Predatory Marriage (Web Novel)
chapter-283-30041322

Chapter 283 – Secret Plan (3)

Translator: Atlas / Editor: Regan

The day was dark. Clouds covered the sun and everything looked dull beneath the gloomy sky. Even the decorations adorning the outdoor reception hall looked lifeless.

It was all far too dismal for a wedding day.

Leah, who would be standing before everyone that day, was already feeling suffocated. Her tight corset made it difficult to breathe, and she felt imprisoned, surrounded by so many people. The bride had not even been permitted water for some time, but no one seemed to care.

She looked beautiful in the mirror. Her white wedding dress was so spotless, it seemed like a shame to risk the least dust. Looking at herself in the dazzling gown, Leah suddenly felt nauseous.

She wanted to tear that perfect dress to shreds, throw it on the floor, and spit on it. She had to resist the urge to clench her fists. One of her ladies-in-waiting was doing her nails. They had to be trimmed so she would not damage her royal husband’s skin during their first night, and after they were done, her lady slipped lace gloves onto her hands, and then her engagement ring onto her finger.

Just as they were about to put on her veil, her ladies-in-waiting stopped at the same time. An intruder had entered the bride’s chamber, which should have hidden until the wedding.

Dressed in an elegant suit, Blain entered her chamber. It was a common belief that it would be bad luck if the groom saw his bride’s face before the wedding, but Blain didn’t care. Far too many other things had already happened.

“Get out, all of you,” he ordered, shooing everyone out of the room. It left only Leah and Blain in the room, but he didn’t approach her. He just leaned against the door and watched her.

“……”

The two had not seen each other for a long time. After he had ordered Leah to be made into a doll, Blain had never looked at her. Now he just stared at her in her white wedding dress for a long while, and then turned and left without a word.

Leah wondered why he had come, but she decided not to think too much about it. What she was about to do was far too important to worry about anything else.

Right before the wedding ceremony, she slipped out the potion she had concealed from her ladies-in-waiting and poured it into her mouth without swallowing, then hid the empty bottle where no one would discover it.

At last, it was time to go to the wedding hall.

Several ladies followed her, carrying her long train. The wedding hall was extravagantly decorated.

Leah looked at the guests seated in the rows. They had come to celebrate the union of a new couple, they were smiling happily, and they all looked like decorations.

As the orchestra began to play, she stood at the end of the aisle, marked by a long white silk carpet. In her hands she held a bouquet of colorful lisianthus.

Blain was waiting at the other end of the aisle with the priest. Listening to the cheers of the crowd, she felt dizzy as she approached. Every step made her feel as if she was walking to the edge of a cliff.

Maybe she had been arrogant. Since she had managed to break one part of the spell, she had been so sure she would be able to break the rest and regain her memories. Now that she knew she was not alone, she had thought for certain she could do it. But only small fragments of memories had filled the empty places in her mind.

Leah pressed her lips together.

I was greedy, believing I would get my memories back, she told herself. I just wanted Ishakan to be proud of me. But in the end, I couldn’t…

In the front row of the guests, she found Cerdina, heavily made up to hide her haggard face. She was dressed as beautifully as if she were the bride, but malevolence filled her eyes.

Those sharp eyes scrutinized Leah, and she looked quickly away from that critical gaze. In the end, she hadn’t been able to find her lost memories. But there was work to be done.