Nobles often married their children to members of other noble houses to strengthen alliances or as a form of payment for agreements.
Before the war, Baron Frederic offered his eldest daughter to Count Cuthred's son, hoping to strengthen their relationship and open the door to new opportunities and deals between the two houses.
The wedding ceremony was to be held at the largest church in the capital. The event was of such magnitude that commoners could not imagine it. The church's walls were made of polished stone, intricately engraved with scenes from the Bible and other imagery.
Only members of the upper class and relatives from the groom's side were present inside the church. To everyone's surprise, Prince Pepin himself attended on behalf of the royal family.
Although Pepin remained a prince, his word still carried considerable weight, making him the center of attention.
A door near the altar opened, and a well-dressed man, likely someone's servant, appeared to announce the bride's arrival.
"Attention. Baron Avice has arrived, escorting the bride." At these words, everyone focused their attention on the entrance.
Icarus, already standing at the altar, was visibly annoyed.
Who do they think they are? Why the hell did it take them so long to arrive? Do they really think they'll gain something from this marriage? Fools. In the end, we're getting more out of this union than they are.
Now that their family is weakened, we'll be the ones in control. Eventually, I'll take it all for myself. Plus, I heard the Baron's daughter is beautiful. That's a bonus.
A young woman emerged from the side door. She hesitated at first, taking in the opulent church interior filled with nobles, only a few of whom smiled at her—and even then, their smiles were clearly insincere. The church was magnificently decorated and well-lit.
She gathered her resolve and walked toward the man waiting for her at the altar. He frowned, clearly displeased at first, but as she drew closer, his expression softened.
She's... beautiful. Icarus thought. She had green eyes and dark brown hair. Her face was oval, her skin smooth. She had thick eyebrows, but that only added to her charm in his eyes.
Her dress was colored to complement her eyes and hair.
She stopped in front of him and looked up. A slight smile appeared on his face. He had short black hair and blue eyes. He was taller than her, and his physique was clearly fit.
Before he could say anything, another announcement was made.
"Attention. The priest to conduct the ceremony has arrived." Right on cue, a young man in a simple brown tunic with a green stripe on his arms, signifying his priesthood, walked to the altar, carrying a Bible.
Avice found a seat in the front row among the guests. As the young priest turned to face the congregation, Avice recognized him, but she couldn't immediately recall why. Wait... she thought, her memory slowly catching up. That's him—one of the clergymen who acted against Rafael in Calistoga! No way!
The bride and groom turned to face the priest.
"I, Priest Aaran, will lead this ceremony, uniting this man and woman under our Lord's blessing!"
"We have here the groom, Icarus Hildebrand," the priest said, looking at Icarus.
"And the bride, Ella..." As Aaran's eyes fell on the bride, he suddenly stopped speaking.
Everyone knew this was his first wedding ceremony, but no one expected him to falter like this. The ceremony had been going smoothly, so what could have gone wrong?
Avice, sitting in the front, suddenly realized what was happening when she heard the priest's name. He was one of the clergymen who conspired against Rafael back in Calistoga!
Icarus, sensing something amiss, whispered to the priest. This idiot is ruining my wedding!
"What's wrong?" he muttered, not expecting the response he got.
"What in God's name is this?!" Aaran exclaimed, his voice rising.
"What?" The entire congregation was bewildered. Such an outburst was highly unusual, prompting Prince Pepin to intervene, given his authority.
"What's the matter, Priest Aaran?" Pepin asked.
"This is a farce! This woman is not Ella!"
"What?!" The shock was universal, from Icarus to the entire audience—except for Avice.
"This woman is a servant from Frederic's household, and her name is Bella!"
"What in the world is going on?" An older woman, Icarus's mother and the only parent able to attend, emerged from the crowd to stand beside him.
What is happening here? Prince Pepin was at a loss.
"Are you breaking the agreement and tarnishing God's house with such deceit?" the older woman yelled at Avice, who calmly stepped forward.
"No, and no."
Before she could continue, Icarus's mother screamed again. "You liar! I've always known you and your pathetic family were a bunch of heretics and liars!"
Meanwhile, Bella stood trembling, terrified of the truth being revealed. Despite everything, she was genuinely happy about marrying Icarus, but now, shame washed over her. She was no one, just a servant.
A few days earlier, Avice had approached Bella and revealed that she was actually Frederic's eldest daughter and would be marrying Icarus.
At first, Bella thought it was a cruel joke, the kind nobles played to mock the lower classes. But it was true: she was Frederic's daughter—a bastard daughter.
Her world crumbled. After a lifetime believing she was a mere peasant, she learned that she was the illegitimate child of a baron.
Her mother had been a peasant whom Frederic had taken to his bed.
That explained so much—who her parents were, why Avice always treated her with disdain.
"But now, you won't have to live like that anymore. You'll be the wife of a future count," Avice had said while Bella ran to her tiny room in tears.
She wanted to hide, scream, burn everything, and die. Exhausted and overwhelmed by her emotions, Bella eventually passed out. When she awoke the next day, her anger was cold and focused. She made a promise to herself.
Back in the church, amid the confusion, Bella glanced at Icarus. The smile that had once graced his face was gone, replaced by shock, disgust, and anger.
"Please..." She reached for his hand, but he pulled it away before she could touch him.
"Get away from me, you filthy peasant!" he spat, his voice dripping with disgust.
"N-no... Don't do this..." Bella's voice quivered, tears streaming down her face, her hands shaking.
"Are you going to listen or not? The agreement was to marry your eldest son to my husband's eldest daughter. Bella is his eldest daughter, which means we're not breaking the deal," Avice calmly explained, trying to regain control of the situation.
"Liar! You dare to continue lying in God's house? I've known this girl my entire life. She's always been a servant!" Aaran shouted, pointing at Bella.
"You're probably her age, so you know nothing about her history. I swear on my title that Bella is Frederic's eldest daughter."
The room fell silent. Swearing upon one's title was a serious matter, only done when absolutely certain of the truth. Everyone held their breath, the only sound being Bella's quiet sobs.
"Can you prove what you're saying?" Prince Pepin asked Avice. He had expected a brief ceremony, a chance to network with other nobles and maintain his influence. But now, things were spiraling out of control.
"You bring Ella here right now, or else..." Icarus's anger was barely contained.
"Or else what? Even if she were here, there's nothing you could do. She's already found a husband, and even our king has congratulated them!" Avice pulled out a parchment, holding it up for everyone to see.
"What?! This..."
"This is absurd! I'm not marrying a servant! Your intentions were clearly deceitful, and I'm calling off the deal!" Icarus ignored Bella, directing his words at Avice as he stormed away.
"The decision is final. I don't care if you're telling the truth. You've clearly tried to deceive us. Don't ever speak to us again." His mother followed him, and soon the other nobles did too.
Avice's reputation was now in tatters. Making deals with any of them in the future would be nearly impossible. Even Prince Pepin and the king's advisor left.
"Hmph. God always punishes those who go against His will. Your family has never cared for the church, even closing some of them," Aaran said, picking up his Bible.
"Shut up," Avice snapped.
"I've heard why Frederic closed those churches, and I must say I'm deeply disappointed in you. God has a plan for everyone, even—"
"Shut up!" Avice shouted, stomping the ground in anger.
"Heh, don't forget that," Aaran said before walking away.
The two women stood in silence.
I didn't expect things to go this way, but it's not all bad. Avice thought. Breaking the deal is actually beneficial since it would have favored Cuthred more, but now we have a terrible reputation.
"It's over. Stop crying and let's go," Avice said, walking toward the exit without waiting for Bella.
Moments later, Bella followed her. The first half of the journey was silent. Bella stared at her hands, lost in thought.
"You are not saying anything to Ella, understand?" Avice instructed. "You're going back to being who you always were. Is that clear?" Bella remained silent, not moving or speaking. Avice, indifferent to Bella's turmoil, saw her only as a convenient target for her frustrations.
I think we left the place with a balanced outcome. This marriage would have been more advantageous for Cuthred, so breaking the deal might actually be beneficial, though now we have a bad reputation to contend with. Avice pondered the pros and cons of the day's events.
"Is my mother alive?" Bella's voice was barely audible, a whisper of desperation. Avice glanced at her.
"She died a few years ago," Avice replied. Bella shook, not just from the news of her mother's death but from the realization that she had missed the chance to meet her. If only she had known earlier...
"What was her name?" Bella asked, her voice trembling.
"I don't remember."
With that, the conversation ended. Bella's gaze remained fixed on the floor as they continued their journey home.
When they finally arrived at their grand house, Avice went directly to her room. "Bring me something to eat, and change out of that dress," she ordered Bella before entering her room.
Bella stood for a few moments, staring at the closed door. The soldiers stationed outside noticed her unusual demeanor but said nothing as she walked towards the kitchen.
Meanwhile, in another city, Rafael and Ella were in the garden behind Maxis' mansion. A servant approached them with a letter.
After a few minutes Bella came back carrying a tray with some food on it. She opened the door and walked inside the room.
Avice was changing her clothes at another side of the room. The windows were closed. Bella put the tray on a table besides the bed.
"Finally, I'm starving. Hm? Didn't I tell you to change those clothes? The deal is off and the marriage won't happen, besides, such good clothes don't match with you." She said while walking across the room towards the table. The young girl walked to the door.
Rafael took the parchment and instantly saw the symbol on the wax seal. "This is from Avice!" Every time she sent letters to them it was without a symbol so no one could track them down.
"Really? Open it, let's read!" Ella said hurriedly. He quickly broke the seal and began reading.
"Wait, is that all? Just soup and bread? Do you think I'm a commoner? Now that Threo is king, I'm practically a count. Hey! Are you listening? Go get me—"
Suddenly, a loud crash interrupted her. Ella looked towards the source of the noise and saw a large wardrobe had been knocked down in front of the door, blocking it. Bella stood beside it.
Panicked shouting and banging came from the other side of the door as soldiers tried to force it open.
Bella drew a large kitchen knife from her dress and slowly approached Avice.
"Oh my God! I can't believe it! Ella, I don't have to hide anymore!" Rafael exclaimed, hugging his wife. "I'm so happy! We can finally go home!" Ella's face was radiant with joy.
The house was filled with chaos—the loud shouts of soldiers and the desperate attempts to break through the door. The noise was overwhelming.
After what seemed like an eternity, the door was finally pushed open enough for Eruin to rush inside, disregarding the soldiers' pleas.
What he saw there made his head spin, and his stomach churn. "No..."
Two eyes where observing him.
Each step he took was painful. There were just two women there. He fell to his knees in front of his mother's body, her form covered in blood and cuts.
"No! Noooo!" he cried, his voice echoing with despair.
Her eyelids felt heavy, she felt tired and her wrists hurt. Not a single time he looked at her. She felt the need to smile, but there was no more strength in her. Her consciousness slowly slipped away.
"Ahahahahaa", both laughed, "I can see mom again! I miss everyone so much." Ella was holding the letter.
"Avice made it! We did it!" Rafael and Ella exchanged a triumphant smile, and Rafael pulled Ella into a passionate kiss.