At this point, nothing surprised me anymore, so I continued the wedding ceremony as if I had known in advance of his absence.
Before I knew it, I was in a carriage with the Duke's assistant who acted as his representative during the ceremony.
"I'm sorry. His Highness thought it best not to tell anyone about his absence until all the other noble families had come to the wedding and the marriage was legalized in front of many people."
"Madam, are you listening?"
"I just hope he has a good reason for not coming," I said to his assistant.
He looked down as if he pitied me while I tried to think of other things so it doesn't show that my feelings were hurt.
When we arrived at the Duke's house, they took me to the main building where the Duke was staying.
There were only two servants waiting outside to greet me.
"Hello, ma'am, I'm the butler and this is the head maid," they lowered their gazes out of respect.
I stared at them for a few seconds, then said, "Thank you," and continued walking.
I was emotionally exhausted and had no energy left to make a good first impression. After all, to me, this is a luxurious cage, not a house.
The size of the house was very large, with a high ceiling.
Even the corridor looked like a museum with the amount of artwork displayed in it.
But some things seemed suspicious. There were no other servants besides the butler and that old maid. A house of this size requires a lot of care that only two people can not manage it.
The curtains were thick for the summer season, and they were closed in such a way that no ray of sunlight could be seen on the first floor.
To the point that they had to light candles to see around them in broad daylight as if they were hiding something.
From then on, things got even stranger.
Usually, the bride is taken to her room to get ready for the first night with the help of her bridesmaids.
But the room they stopped at was the drawing room, where the nobles receive guests.
"Madam, please sit down, the Duke will be here soon," said the butler.
The maid poured some tea and made sure I had everything I needed before she left.
She walked towards the door and before closing it from the outside she said, "Whatever you see next, please don't scream, and wait for an explanation."