Chapter 51

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: The Ring and the Kiss
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In truth, God had rarely answered Aileen's prayers.
But if He were to grant just one, she hoped with all her heart it would be today's. It was a special day, so she believed that this time, surely, God would look upon her prayer with favor.

After they finished their vows, a flower girl approached and offered them a box of rings on a tray. Cesare picked up a small, red velvet box.

She had never received a proposal ring, but it didn't matter. She would be happy even if Cesare only gave her a wedding band. With a fluttering heart, Aileen waited for the ring he would give her.

The moment the red velvet box opened, Aileen couldn't believe her eyes. Nestled inside was a ring she had never seen before, yet it was strangely familiar.

It was a platinum ring, set with a large diamond and an emerald.
The band itself was delicately crafted and studded with smaller diamonds. The jewels caught the bright sunlight, emitting a dazzling radiance.

The ring was so ornate it made her dizzy, its price frightening to even imagine, but Aileen was more stunned by something else.

‘How…?’

This was the ring a young Aileen had secretly sketched in her diary. The design, once marked by a child's clumsy hand, had been transformed into a beautiful work of art through exquisite craftsmanship.

How could Cesare have known about a ring she had secretly drawn in her childhood diary?

It made no sense to think he had read it.
Cesare had visited the brick house only a handful of times, and he had gone upstairs just once.

Of course, her younger self might have shown the drawing to Cesare, but Aileen remembered her time with the prince all too well.

It was physically impossible and made no sense, yet somehow, that fact didn't quite register. The feeling of floating on a cloud numbed Aileen's sense of reality.

Holding the ring, Cesare knelt on one knee and looked up at Aileen. She extended a trembling hand to him. His long, red eyes curved into a gentle arc.

He took her hand and slowly slid the ring onto her finger.
The solid metal glided down her finger, finally settling at the base of her fourth finger. The perfect fit encircled her finger without a gap.

Beneath the lace glove covering the back of her hand, the ring sparkled.
Aileen gazed at the ring, her heart overflowing with emotion. Next, she took the box from the flower girl and took out Cesare's ring.

His was a simpler design, set only with a small diamond, modest compared to hers. The clean design seemed to suit Cesare perfectly.

While Aileen admired the ring for a moment, Cesare stood up straight and removed the glove from his left hand.
He held his hand out to her.

It was just a matter of placing a ring on his finger, but she couldn't understand why she was trembling so much. Aileen took a small, deep breath before taking Cesare's hand.

Even his hands were beautiful.
They were large and masculine, with prominent veins, yet his fingers were long and straight. Unconsciously, Aileen gently caressed his hand before carefully sliding the ring on.

Her own hand was shaking so much that her movements were slow and hesitant.
Though it must have been frustrating, Cesare waited for her without a word of complaint. At last, she pushed the ring all the way to the base of his finger. Seeing the rings shining on his hand and her own, Aileen was overcome with ecstatic happiness.

Cesare, too, admired the pair of rings that now adorned the hands of the new couple. His red eyes moved slowly, taking in the sight of Aileen. Aileen gave him a shy smile.

“…”

Watching her smile, like a flower bud bursting into bloom, Cesare drew a sharp breath. The scent of lilies filling his lungs made his head spin. He watched Aileen smile like a blossoming flower and swallowed a twisted laugh.

The first and last chance.

He had thought perfect happiness was something he could never attain.
The path he intended to walk was not for Aileen's happiness, but for her survival.

He had accepted that Aileen might become somewhat unhappy as a result, but that didn't mean he didn't wish for her happiness. After all, he had always loved her smile the most.

Cesare could no longer hold back.
He pulled his bride in by the waist.

Holding Aileen—who now fit so perfectly in his arms, his wife—tightly, he supported the small of her back with his other hand and kissed her fiercely.

“Ah…!”

Thrown back, Aileen let out a sharp cry.
Her eyes, wide with surprise, were as round as a rabbit's.

As her bewildered gaze wavered, her small hand urgently clutched the hem of Cesare's uniform. A low laugh escaped him at the way she clung to him as if for dear life. Cesare looked straight at Aileen and continued the kiss.

It was too long and rough to be a kiss of vows; in truth, it was an act bordering on lust.
Though the high priest of the temple and countless guests were watching, Cesare paid them no mind.

He had already been through too much to care about the gazes of others.
He simply delved into her mouth as if to devour her.

Sweet, electrifying pleasure numbed his senses.
Excitement and elation surged, and his crimson eyes flared with a dangerous light.

If he could, he truly wanted to chew Aileen up and swallow her whole.
If he kept her inside his stomach, no one would ever be able to harm her. Only he would have the right to make her unhappy.

But Cesare expertly suppressed the impulse.
Instead, he poured his seething desire into a heated kiss. As he licked the soft roof of her mouth, tormenting her relentlessly, Aileen, who had been frozen with embarrassment, felt her eyes slowly glaze over.

Her golden-green eyes, which held nothing but him, were so lovely he thought he would go mad.
No, perhaps he already had.

Swallowing a laugh, he trapped her small, soft tongue in his mouth and bit down.
He left his mark, the impression of his teeth, upon her. He confirmed it again and again—that this was a world where Aileen existed, and that he was by her side.

Everything was for Aileen.

Cesare could do anything for Aileen.

***

It was the ceremonial kiss of vows for the new couple. But the kiss between the Grand Duke and Duchess of Erzet was so raw and carnal that all the guests blushed.

The wet, clinging kiss only ended when the new bride's legs gave way, causing her to stagger. The Grand Duke of Erzet, with his bride whose pale cheeks were flushed bright red, greeted the guests and then briefly went inside the mansion.

They were going to take their wedding photograph, which would be published in the newspapers for the citizens of the empire. After the photograph, the bride would prepare for the wedding night, while the groom was scheduled to entertain the guests with food and drink.

The staff of the grand ducal estate moved diligently, guiding the still-dazed guests to the banquet hall. The fresh flowers that had decorated the outdoor wedding venue were made into beautiful bouquets and handed out to the guests, filling the banquet hall with a fresh, floral fragrance.

The half-stunned guests gradually came to their senses, and before long, they began to buzz like a swarm of bees, chattering about the day's historic wedding.

The guests invited to the Grand Duke of Erzet's wedding were an extremely select few.
Only those born with noble blood in their veins, such as foreign royalty and the high aristocracy of the empire, were allowed to attend. This meant that every guest in attendance was a figure accustomed to extravagant luxury.

However, upon arriving at the outdoor wedding venue at the grand ducal estate, the guests could not hide their astonishment.
The ceremony, set up in the mansion's rear garden, was truly a world of flowers.

Lilies formed the centerpiece, surrounded by all manner of expensive fresh flowers used without restraint.
Yet it was not gaudy, but rather gave off a pure and elegant impression—a sophisticated venue that money alone could not buy.

The guests sat in the meticulously decorated wedding venue, waiting for the main figures of the day. As they waited, they whispered about Aileen Elorde, the recent talk of the empire.

She was a woman who was merely the daughter of a baron.
The Grand Duke of Erzet, a member of the imperial family, had chosen the daughter of a house with no wealth, no power, and no honor to be his duchess. At first, everyone had assumed that Lady Elorde must be a great beauty.

But the rumors of her being an unparalleled beauty quickly died down.
This was because those who knew what she looked like had been spreading the word.
They said they had never seen such a plain, unfashionable woman in their lives.