the Villainess they took for granted

Chapter 239: v2 Chapter 58: the Imperial wedding

The morning of the tenth of September dawned clear over the capital.

The city had been awake long before sunrise.

Imperial banners hung from every major avenue. White flowers and deep crimson arrangements adorned the streets leading toward the cathedral, while balconies had been draped in imperial colors.

Soldiers lined the ceremonial route in full dress uniform.

The bells had begun ringing before the first carriages arrived.

By midmorning, the capital was overflowing.

Foreign princes and princesses had travelled to attend.

Kings and queens who could not make the journey had sent their closest representatives.

Ambassadors filled the diplomatic galleries.

The highest-ranking nobles of the Empire had been assigned places according to precedence, while ministers, generals, governors, bishops, and members of the imperial household occupied the remaining sections.

The cathedral itself could hold only a fraction of those who wished to witness the ceremony.

Thousands gathered outside instead.

The Emperor was marrying.

And when the ceremony ended, the Empire would have an Empress.

It was not merely a wedding.

It was an imperial occasion of a scale rarely witnessed.

--

Marian sat quietly inside the bridal carriage.

Her hands rested together in her lap.

She looked down at them.

They were trembling.

Only slightly.

She smiled.

She had never imagined this moment.

Not like this.

Not after everything.

Yet here she was.

The past twenty days returned to her in fragments.

Mornings beside Adrian.

Quiet conversations.

Walks through the gardens.

Evenings together.

The endless wedding preparations.

The small moments in between when the rest of the world seemed to disappear.

She had been happier than she could remember being.

And now she was going to marry him.

The carriage slowed.

Marian lifted her eyes.

The cathedral rose before her.

Its enormous doors stood open, revealing the thousands gathered within.

Her father was waiting.

Adrian was waiting.

She took one slow breath.

Then the carriage stopped.

The door opened.

Her attendants stepped forward.

Marian emerged.

And the crowd fell silent.

She wore a gown unlike anything the capital had ever seen.

The ivory silk was so finely woven that it seemed almost luminous beneath the morning sun.

Diamonds had been worked directly into the fabric itself, hundreds upon hundreds of tiny stones sewn into the intricate embroidery so that the entire gown glittered whenever she moved.

Larger diamonds formed delicate patterns along the bodice and sleeves.

The Valmont crest had been incorporated subtly into the design.

The imperial eagle appeared in smaller motifs along the sweeping train.

More diamonds bordered the veil, which extended far behind her and was carried by several attendants.

A magnificent diamond necklace rested at her throat.

Matching earrings framed her face.

A delicate tiara held the veil in place.

She did not merely look like a bride.

She looked like the woman the Empire was about to crown.

Marian’s father stood at the cathedral entrance.

When he saw her, his expression softened.

For all the grandeur surrounding them, he saw only his daughter.

His beautiful daughter.

The child who had always been kind and dutiful.

The young woman who had spent most of her life trying to do what was expected of her.

The daughter who had caused him real pain only twice in her entire life—

when she chose Cassian,

and now, when she had chosen Adrian again.

But for everything, he would never trade her for the world.

He offered his arm.

Marian placed her hand upon it.

”Ready?”

She smiled.

”Yes, Father.”

He looked at her for another moment.

Then they began walking.

--

The cathedral seemed to hold its breath.

The vaulted ceiling disappeared high above them.

Thousands of candles burned along the walls.

Imperial banners hung behind the altar.

Foreign dignitaries watched from their places.

The highest members of the court stood in silence.

And at the end of the cathedral stood Adrian.

He wore the formal white and gold uniform reserved for the most solemn imperial occasions.

The insignia of the Empire rested upon his chest.

The Imperial Crown waited nearby.

Yet the moment Marian entered, his attention went entirely to her.

Something in his expression softened.

Marian saw him.

And suddenly, the cathedral disappeared.

There were no nobles.

No ambassadors.

No bishops.

No thousands of watching eyes.

There was only Adrian.

Her future husband.

She smiled.

Her father felt her fingers tighten slightly around his arm.

He looked at her.

She was happy.

There was no mistaking it.

And despite everything he knew, despite everything he feared, the sight of that happiness still touched something inside him.

They reached the altar.

The Duke turned toward his daughter.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then he gently placed her hand into Adrian’s.

Adrian’s fingers closed around it.

The Duke stepped back.

The ceremony began.

--

The vows were spoken beneath the authority of the Church and before the assembled Empire.

Marian’s voice remained steady.

Adrian’s was calm and unwavering.

When the final words were spoken, the priest gave the blessing.

Then Adrian turned toward her.

For a brief moment, they simply looked at one another.

The cathedral was silent.

Adrian lifted a hand to her face.

Then he kissed her.

Not the restrained gesture expected of a sovereign before his court.

A real kiss.

Warm, lingering, and unmistakably intimate.

A ripple of surprise passed through the cathedral.

Several members of the court immediately lowered their eyes.

Someone near the diplomatic gallery coughed discreetly.

Marian felt her cheeks burn.

But she smiled against his lips.

When Adrian finally drew back, his gaze remained on hers.

And then the cathedral erupted.

The bells began to ring.

Trumpets sounded.

Outside, cannon fire announced the marriage.

The Emperor and his new wife had given the Empire its answer.

They were married.

--

The ceremony continued.

Marriage had made Marian the Emperor’s wife.

Now she would be formally invested as Empress.

Adrian remained beside her, already wearing the Imperial Crown that marked him as sovereign.

The crown was magnificent—gold worked with diamonds and dark imperial stones, its weight unmistakable even from a distance.

Marian stood beneath the attention of the entire Empire.

The ceremonial mantle was placed around her shoulders.

The imperial jewels were presented.

Then came her crown.

It was smaller than Adrian’s, but no less magnificent.

Diamonds covered its delicate arches, catching the candlelight with every movement.

Marian lowered her head.

The crown was raised.

For one brief moment, the cathedral seemed completely still.

Then it settled upon her hair.

Trumpets sounded.

The bells rang again.

”Long live the Emperor!”

”Long live the Empress!”

The words swept through the cathedral and spilled into the streets.

Marian lifted her head.

Adrian was standing beside her, crowned Emperor.

She looked at him.

He looked at her.

And suddenly, all the grandeur surrounding them seemed almost secondary.

She was his wife.

She was Empress.

And she was happy.

--

The procession through the capital lasted nearly an hour.

The Emperor and Empress travelled beneath the imperial standard while soldiers lined the streets.

Flowers were thrown from balconies.

Crowds cheered.

Church bells continued ringing.

Children waved imperial flags.

Foreign envoys watched from decorated balconies.

Marian sat beside Adrian, her hand resting comfortably in his.

She looked out at the capital.

The sight was overwhelming.

She had grown up knowing that one day she would stand at the center of the Empire.

She had spent much of her life being prepared for it.

But knowing something all her life and finally living it were two very different things.

This was her life now.

She was the Empress.

And beside her was the man she loved.

Adrian’s hand closed around hers.

Marian turned toward him.

He was already looking at her.

For a moment, neither spoke.

She simply held his gaze, her heart full.

There was nothing else she wanted.

No uncertainty.

No regret.

No fear.

Only happiness.

She believed the days ahead would be the happiest of her life.

She believed she had finally arrived at the life she had wanted.

She could not know that this was only the beginning.

Not merely of her life as Empress.

But of everything that would eventually become her greatest happiness—

and her deepest misery.

--

Tbc

AN: I will end volume 2 here everyone. I know it is a bit rushed, but

Well. Hahaha

So we go to volume 3 and see our favorite man. Cassian. Haha