# 27
“Grand Duke Aachen Ricoeur-Belzeit and Princess Helene of Betstein.”
A simple covenant ceremony with only the bride, groom, and high priest present.
“Do you swear before Lady Freya to always respect and love each other no matter the circumstances?”
asked the high priest solemnly.
“I will always respect and love her.”
Aachen, whose hair was like a starry night and whose eyes were like a deep sea, answered with a smile.
Aachen Requier Belzeit.
He was the former Crown Prince of the Riquier Empire and Chief of the North, Grand Duke of Belzeit.
"…forever."
I whispered to Helen, directed only at the bride, and she was horrified.
'It's just a ceremonial vow... Why add such words?'
He was a mysterious man.
“Princess Helen?”
“Oh… I swear.”
Helen hurriedly responded after the high priest called out to her.
“May Lady Freya’s blessings be upon this newlywed couple.”
After the high priest rang the bell three times and made the sign of the cross, Aachen turned to Helen and bowed lightly.
“After the wedding ceremony here in Beitstein, we will head straight north.”
"Good."
“We will later hold a lavish wedding ceremony worthy of my noble wife.”
Aachen smiled gently and extended his hand.
Helen smiled in return, and placed her hand on his.
As Aachen leaned down, his lips gently touched the back of her hand.
An explosion sounded!
Suddenly, the temple doors, which were tightly closed, opened with a loud sound.
Helen turned around in horror.
'Revan?'
It was a familiar face.
Her ex-husband and father of her beloved daughter, Shevlyn...
Revan, Marquis of Ratta.
“...Helen.”
Revan stared at Helen, who was now bound by her vows to Aachen, in shock.
“She calls me Helen... how ironic!”
The voice was calling her name with the same warmth as before.
Helen took a deep breath.
She felt pain in her chest.
Was it because of her deep breathing?
Or was it because of her nostalgia for the past?
‘Don’t let emotion get the best of you. Have you forgotten the pain that Shivalin suffered because of Revan?'
Helen steeled her shaky resolve.
Aachen and the High Priest must have been equally surprised by Revan's sudden appearance.
'Who leaked the location to Revan?'
How did Revan know and find this secret place?
The only relief was that there were no guests
To witness this inconvenience.
‘As for the Grand Duke…’
Despite being the groom whose wedding was interrupted, Aachen did not appear overly upset or upset.
Although the situation could have easily led to conflict between the two countries.
Instead, Aachen had a slight smile on his face as if he found the situation interesting.
truly.
“An ex-husband attends his wife’s wedding.”
“What could be funnier than this?”
Helen stifled a sarcastic laugh and furrowed her eyebrows.
“Marquis Rata.”
“…Helen.”
“What's this noise?”
Revan's eyes twitched at her sharp rebuke.
“Not only did you come without an invitation, but you dare to call a princess and address her in such an inappropriate way?”
“Helen, I was wrong.”
Approaching resolutely, Revan looked as if he was about to beg on his knees.
"Can't we start over? I was wrong. It was all my fault."
“…….”
At that moment, Aachen, who was watching Revan indifferently, muttered.
“Was this the uninvited guest they mentioned?”
Revan's gaze shifted towards Aachen at his sharp tone.
“Even if it is just a simple ceremony, such insolence during the union of two countries is unacceptable.”
“One might justify this by being impolite.”
Aachen's eyes, which had been meek, turned into a sharp look.
He kissed Helen's hand in a showy motion and then said:
“But I can’t stand disrespecting my wife.”
Then he pulled her waist towards him.
“...!”
Helen trembled at his sudden proximity and his strong body.
“Did you say Revan Rata?”
“…”
“If you value your life, you should behave yourself.”
Revan frowned at the harsh warning.
Meanwhile, Aachen, with a slight smile on his lips, seemed very relaxed.
Revan found everything about Aachen, from head to toe, disgusting.
Even his breathing was noisy.
“Uninvited guest?”
He clearly showed his displeasure.
He also did not hide his possession of Helen.
Revan revealed his feelings as well.
“Treat her with respect as my wife, right?”
Calling Helen his wife seemed completely natural.
As if Aachen was not affected by Revan's provocation.
His smile was teasing.
It wasn't just that he sided with Helen.
Although he rushed to her in a state of panic upon hearing the news of her second marriage, Revan's mind remained calm.
‘It is truly a union of two nations. Helen did not marry him out of love.'
However, he instinctively felt danger from this man.
He couldn't send Helen to a man like that.
Helen is his wife, the mother of his child.
This was an indisputable fact.
Aachen could never encroach on this intimate space.
“Will you marry another man?”
“…….”
"What was I to you? Just a convenience?"
Revan let out sarcastic words and laughed bitterly.
He knew he was wrong.
He knew he had no right to hold on to her.
But the idea of becoming...someone else's wife
It arouses conflicting feelings in himself.
How is this possible? She's his wife.
But…
“Aachen Ricoeur, Grand Duke of Belzeit, right?”
This man who suddenly appeared and took Helen from him.
Thinking about it, Helen was unlikely to give up on him so easily.
This man must have convinced her.
He could not allow this situation to continue. He could not allow Helen to be taken without a struggle.
“Your Highness, High Priest. I apologize, but I request that this marriage be annulled.”
“Hmm, Marquis of Rata.”
In an awkward situation, the High Priest let out an uneasy groan.
“The marriage vows have been exchanged, and they are now husband and wife.”
"What…?"
“Impossible. Was that document that Helen signed earlier the marriage contract?”
Revan's face immediately frowned.
The High Priest's support carried so much weight that it could not simply be undone.
“Marquis Ratta, you better stop here.”
Despite Aachen's warning, Revan did not stop.
“…Your Highness, the Grand Duke. It is truly a disgraceful sight to see you taking another man’s wife.”
Without thinking, Revan grabbed Aachen by the collar.
His desire for Helen was evident in this rude behavior.
“Revan!”
Helen called out loudly to Revan.
She was so surprised that she didn't realize she was calling him by his name.
If Aachen formally raised the matter, Revan could be executed for insulting a member of the royal family.
Helen, who did not want the father of her child, Shevelin, to be killed, anxiously tried to stop him.
“My wife… is not the Marquis’s wife.”
Aachen, looking sideways at Helen, corrected Revan.
Then, Revan tried to throw a punch.
But Aachen easily blocked it with one hand.
“I told you to stop.”
“Ah…”
Aachen calmed Revan's anger.
“Should I explain more?”
"Yes!"
After Aachen pushed Revan aside, he regained his breath and straightened his messy tie.
“I will not hold you accountable for today’s events. My wife will find that annoying.”
“Thank you, Grand Duke.”
Helen breathed a sigh of relief at Aachen's words.
“I have something to tell you. Please, just for a moment.”
Revan, biting his lip, looked at her desperately.
'I didn't expect it to come to this.'
'I have to make sure this doesn't happen again to Revan.'
“Grand Duke, can you wait in the carriage? I’m sorry.”
After Aachen excused himself, he hesitated for a moment before reluctantly walking away.
“Okay, I'll wait.”
Aachen whispered to Helen as he left.
The high priest, who had been watching them warily, was long gone.
Only Revan and Helen, the former couple, were left alone. Revan spoke first.
“My biological mother looks like Shivalin.”
“……”
“Shevelyn is truly my daughter.”
He felt as if the blood had frozen in his veins.
Even though she already knew this, hearing it directly from Revan made it completely different.
His belated recognition of Shevelin as his daughter was ridiculous.
For a moment she felt ashamed of her pity for him.
“You... you trusted someone else's words again, instead of mine.”
At least, if he came back like this...
She wished he would apologize. She wished he had said he had lost his mind for a moment.
“Yes. Chevlin is your real daughter.”
"……"
"so what?"
Her pent-up disappointment exploded at Revan.