Chapter 19. The Wedding mess
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After I finished my heartfelt prayer, I sheathed the dagger. I tied it tightly to the inside of my robe.
"....."
Bordeaux sighed, his face suddenly crumpled.
"What, now you're here? Don't waste the gift, it looks expensive."
"No, you don't see people as people. It's not that..................."
"...."
“I'm just worried about you going alone."
"Don't worry about it. I'll be safe with the coachman you hired."
And the Ezra region had a reputation for good security.
Far from the capital, secluded, but safe.
It was the perfect place to live with Eddie, which was why I had chosen it without hesitation.
"Uh, I did get a coachman with great sword skills, and I made sure he never traveled on dangerous roads."
"Are you my father..................."
"I'm not a father, I'm a husband."
I was speechless at his insanely confident response.
"No more goodbyes, we'll be on the road by sundown."
"......I see."
"I'm really going. Goodbye."
I said a curt goodbye and climbed into the carriage. Bordeaux didn't catch me this time.
At that moment, my trusty coachman spoke up.
"Lady, where are you going?"
"Take me as far as Vermont, please."
"Yes. Let's go!"
Vermont was adjacent to the Ezra region.
I didn't want Bordeaux to know my exact location, so I gave him another name.
The carriage pulled away.
I stuck my head out of the carriage window and waved to Bordeaux.
He stood there and watched me until I was out of sight.
His eyes were full of regret.
He looked as if he would seize me at a moment's notice.
'Are you really in love with me? You couldn't even see my face.'
I wondered if I could have been friends with him if we had met under different circumstances-not as the wary woman who had lost Eddie, but as the woman who had returned to her past.
I stared for a long time at his hair, blowing in the light breeze.
The blue trajectory of his eyes, as clear as the autumn sky, didn't fade for a while.
***
In her nonstop conversations with Bordeaux and the excitement of the new place, Riley had forgotten that today was her wedding day.
But those left behind in the Lopez empire were eagerly anticipating the wedding.
Matilda was the first to notice Riley's absence.
In the early morning hours, Matilda went to wake Riley and realized she was nowhere to be seen. Then she found a message from Riley.
[Matilda. I apologize for leaving you without telling you.
I cannot elaborate, but I am leaving the palace. I wish to live my life as me, not as a Princess. I am afraid that you will be persecuted in my absence, so I have left you a private message. Give this message and the letter I left with it to my brother.
My brother will protect you. Thank you so much for everything. You have been so good to me.
I hope you're happy.]
Matilda's eyes moistened as she read the short message.
She finally understood why Riley had been acting so strangely the past few days.
Clean up her own surroundings, give her jewelry out of the blue, stare unfocusedly into the distance with a wistful face.............
She didn’t know exactly what happened, but her master was unhappy here.
Matilda didn't resent Riley's sudden departure.
She could only hope that the woman who had left everything behind was safe and happy.
A few tears trickled from the corners of Matilda's eyes as she clutched Riley's message in her arms for a moment.
“Princess. Please take care of yourself.”
After fighting back the tears, Matilda made contact with the crown prince's maid.
The palace seemed to be in an uproar.
She looked up to see the maids and knights hurrying to and fro.
"What's wrong?"
Matilda turned to the crown prince's maid.
"I'm sure it'll be all over the news soon enough..................."
Something must be happening here, too.
Matilda pricked up her ears.
"Well. Prince Gran, who was supposed to come over at dawn today, has gone missing."
"What ..................?"
Not only was the bride, Riley, missing, but the groom, Gran, too.
What a surprise.
"So His Highness the Crown Prince is very upset, and he wants to find out what's going on, which is why even the servants are scrambling."
"That's a big deal. What a.................."
"You're looking for the Crown Prince, by the way, or is this an errand for the Princess?"
Matilda nodded.
She wondered how the crown prince would react if he found out that even Riley had disappeared.
Of course, he wouldn’t take it out on her.
The crown prince was not the kind of man to take out his frustrations on an innocent person.
He knew Riley's rational side, which was why she'd only addressed the letter to the crown prince.
"Come with me. I'll tell him."
"Yes."
Matilda followed the maid of honor at the palace.
Francis was just as Matilda had expected.
He was indignant, but he hadn't lost his cool.
He pored over the letter Riley had left behind, then offered her a suggestion.
"Listen, you will go to the Taj with your servants at once, and I will arrange for funds and carriages."
Francis continued, his voice thick with sighs.
"It is not likely, but it is possible that the Emperor could bring you to justice. I'll give you a job as a trusted maid to a nobleman, and you'll have nothing to worry about in terms of work."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"But you...... You really don't know where Riley has gone, do you?"
"It's ................... If I had known that, I would have followed her, believe me, Your Highness."
Francis nodded slowly.
It was clear that she didn't know where Riley had gone either, given that she'd left Matilda, her closest confidant, behind.
"Leave before His Majesty realizes Riley's absence."
"Yes."
Matilda left the palace without a second thought.
Francis had made it easy for her, and she had no desire for the palace to be without Riley.
***
"You mean you haven't found her yet!"
Torres, Emperor of the Lopez Empire and Riley's father, slammed his hand down on his desk.
A bang rang out, loud enough to shake the earth.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Your Majesty, we've been scrambling to find her, but............... apparently the wedding is today .............."
Torres had been informed of Prince Gran's disappearance by a messenger from the Remzi Empire who had arrived in the early morning hours.
There was no way the Lopez Empire would be able to find Prince Gran, who was missing from the Remzi Empire.
Torres's brow creased sternly.
The thought of Riley's wedding being ruined by a brat made his stomach turn.
"How dare you disappear on the eve of the wedding, deceiving the Lopez Empire...................?
If Gran hadn't been a prince of the Remzi Empire, he would have been wanted and hanged upon capture.
"What about Riley?"
That was the moment Torres finished speaking.
Another servant burst into the room.
"Your Majesty, they say that Princess Riley has disappeared!"
"..................what?"
Torres's brow creased even more. He was speechless, his disbelief outweighing his surprise.
After a moment of silence, Torres caught up.
"When did Riley disappear?"
"She supposedly disappeared last night."
"Riley......."
As he muttered her name, memories of the past few days flashed through his mind.
Riley, who had abhorred arranged marriages, had suddenly accepted one.
Riley's refusal to comply with him like a frog's refusal to listen to him.
‘I've been tricked by Riley.’
Torres realized that Riley's turnabout had been an act.
His thick hands trembled with rage.
If they caught her, they would do something to her, if not hang her.
At that moment, another servant entered the room.
"Your Majesty, many nobles have gathered at the wedding."
At Riley's request, he'd planned an elaborate wedding and invited a lot of people.
But what would be the consequences?
Riley and Gran evaporated at the same time, as if they had promised.
"Ha..................."
Torres sighed heavily.
He hadn't felt this angry and frustrated since he became emperor.
Torres had to make a decision before things got worse.
"Let it be known that Riley's disappearance is a secret, and that today's wedding has been canceled due to Prince Gran's arbitrary actions."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
****
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