The wedding ceremony was held on the longest day of the year.
Odette gingerly looked out through the window with its expansive view of the sea.
The road to Bastian Klauswitz's new residence, where the ceremony would take place, stretched along the strait.
Odette sat near the carriage window and watched the sea. The Ardennes Sea, illuminated by the summer solstice sun, shimmered with beautiful silvery-white waves.
"Your mother loved that sea too."
A voice filled with faint regret broke the long silence.
Odette looked at the middle-aged gentleman sitting across from her with slightly surprised eyes. Grand Duke Reiner. He was the emperor's cousin who had agreed to walk the bride down the aisle in place of her father.
Although he accepted the job because he could not disobey the imperial orders, the Grand Duke openly expressed his feelings. They met for the first time this morning in the parlor of Countess Trier's residence and rode here in the Grand Duke's carriage. All he said to Odette was formal congratulations.
"In the summer she would come and spend time at our family's villa in Ardennes. She was so bright and pretty that she received great hospitality and love wherever she went. Helene was just like a sparkling jewel."
The Grand Duke's hardened face softened as he spoke of Helen. Odette finally realized that he was also her mother's cousin.
"She used to say that the Ardennes Sea was the most beautiful on earth. Of course, it's a memory from the old days, so there's no way to know how her thoughts have changed since then."
"She would think the same as then. My mother cherished her childhood memories like her treasure."
Odette comforted the Grand Duke with a gentle smile. In fact, it was hard to believe that the lovely girl in his memories was her mother. The mother Odette remembered was usually a depressed, nervous figure.
However, there were moments when a sliver of the brilliant past shone under the layer of the hard life, and her mother at that time definitely looked special. Odette wanted to remember her mother in that fleeting light, if possible, and hoped that those who knew her mother would do the same.
"The princess's daughter was sold to the grandson of an antique dealer. I really don't know what the world is about to become."
The Grand Duke sighed deeply, clutching his furrowed brow. The world was changing day by day. It was hard to keep up with the speed of change that was blowing like a torrent.
"I know the position is embarrassing. I also know that you can't refuse the emperor's orders. Nevertheless, thank you for such great help."
Looking at him with a straight and clear gaze like her mother's, Odette unexpectedly expressed her gratitude.
"Orders? If only it had been so, I would have felt a lot better than I do now."
The Grand Duke smiled dejectedly. Odette still looked bewildered.
"Poor thing. Apparently you don't know your groom very well."
As the Grand Duke sighed deeply, the carriage entered the villa's estate. This was a location of the northern coast called the jewel of Ardennes.
"Prepare to dismount."
The Grand Duke ended the conversation with a brief command. He had a look of concern on his face, but Odette meekly lowered her veil without further questioning.
Just as the sight of the dazzlingly beautiful bride saddened his heart, Bastian Klauswitz's new mansion came into view.
The shock given by the scale of the estate, which included the forest and a sandy beach, was completely forgotten by another shock that followed.
Ardennes was going to be pretty noisy thanks to the Klauswitz couple.
That was the only thought that came to the man's stunned, dazed mind.
***
"Crazy bastard."
Franz gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. His father and mother's reaction was no different.
Bastian's leisurely smile looked even more bizarre because of it.
"What the hell is this…"
Jeff Klauswitz gasped for breath, unable to finish his words. A beautiful mansion with a façade adorned with marble columns resembled an ancient temple stood in his wide-open eyes.
Eight to be exact. Even the number of pillars was the same as that of the Klauswitz family's mansion*. (Jeff and his wife's mansion)
Was that all?
It was actually pointless to look for similarities. Everything in this goddamn summer house was identical to the Klauswitz's residence.
The layout of the building and the garden, even the shape of the flower beds and fountains, matched perfectly. Two identical mansions symmetrical with a bay curved in the shape of a crescent moon in between. It was a ridiculous sight, like a decalcomania photographed by folding a piece of paper in half.
"Ah, I guess I didn't tell you."
Bastian lightly shrugged his shoulders as if it was no big deal.
"Even though I left your house because I was lacking a lot, I always had a strong nostalgia for Ardennes in a corner of my heart. When I thought about building a new house, I naturally thought of my parents' house. I guess it's because I had such a beautiful childhood*. What do you think?" (*Bastian is being sarcastic because he almost died from the abuse when he was young)
'He was a crazy kid, but he's now insane.'
Franz looked at the unbelievable sight again in disgust. It had been a long time since he had heard that the land on the other side of the coastal forested bay had been sold to an anonymous tycoon.
It was a common occurrence, so he didn't think much of it. Seeing that the scale of the construction was quite large, it seemed that the owner was not a low-level man, and he thought that was enough.
But he never thought that bastard was doing this right under his nose!
He couldn't figure out how the heck Bastian had mobilized such an enormous fund. It was said that his maternal grandfather was a famous moneylender, but the antique dealer's family fortune had also fallen drastically in his later years.
The rumors could not be false, given the years when Bastian had done everything in his power to rise in the military.
Why did an heir to a legacy so great that he could do such a thing have lived such a life?
"Oh, Mother!"
Theodore Klauswitz, unable to overcome the shock while pondering the unresolved question, staggered.
Franz's face contorted with unbearable anger and shame as he hurriedly supported his mother. Even in the face of chaos, Bastian remained disturbingly relaxed.
"I want you to think of it as the heart of a son who wants to imitate his father. I hope that the image of the Klauswitz family, who live by reflecting each other like a mirror, will serve as an example for the entire empire." (Bastian)
Just as Bastian politely bowed his head, new guests appeared. It was the faces that shattered Franz's belief that nothing could be more terrible than this.
Bastian turned around and approached the Crown Prince and Crown Princess who had just arrived. Seeing that there was no sign of surprise at all on Bastian's face, it seemed that the visit had already been arranged in advance.
After exchanging intimate greetings, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were seated in the guest seat at the bride's side. As if declaring that this marriage was the result of a marriage arranged by the imperial family.
Franz turned around, rubbing his red face. For the Crown Prince to act as a relative of the bride also meant recognizing her as a member of the imperial family. In other words, Bastian Klauswitz was a member of the royal family as his wife.
It was far different from the pitiful beast caught in the trap set by the emperor, which Franz expected.
"Stand there, Franz."
His father's large hand gripped Franz's shoulder as he was about to leave.
"Let's go right away. It's a trap, father! A trap set to humiliate us!"
"Lower your voice. There are many ears listening."
Jeff Klauswitz's eyes sharpened as he looked around. It was only then that Franz realized the gaze of the guests staring at him. It was a wedding where only close relatives were invited, but most of them were socialites. It was clear that everything that had happened here would spread to the whole city tomorrow.
"Running away will only make us a laughing stock."
"But doesn't that make us clowns on this pathetic stage?"
"For now, play the role of a clown. That's better than being a coward."
Whispering the order, his father soon headed for the seats assigned to them. Franz reluctantly moved his feet. Sitting on the chair in front of the wedding podium, he looked up and saw a breathtaking sight.
Across the bay was a familiar landscape. Until he set foot here, he was sure there was nothing better than the domain of the proud Klauswitz family.
As blood began to ooze from the tender skin at the mouth as he chewed on his lips, the news of the bride's arrival was heard.
It was the beginning of the wedding ceremony.
***
The wedding platform was placed facing the beautiful blue sea.
Bastian walked on the path that led to it without hesitation.
The decoration of his ceremonial uniform became more glamorous as the early summer sun hit it.
There was no particular excitement.
Except for a slight change in the location and order of the ceremony, there was not much difference from the numerous military ceremonies that he had attended so far.
Admiral Demel would officiate the wedding. Most of the guests were the faces from the Military Academy and the Navy.
The only thing that was different was the bride who had just entered the ceremony hall holding the grand duke's hand.
With each gentle sea breeze blew, the fragrance of blooming flowers and plants that filled the garden rose.
With a translucent veil over her face, Odette walked towards him in the sweet summer air. Grand Duke Reiner also showed a much more cooperative attitude than expected.
A reputable and elegant middle-aged royalty. Grand Duke Reiner was the person who best met the conditions Bastian wanted. His position within the imperial family was also quite solid.
Of course, he could be so hard-nosed, but things changed when he (Bastian) told him about the new business with his son.
After learning whose money he was spending, the Grand Duke finally accepted the role of father to the bride.
The lack of sincerity was not important.
As long as he (Grand Duke) presented the bride who was treated as a member of the imperial family and officiated the wedding ceremony. Nothing else mattered except for that purpose.
After all, the only things the world would remember were the bride who rode in the Grand Duke's carriage and the groom who received the bride's hand from a prestigious and highly respected member of the royal family.
Bastian approached his bride as they stopped walking.
The Grand Duke handed Odette over with a quiet sigh. Her thin, white hands were cold, unlike the sunny weather.
After the Grand Duke finished his role, Bastian led the bride and approached the podium.
It was only after standing face to face that he noticed the veiled Odette was terrified.
Bastian unconsciously furrowed his brow. With her head bowed slightly, Odette looked down only at the bouquet in her hand, trembling.
It seemed that she wanted to imitate the pitiful sacrificial offering again.
Bastian lifted the veil without hesitation, having no intention of playing that rhythm.
An involuntary smile crossed his lips at the moment he met her widened blue-green eyes.
The memory of the spring night, when the veil was lifted from the woman who had been sold for her father's gambling debts, floated over the face of the bride standing in front of him.
He took the discarded stake as his wife.
Bastian suddenly found it comical and dejected. Perhaps having the same feelings, Odette gradually relaxed.
Her lips softened, forming a shy, slightly awkward smile.
It was a smile as beautiful as June.