Epilogue 4
Rowina doubted her eyes. It was Killian, dressed in a jet-black suit if not a tailcoat. His swept-up hair didn’t have a single strand out of place, and the necktie drawn all the way up to his throat gave an ascetic yet strangely tantalizing feeling. When her eyes met his blue ones, her entire body shivered. He extended his hand toward Rowina, who stood there blankly.
“What is this….”
“Take it.”
It was a voice she couldn’t refuse. Killian firmly grasped the half-dazed Rowina’s hand and led her onto the carpet. At each step, lamps decorated with floral wreaths were lined up in a row, illuminating the dark surroundings with a mystical glow. The closer she drew to Jeremy, who stood at the altar, the more Rowina’s heart beat madly.
“Since when have you been preparing this?”
“Since about three days ago.”
“Then the fight with Uncle….”
“I had to draw your attention.”
“…Damian too?”
Instead of answering, Killian tilted his head, looking impossibly brazen.
“We’ll both get busier going forward. If my eyes fully recover, we’ll have to hold another wedding, and then you’ll have to put on a picture-perfect smile, surrounded by high-ranking nobles and foreign envoys you hardly know.”
“….”
“Do you remember? What you said on that train long ago.”
“It’s… too long ago. I don’t remember.”
Their clasped hands were hot. Killian whispered to Rowina, who lowered her eyes.
“You said you wanted to have a wedding surrounded by precious people, with the one you loved.”
“Killian….”
“I wanted to make that come true for you.”
Back then, he had simply thought it a wish befitting a country girl. For nobles, marriage was merely a means to unite families and consolidate power. Moreover, at that time, there had been no one precious to him. No one he loved.
But as he came to love her, many things changed. He could no longer remain as he was. It took a long time to admit, but he found this change not unwelcome.
“That was it….”
As if recalling it belatedly, Rowina had been nodding when she suddenly opened her eyes wide at the thought of a certain someone.
“What about Damian….”
“Rowina.”
As she turned her head to look around, Jeremy called out to her. Glancing sideways at Killian with a displeased expression, Jeremy made a pointed suggestion.
“Honestly, I still oppose this marriage.”
“Uncle….”
“It’s not too late even now. Even if you’ve already sworn before God, it doesn’t matter. If you say you’ll overturn it right now, I’ll leave this place with you. I’ve even prepared a carriage.”
Even if the quarrel had been deliberately staged, it was true that they didn’t get along. The glances exchanged between the two men were so fierce that one would wonder how they had managed to cooperate. At the bone-chilling coldness that seemed to freeze her to the marrow, Rowina looked back and forth between them and bit her lip. While she worried how to mediate, a firm voice was heard from beside her.
“That won’t happen.”
“…What?”
“That which you’re thinking of will never happen. Even if it costs me my life.”
Killian shifted his gaze from Jeremy to Rowina. Within his glacier-blue eyes dwelled an emotion hotter and more tenacious than anything else.
“Killian….”
“How am I to believe that?”
Jeremy butted in, staring fixedly at the couple. To that cold question, Killian answered without taking his eyes off Rowina.
“I swear upon my name. If I ever hurt your niece again, then you may shoot me dead. Should such a situation come to pass, not a single sin shall be laid upon you.”
The surprised guests gasped. For a noble, for whom honor was the highest value—and a high-ranking one at that—swearing upon one’s name was no different from wagering everything.
“He’s no ordinary man.”
It was the moment Jeremy smiled, pleased with the answer.
Rowina cut in, furrowing her brows.
“No.”
“Rowina?”
The guests who had been watching the three with bated breath also froze at Rowina’s words.
Paying them no mind, Rowina continued.
“That’s my right.”
“….”
Rowina turned from Jeremy and pressed her index finger firmly against Killian’s chest.
“If you hurt me like before, I will be the one to kill you. I mean it.”
A chilling silence fell over the wedding hall. Perhaps Killian, too, was surprised by her sudden outburst—uncharacteristically, he showed no reaction at all. A burst of laughter rang out a few seconds later.
“Pfft… Puhahaha!”
“Uncle?”
“Hahaha! Ha….”
Jeremy clutched his stomach at his niece’s unexpected counterattack and barely managed to stop laughing.
“Yes. Do that. Hearing your words puts my mind at ease now.”
He had laughed so much that tears were forming at the corners of his eyes. With a satisfied expression, Jeremy promised.
“Just say the word anytime. I’ll procure a gun that I handle very well.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll place the gun in her hand myself.”
“Haha, my nephew-in-law is certainly dependable.”
Just as the atmosphere had finally softened and another battle of wills was about to break out, a clear, bright voice cut between them.
“What does that mean? Father… are you going to die?”
“Damian!”
Damian, smartly dressed in a snow-white tailored suit, stood behind them with his arms full of a bouquet and a ring box.
“Of course it’s a joke. Thank you, Damian.”
Killian answered his son’s innocent question gently and received the bouquet and ring box from him. Following the promised procedure, Jeremy cleared his throat with ahem-ahem and began to officiate.
“I won’t give a formulaic officiation. I’ll ask just one thing.”
“Please ask.”
“Killian Maximilian Devonshire. Your Grace, the Duke of Rockford. Will you keep the vow you just made for as long as you live?”
“I swear it, wagering my all upon it.”
“Very well. Then Rowina Philone, my beloved niece.”
Jeremy smiled as if satisfied with this much and called Rowina in a voice full of affection.
“Yes.”
“Once you become the Duchess of Devonshire, you may find yourself in situations incomparably more difficult and trying than anything you’ve faced until now. No matter how much the boundaries of status blur in this world, there is a world that never changes. And that is exactly where you stand now.”
The moment she had already sworn before God could not be undone. Rowina nodded resolutely.
“I know. I’m prepared.”
She remembered the trials that had beset her until she could stand here. There had been many misunderstandings, conflicts, despair, and sorrow. She had thought it would have been better if they had never met, time and again. Dozens, hundreds of times.
But now, that was no longer the case. If she hadn’t gone through that process, neither Damian nor this very moment would exist.
“Then since you’ve already sworn to God….”
Confirming Rowina’s unwavering eyes, Jeremy concluded the ceremony.
“Everyone gathered here acknowledges that the two of you have become husband and wife.”
The guests, who had been awkwardly gauging each other’s reactions, began to clap one by one. Rowina swept her eyes over faces filled with regret, joy, and bitterness.
“Rowina.”
As she thanked them one by one with her gaze, Killian carefully took her hand. Realizing what he was about to do, Rowina opened her eyes wide.
“You already gave me the ring at the chapel.”
“That was the one I gave you before.”
It was the ring she had received amidst deceit and discord. The one he had left behind in the room before setting everything into motion.
“This is one I had made anew. For you. It took some time to complete.”
A diamond with a red hue, appearing to be at least five carats. Its simple design emphasized the gem’s beauty all the more.
While Rowina gazed at the ring as if entranced, blinking silently, Killian removed the wedding ring she had been wearing and slipped the new one onto her ring finger. The ring fit perfectly, suiting Rowina’s pale, slender fingers.
Killian brushed her disheveled blonde hair behind her ear and whispered.
“Thank you for forgiving me, Rowina.”
“….”
“I love you.”
He had told her through his actions, through his gaze, but this was the first time she had heard it directly—indeed, in front of all these people. In an instant, her eyes grew hot and her vision blurred. Subtly averting her gaze to hide her tears, Rowina responded with deliberate coldness.
“Who said I forgave you? I did say something like that before to shake you off.”
“…Is that so.”
After only a brief silence, Killian replied obediently, as if conceding.
“Then I’ll change my words.”
“To what?”
“Thank you for accepting me.”
The moment she raised her head out of curiosity, her chin was seized as if he had been waiting. She had the strength to break free if she wanted, but she didn’t wish to. Killian smiled triumphantly, as if he had read her inner thoughts completely, and pressed his forehead to hers.
“I’ll do my best so that you don’t end up killing me.”
His lips slowly drew near. It was neither a devouring kiss nor one filled with mere desire. As Killian bit his lower lip as if asking permission, Rowina blocked his lips with one hand.
“Then first, put in your eye drops diligently. Don’t complain about it.”
“I will.”
“If surgery becomes possible, schedule it with plenty of time. Don’t rest for two days saying you’re busy.”
“Rowina.”
Killian looked down at her as if his patience had worn thin and smiled. With the anxious feeling that his tether would snap at any moment, Rowina rose onto her tiptoes. Since they were before people, it was merely a brief touch before pulling apart.
“Tonight, we can… ah!”
Her vision swayed, and she was cradled in his broad embrace like a princess. Hot breath reached her ear.
“It is evening now.”
“You came all this way….”
“Greetings can wait.”
Killian cut her off again and exchanged a glance with his son. Rowina laughed briefly and wrapped her arms around his neck.
End of Epilogue