Chapter 1

Anne opened the storage box. She lifted a beautifully crafted gold necklace from inside with both hands. She approached me and fastened it around my neck, telling me it was something she had received from her mother when she got married. Then, she placed the matching earrings into my ears.

They were incredibly heavy ornaments, the kind that would be difficult to wear on a normal day. It was likely because so much gold had been used to make them.

In that weight, I could feel the concern and love her mother had for Anne. Even if one were to have a luxurious wedding right now, who could know how one’s life might turn out afterward?

Therefore, Anne’s mother must have given her something that was easy to liquidate and sell for a high price, in preparation for any potential hardship her daughter might face. In other words, these served more as emergency funds than mere jewelry.

And right now, I could also feel the heart of Anne, who was giving that same thing to me.

“I know I’ve said a few things here and there, but it’s not as if the Lallanne family is a lacking marriage prospect. They are Counts, and their territory is quite vast. It’s just…”

“I know. You’re just worried about me.”

“…Yes.”

It seemed she was struggling to swallow the words she wanted to say, perhaps because she couldn’t show any dissatisfaction until the wedding day. I wanted to ease her stifled heart, even just a little. So, I lowered my voice and spoke as if whispering.

“Actually, I wanted to become a Saint, too. I’m ashamed that I was rejected.”

At that, Anne’s eyes went round as she scolded me.

“Oh my, look at you. Do you think I’m upset because you were rejected during the Saint selection? I don’t care about that at all.”

She immediately began to pour out words with a sharp expression, claiming that she had only supported me back then because I said I wanted to do it. Seeing Anne like that made my heart feel warm on its own.

“Really, what does being rejected from the Saint selection matter? You’ve landed a marriage prospect that no one could envy, and you’re holding a lavish wedding right now. Don’t even think such thoughts. Goodness, where else is there an example of someone doing as well as you among those candidates?”

“That’s exactly right.”

At my retort, Anne hesitated for a moment before glaring at me in a way that wasn’t hateful. I didn’t bother to hide my laughter as I added.

“So don’t worry. I’ll live well.”

Moisture welled up in Anne’s eyes. Soon, her two arms wrapped around my shoulders and she patted my back gently.

“Yes. You must be happy.”

“Yes.”

A while later, Anne, who had to head to the venue first, left my side. Left alone in the waiting room, I became immersed in the emotions of welcoming this day. While I thought that things had worked out reasonably well, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of anxiety toward the unfamiliar future standing before this new turning point in my life, known as marriage. I found myself taking a deep breath involuntarily.

I must live well. I must truly become happy, with nothing left to envy.

I made the resolution several times, trying to prioritize anticipation and excitement over anxiety. Nevertheless, unable to bear the restless heart in the end, I hoisted my body up while gripping my heavy dress. Opening the window and breathing in the air outside made me feel a little better.

I leaned against the window frame for a moment, closed my eyes, and basked in the sunlight. Then, suddenly noticing a nostalgic scent hitting my nose, I lifted my eyelids.

Outside the window, a large hand was holding out a small flowerpot.

“Who…?”

“…”

The other person was not visible. They were hiding beside the window, extending only the hand holding the pot. Judging by the large, rough hand, I could at least guess that it was a man.

The flowerpot was wrapped in paper to prevent soil from falling, and packaged with a piece of stiff, lace-like fabric layered over it. A single white hyacinth was planted inside.

He moved his hand slightly, signaling for me to take it, but instead of taking it, I leaned my head out the window to confirm who it was. There was a tall man with a sleek physique. However, he had his head turned the other way, so I could not see his face.

I had thought he definitely wasn’t an aristocrat because the hand supporting the pot was exceptionally rough, but seeing his neat attire and the tidy hair visible from the back of his head, I couldn’t be sure anymore. Could he be a knight?

“Who are you?”

“…”

“Why won’t you show your face?”

“…Because they say it’s bad luck for a man to look at a bride before the ceremony.”

“If you know that, why are you here?”

“I wanted to… give you a gift.”

“There should be a separate place for receiving congratulatory gifts, shouldn’t there?”

“…”

“Yes?”

I am not the type to talk freely to a man I’ve just met. At least, not since I entered the Melas family. Light behavior is contrary to the refinement of a lady.

However, I did something I usually wouldn’t, just to relieve the mounting tension. Because I felt anxious again when I was alone, I forced myself to take an interest in the other person instead of chasing them away.

The man hesitated for quite a while longer at my urging before answering.

“…Because it’s pathetic.”

“…?”

“Because what I can give isn’t anything grand. I thought it would be better to give you something you like rather than giving you a treasure that is inferior compared to what others give.”

Even so, he said he couldn’t take it to the place where they received the gifts because it was pathetic. In the eyes of aristocrats, giving a gift like this at a wedding could be seen as sarcasm or an insult. He said he didn’t care if he himself was mocked, but he didn’t want to hear that I had been humiliated on my wedding day.

He could simply be an impoverished noble. But I first considered the possibility that this man might not be a noble at all. Then, was he in disguise?

I folded my arms and leaned against the window frame, getting into a more comfortable position.

“So you were just waiting here? What would you have done if I hadn’t opened the window?”

“Then… I guess I wouldn’t have been able to give it to you.”

If it wasn’t a significant item, he would have let it go if he couldn’t deliver it.

“Anyway, this sort of thing is just for self-satisfaction.”

I rested my chin on my hand more comfortably. By now, the tension and anxiety had subsided. At that, a slightly mischievous feeling took hold of me.

“But why did you think I would like this? Perhaps that simplistic thought that all women love flowers?”

“…You don’t like them?”

The man’s way of speaking, which had been subtly clipping the ends of his words, became more relaxed. At the same time, he started to withdraw his hand as if feeling a bit dejected, so I quickly took the flowerpot. The man’s withdrawing hand paused.

“I’m joking. I like flowers. Especially hyacinths.”

“…”

I had already vaguely guessed the identity of this man. Although I didn’t remember his face anymore, a memory remained of watering hyacinth flowers with a boy when I was young. I thought that perhaps that boy had grown into this man now.

I savored the scent of the flowers for a moment, tracing the faint memories, and then spoke to the man, who was still turned away.

“Thank you. I’ll grow it well.”

“…I wish you happiness.”

I gave a big smile toward the man who wasn’t even looking at me. For some reason, I felt like I could truly be happy now.

“Yes, I will.”

That was why I could answer so confidently back then.

After the grand wedding ceremony, inside the carriage heading to the territory, the Count of Lallanne, who had become my husband, asked.

“What is that?”

“It’s a hyacinth pot. It’s a flower I like, so I want to take it with me and grow it.”

“You could just leave it to a servant.”

“The flowers are in full bloom, so they are pretty. The scent is nice, too, so I want to keep it with me for a while.”

“I see. Do as you wish.”

Saying he also liked the scent, the Count accepted it with a generous attitude. He acted quite gentlemanly afterward as well, which made me feel increasingly relieved.

Although he was a man I had only met three times, I thought that if he were such a generous and kind man, I would be able to get along well with him in the future. I believed that as long as I was obedient to him and tried to get along well, I would surely be happy.

At the inn where we stopped during the journey, he used a separate room from me. I thought that was a sign of respect. I assumed that once we arrived at the territory, only then would we sleep together as a formal Countess. But even after arriving at the territory, the Count never laid a hand on me.

He had a noble purpose of his own, and it was for that reason he had chosen me, a former Saint candidate, as his wife. The position of Countess Lallanne was merely a nominal reason to get his hands on someone with my qualities.

Foolishly, I realized that fact only after I was suddenly thrown in front of a certain summoning circle one day. To the Count, I was not a wife, but a sacrifice meant to reach a god.

I felt a massive gaze that seemed to crush my entire body. Unable to even lift my head, I trembled and knelt down instinctively. At that time, this was the only action I could take to survive.

As I groveled servilely, pressing my forehead completely against the floor, that massive existence finally showed a shred of mercy and put a leash on me. The crushing sensation disappeared, but cold sweat continued to pour down without stopping.

That was how I became a slave to this god, forced to serve it.

To Anne, who wished for my happiness, and to the man whose name I did not know, it was a pity, but my married life became hell.

Is this a divine punishment for a sinner who fell while trying to escape their karma comfortably?

I thought it was a new turning point, but in the end, my life was still a complete mess.