"Your… younger brother?"
Kurose Akira's expression turned a little complicated when he heard Idiss's second proposal.
Entering the stage as the Rose Duchess's younger brother… on the surface, it sounded fine—but something about it felt off.
"Will the nobles of the Star Kingdom even believe that identity? The Rose Duchess suddenly has a brother out of nowhere?"
"That concern is valid," Idiss replied calmly, as if everything were already under her control. "But I'll handle it. Besides, their understanding of me is only the tip of the iceberg. Just like yours… isn't it?"
"…"
Akira fell silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on her.
She wasn't wrong. He knew far too little about Idiss. And if even he—who had seen her true face—knew so little, then those royal nobles likely didn't even know what she truly looked like.
Only he had glimpsed her beauty… and even—
Cough.
Akira cleared his throat, forcing his thoughts back on track.
"There's still something I'm worried about," he said. "Prince Thales and Prince Laps—they won't just let this wedding happen smoothly, right?"
"Mm." Idiss nodded faintly. "Which is why you'll need to reveal the strand of starlight within you. Let the people of the Star Kingdom acknowledge your existence."
"And the justification?" Akira pressed. "Even if the people only recognize those with star power as legitimate royal blood… there still needs to be a reason, right?"
"A reason?"
Idiss smiled.
She slowly raised her fingertip—and in an instant, a dazzling thread of starlight gathered in her palm.
"???"
Akira's pupils shrank slightly.
By all logic, only direct descendants of the royal line—the king's own blood—could possess even a trace of starlight. And even that trace was merely a medium to draw upon true stellar power.
Even the queen didn't have it.
Even the Night Witch could only imitate it using ambient cosmic energy to fabricate someone like Princess Vivian.
Which meant Vivian herself had no actual blood relation to the old king—only the purest form of star power.
That alone proved how rare and unattainable it was.
And yet…
Akira frowned, staring at the starlight gathered in Idiss's hand, confusion deepening.
"Star power…?" he muttered.
Idiss's smile turned mysterious.
"How do you think I managed to establish myself in the Star Kingdom as a 'weak woman'? How do you think I convinced the king to grant me the title of Duchess?"
She tilted her head slightly, then added with a casual tone:
"For reference, my star bloodline is purer than the king's. If anything, that old man should be calling me his great-grandmother."
"Eh?" Akira blinked in surprise. "So you're going with the 'ancient beauty' route?"
"Ancient your head!"
Tap.
Idiss flicked his forehead with her finger.
Then she continued, "Most of the royal nobles already know that I possess star power. So if you're my younger brother… wouldn't it be perfectly reasonable for you to have it too?"
"That does make sense."
Akira nodded thoughtfully. "Honestly, not just a younger brother—even if I were your father, son, or grandfather, it'd still sound believable."
"…Just shut up."
Idiss shot him a cold glance before continuing,
"Yvsha is still bathing in the church. I'll bring her here shortly."
"When are you going to reveal your relationship to her?" Akira asked curiously.
"Does that matter?"
Idiss didn't answer directly. "My relationship with Yvsha is none of your concern. You should be thinking about how to make them get along."
"Hmm… you've got a point."
Akira nodded, falling into thought.
His overly serious expression made Idiss raise an eyebrow slightly, wondering whether he had actually understood a single word she'd said.
Just as the atmosphere settled into silence—
A burst of brilliant golden holy light suddenly illuminated the Rose Manor.
Moments later, Lucia stepped forward from within the radiance.
"Lucia's here?" Akira immediately forgot everything else the moment he saw her.
"Mm."
Lucia responded coolly. Beneath the white veil, her golden-red eyes remained fixed entirely on him.
The wedding attire he wore was indeed elegant and luxurious—the starstones embedded across its surface clearly reflected how seriously Idiss was taking this event.
But…
After a brief pause, Lucia stepped forward and produced a golden pendant from her sleeve—a delicate piece adorned with a sun emblem.
She gently fastened it to Akira's chest.
"This is…?"
Akira held the pendant, examining it closely as its information appeared before his eyes.
[Sun Pendant (Legendary): This is a gift.]
"I just felt like something was missing," Lucia said simply, before turning her gaze to Idiss. "Shall we begin?"
"We can."
Idiss rose and walked toward the room where Akira had changed earlier.
Lucia followed closely behind—but just before entering, she cast a glance back at Akira, as if warning him not to peek.
"~"
Akira shrugged, picked up the teacup on the table, and took a sip, waiting quietly.
Though…
A thought suddenly surfaced.
Lucia would be marrying him under the identity of Katrin.
Which meant that when she came out, he'd be seeing Lucia… transformed into Katrin?
It felt a little strange—but in a world where magic existed, strange things were practically normal.
Just as he waited, footsteps echoed from outside.
Akira frowned slightly. Who would come to see Idiss at a time like this?
The door opened.
And a familiar figure stepped into view.
"Princess Katrin?"
Akira was genuinely surprised.
"You—"
Katrin froze as well the moment she saw him.
She had only learned yesterday that she, too, would be participating in the wedding as a bride. That was why she had come—to demand an explanation from Idiss.
Even if it was a fake wedding, it still affected her reputation.
But as a puppet, she had no real choice. At most, she could only try to extract better terms.
What she hadn't expected—
Was that the groom would be him.
She had only met Akira two or three times before. While she knew Idiss valued him highly… entrusting something this important to a mere human—
No matter how she looked at it, it felt strange.
"You…"
Her eyes carefully scanned him.
The star ceremonial attire alone confirmed his identity—but she still couldn't understand why him.
Unless…
"Princess Katrin, could you stop circling me?" Akira said with a wry smile.
She had already walked around him three or four times.
"…Why did Idiss choose you?" Katrin finally asked.
"There are many reasons," Akira replied with a shrug. "But probably because I'm the most suitable."
"The most suitable?"
A flicker of curiosity passed through Katrin's eyes.
She sat down across from him, resting her chin in her hand as she studied him closely.
Her unblinking gaze made Akira slightly uncomfortable, so he changed the subject.
"What brings you here, Princess Katrin?"
She paused for a second, then answered, "I came to discuss the wedding with Idiss. She only told me yesterday that I'd be participating—do you think I shouldn't come?"
"…Fair enough."
From a certain perspective, Katrin was also a victim of politics.
But in a world where strength ruled above all, such things were inevitable.
Just then—
The inner door opened.
The sound of high heels clicking against the floor overlapped with Idiss's voice as she stepped out.
"I—"
Katrin was about to speak—
But the moment she saw the figure standing behind Idiss—
Her voice died in her throat.
Akira's attention was also instantly drawn to the "Katrin" beside Idiss.
Compared to the real Katrin, this one possessed an even more graceful figure. Wrapped in a pure white wedding gown, she looked like a divine angel descended from the heavens.
But…
What he really wanted—
Was to see Lucia herself wearing that gown.
After all, in both figure and beauty, Lucia far surpassed Katrin.
If Lucia wore this dress in her true form…
He might not make it out of the Rose Manor alive today.
"Well?" Lucia noticed his gaze and stepped closer, asking softly.
"Beautiful," Akira said honestly, his eyes lingering on her flawless form. "But if it were you wearing it as yourself… it'd be even more beautiful."
He couldn't help but reach out, gently touching her cheek.
The scene was… undeniably strange.
Katrin stood there, watching him caress her own face—or rather, the face that looked exactly like hers—while dressed in a wedding gown.
Her emotions became… extremely complicated.
And worst of all—
That "her" was far more beautiful than she was.
Lucia simply smiled faintly at his praise, saying nothing.
"So," Idiss sat down and looked at Katrin again. "What did you come for?"
"…I want to discuss the marriage terms," Katrin said.
Akira and Lucia sat quietly to the side, listening.
Although Katrin had received a full political education as a princess of the Star Kingdom—
In front of Idiss, she was as fragile as a rabbit.
With just a few words, Idiss dissolved all of her concerns. With a handful of simple conditions, she made Katrin willingly accept everything.
The reason it went so smoothly was simple:
Katrin had no bargaining power.
And in the future… she might even become nothing more than a vessel to bear heirs with star blood.
"The royal family of the Star Kingdom is effectively finished from this point on," Lucia said calmly beside Akira.
"In a sense, yeah," Akira replied. "But the foundation of the Star Kingdom has always been recognition by the stars. As long as someone possesses star power, they can represent the royal family, right?"
"…"
Lucia didn't answer.
She simply looked at him for a moment, then turned her gaze away.
She understood that the Star Kingdom and the Sun Church were fundamentally different—their divergence rooted in culture and their systems of power.
Soon, the conversation between Idiss and Katrin came to an end.
"Do you understand now?" Idiss asked.
"…I understand."
Katrin nodded, though a trace of sorrow flickered in her eyes.
After tomorrow, the royal family she represented would likely become nothing more than Idiss's puppet.
But it was still her choice.
If her uncle or brother took the throne instead… her fate would be far worse.
"Since you're here, you'll stay at the Rose Manor for the next few days," Idiss continued. "On the wedding day, it won't be convenient for you to appear before the public."
"…Mm."
Katrin nodded again, her expression dimming further.
Her own wedding—yet she couldn't even attend it.
How ironic.
"Time's about right," Idiss said, shifting her gaze to Akira. "She should be arriving soon."
As her voice fell—
Rose petals began to drift down like rain.
And from within them—
Yvsha appeared.
"S-Sir Akira?"
She blinked in slight confusion at her sudden change of surroundings.
But the moment she spotted him, she immediately relaxed.
"Over here."
Akira patted the seat beside him.
"Mm~"
Yvsha quickly walked over and sat gracefully at his side.
Her soft violet eyes then turned toward the "Katrin" beside him, and she smiled gently.
"That must be Miss Lucia, right? The wedding dress is absolutely beautiful~"
"Thank you," Lucia replied with a faint smile.
Though compared to pure white, she personally preferred gold.
When it came time for her wedding, she would definitely choose a golden gown.
"Yvsha, go get changed first," Akira said, glancing briefly at Idiss as he gave her a subtle look.
"Alright~"
Yvsha nodded and followed Mary and the maids into the inner room.
As soon as she entered—
Idiss spoke.
"That gown is… a bit special. So when she comes out, you're not allowed to touch her."
"Special?"
Akira's interest was instantly piqued. "How special?"
"It's woven from the Truth of Night," Idiss explained. "And adorned with particles of starlight. If you touch it, you'll ruin its aesthetic."
"…That's it?"
Akira had expected something far more… stimulating.
He'd half-imagined that touching Yvsha in that dress would trigger her succubus instincts and—
Cough.
So it would just ruin the look?
…Fine.
For the sake of tomorrow's wedding, he'd restrain himself.
But just as that thought settled—
Yvsha's voice called out from inside the room:
"Sir Akira~ could you come help me? I need your assistance…"