57. Great love (2)

“Kelly, you’re here.”

Next to Joshua was Bianca. Ah. So he didn’t want them to meet alone. This was obviously arranged by the Empress. Still, Bianca left soon after, telling the two of them to have a good time. In the end, he didn’t care about knowing her. As she contemplated it, she felt very far away from him even if he was just across from her.

Kelly picked up some food from the prepared feast and chewed it like a robot. The colorful yet tasteless food brought her back to reality. It was close to a miracle to eat face-to-face with the crown prince. When Kelly started going back and forth to the Imperial Palace at the Empress’ call, she had wished to see  Joshua’s face from afar even just for a moment. She wanted to marry this man. Joshua, sitting in front of her eyes, was everything she had hoped for. She had never been this grateful, for having her wishes come true. Only the clanging of tableware between them was heard in the silence. Her chatters responded with a nod. It felt like the awkwardness wouldn’t be solved anytime soon. Unable to overcome another long silence, Kelly struck a conversation again.

“I guess we will have our wedding tomorrow.” She blurted out. “I never thought I’d be your wife.”

The man’s gaze on the white tablecloth came up. Kelly felt dizzy when his blood-red eyes landed on her face.

“I think the wedding dress is too fancy.” She continued babbling, hyper-aware of his silent yet unnerving stare. “I always inherited my sisters’ hand-me-downs———-”

“….”

“I’m sorry that you have to spend a lot of money on me.”

Stupid. Kelly wanted to hide in a rat hole. Somebody should sew her mouth for talking nonsense. Just in time, a low voice spoke.

“Miss Kelly.” Joshua’s tone was dry but her heart pounded at the mention of her name. Unfortunately, she wasn’t happy with the words that followed. “Don’t force yourself to talk to me. I like to be quiet when I eat.”

She wanted to get closer to him but in the end, he told her to shut up. Chagrined, Kelly swallowed hard and averted her gaze. She could barely say a word as her lips pursed into a tight line.

Yes, Your Majesty.”

As expected, she was stupid. Kelly raised her fork and stirred the food in her bowl. Her body seemed to shrink gradually, becoming smaller and smaller. The space between them was going further and she felt so alone. Being next to the crown prince should feel like a blessing. It should. Kelly put her fork down and wiped the sweat from her cold hand under the tablecloth.  A few minutes later, Joshua got up first and the stifling atmosphere vanished.

“I feel sick, so I’ll get up first. Enjoy your meal and go home.”

Left alone, Kelly exhaled a sigh. When the freezing tension vanished along with his presence, she seemed to have lost all her strength. The wedding she had hoped for would happen tomorrow, but she couldn’t smile.

* * *

There was a storm of applause. The wedding took place at Pate Cathedral, where Ariad had told Kelly about seizing a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be loved by Joshua. Kelly took her time as she stepped on the sprinkled petals at the carpeted aisle. At the end of it stood a man whom she had longed for her whole life. For a moment, her mind went blank as if everything was a dream. When she stood there in a daze, Joshua approached her. The man, who wears a kind mask in public, wouldn’t leave her unattended and make her feel alone. Joshua led Kelly by the hand. Unlike his cold expression, his hands were warm. An officiant followed. Everyone clapped their hands but some uttered congratulations while others criticized. From the chilly atmosphere alone, she couldn’t really distinguish the well-wishers from those who weren’t. Kelly turned around, holding hands with him. Then, she made eye contact with Bianca in the crowd. Suddenly, the advice Bianca had given her crossed her mind. Kelly should bear the crown prince’s baby as soon as possible. ‘It’s sad, but only then will you gain strength.’ After all, Bianca knew how hard it would be for her to change his mind. Nevertheless, Kelly’s suppressed greed crept up little by little. The ceremony was held in a fixed format. Joshua got closer and bowed to Kelly. His lips were soft and hot when he kissed her. Once again, a round of applause broke out in the cathedral. For Kelly, the brief moment felt like forever. At that moment, her existence was finally acknowledged by this perfect man. Without warning, the greed that she had endured overflowed like a flood. The crown prince’s heartfelt love. She couldn’t wait to have it.