A grinding of teeth rang out before Gareth's presence finally retreated.
Only then did Varkas loosen his grip.
Twisting her head, Talia watched Gareth's back as he headed toward the section reserved for honored guests.
As soon as he sat down, an elderly man seated beside him said something. It wasn't difficult to recognize him as Marquis Oristein.
Had the two of them discussed something beforehand?
Narrowing her eyes, Talia suddenly realized that many of the people filling the seats were conservative nobles who supported the Crown Prince.
Her eyes widened.
Just what exactly was happening?
Looking around the chapel with a bewildered expression, she felt a strong hand pull her head back once more.
“You don't need to think about anything.”
Those ice-cold eyes firmly captured her gaze.
“Once today is over, you will never see these faces again. Don't waste your attention on them.”
He spoke with force, as though engraving the words directly into her mind, and without a trace of hesitation walked toward the altar.
Talia followed as though being dragged by him, biting her cracked lips.
Varkas did not seem particularly surprised by the current situation. His calm reaction gradually untangled the chaos in her mind.
Most likely, Gareth wanted to show everyone that this marriage had not caused a rift between himself and House Siorcan.
And Varkas had agreed to it.
From the beginning, this marriage had been nothing more than a play born from the Emperor's demands, Varkas's sense of duty, and her own desire for revenge.
He was still on Aila and Gareth's side.
“His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress are arriving!”
A booming voice rang out from the stairs leading to the elevated seats.
Breaking away from Varkas's gaze, Talia looked upward.
The Emperor and Empress gracefully emerged before the throne placed on the second floor.
They looked like the true protagonists of this stage.
Talia stared briefly at the Emperor, radiating solemn authority, before turning her eyes toward Senevier beside him.
As always, she shone with a brilliance dazzling enough to blind.
Deep golden hair that looked as though it had been forged from melted pure gold, exquisitely beautiful features existing in perfect harmony, and a sensual body tracing flawless curves...
The beauty she had once believed she could someday possess stabbed at her retinas like needles.
“From this moment, the ceremony shall begin.”
As the Emperor and Empress seated themselves upon their thrones, the High Priest climbed the altar and proclaimed in a solemn voice.
Led by Varkas's hand, Talia stepped forward before the priest.
Behind his wrinkled, dignified face stretched a black sky heavy with rain. With dark clouds at his back, the priest began reciting scriptures in the ancient tongue.
Everything felt like some ridiculous farce.
Senevier wearing an ambiguous smile. The Emperor looking somehow uncomfortable. The priest muttering formal words of blessing. And the guests watching their false ritual with cynical eyes.
“Varkas Laedgo Siorcan, do you swear to accept Talia Roem Gwirta as your wife and remain with her for the rest of your life?”
After finishing the lengthy passages of scripture, the priest finally posed the final question.
Keeping her eyes fixed on the floor, Talia moistened her dry lips.
After several seconds of silence, Varkas spoke.
“Yes.”
It was such a dry answer that it almost sounded indifferent.
The priest asked her the same question.
“Talia Roem Gwirta, do you swear to accept Varkas Laedgo Siorcan as your husband and remain with him for the rest of your life?”
Talia looked up at the priest with clouded eyes.
Like Varkas, she wanted to answer casually, but only ragged breaths escaped her lips, as though someone were choking her.
As her silence dragged on, the hand around her waist tightened.
Turning her head, Talia looked at him.
Blue eyes quietly urged her for an answer. As though he had no desire to prolong this moment, his resolute gaze pushed her forward, and she barely managed to utter a single word.
“...Yes.”
“Thus, under the names of God and His Majesty the Emperor, I declare that the two of you are now officially husband and wife.”
Proclaiming the words in a dry tone, the priest added the final sentence that would conclude the ceremony.
“Now, prove your union with a kiss.”