"I never thought Miss Cecilia would ask about her betrothed..." a few members of a collateral branch of the Schariac family chatted in the hallway.
"Well, they're about to get married. If it were me, I'd have been asking all sorts of questions, wanting to dig up his entire family history!" The speaker was the young woman who was always by Cecilia's side. Her eyes shone when she spoke of Cecilia.
But the next moment, the light in her eyes turned to a deep loathing. "But why someone from the Kaslana family... have the elders forgotten about the guy who kidnapped Cecilia-sama two years ago?"
This sentence instantly put a pained expression on everyone's faces, and a heated discussion erupted.
"Exactly! Not even the Apocalypses can understand what those Kaslanas are thinking! What if Cecilia-sama's betrothed is a lunatic too?"
"I heard that young master is no ordinary lunatic! Not only did he wait until he was seventeen to leave home, but he also went to a place like Future City! He doesn't even follow his own family's ancestral teachings!"
"That's not an ancestral teaching, is it? It feels more like something ingrained in their blood."
"That's even weirder! He can even overcome his own instincts. What is he if not a monster?"
"That's true..."
"Aiya, stop talking. I've heard that Cecilia-sama will be passing by here soon. Today is her engagement ceremony!"
"Aaargh, I really want to ruin that wretched engagement ceremony! Why should Cecilia-sama's middle finger wear that guy's engagement ring!"
"Once the engagement ring is on, it's a promise~"
The final blow from an unknown person completely broke the defenses of this group of fangirls. One by one, they turned to the dark side and began to plot how to ruin the engagement ceremony.
Someone even uttered a classic line—
"If only that guy from two years ago would come back."
"Are you crazy?!"
"You should be punished!"
"How can you say such a heartless thing with a mouth that's 37°C?!"
A group of young women started to playfully fight, and the one who had spoken so wildly begged for mercy.
What they didn't know was that Cecilia was standing just around the corner, having heard every word of their conversation.
When the time was right, Cecilia chose a moment when the group was subconsciously on guard to walk out. She passed by them and arrived at the engagement ceremony venue.
It was decorated in a very high-end manner. It was clear that the Apocalypses had also contributed.
This was an engagement banquet that was about to be witnessed by three parties, and she... Cecilia was the one being pushed onto the engagement stage by the three great families.
"Please welcome—Miss Cecilia!"
The host was rehearsing. He held the microphone and announced the current segment in a high-pitched voice.
With a wave of his hand, all the lights in the venue focused on her, along with everyone's gaze.
Cecilia followed the procedure, gently lifting her skirt and walking onto the stage without a moment's hesitation. Every step was as if measured, not a single one out of place.
"Miss Cecilia, please stand here," the host guided Cecilia to one side of the center of the stage, then looked at the cue card in his hand to confirm.
"During the official ceremony, the other party will put the engagement ring on Miss Cecilia's finger here. At that time, please raise your hand to make it easier for him to put on the ring. Is that alright?" the host asked, looking at Cecilia nervously.
Cecilia maintained her usual smile and nodded at the host.
"Do you need to rehearse?" the host asked again. "We can choose a woman from below to assist with your rehearsal."
Cecilia turned to look at the crowd. Although it was a rehearsal, everyone was already seated except for the few people sent by the Kaslana family.
This was the final rehearsal. In an hour, the engagement ceremony would officially begin.
Suddenly, Cecilia saw a blue figure sitting in the audience. For the first time, her body trembled almost imperceptibly.
No one noticed, except for the blue figure who was looking back at her.
"No, that won't be necessary," Cecilia said, her gaze returning, as if nothing had happened. "I've always remembered what to do."
"That's good," the host nodded. Cecilia went down the stage according to the procedure and followed the young woman back to her room.
"The ceremony will begin in a little while. Cecilia-sama can rest in her room for a bit," the young woman said to Cecilia.
"Alright, thank you," Today, Cecilia was wearing a pure white wedding dress, as if a piece of moonlight had been cut and draped over her like a light veil.
The young woman was mesmerized. Realizing that her gaze was a bit impolite, she relied on her powerful self-control to close her eyes.
"Please rest well. I won't disturb you, Cecilia-sama," the young woman said, closing the door. The sound of her cheerful footsteps faded away.
The room became quiet. Cecilia returned to her bed and sat down.
Looking up, she saw the window with its curtains undrawn. She could see the moon.
But it seemed she couldn't see it today. The dark clouds had hidden the moon... only a few stars hung in the dark night sky.
What a pity. Today is a full moon. The next time I can see it will be a month later...
Cecilia disappointedly looked away and lowered her head to look at her hand.
The act of raising her hand... of course, she remembered. She wouldn't make a mistake. She had never made a mistake in her eighteen years of life.
Today... she probably wouldn't either.
When she looked up again, Cecilia felt that something was missing from her heart. She looked at the window that she had never closed, her thoughts unknown.
It wasn't until a crisp knock on the door that Cecilia came back to her senses.
"The banquet is ready, Cecilia-sama. Please prepare yourself."
Cecilia closed her eyes and sighed softly.
"Alright, please wait a moment," Cecilia stood up, walked to the window, and reached out to close the window that had been open for a whole year.
It was as she had said, the dream... was already over.
Cecilia turned around, still with that perfect facade. No one could see her inner thoughts...
...
"Crash—!!"
The sound of shattering glass was not ear-piercing. The moon, revealed from behind the dark clouds, cast its light, which was refracted by the flying shards of glass into faint threads.
Cecilia turned around. This was the first time she had failed to control her expression.
Because she saw, crouching on the windowsill, a familiar person, extending a hand to her in a familiar posture.
"Hey! Do you know where the trapped princess in this castle is?"