Ruby saw her reflection in the mirror. She wore a long-sleeved white wedding dress with a transparent strand of robes on the back.
The dress looked very luxurious, with jewels and diamond ornaments scattered at the bottom of the dress. Thanks to all these ornaments, Ruby seemed to shine when the sunlight hit her.
Ruby only put light makeup on her face, but she already looked beautiful and shining. Her long golden hair is curled up, leaving a strand of hair on her face which makes Ruby look even cuter.
Ruby repeatedly blinked her eyes, trying to convince herself that the woman in the mirror was definitely her.
The dress was magnificent, almost making Ruby cry from looking at it for too long.
"What do you think, Milady? Do you like this dress?" asked a maid who had helped Ruby get ready for the wedding ceremony.
Ruby spun once in front of the mirror, making the bottom of the dress slightly puffy and lifted by the wind. While giving a sweet smile, Ruby nodded to the maids.
She also wrote on paper. "This dress is gorgeous and makes me seem prettier."
Ruby's smile managed to warm the servants' hearts. They even felt Ruby's shy attitude made her look adorable, like a little cat who often hides when she sees strangers.
"That dress looks beautiful just because you're the one who wears it, Milady. His Majesty is very lucky to be married to you!"
The smile on Ruby's face grew wider when she heard the maid's words. Because this was the first time, someone said that the man who married Ruby was lucky.
Knock! Knock!
"Milady, it's about time you came to the palace hall." A maid knocked on Ruby's door several times.
As soon as the maid entered the room. Ruby immediately stood up and nodded, indicating that the woman was ready to go to her wedding ceremony.
Ruby then walked towards the palace hall. With each step, Ruby often exhales and tries to calm herself because She can't stop being nervous.
Today is her wedding day. Even though the marriage was only based on a contract, Ruby would still be a wife after this.
Being a wife was not easy for all women, especially if she became the wife of the Lycan King, who was known to be cruel.
"Milady, please, calm down. This ceremony will go smoothly," said the maid beside her, who was trying to make Ruby feel more comfortable.
Ruby just nodded in response.
[It's okay, Ruby. Let's think on the positive side. At least there is a man who wants to marry me now.]
Unexpectedly, she was suddenly standing in front of the hall door when she was daydreaming. The hall door look very high and big, making Ruby feels so small in front of the hall door.
When the guard opened the hall door, Ruby could see Matthew's figure standing on the altar. The man wore the official royal uniform that usually used for royal events. A golden robe with the symbol of the Veritas Kingdom was slung over Matthew's shoulders, making the man's body look even more robust and majestic.
His silver hair was styled back so that an aura of assertiveness could be radiated from his golden eyes.
Ruby's heart was beating so fast that she even thought she might die if she stared at Matthew's handsome face for too long.
"Milady, you may walk to the altar now," whispered the guard behind her.
Soft music played in the palace hall as Ruby started walking down on aisle towards the altar.
Ruby tried to smile brightly. On the red carpet, she walked alone without being accompanied by a father who was supposed to hold his daughter up to the altar.
[Never mind, my father is useless anyway, so there's no need to think about him any longer.]
Dozens of eyes are on Ruby as if judging Ruby's suitability as the future Queen of Veritas.
Since the wedding ceremony was held suddenly, Matthew only invited the nobles of the Veritas Kingdom as guests and didn't spread out invitations outside the kingdom.
But it made Ruby breathe a sigh of relief. Because if Matthew invited all the nobles in the Raeludin Empire, he would probably continue to hear insults as long as she walked towards the altar.
When Ruby arrived in front of the altar, Matthew reached out her hand and led Ruby to stand beside him.
They gave each other a gentle smile and stared at each other for a while.
"Did you sleep well, Milady? There's no threat that bothered you last night, right?" asked Matthew in a low voice.
Ruby shook her head.
Besides the temperature getting colder at night, Ruby didn't get any threat. However, she was already worried about running into danger when she recalled Matthew's words about how bad Veritas was at night.
But all those thoughts were immediately dispelled when Ruby heard Alger's voice, who was now standing in front of them.
"Ladies and gentlemen, since the bride and groom have arrived on this holy day, I will immediately carry out a ceremony that will bind them in a sacred bond."
Alger smiled for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty the King Matthew Harelle, are you willing to marry Lady Ruby Barnette? Then cherish her, respect her, love her, and stay with her until death do you part?"
Matthew immediately replied, "I do."
Alger then looked at Ruby. "Lady Ruby Barnette, would you be willing to marry His Majesty the King Matthew Harelle, then cherish him, respect him, love him, and be with him until death do you part?"
Ruby nodded, then let out a low mumble. "Mhm."
"In this sacred bond, I bless your marriage. Then you may put the rings on your partner's finger and kiss your bride."
Matthew and Ruby then faced each other. After both of them had put the rings on their partner's finger, Matthew's hand tucked Ruby's hair behind his ear, then whispered, "Milady, do you mind if I kiss you?"
Ruby shook her head even though her heart was already nervous.
After getting Ruby's approval, Matthew immediately lowered his head and brought his lips together with Ruby's.
The kiss was so light, just a brief union without involving lust. However, that short kiss delivered a foreign sensation Ruby had never felt before.
His lips were warm, as warm as the morning sun that dispelled the chill of the night, as warm as a fireplace that devoured firewood.
Instantly the feeling in Ruby's heart became erratic. This is Ruby's first time kissing a man, but her body seems to have wanted that man for a long time.
As if Ruby was the mate that the Moon Goddess had destined for Matthew.
However, that is impossible.
The Moon Goddess had destined Ruby to be Greysen's Luna, and Greysen had rejected her.
If Matthew marks Ruby as his future mate, she's still only a substitute, so Ruby shouldn't have any feelings for Matthew other than the desire to have children.
Ruby didn't understand. To her, Matthew is an anomaly that is difficult to solve.
A moment later, Matthew finally broke their lips. However, how surprised he was when he saw tears flowing from the corners of Ruby's eyes.
"Milady, why are you crying?"
Ruby was shocked. She suddenly touched her cheek and realized tears were running down her cheeks.
She doesn't even know the reason for crying.
Ruby only felt despair hit her heart when Matthew broke the kiss as if Ruby was afraid that she would lose him if their bodies parted.
"Are you feel sorry for marrying me?" Matthew then looked at Alger. "Can he just divorce me now?"
Suddenly Ruby grabbed Matthew's arm after hearing the word 'divorce.' The woman wrote quickly in Matthew's palm. "I have no regrets, Your Majesty. So, please, don't divorce me."
[My mother hasn't even started her medication yet. How could I get divorced right now?]
Yes, Ruby only endures the marriage for her mother's sake and nothing else.
She must have been crying just because there was a surge of emotion in her heart, so Ruby chose not to think about it any further.
"Your Majesty, is there a problem?" The Duke of Endurin—Evander Grahames—asked as he watched Matthew and Ruby remain silent for a moment.
Ruby immediately realized she was still on the altar. She tried to turn her face away from the guests so they couldn't see the tears on her face.
Unexpectedly, Matthew helped hide the woman's face using his arm.
"There's no big deal. Lady Ruby didn't get enough rest last night, so she's not feeling well today."
Several nobles wanted to reply to Matthew's words, but Matthew had already said, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to my wedding today. Unfortunately, I don't think my wife and I will be joining the celebration party until the end."
"You can stay here and eat the food that's been prepared."
The guests suddenly looked at each other and whispered to each other.
"How could the bride and groom run away from the party?"
"But Her Majesty the Queen doesn't seem well, so it's only natural that they want to go."
"Don't call her, Her Majesty the Queen. Lady Ruby hasn't even been officially crowned the Queen of Veritas."
"We must wait for His Majesty the King to mark her as his mate before she can be crowned as the Queen."
"However, doesn't our future queen look a bit weak? I doubted she would be able to give birth to a healthy heir for His Majesty the King."
Ignoring the sinister whispers about Ruby, Matthew quickly led her away from the palace hall.
Matthew only invited the nobles as witnesses to his wedding, so he wouldn't care about them anymore after the wedding ceremony was over.
However, in contrast to Matthew, Ruby seems to be bothered by the bad words the nobles throw at her.
[Turns out that Veritas and Wridal are no different. They all enjoy gossiping about other people's disrepute.] Ruby groaned in her mind.