I’m Going to Change My Husband With a Predatory Marriage - Chapter 62

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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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Chapter 62

Evangeline and everyone else doubted their own eyes.
An unbelievable sight was unfolding before them.
The Sun began to disappear suddenly.
As if Hillia’s gesture had been a signal.
As if the Sun itself obeyed her command.
Evangeline went pale.
‘A solar eclipse? So suddenly? The astronomers and scholars never mentioned anything like this!’
Though the science of this world lagged far behind that of Earth, major celestial events like solar and lunar eclipses could be predicted.
Some dates and locations might be off, but the occurrence itself could be anticipated.
Yet this event had come with no prior prediction or expectation whatsoever.
Darkness unfurled its wings and swiftly blanketed the land.
Then Hillia, who had been standing on the 2nd Floor Terrace, vanished from sight.
No, she had vanished, only to reappear moments later in light.
The undulating hem of her dress began to shimmer within the darkness.
A faint luminescence gleamed gracefully within the night that had descended, carving away the day.
It was as if a single strand of the Milky Way, shining at the edge of night, had been cut and draped upon her.
A sight so alien, yet one whose beauty could not be denied.
Evangeline did not know it, but this scene had been meticulously calculated and orchestrated.
By Hillia.
At her insistence, the dress was abundantly adorned with Iliaden pearls and their powder, which possessed a luminescent effect.
Thanks to this, the dress could shimmer like the Milky Way even within the sudden darkness.
Evangeline bit her lip.
Hillia was now shining far more beautifully than she had anticipated.
‘What on earth is that? How is this even possible?’
Setting aside the dress, this solar eclipse itself had been predicted by no one.
It was certainly strange that among all the talented individuals Evangeline had secured, none had anticipated this eclipse.
The talents she had gathered had their abilities verified through information from the original work.
Moreover, among the scholars serving the Imperial Court, none had predicted this eclipse either.
‘…Is such a thing even possible?’
It was then.
Someone screamed.
“A, a dragon?”
“It’s a dragon! A dragon!”
Having been focused solely on Hillia, Evangeline only belatedly noticed.
“…What?”
When she finally lifted her eyes, she too saw it.
The Sun was obscured by ‘something’ and could not be seen.
Instead, the silhouette of the ‘something’ that obscured the sun—like a golden annular eclipse—blazed with light many times brighter.
A golden line so dazzling it could blind.
It was tracing a form.
The moment Evangeline saw it, she could only think of one being.
‘Dragon Artanus?’
A magnificent creature with two wings spread wide hung suspended in the air, obscuring the sun.
The effect was as though an eclipse had occurred because of it blocking the light.
Meanwhile, the radiance pouring outward grew even brighter, amplified by the reflection off the dragon’s scales.
The shadows of sunlight filtering through the branches traced the dragon’s silhouette.
And there was an even more critical and troubling issue.
‘This was never mentioned in the original work?’
There was no way such a distinctive and extraordinary phenomenon would go unmentioned in the original.
Moreover, this was the early part of the timeline according to the original.
This was a period where unread content couldn’t possibly exist.
I had never encountered this scene anywhere in the original work.
Before Evangeline’s bewilderment could fully settle, a familiar voice echoed out.

* * *

This was a performance I had meticulously calculated and rehearsed several times beforehand.
The moment darkness began to descend all around.
I activated the magical artifact I’d brought with me.
As I murmured the incantation, faint magical energy flowed from the glass bird clutched in my hand.
And a pleasantly cool breeze began to envelop my body.
‘Thank you, Mother!’
This glass bird was part of a set with the one I’d used when blackmailing Ludwig’s servant last time.
That one had a luminous function, while the one I brought now could generate a gentle breeze.
‘This was really great in summer!’
I recalled how as a child, I would deliberately wear long cloaks or dresses and activate this glass bird inside them to make the fabric flutter, startling the servants—and I’d designed this performance with that memory in mind.
And the effect was… spectacular!
Flutter, flutter!
The dress, deliberately made from multiple layers of thin fabric, billowed gracefully and beautifully.
The color of the dress, dyed with Shariga flower petals, was beautiful in itself.
The Iliadene pearls adorning the hem of the dress and their powder sparkled in the darkness.
Using luminescent pearl decorations was my masterpiece.
Isephin, who watched during rehearsal, had described it in such glowing terms.

“It’s as if the Milky Way of the night sky is wrapping around Your Highness’s body!”
“Don’t you realize how self-congratulatory that sounds coming from the creator herself?”
“No, in this case, I’m praising Your Highness’s genius for providing the concept!”
“Genius might be a bit of an overstatement.”

Still, it was remarkable enough to astound Isephin, a genius with impeccable aesthetic sensibility.
Naturally, ordinary people would have their eyes widened the moment they witnessed it.
I could feel the gazes of those below—Evangeline and Madame Fileren among them—being captivated.
‘That’s right! The perfection of any production lies in its special effects!’
At that moment, as if he’d been waiting, Arpard approached me and raised his voice.
“This proves it! The great Artanus has acknowledged my wife and blessed us!”
Whether he was using magic or not, his voice was remarkably clear, as if whispered directly into my ear.
Likely, anywhere within the reach of Arpard’s magical influence would hear him equally well.
Arpard drew close and wrapped his arms around my waist.
Then, his eyes gleaming, he whispered.
“Did you predict even this phenomenon?”
“Of course.”
I smiled back at him.
“You could have told me beforehand, you know.”
“Then you wouldn’t have been surprised. I wanted to see you genuinely astonished.”
This was the truth.
Arpard’s default expression was either an annoying smirk or a sneer.
I wanted to witness this man caught off guard, truly and sincerely surprised.
So I kept the phenomenon hidden until the last moment.
Thanks to that, I was able to fully witness and enjoy it.
Arpard’s genuine astonishment.
He gazed at me for a moment, then laughed.
“…Do you know what? I’m sometimes genuinely curious.”
“About what? How I knew about this?”
“Of course that’s very curious too. But what I’m more curious about is whether you’re doing this intentionally or if you truly don’t know, just like your expression suggests.”
“What are you talking about?”
I genuinely had no idea what he meant.
What did I know, and what didn’t I know?
In any case, I didn’t have the luxury to ponder Arpard’s cryptic words at length.
Because amazement and joy were rapidly spreading through the surroundings.
“Heavens! Artanus has revealed himself directly!”
“Oh! We behold the glorious Artanus!”
“Worship the great Dragon! Worship the Imperial Family!”
“Waaaaah!”
Not only the people gathered in the hall, but I could also hear the cries of the Prince’s Palace attendants who had been stationed near the Empress Palace beforehand.
“It’s Artanus!”
“Artanus has appeared in person!”
“The Dragon himself has recognized and blessed the new Crown Princess!”
The commotion was tremendous.
Despite the considerable distance, I could make it out clearly.
Evangeline, dressed in her green gown, had gone deathly pale.

* * *

It was not long after Evangeline and Madame Fileren had departed with the others.
A commotion reached the ears of Countess Quinivel, who was hosting a reception at the Empress Palace.
“Artanus truly has appeared!”
“Just as the Protagonist said!”
“The Dragon’s blessing!!”
The noise was so loud it disrupted the reception itself.
Countess Quinivel, who had briefly frowned at the disturbance, suddenly felt the blood drain from her entire body.
‘Wait, what are they saying? Did I mishear?’
At that moment, those who had belatedly noticed the anomaly outside the windows began to cry out.
“Look! Outside! Why has it become so dark?”
“It’s still daytime—the sun shouldn’t be setting now!”
Typically, a ball is held in the evening.
Yet for some reason, Hillia had held her reception during the day, and this ball had been scheduled to start during daylight hours to interfere with it.
So the world outside the windows should have been bright.
But sudden darkness had descended like a curtain.
Those who sensed something amiss peered out the windows or stepped onto the terrace, their gasps of horror echoing through the ballroom.
“A dragon! It’s a dragon!”
“Artanus!”
Panic began to spread rapidly through the ballroom.

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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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