Chapter 01
It was the wedding of the century.
As the massive doors of the Kargen Empire’s grand cathedral swung open, the crowd gasped in awe.
Finally, the day’s protagonist, Princess Diana, appeared.
“…….”
She lifted her head and stared at the Kargen Empire’s flag fluttering toward the sky.
Under that flag, her homeland, Erden, had been trampled and destroyed.
Diana Ahiel Erden, the last princess of the Erden Kingdom.
She thought of her people, left to suffer for the rest of their lives in a ruined country, and took a step forward, her feet refusing to hesitate.
As her steps echoed, the children’s sacred choir filled the cathedral with resounding songs.
In the distance, at the end of her gaze, she saw the man who would soon be her husband.
He couldn’t take his eyes off Diana as she approached.
Everything was going according to his plan—perfect victory without a single flaw.
Yet even on his face, there was no trace of the joyful smile one would expect of a groom on his wedding day.
“Please exchange the wedding rings,” the Pope officiating the ceremony instructed.
At that moment, deep hatred flickered in Diana’s blue eyes, which had shown no emotion until now.
Before the Pope, they had to exchange the sacred rings. This simple act bound their souls as husband and wife.
“Hah.”
Diana sneered.
It didn’t matter to her whether the ring on her hand symbolized love or a shackle. All she could think of was the pistol she had hidden under her wedding dress.
She closed her eyes and imagined it—one by one, in time with the mournful choir, piercing the foreheads of these beasts with cold, steel bullets.
First, the crown prince of Kargen, who had started a war out of his own greed.
Then, Duke Promes, who had murdered her aunt, whom she had loved like a parent.
Finally, the man before her now, the Duke’s hidden son and Kargen’s war hero.
Diana glared at the man who would become her husband with blazing eyes.
‘Once…’
Yes. Once, she had loved everything about him.
His perfectly harmonious features, which could make one feel almost ascetic awe.
His rebellious gaze hiding gentle, emerald eyes.
His night-black hair, falling softly like the night sky, with just a hint of curl that added to his languid charm.
All of it had been so beautiful, so precious, that her heart had nearly overflowed.
But now, she must not hold onto such feelings.
She could no longer love this man.
The first love that had tormented her nightly since childhood.
The spy who had stood closest to her, leaking royal secrets to the Empire and preparing for war.
The mortal enemy responsible for staining their kingdom with the most blood during the war that left nothing but ruins.
Ian Promes.
Yet Diana could not bring herself to pull the pistol from beneath her dress.
Tears gradually welled in her eyes as she glared at Ian, as if to kill him.
Even he seemed momentarily shaken by the sight. He instinctively reached out.
But Diana sharply turned her face away from his hand.
He quickly regained his composure, returning to his usual unwavering, stern expression.
Feigning nonchalance, he reached around her refusal and gently tucked a strand of her translucent platinum hair behind her ear.
“Don’t touch me.”
“…….”
Diana pushed his hand away and steadied herself before snapping at Ian.
“Why, now, do you feel any guilt?”
“Not at all.”
He delicately brushed the back of her hand with his thumb.
“I’ve dreamed of this day ever since the moment I first met you.”
Then he slid a ring, crafted from the continent’s most famous jewels, onto Diana’s ring finger.
Now, they were husband and wife.
Diana forced herself to hide the tumult in her heart, lifting her chin.
No historical record would dare claim the princess looked like a prisoner of a defeated nation.
Ian gazed steadily into Diana’s eyes and pressed a possessive, deep kiss onto the back of her hand.
“Allow me to help you prepare for your first night,”
Her body was moved like a puppet by nameless maids.
Diana tried to envision the future, but all she could see was darkness.
Once the maids finished their duties and left, the bedroom was filled with oppressive silence.
She rose from the bed and went to the nightstand by the window to check that her hidden pistol was still in place.
There was only one answer in her mind.
Knock. Knock.
As she hid the pistol in her arms, the man who had just become her husband entered the room.
He saw Diana standing by the window and approached slowly.
“Diana.”
There was concern in his voice.
If anything remained unchanged about him, it was that insufferably gentle voice.
Diana didn’t respond, continuing to stare out the window. Outside, a violent storm raged, echoing her despair.
Ian came closer, stopping at a careful distance behind her.
He reached out but withdrew as if he could go no further. Diana watched him in the reflection of the glass.
“…In time,” he began, breaking the silence.
“You’ll be fine too. You’ll get used to life here, and the past… will become the past.”
He reached out again, resolute, and slowly turned her to face him.
He gently touched her tear-streaked eyes, restraining his anxious heart.
“You don’t need to forgive me, just don’t cry.”
Diana stared at him, still vivid in her blurry vision.
“I thought of you as a friend,” she said, her voice trembling with deep betrayal.
“The only one who truly understood me. I believed I couldn’t be whole without you.”
“…….”
Ian silently pulled her into his arms.
His grip on her shoulders tightened with force.
“Ian…”
“Diana.”
“……I loved you.”
Click.
As tears fell, Diana loaded the pistol.
“When did you even get that?”
Feeling the cold steel at his side, he raised his hands and slowly stepped back.
“I’ve had it ever since someone I wanted to kill appeared.”
The gun was aimed directly at his chest.
But her hands, which held it, trembled pitifully.
The sweat from tension made it feel as if she might drop it.
“Put it down. It’s dangerous,” he said, swallowing dryly. As he stepped forward, Diana pressed the barrel under her chin.
“Don’t come any closer.”
“…….”
He could hardly breathe, shocked.
“Don’t do this… Diana.”
“I know how to send you to hell.”
She pressed the barrel closer, still smiling, yet her tears ran cold across the metal.
“I’ll disappear.”
“No, Diana, please…”
“……I’ll send you to hell.”
“No!”
As she pulled the trigger, Ian threw himself forward, and a deafening gunshot echoed. Crimson blood spattered across the white bridal gown, staining the room.
Thunder clashed outside, rain pouring down as if to sweep everything from the earth.
Through the window, Diana’s harsh breaths could be heard. She stared at him, fallen to her knees.
Ian clutched his chest where the bullet had struck, barely managing to breathe.
Her white nightdress for their first night was now stained red with his blood.
“Diana…”
As if telling her not to cry, his hand touched her tear-damp cheek, leaving only a red mark in place of tears.
She watched as he drew his last breath, stunned.
The relentless ticking of the clock pressed down on her shoulder, and she stared blankly at the pistol lying beside her.
She raised it to her temple and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Yet, even when she thought she had died, a sudden rush of cool air filled her lungs, and her body felt light.
“Diana.”
Someone was calling her.
As the voice calling her became clearer, a sharp pain shot through her temple where the bullet should have penetrated.
“You’ll catch a cold if you sleep in a place like this.”
She knew this voice. How could she not? Had they both fallen into hell together, seeking forgiveness from God?
“Diana… Princess.”
There was only one person in the world who could call her name so gently.
Diana opened her eyes and had to confirm—had they not died, or had she gone mad and conjured his phantom even in death?
“Finally awake.”
Lifting her heavy eyelids, she saw without doubt Ian’s face.
Behind him, petals drifted into the terrace, swaying in the night breeze.
“I didn’t expect the princess to dislike the ball. Hiding here like this…”
He smiled brightly, as if forgetting the guilt of war and the apologies of betrayal.
