DDW 8

Regardless of his shock, the ceremony proceeded without a hitch.

To the sound of the pipe organ, the couple stood shoulder to shoulder.

It was a modest ceremony, hard to believe it was the wedding of a Grand Duke, yet it followed every necessary procedure. Throughout the service, the Grand Duke did not spare Mirane a single glance.

As the hymn ended, the bishop held out the holy scripture and spoke.

“Place your hand upon the scripture and make your vow.”

Turning his head to look at the Grand Duke, Mirane couldn’t help but swallow a sigh.

‘So the rumors were true.’

The light filtering through the tesserae of the cathedral’s stained-glass windows covered the Grand Duke’s long black hair in shimmering colors. A faint breeze blew, causing the soft strands to flutter slightly, and eyes like transparent ice sparkled behind the mask.

In that moment, Mirane felt a wave of dizziness.

There was only one thing to say.

‘The rumors…’

Exhaling slowly, Mirane placed his hand on the scripture.

Once the series of vows were completed, a grand hymn echoed in his ears.

「Where love dwells, God resides.

The Father’s love has gathered us as one.

In His embrace, we shall sound the trumpet and rejoice.

Where love dwells, God resides.

A great will has led us to this place.

We shall love one another in truth.

Where love dwells, we become one.

Lest one piece be split into two,

Cast away wicked disputes and silence all contention.

Standing before the gates of heaven with the saints,

We proclaim glory before You, Holy Father.

O, infinite joy beyond measure,

May it continue without end.

Amen.」

As the final verse of the wedding song concluded, Mirane let out a long breath.

For some reason, he felt utterly exhausted.

The wedding was nearing its end.

“Please exchange the gifts.”

Mirane had been slightly worried, but the Grand Duke knelt before him obediently. The movement of sliding the ring onto his finger was slow but precise.

Staring silently at the ring now encircling his ring finger, Mirane calmed his complicated thoughts.

“The marriage contract is the soul of each other. It is the certification of a vow to remain faithful and not betray one another’s hearts until you stand before God. Do the Grand Duke and the Grand Duke’s consort resolve to live as husband and husband for eternity?”

Swallowing hard, Mirane answered.

“Yes.”

After a short silence, a low voice resonated.

“I do.”

The Grand Duke’s hand covered Mirane’s.

A reverent kiss burned the back of his hand.

‘Ah.’

Letting out a shallow moan, Mirane swallowed his bewilderment.

The Grand Duke, who had been kissing the back of his hand, suddenly lifted his head and gazed at Mirane.

In the reflection of those blue eyes, Mirane somehow saw a face that looked like a lonely child.

And so, the wedding ended.

Afterward, Mirane attended the reception, where he was introduced to the Grand Duke’s vassals and received their oaths of loyalty.

Whether it was because they were men of the North and thus sparse in emotional expression, or because they were wary of Mirane, a political rival to their lord, most of them knelt before Mirane with stoic faces and kissed his ring.

He also met the three knights he had seen at the city gates. The first to kiss Mirane’s ring was Strauss, followed by Rabe and then Lynn.

The house with the highest rank was Strauss. With a look of fleeting hostility, Strauss bluntly kissed the hand wearing the ring, and following him, most of the knights pledged their loyalty with indifferent expressions. Most of the knights were as cold as he was—except for the knight of the Lynn family, who bore the wolf emblem.

“I sincerely welcome you to your official position.”

“Welcome?”

“There are many grumbling fools, but now even they won’t be able to treat you carelessly. Not even the Grand Duke.”

“No one has treated me carelessly even now.”

The knight burst into laughter at those words, as if something were particularly amusing.

“I am Edmund Lynn.”

Mirane watched Edmund, who rose after kissing the ring, with a quiet smile. Masking his cooling heart, he pretended to have a gentle expression.

Once the oaths were finished, the true banquet began. The people of the fief danced and sang, mingling with the knights. The Grand Duke sat in the seat of honor, conversing with Strauss about something. Mirane drank alone in silence.

No one spoke to him, and Mirane did not feel the need to step forward in front of the crowd.

Once the banquet had reached its peak, Mirane quietly rose from his seat to avoid the gaze of others. Returning to his room, he threw himself onto the bed and fell asleep without realizing it.

He had a dream.

‘Mother!’

In the dream, a boy reached out both hands, trying to grab the ankle of a beautiful woman who was flying away. The woman, whose hair looked as if it were spun from silver thread, was flying through the sky with translucent wings.

The boy reached out toward the woman who was about to take flight from the windowsill, but Read on Read BL Novelshe failed to grasp the slender ankle he unauthorized copyaimed for. Grabbing only her shoe, the boy fell into [stolen content]despair as he looked at the beautiful white foot before his eyes.

She’s leaving!

In the end, she is leaving again today!

Violet eyes were looking at Mirane warmly.

With his face drenched in tears, the boy, Mirane, wailed desperately.

‘Don’t go! Please, please! Don’t leave me and Father behind!’

However, the scream did not last long.

The boy, now a grown man, opened his eyes.

“Ah.”

Blinking his moist eyes, Mirane stared into the air.

‘Another dream…’

What brought him back to his senses was a calm voice.

“You are shedding tears.”

An ‘ah’ escaped Mirane’s lips.

With a bewildered face, he looked up. Fragmented words spilled out from his hazy mind.

“I’m sorry… I fell aslee…”

“Do not act so pitiful; I will not lay a hand on you even if you don’t cry like that, Mirane Raster.”

At the gloomy voice, Mirane fell silent.

As Mirane looked up, a man with a somber smile stood there.

Mirane’s breath stopped.

A moment of silence passed.

“Your Grace.”

Mirane’s eyes wavered.

The Grand Duke, who had received the Moon of Wicker, was glaring at him with an intense gaze. Between the cold silver mask where blue moonlight flowed, two eyes flashed like demon flowers. He possessed an irresistible pressure. The King of the North suppressed Mirane’s breath by his mere existence.

Beneath the silver mask, the lips curled into a sneer.

A slow voice followed.

“Tears, indeed.”

Before Mirane could say anything, the Grand Duke continued in a cold voice.

“What rumors circulate about me in the Holy City?”

Gathering his thoughts, Mirane opened his lips.

“I judge a person with my own two eyes, not by rumors.”

Then, he looked at the Grand Duke with clear eyes.

The Grand Duke remained silent for a short moment at those words. Mirane could read a hint of bewilderment in him.

“Enough.”

After a while, the Grand Duke spoke in a sharp voice and glared at Mirane. Gauging the Grand Duke’s mood internally, Mirane’s face inadvertently stiffened. It was because an aura bordering on bloodlust was flowing.

“Your Grace.”

“I already know the gist of it, unauthorized copyso there is no need to speak… And I’ll tell [unauthorized copy]you now, [Read on Read BL Novels]those rumors are likely true, Mirane Raster.”

Mirane was left speechless.

‘The rumors are true?’

Mirane looked up at the Grand Duke.

A sense of gloom clung to the face beneath the mask. The man was looking down at Mirane with a twisted smile. He was targeting him with a gaze filled with contempt and hostility.

Trembling slightly, Mirane suddenly noticed the cloth wrapped around the Grand Duke’s right hand and froze.

‘No.’

The foul rumors from the capital flashed through his mind.

‘He didn’t seem like that kind of person.’

In that moment, a hollow laugh escaped him.

‘I’m doomed.’

The Grand Duke, who had been watching Mirane silently, reached out toward him.

“Your father does not love you.”

Mirane flinched for a moment but did not avoid the touch.

The elegant hand moved toward the curly light-brown hair.

The Grand Duke’s face was cold, his emotions unreadable.

“A bastard, are you?”

“…Yes.”

The Grand Duke played with Mirane’s hair like a toddler fiddling with a toy. Mirane’s face [unauthorized copy]was pale and looked somewhat frail. stolen contentAs the Grand Duke observed visit our sitehis complexion, a trace of sarcasm flickered across his face and vanished.

“How pitiful!”

Suddenly shaking off the hair in his hand, the Grand Duke continued coldly.

“The choice is yours, Mirane Raster.”

It was a statement that unsettled Mirane.

“If you wish, I shall leave this room immediately.”

Flustered, Mirane’s gaze shifted to the eye patch, and his body stiffened. Shaking off his hesitation, he spoke through gritted teeth.

“You cannot.”

A couple who does not unite on their first night is not a true couple.

Recalling the meaning of a political marriage, Mirane glared into the Grand Duke’s eyes.

If he wanted to run away, he could have fled from the capital. He could have accepted Raisa’s proposal. But in the end, he chose not to run.

If so, shouldn’t he take responsibility for that choice?

“I…”

The Grand Duke was looking at Mirane with a dry expression.

“I came to Wicker to become the Grand Duke’s spouse.”

Having completely composed his heart, Mirane reached out and grabbed the Grand Duke’s clothes. While staring into each other’s eyes, Mirane Raster slowly moved his lips.

“I want a night with Your Grace.”

Taking a deep breath, Mirane carefully opened the gap in his clothes. A clean scent wafted from between the slightly opened fabric of the Grand Duke’s attire. With his expression softening slightly, Mirane Raster continued in a low voice.

“Would you please allow it?”