On the appointed day, the inhabitants of the ice castle were busily preparing for the wedding ceremony even before dawn. Given its importance, it seemed everyone was determined to make this event the wedding of the century.
Essentially, that was the case. The previous wedding ceremony of the head of the de Lun clan had taken place several centuries ago. Even after losing his wife, who was an ordinary mortal woman and died of natural causes before him, Selina's father, Silver de Lun, never remarried.
Compared to the capital and the southern part of the empire, where people were more tolerant of remarriages, the north was much more conservative in this regard. The wedding vow "together in sorrow and in joy until death do us part" was taken literally here.
In other words, I'm stuck here until I die.
Jeremy Seybel paced anxiously around the room like a trapped animal. He felt anxiety gnawing at him and couldn't help it. He sank into a chair and clutched his throbbing head. He still couldn't believe he was actually marrying this woman.
Is this a waking nightmare?
He squeezed his eyes tightly shut. Trying to at least slightly dampen the fear raging within him, Jeremy breathed in and out deeply. He would have to do it anyway. So it was useless to try to run from the inevitable.
"The wedding ceremony will take place in the afternoon!"
The butler of the ice castle appeared at noon, accompanied by servants carrying the robes and accessories that needed to be put on. Jeremy, with a pale expression, examined the silk and velvet garments. Once, when he was still living in the Seybel family estate, the guy couldn't even dream of wearing clothes of this quality. All his life, he had only been able to wear his brothers' hand-me-downs. However...
Now these luxurious clothes reminded him more of the shackles he was about to put on himself.
"The High Priest will lead the ceremony, and noble dignitaries will be witnesses. We should hurry with the dressing to stay on schedule."
The butler looked at him with an indifferent expression. Jeremy took the clothes brought to him and hesitated as 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 said nothing and obediently led the servants out behind him.
Jeremy took off his own clothes and dressed in the ceremonial attire handed to him. He felt excitement surge within him when he saw himself dressed so elaborately. He had never imagined himself in such a form before, and especially not under such circumstances.
The guy turned away from the mirror, suppressing the urge to cry. There was still some time before the ceremony began.
Looking out 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 wedding ceremony of the Duchess of the North. As expected, the wedding of the heiress to the most powerful family in the empire had caused considerable excitement. In turn, it was unlikely that anyone present cared about the identity of the groom himself.
Jeremy stood motionless at the window for a while, watching the bustling people below. And suddenly his attention was caught by something unusual. An extremely magnificent carriage entered the residence grounds, which other carriages let pass out of turn. It, in turn, was followed by a whole procession of warriors in dark armor.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
This sight somewhat stunned Jeremy. He couldn't understand who could have arrived with such an escort. Probably, a very important person had come to the ceremony.
While the guy involuntarily stared at it, waiting for someone to eventually get out of the carriage, the next moment his jaw dropped again.
A small figure emerged from the carriage, whom he nevertheless immediately recognized. Her light hair fluttered in the wind, and her purple dress with flared sleeves revealed this lady's special taste. Jeremy recognized his friend at first glance.
"No way... Camilla actually came!"
When, over the past weeks, he hadn't received any reply letters from her, although he continued to send his own, Jeremy thought something might have happened to the girl and had already lost hope of seeing her on this day. But Camilla had appeared after all. Jeremy couldn't believe his luck. Of course, he hurried downstairs to meet his only guest.
His long strides quickly brought him to the front door, and as Jeremy walked towards the carriage, a snatch of conversation reached him.
"What's wrong? You're frowning."
"Oh, the wind is a bit cold..."
"You should have worn something warmer," a voice sounded above her head from the Crown Princess.
The next moment, a long cloak adorned with sable fur descended onto Camilla's shoulders, leaving the princess herself in simple outerwear.
"I-it's alright... The wind is just blowing hard."
The baron's heir, surprised by the scene unfolding before him, froze in place.
Next to Camilla stood a woman he had never seen before. She had high cheekbones, dark eyebrows, and straight dark brown hair. Unusual eyes the color of cold gold. This person definitely stood out from other people.
But, perhaps, what confused him most was her relationship with Camilla. "Jeremy!" the duke's daughter noticed him first and waved her hand. Snapping out of his stupor, the guy awkwardly approached them. "You're actually here."
"Of course. How could I miss such an event?"
As acquaintances who hadn't seen each other for a long time should, they gave each other a light hug. At that moment, Jeremy involuntarily raised his head and met the gaze of this woman. He noticed something ominous and dangerous in her eyes, which prompted him to quickly release Camilla from the embrace.
Remaining in a strange tension, Jeremy cleared his throat before asking: "Sorry, but who is next to you...?"
Hearing his friend's uncertain question, Camilla smiled nervously and uttered: "The Crown Princess of this Empire. We came together today."
Jeremy faltered and looked at the woman standing before him with completely different eyes. She didn't even deign to glance at the baron's son. She looked as if she didn't care about anyone except Camilla. However, the imperial family crest, which was on the carriage itself and on her clothes, confirmed what Camilla had said earlier.
Jeremy was stunned: he couldn't possibly know what a member of the imperial family was doing here. Especially the Crown Princess! The second most important person in the country after the Emperor.
The baron's son felt strong agitation as he bowed before her:
"May the sun rise over the great empire. I greet Her Highness the Crown Princess!"
In response to his polite greeting, the Crown Princess said nothing. Nevertheless, the look she cast at the red-haired youth did not bode well for him. Jeremy's throat went dry, but he still tried to appear calm.
Thank God, at that moment Camilla defused the situation. She warily addressed her companion:
"If possible... I would like to talk to Jeremy alone for a bit."
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. "Okay."
Left alone, the threatening atmosphere that had just been here evaporated in an instant. As if suddenly there was more oxygen in the air, Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on here?" he asked nervously.
His friend's face was as pale as a corpse's. She looked as if she had been traveling on a ship in the middle of a raging storm, not in a comfortable carriage. She showed all the signs of a person suffering from seasickness. Camilla answered him just as weakly:
"It so happens that I am currently a hostage of the Crown Princess."
"What?!"
Jeremy thought he had misheard.
The next moment, the duke's daughter took a leather pouch from her pocket, from which she extracted some object. The guy was surprised when she placed it directly into his palm.
"Oh, yes... This was a wedding gift."
Jeremy stared blankly at the cold and shiny object in his palm. It resembled a gemstone of an unknown type.
But before he could ask what it was, Camilla had already headed into the hall where the Crown Princess was waiting for her.