On the day of the bridal procession, the gates of Tei Castle were swarmed with people. The escort from Orsenburg was a majestic sight, and under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Nata personally brought forth a bowl of steaming medicinal soup.
"Megrie, drink this. It's for your health," Nata said, her eyes reddening as her voice trembled with feigned reluctance. "Once you marry into Orsenburg, I fear I'll never have the chance to look after your well-being again."
Megrie looked at the rising steam, a cold sneer forming in her heart. This bowl was undoubtedly the "One Drop into Dreams" secret draught Loya had warned her about. By playing the part of the devoted mother in front of the Orsenburg envoys, Nata secured both a saintly reputation and a legitimate way to keep the bride "quiet."
"Thank you, Mother." Megrie bowed her head as she took the bowl. Using the concealment of her wide sleeves and a clever shift in posture, she appeared to drain the liquid in one gulp. In reality, the bitter draught was entirely absorbed by the thick cotton cloth she had hidden beneath her sleeve.
Within moments, Megrie's eyelids grew heavy. Her body swayed, and she collapsed predictably into the arms of her maids.
"This child... she must be overwhelmed by the memory of her father and the sorrow of leaving home. To think she's fainted from the emotion," Nata murmured, pressing a handkerchief to her lips to hide the triumphant curve of her smile.
At that moment, Kiki stepped forward with tearful eyes, volunteering herself to Nata. "Mother, let me see my sister off. I will stay in the carriage to care for her until they cross the border. It is the least I can do for our sisterly bond."
The Orsenburg envoys watched the scene, moved by what appeared to be the deep affection of the second daughter.
Because Megrie had been mistreated for so long and was painfully thin, the maids easily lifted the "sleeping" bride into the opulent carriage. As the wheels began to churn, the grand procession rumbled out of the city gates.
Inside the carriage, the moment the heavy curtains fell, the grief on Kiki's face collapsed into a mask of twisted malice and jealousy.
She stared at the magnificent bridal gown Megrie wore—the dress encrusted with pearls that she had coveted in her dreams.
"Wearing this on a bag of bones like you is a total waste!" Kiki hissed. She snatched a sharp hairpin from her hair and began to hack at the gown with manic intensity.
The screech of tearing fabric filled the small carriage. Under Kiki's frenzy, the once-exquisite dress was reduced to rags. Pearls scattered across the floor like discarded seeds—a mirror of what everyone believed Megrie's fate to be.
As the carriage reached a desolate forest road far from Tei Castle, the wheels hit uneven gravel, jolting violently. Kiki estimated the distance, a murderous glint flashing in her eyes. She grabbed a heavy spare blanket, wrapping Megrie in it like a corpse, and kicked the carriage door open.
The biting wind howled into the cabin. Kiki summoned every ounce of her strength and shoved the figure out.
"Go to hell, Megrie! From now on, I am the only mistress of Orsenburg!"
Megrie's body, like a puppet with cut strings, was flung from the high-speed carriage. she tumbled through the air and crashed heavily into the wilderness scrub. The carriage didn't slow down; carrying Kiki's frantic laughter and kicking up a cloud of dust, it sped away into the distance.
Shortly after the bundle hit the ground, Megrie—who should have been in a deep slumber—slowly opened her eyes amidst the settling dust. Her gaze was clear, sharp, and ice-cold.
The wilderness wind carried a stinging chill. Megrie sat up slowly in the dirt, looking down at the tattered remains of the gown that was meant to symbolize honor. The scattered pearls had lost their luster in the mud, looking like the remnants of a pathetic farce.
"The jealousy of that girl... it truly is monstrous," Megrie remarked. She brushed the grass off herself, feeling no panic—only the chilling calm of a survivor. She draped the mud-stained, gray blanket over her shoulders to hide the shredded silk. Like a ghost, she began to walk, step by step, back toward Tei Castle in the fading glow of the twilight.
By the time she reached the city gates, dusk had deepened into night. A guard barred her path with a spear, his voice gruff and wary.
"Halt! Where did a refugee like you come from? The gates are closing; Tei Castle doesn't take in vagrants."
A refugee? Megrie paused, taking stock of her appearance. Her hair was a matted mess of straw and dirt, her face was smeared with mud, and she was wrapped in a foul-smelling blanket. She smiled self-deprecatingly; she certainly didn't look like a high-born lady.
Just as the guard prepared to drive her away, a steady rhythm of boots echoed from behind.
"What's happening here?"
The soldiers stiffened and stood at attention. "Captain!"
Megrie looked up, squinting through her tangled hair at the man entering the torchlight. She blinked, then a playful smirk touched her lips. "So, you're a Captain... Aaron, I always thought you were just a common patrolman."
Aaron's stern face went rigid. As he took in the eyes that shone like stars even through the filth, his pupils contracted.
"Megrie? How are you..." His heart skipped a beat. He almost rushed forward to catch her—she looked as if a breeze could knock her over, yet she stood remarkably straight.
"Shh." Megrie raised a hand to stop him, her eyes signaling toward the curious soldiers. She lowered her voice, her tone steadier than anyone who had just been thrown from a carriage had a right to be. "Keep it down. As of now, Megrie of Tei Castle is on her way to be a bride. As for me... I'm just a refugee fleeing a marriage."
She pulled the blanket tighter and gave Aaron a weary but relaxed smile. "Now, could you please take me to Kai? I really need a place with a hot bath."
Seeing her in such a wretched state, a surge of complex emotions rose in Aaron's chest—fury toward Nata's family and a profound respect for the girl's resilience. He quickly regained his composure and waved his subordinates away.
"This is someone I hired privately. There was an accident; I'll handle her myself."
He unfastened his windbreaker cloak and, without a word, draped it over Megrie's filthy blanket. Using his tall frame to shield her from prying eyes, he guided her toward the dark alleys of the city.