Wicked Husband-Chapter 50 - 49

The pitiful expression, his eyes downcast, was so endearing that she couldn’t help but smile. The knights cast approving glances at Eileen as Lotan spoke gently.

"You look beautiful. Much better without them."

The heartfelt compliment, delivered in a deep voice, considerably eased her mind. They likely intended to reassure her not to feel bad, but nevertheless, it felt good. Awkwardly, Eileen touched her bangs and murmured, "Thank you, everyone."

After keeping her trapped in a praise-filled atmosphere for quite some time, they finally got to the point.

"Tomorrow, we knights and soldiers will be in charge of security for the wedding. We’ll be armed, so you can rest assured. If there are any troublemakers bothering the lady, I’ll just..." Michele mimicked a gun with her hand and pretended to shoot. Lotan promptly grabbed her hand and pulled it down, saying, "We’ll make sure nothing like that happens."

Lotan calmly explained how the wedding security would be arranged for the following day. "All of us, including the soldiers, will be in uniform. They’ll be familiar faces, so don’t follow anyone you don’t know."

There was a slight tone of dissatisfaction, as if lecturing a child about kidnapping. However, Eileen, with a record of one abduction and one kidnapping, quietly listened without protesting.

"However, due to the limited number of soldiers available for the wedding venue, our field of vision is restricted," Lotan explained.

He guided Eileen to a seat and spread out the blueprint of the Grand Duke’s estate on the table. Pointing to the red dots marked on the blueprint, he continued, "This is the position of the soldiers guarding the venue. There will be the most personnel stationed here, where the wedding will take place..." Lotan drew a large circle on the blueprint with his pen. "Stay in the wedding venue as much as possible, but if you need to enter the mansion, please use this corridor. It’s the safest route."

The corridor indicated was the front entrance leading from the garden to the mansion.

"Once inside the mansion, you’ll likely be with His Grace, but let me explain," Lotan continued, his pen moving swiftly across the blueprint.

"Just think of using the stairs in the middle of the front as the only option. It’s unlikely, but in case of an emergency, you must come here." He drew a star on the blueprint in the corner of the top floor of the Duke’s estate. With a bear-like hand, Lotan swiftly drew star shapes and solemnly emphasized, "It’s imperative. We’ll practice together later, but you must be able to go alone. There’s a secret passage behind the largest frame in the room."

There, emergency funds, dried rations, spare clothes, etc., are prepared, and the passage leads to the outskirts of the estate.

After listening to Lotan’s explanation for a while, Eileen couldn’t help but feel tense. She couldn’t shake off the dreadful scenarios that played in her mind about possible mishaps at the wedding venue. Swallowing dryly, Eileen finally voiced her concerns.

"By any chance... Have you received any... warnings?"

She couldn’t help but think that their thorough preparations were due to some foreboding.

But Lotan replied bluntly, "No,"

"If such a warning had been received, His Grace would have canceled or postponed the wedding until the perpetrator was caught."

He made it clear that they would have sent the culprits to the gallows or executed them. Lotan emphasized that they would only reschedule the wedding after dealing with the situation definitively.

"You won’t need to use this passage, Eileen. We’ll make sure of that. But we’re explaining it to you just in case, to prepare for every possibility," Lotan reassured her.

Cesare, with a history of blood on his hands, had been involved in warfare since the tender age of 10. Despite being sent into perilous situations, he managed to return alive, but not without accumulating enemies along the way. To survive, he had to kill. With each new medal added to his uniform, he gained more enemies.

"You probably already have some idea, but... His enemies are not limited to within the Empire."

Cesare had enemies not only within the Traon Empire but also in other countries. The unpredictability of potential threats was evident, as seen in past incidents like the assassination attempt at the greenhouse.

While Cesare had started to assert control over the nobles within the Empire, there remained a clear possibility, as demonstrated by cases like Matteo, the son-in-law of the former Senate president, where individuals with personal vendettas might resort to extreme actions.

From the moment she was declared the Grand Duchess of Erzet, Eileen also became their target.

It was a monumental change for Eileen, who had previously spent her days crafting leaf carvings and selling potions in a dingy inn room.

"I apologize for the somber words... but we are prepared to risk our lives to protect you, Eileen, so I hope you won’t worry too much," Lotan said, feeling a bit awkward for delivering such a warning. He chuckled nervously.

Eileen quietly replied as she gazed at the burn marks covering Lotan’s face. "...Please don’t."

She met the eyes of each of the four people, then spoke.

"I hope you won’t have to risk your lives for me. I’ll be careful too. I’ll stay only where the security is."

Then, everyone fell silent. Lotan clenched his teeth, his voice faintly trembling as he replied, "Yes, Lady Eileen."

After the detailed explanation, Eileen went with Lotan to inspect the path he had mentioned. Eileen meticulously absorbed every detail he had explained, Lotan looked visibly pleased.

And then, the day of the wedding arrived.

***

Eileen had intended to retire early the night before, knowing she had to rise before sunrise, but sleep eluded her. Tension kept her tossing and turning, and when she finally did drift off, it was only for a few short hours before she woke again. From then on, she felt like she was being pulled along by the servants, caught in a half-dreamlike state.

Each time she half-closed her eyes, the scenes shifted rapidly, but even after bathing in a tub filled with fragrant flower petals, she couldn’t manage to doze off.

Amidst the commotion of servants attending to her, meticulously dressing her and fussing over her appearance, Eileen remained in a daze. The servant applying makeup continuously expressed admiration, eagerly showing Eileen her reflection in the mirror, but Eileen only managed a faint smile, avoiding prolonged eye contact with her own reflection.

As the early morning light filtered through the windows, the dressmakers arrived, adding to the flurry of activity surrounding the preparation for the day ahead.

They, clearly exhausted from staying up all night, sported dark circles under their eyes. Their usual stylish attire was nowhere to be seen; instead, they were clad in shabby work clothes. Perhaps the one who seemed to be the leader spoke with a tired voice.

"How have you been? I’d like to inquire about your well-being in detail, but we don’t have time, so let’s start the work right away."

With that, they all cast fervent glances at Eileen and hurried towards her. Feeling a bit intimidated, Eileen froze in place as one of them fetched a chemise and dresser and began tightening the laces of her corset. There were no implants to artificially puff out her skirt; instead, they worked meticulously to create a naturally flowing contour. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Then, with white gloves adorning their hands, they began to dress Eileen in her wedding gown. The gloves were a precaution to prevent any handprints from tarnishing the pristine fabric. Their movements were delicate and focused as they tied ribbons and adjusted the dress.

Once Eileen was fully adorned, the three women shared a heartfelt embrace, tears welling up in their eyes.

"We... we created such a masterpiece...!"

Their tears seemed excessive as they dabbed at their eyes with handkerchiefs.

The owners of the clothing store were meticulous in their efforts to preserve the elegance of the moment, carefully draping a veil over Eileen’s face.

"Please ensure that we have the opportunity to create the clothes you will wear in the future."

"We will make them together!"

Eileen silently mused that if an unattractive person were to wear their creations, it wouldn’t serve as the best advertisement for the dressmakers. However, she kept her thoughts to herself, considering their excitement.

Finally, after all the preparations were complete, it was time to proceed to the wedding venue. Eileen’s vision was slightly obscured by the veil, but as someone who often partially covered her view with her bangs, she felt an odd sense of tranquility.

With the assistance of the servants, Eileen slowly made her way to the wedding venue. It was the moment she stepped out of the mansion.

A cheerful melody, snippets of conversation, laughter, and the chirping of birds all blended together in a symphony of sounds. All eyes turned to the bride’s entrance as Eileen emerged.

The bustling crowd fell silent abruptly as Eileen stepped outside, a moment of hushed anticipation enveloping the scene.

***