Aya Ran Away - Chapter 33

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 33
It wasn’t a proper Wedding Ceremony, of course.
It was barely more than a simple ritual—little more than sharing a cup—but if one had to give it a name, that was what it was.
Unable to sleep, Aya lay in her bed watching the pale dawn break across the sky.
Soon enough, those who had come to help with her Grooming flooded into the room.
They seemed a little startled to find her already awake.
But they quickly set about the chamber, arranging her Ceremonial Robe and laying out hairpieces and jewels in neat rows upon the table.
“Your Highness?”
She turned her head. Her attendant stood there.
In her hands was the Veil that Aya would wear for the ceremony.
The sleeplessness had left her mind heavy and dull.
Instead of answering, Aya’s gaze drifted toward the table.
In place of the princess’s crown she sometimes wore at formal events, an unfamiliar one sat waiting.
It was a Ring Crown, such as the wives of kings wore.
It was paired with the head Veil, and the gold thread embroidery on the Veil was remarkably delicate.
‘How beautiful.’
With that thought, she leaned back deeply into her seat.
After bustling about for some time, they gently helped Aya to her feet.
“This way, my lady.”
Her true Grooming had begun.
She hadn’t realized that having someone touch her hair, dress her—the whole process could feel so utterly comforting.
Aya’s head kept drooping, and she let herself sway gently through the Grooming.
In that haze of consciousness, she saw scenes she couldn’t tell were dreams or memories.
“Just lean against me. You may rest if you need to.”
Someone slipped a soft pillow between Aya’s wavering head and the wall to steady her.
Aya closed her eyes.
She heard the murmur of voices around her.
As reality began to slip away, she thought she heard Nahal’s voice.
A cool hand touched her forehead.
“……After all……no point pushing…….”
The voice came to her in fragments.
Ah, she wanted to open her eyes and acknowledge him, but her lids refused to obey.
As her consciousness surrendered to drowsiness, the last words she heard were,
“I’m sorry.”

‘What now?’
Aya found herself thinking.
The memory surfaced like a dream from moments before.
It had been just before she arrived at the Sacred Temple.
The new king, frantically busy with a hundred things, had come one last time to ask after her well-being before heading to the Sacred Temple.
Aya, who had expected not to see him until after the Coronation, was delighted.
She had swung her legs happily from where she sat.
Her long skirt rippled softly.
Nahal had simply gazed down at her in silence.
There was such depth in his eyes that Aya wanted to ask why he looked at her that way.
They had exchanged various words.
Or rather—to be precise—he had spoken, and she had nodded or looked down in response.
Yet somehow, despite how short a time they had known each other, it had felt like true conversation.
After some time had passed, he set down his cup and said,
“Then I should take my leave now.”
As he spoke and began to rise from his seat, Aya hastily caught hold of his arm.
“Do you have nothing more to say?”
His voice seemed to drop slightly from how it had been before.
Aya stole a glance at his face, trying to read his mood.
Realizing his mistake, Nahal sat back down and met her eyes.
“I will wait. Speak freely.”
Gathering a little courage, Aya removed her Face Veil.
Even now, revealing her bare face gave her a flutter of resistance, but if she kept it on, she couldn’t truly speak with him.
Nahal studied her face as it appeared in the light, his gaze lingering quietly upon her.
It was not the first time he had seen her face.
Of late, Aya had grown less inclined to wear the Face Veil.
Some days she didn’t wear it at all.
And each time, Nahal would stare at her like this—intently, without looking away.
Each time, Aya would think self-deprecating thoughts, wondering if she looked monstrous to him.
Yet under the weight of his attentive gaze, her face flushed slightly.
Even so, she opened her mouth as wide as she could, making sure he could read her lips.
‘Thank you. And now, can I speak more freely……?’
Aya paused for a moment, considering how to move her lips to complete the thought smoothly.
Nahal seemed to catch the gist of what she was trying to say.
He hesitated briefly, as if choosing his words carefully, before he spoke.
“Mutual respect is important. You will become my wife, and I have resolved to always address you with formal respect.”
Aya blinked.
She didn’t fully understand it, but Nahal seemed to be someone with firm principles about marriage.
It was strange.
Even though they had drawn a line between them, she liked the way he spoke of his own convictions.
It made her feel as though she were truly becoming his wife.
She found herself looking forward to this false Newlywed Status, however long it might last.
“Though circumstances left us no choice, I proceeded with the marriage without consulting your wishes, and that troubles me greatly.”
She liked that he said such things.
“I apologize.”
She liked that he apologized.
Ah, she felt her heart swell and overflow.
She hadn’t desired him with such a heart before—but now her feelings flowed in a different direction than they had.
Aya blinked her large eyes slowly and nodded gradually.
Nahal finished speaking and saw her response; a small smile crossed his face.
Something like relief seemed to pass across his features.
Startled by his rare smile, Aya found herself smiling back at him without thinking.
“Ah, but there’s something I wanted to tell you…….”
He was just about to speak on something.
But before he could finish, someone called to him from the doorway.
“Your Highness.”
Whether it was urgent business, Nahal rose from his seat as soon as he saw the person’s face.
He gave Aya a light farewell and left the room.
With words still unspoken, Aya sat quietly, watching the space where he had been with longing.
‘But why does he apologize to me so much?’
She had never experienced anything like this.
‘No one has ever treated me the way you do.’
Nahal truly ‘protected’ her.
He carved time from his busy schedule to check on her wellbeing and ask after her.
He worried for her sincerely and devoted thoughtful attention to her.
‘And yet you apologize to me?’
Aya leaned back against the cushion and closed her eyes.
If a day ever came when she could communicate her will to him clearly.
There was so much she wanted to tell him.
* * *
Nahal stood impeccably straight, reading through the documents he had been briefed on, his preparations already complete.
In his Ceremonial Robe and immaculate Grooming, he cut a striking figure.
Nahal’s appearance, marked by the strong features of The North, seemed as though it would feel alien in the Sacred Temple, but it did not.
Rather, he harmonized with the temple’s atmosphere so well that he looked like a divine messenger from legend.
Even the attendants helping with the preparations could not help but sigh in admiration.
Bardal arrived as they waited for the ceremony to begin.
Standing at the threshold, he tapped on the doorframe to draw attention.
He too was dressed unusually tidily in his Full Dress Uniform.
“Ah, my eyes are dazzled.”
He spoke playfully, shielding his eyes with his arm.
Though his tone was teasing, it was half-sincere rather than mere jest.
Nahal let out a soft laugh at the exaggeration and began organizing the scrolls stacked on the table one by one.
“The man about to become king looks far too gloomy—do smile a little.”
Bardal stepped closer and lowered his voice.
Nahal ignored his words and continued reading through the scrolls.
“Enough of that now. Tell me—have you met the brides yet?”
At his abrupt question, Nahal finally lifted his head.
A small sigh escaped between his lips.
“I should have held the Coronation at the Sacred Temple, but kept the ceremony itself at the palace.”
He spoke with rare regret in his voice.
“Why? Have the princesses been difficult?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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