This novel has a European fantasy background and takes historical figures from western noble culture, such as the Grand Duke, Duke, Marquess, baron, and others.
This work is purely the author's imagination, and please forgive me if there is something that does not match the history.
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"Do you two promise to love and cherish each other for the rest of your lives?"
"Yes."
He answered without the slightest hesitation, while he just stared blankly at the priest. Can he hope that this marriage will be successful?
"Yvonne?"
A voice above his head snapped him out of his thoughts. She looked up at the man who would become her husband.
He wore a neat black suit which was different from his usual clothes. The clothes were so attached to his body, that they couldn't hide the contours of his body which could attract the hearts of women.
His hair was combed back showing his smooth forehead. Her eyes shone under the hot sunlight which made Yvonne think of the Citrine gem. It was so beautiful that he was almost lost in it.
He was like perfection itself.
Much taller than an adult man in general, his shoulders are broad, his waist is slim, and his body is proportionate like a male model who often appears on the cover of magazines.
He also wore a very luxurious robe that suited his identity. There was no doubt he reeked of money from head to toe.
Not much different from her, she also wore a famous designer wedding dress with diamonds encrusted on it. Sprinkled with pearls and rubies, her dress was sewn with an open design at the chest that allowed her to reveal her delicate collarbones.
He had to say, that she was so beautiful today that anyone would be amazed to see her.
Their wedding was held at the royal temple and only a few royal members were invited.
"..."
Aldrich looked down at the woman in front of him, "Aren't you going to answer?"
His voice was gentle but Yvonne felt a cold blow over her head.
"Does the bride, Yvonne Valentine sincerely love and vow to be with Aldrich Ciello Van Dominique for the rest of her life?"
The priest asked once again because he did not get an answer from the bride.
Whispers began to be heard, causing Yvonne to break her focus and look once again at the guest chairs. There all the royal members gathered as one as well as other nobles.
He had come this far, there was no way he was going to undo it. Yvonne took a deep breath, she would only survive this marriage for one year, after that she would let it go. It was impossible for them to be together forever, like most married couples.
"Um... yeah."
"I will continue the loving exchange of rings between each other."
Finally, the two people took out the rings that were in the box.
An eighteen carat white diamond ring with a simple design.
Yvonne grabbed Aldrich's cold finger and put the ring on his ring finger.
Likewise, Aldrich also put the ring on Yvonne's ring finger.
"I hereby declare that the two of them have officially become husband and wife. You may kiss your bride now!" The priest smiled warmly at the newlywed couple he had married.
Silence. Not a single one moved. The two people remained standing where they were and treated the priest's words like mosquitoes buzzing in their ears.
The priest smiled awkwardly, he looked at the invited guests embarrassedly. "Maybe both of them are still shy." The priest tried to break the tense atmosphere. "Well, I congratulate the Crown Prince and Crown Princess."
Applause began to roar in the wedding hall, breaking the originally silent atmosphere.
Yvonne hooked the corners of her lips in an attempt to smile, even though it felt very strange. There wasn't a single trace of happiness between the two of them, leaving people guessing what was happening.
"Sigh."
Yvonne took a deep breath when she felt her head feel like it was going to explode because of the accessories that filled her head.
Dozens of tufts of hair adorned his hair which made his scalp feel like it was being pulled into it.
"This is the ninth one."
Feeling irritated, she placed the butterfly-shaped hairpin on the dressing table.
Now there was only the corset that had felt suffocating her.
While looking in the mirror, she tried to remove the dress with difficulty. But apparently, when he went to the corset he didn't succeed in removing it and only left part of it.
Never mind, the important thing is that his chest doesn't feel suffocated like before.
Yvonne fell on the bed, staring at the ceiling of her room.
She did not expect that she had married the number one man in the Kingdom who was highly adored by women. He didn't know how his brother would react when he saw this.
Knock knock knock.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
"Come in!"
He answered without thinking.
He had asked Cherry, his maid, to prepare hot tea to reduce his fatigue.
"Are you ready?"
But it was a deep, cold voice that greeted him.
No, this is not Cherry's voice. Startled, Yvonne got out of bed.
His eyes widened when he saw the person in front of him.
"Crown Prince?"
Yvonne's face quickly turned red when she saw her slightly revealing clothes.
Why didn't he button his shirt?
Yvonne turned around and patted her hot cheeks, seeing the toned abdominal muscles exposed in front of her.
"Are you embarrassed?"
"No," Yvonne denied vehemently.
Aldrich smiled coldly then walked over to Yvonne. "That's right. That word will never appear in your life, because you dare to tease me, even though you know I hate you."
Surprised, Yvonne looked at herself.
Unlucky.
She forgot that her dress had come off, leaving only her corset.
Panicking, Yvonne jumped onto the bed. He then took a blanket to cover his body.
"What are you doing?" said Yvonne worriedly seeing Aldrich who kept approaching.
"Of course to do our duty." Aldrich walked slowly towards Yvonne who was sitting on the bed.
Obligation, that means...
"Today is the first night."
Was what he just said the first night? No, didn't he say he hated her? Why would he want to do it with her?
"Do you think our marriage is fake?"
"No."
Even though they married under compulsion, the sacred vows and marriage certificate were genuine. Unfortunately, only the Crown Prince was forced to do so, but not him.
Aldrich nodded his head hearing Yvonne's answer.
"Since our marriage is genuine, then shouldn't we fulfill our marital obligations?"
"No... no," Yvonne stammered. "I think you misunderstood."
"That's only done by lovers who love each other and we're not part of that. Why should we do it?"
Aldrich chuckled slightly, then brought his mouth closer to Yvonne's ear. "You yourself acted like a slut and stole your own sister's fiancé, shouldn't you mind doing that with me?"
Yvonne's palms clenched when she heard Aldrich's cruel words. With all his might he held back the flood of tears that gathered in the corners of his eyes.
Yes, he did steal his sister's fiancé himself. Even though his father forced him to do it, he had his own selfish desires in his heart.
"I need it to convince that old fart. Didn't you see the black shadow near the window?"
Suddenly, Yvonne turned her gaze and saw a black shadow figure standing watching the two of them.
Apparently they had been watching him all along.
With trembling hands, Yvonne wrapped her arms around Aldrich's neck, then pulled his face closer to hers.
"Do it!"
Even though his heart was beating fast when he said that, he convinced himself to remain calm.
Aldrich slowly brought his face closer to Yvonne and then slowly his shadow enveloped her.