On the appointed day, the inhabitants of the ice castle were intensely preparing for the wedding ceremony before dawn. Given its importance, it seemed everyone was determined to make this event the wedding of the century.
In fact, it was. The previous wedding ceremony of the head of the de Lune family took place several centuries ago. Even after losing his wife, who was an ordinary mortal woman and died before him of natural causes, Selina's father, Silver de Loon, did not marry anyone else.
Compared to the capital and the southern part of the empire, where people were more tolerant of remarriage, the north was much more conservative in this regard. The wedding vow "together for better and for worse until the end of their days" was taken literally here.
"In other words, I'll be stuck here until I die."
Jeremy Seibel paced the room anxiously, like a trapped animal. He felt like he was being consumed by anxiety, and there was nothing he could do about it. He sank into a chair and put his hands on his throbbing head. He still couldn't believe that he was actually marrying this woman.
"Is this really a waking nightmare?"
He squeezed his eyes shut tightly. Trying to calm the fear that was raging inside him, Jeremy took a deep breath and exhaled. He's going to have to do it anyway. Therefore, it is useless to try to escape from the inevitable.
— The wedding ceremony will take place in the afternoon!
The butler of the ice castle appeared at noon, accompanied by servants who brought robes and accessories to put on. Jeremy looked at the silk and velvet robes with a pale expression on his face. Back when he was still living at the Seibel family estate, the guy could not even dream of wearing clothes of such quality. All his life, he only had to carry his brothers' belongings. However...
Right now, these luxurious clothes rather reminded him of the shackles he would have to put on himself.
— The high priest will preside over the ceremony, and the nobles will be the witnesses. We should hurry up with the clothes to meet the schedule.
The butler looked at him with an indifferent expression. Jeremy took the clothes that were brought to him and hesitated when the servants surrounded him, intending to help him change. Feeling even more awkward, he muttered:
— I... I can do it myself.
The butler looked a little surprised, but nevertheless didn't say anything and obediently led the servants out.
Jeremy took off his own and dressed in the ceremonial clothes handed to him. He felt a surge of excitement inside him when he saw himself dressed so pretentiously. Once upon a time, he had never imagined himself like this, and even more so under such circumstances.
The guy turned away from the mirror, suppressing the urge to cry.
There was still some time left before the ceremony.
Looking out of the window, the baron's son saw a long procession of carriages stretching far from the palace gates. All these guests were invited to the Duchess of the North's wedding ceremony. As expected, the wedding of the heiress of the empire's most powerful family caused quite a stir. In turn, hardly anyone in the audience cared about the identity of the groom himself.
Jeremy stood motionless at the window for a while, looking at the milling people below. Suddenly, something unusual caught his attention. An extremely magnificent carriage drove into the residence, which the rest of the carriages passed without waiting in line. She, in turn, was followed by a whole procession of warriors in dark armor.
The sight left Jeremy somewhat stunned. He couldn't figure out who could have come here with such an escort. A very important person must have arrived at the ceremony. While the guy involuntarily stared at her, waiting for one day to get out of the carriage, the next moment he dropped his jaw again.
A small figure emerged from the carriage, which he nevertheless immediately recognized. Her blonde hair fluttered in the wind, and her purple dress with flared sleeves revealed this lady's special taste. Jeremy recognized his girlfriend at first sight.
"It can't be... Camilla has arrived after all!"
When he had not received any reply letters from her in recent weeks, although he continued to send his own, Jeremy thought that something might have happened to the girl, and had already lost hope of seeing her that day. But Camille showed up anyway. Jeremy couldn't believe his luck. Sure enough, he hurried downstairs to meet his only guest.
His long strides quickly brought him to the front door, and as Jeremy walked to the carriage, he heard a snippet of conversation.
— What happened? You're frowning.
— Oh, the wind is a little cold...
— You should have worn something tighter, — the Crown Princess' voice rang out above her head.
The next moment, a long cloak decorated with sable fur fell on Camilla's shoulders, leaving the princess herself in simple outerwear.
— it's okay... It's just that the wind is blowing hard.
The baron's heir, surprised by the scene before him, froze in place.
Standing next to Camille was a woman he had never seen before. She had high cheekbones, dark eyebrows, and straight dark brown hair. Extraordinary eyes the color of cold gold. This person definitely stood out from other people.
But perhaps most of all, he was confused by their relationship with Camille.
— Jeremy! — The duke's daughter noticed him first and waved her hand.
Coming out of his daze, the guy awkwardly approached them.
— You're here after all.
— of course. How could I miss such an event?
As befits acquaintances who haven't seen each other for a long time, they hugged each other lightly. At this time, Jeremy involuntarily raised his head and encountered the gaze of this woman. He noticed something sinister and dangerous in her eyes, which prompted him to let Camille out of his arms as soon as possible.
Remaining strangely tense, Jeremy cleared his throat before asking:
— I'm sorry, but who's next to you right now...?
Hearing her friend's uncertain question, Camilla smiled nervously and said:
— The crown Princess of this Empire. We arrived together today.
Jeremy stopped and looked at the woman standing in front of him with completely different eyes. She did not even deign to glance at the baron's son. She looked like she didn't care about other people besides Camille. However, the coat of arms of the imperial family, which was on the carriage itself and on her clothes, confirmed what Camilla had said earlier.
Jeremy was stunned: there was no way he could have known what any member of the imperial family wanted here. Especially the Crown Princess! The second person in the country after the emperor.
The baron's son felt great excitement as he bowed down in front of her:
— May the sun rise on the great empire. I greet Her Highness the Crown Princess!
The Crown Princess did not respond to his polite greeting. Nevertheless, the look she gave the red-haired youth did not bode well for him. Jeremy's throat was dry, but he tried to look calm anyway.
Thank God, at that moment Camille defused the situation. She turned warily to her companion:
— If possible... I'd like to have a little private talk with Jeremy.
The corner of the princess's mouth twitched at Camilla's request, but nevertheless she obediently stepped aside.
— I'll wait for you in the hall, — she said reluctantly.
— good.
Left alone, the menacing atmosphere that had been here a moment ago evaporated in an instant. As if there was suddenly more oxygen in the air, Jeremy took a deep breath.
— Are you going to tell me what's going on here? — he asked nervously.
His girlfriend's face was as pale as a corpse's. She looked like she was traveling on a ship in the middle of a raging storm, rather than in a comfortable carriage. His face had all the signs of a seasick man. Camille answered him just as sluggishly:
— It just so happens that I am currently being held hostage by the Crown Princess.
— What?
Jeremy thought he'd misheard.
The next moment, the duke's daughter took out a leather pouch from her pocket, from which she took out an object. The guy was surprised when she put it right in his palm.
— Oh, yeah... It was a wedding present.
Jeremy stared at the cold and shiny object in his palm in disbelief. It looked like a gemstone of an unknown breed.
But before he could ask what it was, Camilla had already gone to the hall where the Crown Princess was waiting for her.