As the biting cold of winter began to fade, the warmth of spring gently made its entrance.
From winter to spring, Elaina’s days passed in a whirlwind of activity. Before Diane and Nathan left for Hennet, she made it a point to see them as much as possible. At the same time, she frequently met with Lyle to show the world that their relationship was solidifying.
Since their night date, the two often ventured out together at night. They attended operas and explored the city, and Elaina experienced the daily life of commoners—something she had never done before. They occasionally visited Colin’s tavern, where Elaina saw sides of Lyle that had previously been hidden from her, leaving a lasting impression.
Through Colin, Elaina learned many things about Lyle, such as how, based on his skills alone, he should have risen to the rank of ten-thousand-man captain She also discovered the hardships he endured from a young age simply because he was a descendant of the Archducal family.
“There were ten centurions like me under the captain. You’ll enjoy meeting them; they’re all good people.”
Although Elaina didn’t fully understand the military hierarchy, she gathered that a centurion commanded ten soldiers, and a centurion answered to a captain who commanded ten of them.
Spring had arrived, and with it came the realization that Elaina and Lyle’s wedding was approaching.
***
“I hereby declare the marriage between the two to be established.”
Despite the declaration, there was no reaction. No thunderous applause, no crowd of guests filling the hall. The wedding, attended only by their immediate families, was so small that even calling it modest seemed like an overstatement.
When the rumors first circulated that Elaina Winchester’s wedding would be a secret family affair, people found it hard to believe. How could the only daughter of the Winchester family get married without inviting anyone?
Yet, despite the skepticism, Elaina’s wedding proceeded quietly, attended only by her parents and Knox.
“Why do you look so tense?” Elaina whispered to Lyle as they walked down the red carpet after the ceremony. His face was set in a stiff expression, as though something weighed heavily on his mind.
“I think we could have done the wedding properly,” he replied, clearly bothered by the low-key ceremony.
“If it’s because of me, there was no need to make it so small,” he added.
Elaina, though dressed in a more elaborate white gown, looked much the same as usual. Even the dress wasn’t new, just something she already owned—it wasn’t prepared specifically for the wedding.
“I heard Diane Redwood’s wedding was incredibly grand.”
“Diane? Why bring her up now?”
Lyle fell silent. The comment had come from Leo, who had been visiting frequently for swordsmanship duels, still upset that Elaina had held the wedding without inviting him.
Leo had grumbled that Elaina should have had a more extravagant wedding than Lady Redwood. Lyle had agreed but didn’t push the issue, especially not with Elaina.
To Lyle’s surprise, Elaina merely scoffed. “Why should I concern myself with that? Let’s leave such fantasies for the next person, shall we?”
The idea of a grand wedding was laughable. Inviting guests would have been an ordeal in itself, and surely Lyle knew that.
‘He’s surprisingly has a stronger sense of responsibility than I thought.’
Given the Winchester family’s prestige, they should have had a large guest list, but most nobles in the capital wanted nothing to do with the disgraced Grant family. Lyle’s willingness to endure such humiliation for the sake of the marriage was telling, though it didn’t bother Elaina in the least.
Lyle Grant would undoubtedly regain his former glory in a year’s time, and the Archduchy would rise once more to its past brilliance—with her help.
Considering the changes to come, there was no need to burden Lyle with a humiliating memory of their wedding.
“A grand wedding? Have that in a year’s time, with someone you’ll spend the rest of your life with.”
Their divorce had already been decided. If Elaina threw an extravagant wedding now, Lyle’s future bride would surely be compared to her.
It wasn’t just for Lyle’s sake either. Once her marriage with Lyle ended, Elaina would need to find a proper match for herself as well. It was better to keep things simple now, for the sake of her future husband.
“We’ll at least invite each other, won’t we?”
“If that’s what you want.”
Talking about their future marriages as they walked down the aisle might have been a bit strange, but it marked the beginning of their one-year marriage.
***
“Are you going to keep reading those documents?”
“You’ve been working just as much, haven’t you?”
After the wedding, they went on a trip. Though it was called a honeymoon, it was purely for appearances.
Due to the Duchess’s remark that “People are already talking a lot about your quiet wedding, and if you don’t go on a honeymoon, everyone will start to question your relationship,” they eventually decided to spend some time at a nearby villa.
Stretching her arms, Elaina grumbled, “There’s no time to waste like this. I had no idea renovating the estate would be this difficult.”
At this rate, the renovations wouldn’t be done before summer.
The carriage was packed not with luggage for the trip, but with furniture catalogs and wallpaper samples. Lyle, too, was surrounded by thick stacks of documents.
It was a far cry from anything resembling a romantic honeymoon. Thinking it might be a good time for a break, Elaina spoke up.
“How’s your work going?”
“There are more documents than I expected, but it’s manageable.”
With the wedding behind him, Lyle’s next move was to cleanse the Mabel Mountains of the monsters that plagued the region. To do that, he planned to rebuild the Grant family’s knightly order.
“I’m sorry. This is all just a waste of time.”
“A waste?”
“The honeymoon, I mean. It would’ve been better to save it for your next marriage.”
At her words, Lyle closed his documents and looked straight at her.
“You said something similar at the wedding.”
“Huh? About what?”
“This is a real marriage, Elaina.”
A “real” marriage. The unexpected word caught Elaina off guard, and she blinked, unsure how to respond.
“Aren’t you supposed to be my faithful wife for the next year? That’s what we agreed on when I proposed, wasn’t it?”
“I didn’t mean—”
She raised her voice in flustered protest.
“Didn’t mean what?”
“I just… I just didn’t want things to get awkward.”
“Awkward?”
Trying to compose herself, Elaina turned to look out the window, pretending to straighten her hair. A real marriage? Was there such a thing as a fake one?
The archbishop himself had pronounced them wed, so of course, she was now officially the Archduchess of Grant. And yet, hearing those words from Lyle made her strangely unsettled.
“We’re going to part ways in a year anyway. What if you fall for me by accident?” she quipped, though she immediately heard Lyle’s low chuckle.
“Ah, sorry.”
His lips curled into a crooked smile, as if amused by the thought.
“I never imagined you’d be worried about something like that. Don’t worry, I keep my promises.”
The implication was clear: he wouldn’t be falling for her. It was an obvious statement, but somehow, it bruised Elaina’s pride.
“Well, that’s a relief. Seems like I was worried for nothing.”
“Yes, you were,” he said, driving the point home.
“And so was I! I’ll make sure we get divorced in a year, no matter what,” Elaina added hastily.
“Good.”
His tone was calm, but the little smile playing on his lips made it clear that he found her flustered response amusing. Trying to brush off the irritation bubbling inside her, Elaina grabbed a furniture catalog and pretended to read it. When she glanced at Lyle again, he had already gone back to reviewing his documents, seemingly unaffected by their exchange.