"..." I slowly approach the altar, the sound of violins and pianos playing softly in a beautiful, yet somehow somber, tune and symphony. When I reach the foot of the altar, my mother lets go of me and takes her place in the front, near Esther's mother.

"..." I climb the 3 steps of the altar and stand opposite Esther, my eyes immediately going to the priest.

'A mask?...' The priest's attire is a bit strange. He's dressed entirely in white, literally only white, with no other color except for a dull, nearly light-gray white. He also wears a plain white mask with no facial features; it's extremely neutral.

"You may begin," Esther murmurs, and the priest nods. The music becomes softer, slower, and slightly quieter, allowing the priest to be heard by everyone.

"We are gathered here today to unite these two souls for eternity through this matrimony. The union of both will form a new family and an alliance between both families with the Demon King," the priest begins to speak, but I quickly start ignoring him.

He spouts a bunch of nonsense about eternal union that sounds more like a demonic ritual that will trap me forever with Esther, and I don't want to remember too much about that.

'It's so strange to be getting married...' I never thought much about marriage; in fact, I never thought much about romance at all. So, to be getting married, especially without love, is strangely unsettling.

It feels like they're putting a leash on my life, and every word the priest says about eternity makes me more restless and uncomfortable. It almost seems intentional, using so many examples of something that will never end.

Aside from the long and boring speech, it eventually gets to an interesting point where he mentions magic.

'Union through magic?... Ah, yes... Demons are beings fundamentally formed from magic...' This makes the chain on my life feel even more solid because, from what I understand from the priest's words, the eternal marriage is a magical contract.

'So the marriage isn't just a union on paper... it's literally a magical contract...' In the game, magical contracts were rare, but there were various types. In one of the game's routes, Grace made a blood magic contract with a magical beast.

'That means the magical bond is what matters most in the marriage...' The priest soon finishes his long, boring speech.

"Now, both of you, understanding the true meaning of matrimony, do you accept consummating this eternal union?" the priest finally asks, waiting.

"Yes, I accept Evelyn as my wife for eternity," Esther quickly agrees as the priest hands her a box with our wedding rings.

"..." Esther and the priest look at me, and I realize I'm supposed to say yes now.

"O-Oh... I-I..." I look around nervously until my eyes meet Esther's, and her dominant gaze shakes me.

"I-I accept E-Esther as my wife for eternity..." I end up repeating what Esther said, my voice trembling. The priest nods positively as Esther opens the box.

Inside the box are two black rings that somehow look frightening. One ring has a very dark purple amethyst in a slightly circular, prismatic shape, while the other ring is the same shape but has a beautiful dark red ruby.

"Hold out your hand," Esther says, picking up the ring with the ruby. I move my hand toward her, and she holds it delicately. Her soft, gentle touch is almost strange in this situation as she slips the ring onto the index finger of my left hand.

"Now do the same with my right hand," she says, handing me the other ring with the purple jewel. I take a deep breath, take the ring, and place it on the index finger of her right hand.

Immediately, both rings glow, and I feel a pain as if something is piercing my flesh. I make a pained expression as Esther stares at the ring.

"The rings are artifacts. They will no longer separate from our bodies. They will remain there as long as we have vitality, cannot be removed, and if broken, they will restore themselves using the partner's magic."

"That means they can only be broken if the other is dead," Esther explains, and I realize I'll never be able to take this off my finger.

I look at my hand, realizing I now have three rings on my body: my storage ring, which is the only one I can remove; the ring that is Arial, stuck to my finger; and now my wedding ring.

"Now, to conclude this marriage before 200 witnesses, you may kiss," the priest says. Esther approaches, grabbing my waist. She removes the veil from my face, calmly observing my gaze.

"..." She soon kisses me in front of everyone. It's a somewhat prolonged and strange kiss that shows her lack of experience, though I have no experience either.

Her lips are very soft and warm, and her kiss has a strange, sweet, sugary taste. Soon, she pulls away from the kiss.

"Get ready, because later I will deflower you so the marriage becomes impossible to annul, even for our father," she says, and I shudder at how directly she says it, right after the marriage is officially done.

"O-Of course..." I say, somewhat disappointed. I always wanted my first time to be with someone I love. I never expected my first time would be with Esther, whom I don't even love.

'It didn't matter that Arial didn't take my first time... In the end, someone who doesn't love me and whom I don't love will take it... At least it's someone who might love me in the future?' I try to think positively.

"Now that the marriage is concluded, all guests are free to enjoy the celebration," Esther says while holding my hand.

"Evelyn, we will enjoy the celebration for the next two hours, and then we will go to my room. Be prepared by then, and understand that I do not like rebellion," she says coldly, and I nod my head.

"O-Okay... C-Can I go talk to my mother?" I ask for permission. She ponders for a moment before letting me go.

"Go. I need to speak with some nobles as well. When the clock strikes midnight, return to me. I will be in the main hall. Don't be late," she says, starting to walk away. I quickly walk over to my mother, seeking some degree of comfort.

'Now I'm officially Esther's wife... Perhaps... my future won't be so bad? If I "behave" and Esther really sees me as a romantic interest, maybe we can get along... It's not like she'll mistreat me all the time, right?' I tell myself, fostering hopes for a good future.

...

...

...

"Miss Grace, do you need anything?" a servant asks as I watch Esther kissing Evelyn at the altar. Since I was invited, I came to the celebration expecting to see something loving.

But it's different from what I expected. Evelyn is clearly uncomfortable and even seems somewhat scared by everything. Furthermore, Eve and Syl'Vyr, from what I can see here, are clearly dissatisfied but can't do anything.

"No, it's just that I'm looking for Marie. I heard she accepted the invitation," I say, looking around at the guests.

"Yes, she is more towards the front, as she is a direct member of the royal family," the servant says as I ponder whether I should call for her.

"...Hmmm... Could you please inform her that I wish to speak with her?" I ask, standing up and seeing other nobles rise as well.

"Of course, I will inform her immediately." As the servant leaves, I quickly move gracefully through the guests, approaching Esther, who has moved away from Evelyn.

"Hi! Congratulations on your marriage. It's a happy moment for everyone, right?" I stop in front of Esther, congratulating her on her wedding. Esther momentarily glances at Evelyn before answering me.

"Thank you, Grace. Yes, it is a happy moment," she says with a gentle smile, and my matchmaker instincts kick in.

'Hohoho, that reaction! She likes Evelyn?!' Evelyn seems not to like her, but unlike Evelyn, Esther shows visible satisfaction with the matrimony.

"As someone who came for peace, I must say I like your demon weddings! Human weddings are a bit... too polygamous for most nobles."

"So, seeing that your culture values monogamous marriages like this is a breath of fresh air," I say honestly. I've received several marriage offers from nobles, but all were from nobles who already had wives and concubines.

And I don't want that; I want a more special relationship. Of course, having two or three romantic partners seems nice, but still, I would never force someone who loves me into such a situation if they didn't want it. So, seeing demons prefer only one partner is cool.

"Yes, among us demons, magic is more important than the body. So, unlike human nobles who marry many for carnal and visual pleasure, we demons prefer something more eternal, suited to our distant lifespan," Esther explains, and I understand.

"Besides, it's biologically nonsensical for demons to have multiple partners. We have very long lives. If demons had as many partners and children as humans, in just 2 millennia we would have sabotaged ourselves."

'Yes, that makes sense. Demons have absurdly long lifespans depending on the type, with some living for thousands to tens of thousands of years. It makes sense they prefer one partner...' Unlike human nobles who want multiple heirs due to shorter lifespans, demons can have multiple heirs throughout their long lives.

"So, I heard that among demons, girls can get girls pregnant since you also have children through magic. Do you plan to have children with Evelyn? And..." I try to take this approach, but Esther's icy glare silences me.

"I don't want children. Why would I share what is mine with another being?" she says in an extremely materialistic way, treating Evelyn like an object or a trophy she has conquered.

"...I-I see, so no children... Well, I wish you both happiness..." I decide to stop here. The topic of children clearly displeased Esther, and I don't want to ruin her night.

"I will go talk with Marie now. I wish you a wonderful wedding night with your wife," I say politely, giving her space to go speak with others as nobles approach her.

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