly. "It can't be like that. I seem to have gotten a little drunk yesterday." It's a lie. That's a lie. Elodie actually liked the familiarity of yesterday. However, she couldn't be so casual with a prince.

"I'm sorry. You must have had a hard time hearing the gossip from the servants." It was all his fault for not being able to control himself. Keyden was sorry.

"Why are you apologizing? As if you're the only one at fault." Elodie laughed. "Hey, you and I are both drunk. Didn't we do anything? Just sleeping, right?"

That laugh. Keyden pondered for a moment. Keyden has been mesmerized ever since he first met Elodie. That woman had her own uniqueness. Was there a noblewoman who had calloused hands? She was definitely good at swordsmanship. Looking at her current attire, most likely the woman will ride a horse. Seeing that the bodyguards were not few, it meant that Elodie was quite an important person at Arandel. Who exactly was this woman? Why did his hunch say that Elodie was not just an ordinary noble child?

"Well, you didn't lose a single piece of clothing, did you?" he joked, which was rewarded with a glare from Elodie. "Sorry, sorry. I was just teasing you."

Isn't that so cute? The look on Elodie's face was suddenly adorable. The woman who looked tough and strong enough looked like a cat caught stealing fish. So cute. Keyden didn't know why he was so curious about Elodie. Did he already have his heart set on the woman he just met yesterday? Wasn't that too soon?

"Do you want to go home to meet your boyfriend?" The question was just an alibi. "You've only been apart for a few days."

"I don't have a boyfriend." It wasn't a lie, was it? Her relationship with Rhydian was over, even though he disapproved of Elodie's decision.

That was good news. It was as if something had exploded in Keyden's heart. His smile suddenly expanded, like a cake with yeast. "What? You don't have a lover. What a pity. Whereas women your age are usually married?" he continued, pretending to be surprised. Again, he was just teasing. He liked Elodie's expression.

Hearing that, Elodie looked upset. If only Rhydian wasn't married to another woman, maybe she was already married. It should have been her who walked down the aisle with Rhydian, and said the sacred vows of marriage. "So, what about you? You're also at an age that's ready to get married, right? Is there no woman who wants to marry an ignorant prince like you?" As if not to be outdone. The two of them argued with each other. Arguing over something unimportant.

Keyden laughed. "Well, make no mistake. Many women are queuing up to be my lover. However, I'm not interested in them."

"Are you interested in men?"

That ridiculous question made Keyden unable to maintain his dignity as a prince. His laughter intensified. If the imperial family had seen him, they would have taken him away and instructed him to learn about princely manners. "Hey, I'm still normal."

Elodie's eyes narrowed, disbelieving Keyden's one-sided statement. Seeing that look, Keyden brought his face closer.

"Do you need proof?"

Their gazes locked together. It was enough to make Elodie feel awkward. "What... what do you want to do?" She cleared her throat and pulled away.

"I just want to prove that I'm still normal."

"Yes. I... already believe." Elodie looked nervous. She pushed Keyden's body away from her. "Did you want to kiss me?" She rolled her eyes. "Wow, I didn't expect that a prince would want to kiss a woman he just met. You'd better learn some more etiquette."

Keyden widened his eyes. "Who wants to kiss you? I just want to tease you. You're too confident."

"Wow, I didn't realize that besides having a lot of confidence, you're also annoying."

Keyden felt his stomach hurt from laughing throughout their conversation. He had never been like this before. He often had conversations with noblewomen, but nothing could beat Elodie's existence. The woman spread a positive aura, making anyone comfortable to linger in conversation with her.