The Glamorous Fraudulent Marriage of The Fake Saintess

rene9-12 minutes

‘I can hear you all’

I was breathing rapidly in the waiting room.

“Are you nervous?”

Ian was standing next to me. He was dressed in deep blue robes. He already had a handsome face but when he dressed up, he literally seemed to shine. 

‘You mean I have to hold hands with a person who looks like this and stand in front of all those people?’

The guests who come here will be frantic with their curiosity of me. Of course, there are many people who also want to find faults with me.

I’m still nervous, but the confidence of dressing up in a 20,000 Mars dress was dwindling because my fiancée was so handsome.

‘Anyone can become a squid when placed next to a person like this!’

[T/N: squid means ugly]

“Are you so nervous that you can’t even answer?”

Ian approached me, wondering. As his burdensome beauty approached, I said bluntly without knowing it.

“Please go away. Sir Ian’s face doesn’t help.”

“Why are you so passive? It’s not like the person who provoked me in the carriage yesterday.”

Ian leaned his upper body slowly towards me.

“Where has the Lady who exclaimed with excitement, to get used to it for the first night, gone?”

It was a foul to talk about it now. I glared at him slowly.

…Not obviously, but gently. 

“I can’t help but be nervous! If they find my weaknesses, they’ll bite me for it, and say my skin is not good, my hair is frizzy and so on…”

“Who will dare to pick on you?”

“Ah, of course they can’t do that openly because I am Sir Ian’s fiancée but in the back-“

“No, look in the mirror.”

Ian grabbed my shoulder and turned my body towards the mirror. When I looked in the mirror with a puzzled expression, there stood a woman wearing a fancy dress and an expression that did not match her elegant dress.

“I don’t see any flaws in my eyes.”

From behind, Ian’s voice pierced my ears.

Wh-what. My body stiffened. You knew how to say this?

‘He is supporting me… right.’

The problem was that since the person with infinite beauty said that, the me in the mirror was transforming into a squid in real time right now.

‘Sigh, well. Okay. Who wouldn’t kneel next to him?’

I gave up and became que será, será mode.

[T/N: que será, será in Spanish means whatever will be, will be]

Let them spread the words that the man is too good for the woman. After all, it must be more difficult to find a decent person next to Ian.

Ian smiled as if he had noticed the confidence on my face.

“Are you ready?”

Ian bowed his head slightly and whispered beside my ear. The sensation caused my hair to stand on end as a chill ran from my ears to my toes piercing through me.

“From the moment you walk out that door, you become someone I love.”

I nodded low and clenched my fists tightly. Ian straightened his posture and nodded at the knights guarding the door with a smile. 

The knights opened the door on both sides. This was the moment when our curtain of acting rose.

* * *

“That lady…”

“She is Commander Ian’s lover.”

The moment the door opens and the main couple of the day enters, the audience, which had been sitting quietly, began to stir slightly as if someone had poured cold water on them.

Everyone’s attention was focused on the Lady, who appeared, holding Ian’s arm.

“It’s definitely a face I’ve never seen before in the Empire.”

“She looks cute.”

” Isn’t that dress made by Mercy?”

“Oh, I must have seen it hanging in the shop a while ago. But… oh my. How many jewels did they add?”

“Miss Mercy’s dress can’t be worn by any young girl, but with that extravagance… it’s clear that she comes from a wealthy family.”

“Perhaps she is the hidden daughter of a high lord who hides somewhere?”

Whispers flew from place to place. Coming and going.

Regardless, the couple moved forward. Soon in front of the bishop, Ian grabbed his fiancee’s hand. There was a faint smile on his face as he looked down at her.

“No, is Ian smiling right now?”

“Ah, it’s dazzling.”

“It was such a rare smile, but it came out so easy… haha. He must have been really in love for a long time.”

“What on earth is so special about that lady that he fell in love with her?”

People’s eyes glanced at Irene like crazy. It was a beautiful face that could easily win people’s hearts, but not one that would cause someone to go blind simply by looking at it.

Ian famously turned down a courtship with Princess Violet, a beauty of the century, even called the ‘Miracle Born by the Continent.’

People who remember that time couldn’t believe what was happening in front of them.

‘Princess Violet couldn’t get a piece of Ian’s smile no matter how hard she tried!’

That lady, who appeared to have fallen from the sky, however, couldn’t play fire with Ian in the Cathedral, and even promised to marry in front of the priest.

How on earth… Do you have an irresistible charm?

“Did you hear that rumor? It was said that the Lady was actually a Saintess who was called this time.”

“What?”

“What did you say?”

The gentle whisper of a woman drew everyone’s attention to her, and everyone turned to look at her in astonishment. In fact, she was the one that Ian had planted; the people who gathered around were unaware.

“I also didn’t hear the details. Bishop Kennen who is in charge of the Saintess Verification Process, is currently absent? It’s a tradition that you can’t be recognized as a Saintess until you’ve been verified, but that’s just a rumor… From what I heard, that Lady is a new Saintess who appeared after fifteen years.”

“Oh my god.”

“How the hell did this happen. Then the Holy Knights Commander and the Saintess……?”

The shocking news caused people to shudder and their eyes to light up.

“There was a story about them being discovered in Ian’s bedroom, but I’ll have to tell you the specifics.”

“What is the story?”

“Wait, the Saintess descends anywhere in the Cathedral once they are called. Could it be that the place she descended from was Commander Ian’s bedroom?”

“Oh my goodness?”

People began to express their imagination in an excited tone.

Irene looked up at Ian who was facing her and smiled softly as she listened to the faint murmur.

‘It’s going well as planned.’

Although Ian was the one who planted a person among the guests, this was a plan that the two of them had planned together.

At first, people who looked at the relationship between Ian and Irene as just a scandal now began to recognize it as a love story and became intrigued.

Irene slightly opened her mouth and whispered so that only Ian could hear what she was saying.

“Smile deeper.”

His heart was worn on his face as a loving smile but even with that, it wasn’t enough. It was necessary to create a more romantic scene in order to encourage people’s imagination.

Ian paused for a moment and raised the corners of his lips. 

An unfamiliar smile spread like the sun in the spring on his face that is normally a lake of ice.

“Is this all right?”

Ian whispered quietly. Irene didn’t answer right away, and she bit her lips for a moment. After a few seconds, Irene barely answered.

“…Yes, I think so.”

She thought that no matter how many times she saw that face, She’d never get used to it.

* * *

‘I’m tired.’

I secretly sighed. 

The Engagement Ceremony has finally come to an end. We promised to get married in front of the bishop and set a date for marriage.

But I could say that today’s real schedule starts from now on.

This Empire has a tradition. Following an engagement or wedding ceremony, the man’s side had to hold a banquet with the men and the woman’s side with the women. And now I am standing in front of the salon where the banquet will be held.

“Will you be okay? Doing it by yourself.”

“It’s okay.”

Ian asked again. Of course, it’s not because he’s worried about myself, but the fact that I’ll be on my own.

“Anything like a banquet can be canceled even now.”

“You can’t do that. It’s a tradition in this country that everyone keeps. It’s going to be very strange if we don’t hold it.”

I said reconciled, shaking my head. I couldn’t be worried about jumping into the social circle alone.

But today was only the beginning. I can’t stand the next year if I keep being scared.

“Trust me, Ian. I will go.”

I tapped my chest and tried to open the door. Then I saw a group of young girls walking over. I hurriedly turned around to Ian.

“Goodbye kiss on the cheek! Hurry up!”

“Yes?”

“They’re looking from the other side. Hurry up!”

We were set to be lovers with a burning love. Lovers who love each other so much that they can’t stand parting for a bit! 

Of course, I had to give him a goodbye kiss.

“…all right.”

Ian approached me as I lowered my eyes. Subconsciously, I closed them.

Smooch. A soft, light touch pressed down on my cheek. 

A soft, warm feeling. A tickling sensation spread, similar to being stroked with a feather.

At that time.

“You’re a little late- hey!”

The salon door clicked and opened.

The lady who discovered us took a step back in surprise.

“I-I apologise.”

The lady, whose face had turned red, stepped aside quickly and fanned her face.

At the same time, we could feel the gazes of many of the ladies in the salon fixed on us.

“Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness.”

“It’s hot…!”

Ian whispered softly with a small sigh.

“Then I’ll wait for you.”

“Yes. See you later.”

A very businesslike conversation came and went. 

The ladies who didn’t know the contents of the conversation blushed even more. They seemed to know what we shared.

I shut the door and took a look around the salon after sending Ian away. It was finally time to get down to business and start to socialize.

I was getting a lot of curious looks. I could feel the tension in the salon as I waited to see who would speak first.

At that moment, I could clearly hear the sound of shoes approaching.