Chapter 59
Perhaps he truly was surprised to see me entering the wedding hall.
If it were Father, he might have hidden everything from him.
I remembered the first time he entered the bedroom and silently stared at me.
He removed his helmet without a word and looked at me before speaking.
“You’ve become my bride.”
His tone was as if he knew me.
At that time, I didn’t think much of it, but now that I think about it, perhaps he was saying, “Not Helia, but you have become my bride.”
That thought made me choke.
After seeing Mother and my sisters off, I returned to my dressing room.
While changing with the help of the maids, one of them spoke to me, noticing my pale complexion.
“Your Highness.”
“…?”
“Your Highness.”
She called me again when I didn’t respond, and I finally came to my senses and looked at her.
The maid, with furrowed brows, cautiously spoke.
“You look pale.
Are you feeling unwell? Should I inform the head maid to bring medicine? Perhaps it’s because you had wine earlier.”
“Ah… No.”
The heaviness and pain in my chest weren’t due to the wine but because of the words my sister left me.
“You’re a substitute.”
Helia’s voice echoed in my mind, continuously wounding my heart.
“Until now, he’s probably been living contentedly with you as a substitute, but now that he’s seen me, will he still be?
Perhaps he got angry when I asked to borrow my dowry?”
Helia’s voice rang in my ears.
Even if I wanted to deny it, I couldn’t.
I had no certainty.
I changed into my nightgown and let down my hair.
After staring at my reflection in the mirror for a while, I walked slowly to the bedroom.
When I opened the door, he was standing by the window.
I quietly observed his large frame.
Aidan was also dressed, but the thin fabric couldn’t conceal his solid body.
Beneath the softly draping silk, his bulging muscles were evident.
A body different from the cultured men I knew.
Yet, I liked him.
When darkness fell and I had painful dreams, I liked his rough, calloused hands that would gently stroke my head.
I liked him.
But…
But…
It wasn’t me.
The feeling of defeat enveloped me.
There was a significant difference between marrying someone who was content with me and marrying someone who wanted Helia but settled for me as a substitute.
For me, who had lived in the shadows of my older sisters, Natalie and Helia, it was even more painful.
“Why are you standing there?”
He turned to look at me as I stood silently near the entrance.
“It’s nothing.”
“Has the queen and Princess Helia left?”
I didn’t know what to say.
Just hearing Helia’s name from his lips made my heart ache.
I nodded silently, afraid that if I spoke, I might say something I would regret.
Aidan stared at me intently.
His sharp gaze brushed my face.
Feeling like my insides were being seen, I lowered my eyes.
Then, Aidan took a step closer and touched my face.
“I’ll do as you wish.”
His words were unexpected. What was he saying? I flinched.
Yet, he gently cupped my face and spoke again.
“The money. The dowry. If you want, I’ll pay for it.”
His words were beyond my expectations.
He would pay Helia’s dowry.
I was so surprised that I couldn’t speak and fumbled with my lips.
Even if he didn’t need to pay that money, there was a reason he shouldn’t.
After gathering my thoughts, I finally spoke.
“Earlier… you said that if the dowry is given, it would be used to reorganize the army of the Duchy of Pietz.”
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