Chapter 311: Wedding Plans
After calming down, Evelia and Armand finally changed clothes and walked out of the dressing room.
It seemed like Anna, being considerate and knowing “what to hear and what not to hear,” had gone to the corner of the shop where the record player was, playing soft and beautiful instrumental music to avoid disturbing the two of them.
Lately, she had been working really hard helping Evelia design the perfect wedding dress, and with the relaxing music in the background, she leaned back in her chair, looking half-asleep.
“Ah—so you two finally came out!”
Evelia and Armand hadn’t planned to bother Anna while she was resting, but as soon as she saw their figures in front of her through half-closed eyes, she perked up immediately. Her eyes widened at the sight of the stunningly attractive couple in front of her. As a designer, this was the perfect opportunity to admire what people call "beauty."
“Miss Evelia and Captain Armand, you two look amazing in white!”
Both Evelia and Armand had an elegant and pure beauty to them in their white outfits. Standing next to them, Anna couldn’t help but feel a little out of place. She thought that if these two were dressed up properly and appeared together in public, they’d definitely be the most eye-catching people in the room.
And in fact, that was true.
At the ball back then, Armand and Evelia had already been the center of attention in the Knight’s Hall. But those knights were straightforward and didn’t gossip much, unlike the nobility. If these two were to appear together at a noble’s ball, they would probably be swarmed with questions for the whole night.
“So, what do you think, Mr. Armand? Do you think it looks good?”
Hearing Anna’s compliments, Evelia let go of Armand’s arm and stepped in front of him. She raised her arms slightly and did a slow spin, showing him every detail of the dress she was wearing.
Although the two of them had spent quite a while in the dressing room, for various reasons, Armand hadn’t really taken the time to admire Evelia’s gown until now. Only after she brought it up did he finally look carefully.
Just as Anna said, Evelia looked perfect in white.
It was completely different from the dark red clothes she wore as an assassin, Evelia suited clean, light colors.
It was as if, from the very beginning, when Armand first got to know her, she had always been wearing white.
A white maid outfit, a white dress, a white ball gown, and now this white formal gown. In the future, at their wedding, Evelia would also be wearing pure white.
“Yeah. It suits you really well.”
Maybe it was because, when he truly fell in love with Evelia, she had been wearing white. Looking at her gown now gave Armand that same feeling as a first love. Even though the woman standing in front of him was his first love.
“You look very handsome too, Mr. Armand.”
As she said this, Evelia moved closer to Armand, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her chin against his chest.
Even though they had just finished something intimate, the way Evelia was looking at him made Armand feel an urge to tear off her elegant gown all over again.
“...Oh dear...”
And meanwhile, poor Anna was left on the sidelines, becoming the helpless third wheel in this sugar-filled moment.
Evelia and Armand were clearly still in the honeymoon phase, so much so that even a passing dog might get overwhelmed by their sweetness. Although Anna genuinely liked seeing the two of them together, their lovey-dovey energy was so blinding it made her want to grab a pair of sunglasses just to survive the scene.
Eventually, once the couple had hugged each other long enough, Evelia finally called Anna’s name. Anna, whose eyes had nearly stopped functioning from all the “sweetness overload,” got up and began taking Armand’s measurements so she could start designing his wedding suit.
After that, the three of them sat down to discuss future wedding plans.
“If we leave the wedding to Lady Melian, I think it’ll be in good hands,” Anna suggested, referring to her sister-in-law, Melian, the wife of Carle.
Even setting aside their family relationship, Anna believed Melian was the most reliable businesswoman in the capital. She was trustworthy, capable, and with Armand and Carle being close friends, Melian would definitely take the wedding seriously and make it beautiful.
In fact, Armand didn’t even need to worry about the budget. Carle, one of the richest merchants in the capital, wouldn’t bat an eye at wedding expenses. If they had more time, Anna believed Carle could’ve gone so far as to build an entire cathedral just for the wedding.
As for the design, Anna herself would handle it. Everything from the wedding outfits to the venue decorations.
She was an outstanding designer who took great pride in her family name. As long as she had the materials, she could make anything the client dreamed of, even if the only request was “just make it look nice,” Anna would still get it done perfectly.
Basically, Carle’s whole family was ready to take care of the entire wedding for Armand. All he had to do was say yes, show up with Evelia, and get married.
“Sounds great, but I... still can’t give a fixed date,” Armand replied.
Anna was excitedly laying out plans, and Evelia looked clearly happy just listening to the ideas. But Armand, who had only been smiling and nodding along, was feeling conflicted inside.
He couldn’t give a firm date. Even “next spring” was just a hopeful guess.
What Armand really wanted was to wait until everything, all the political tension and conflict, was over before marrying Evelia. Once things settled down, he planned to resign from his role as commander of the knights. That way, Evelia would be safe, and they could leave the capital together.
He’d already prepared a peaceful retirement home for them. They could spend their days gardening and living quietly. If Evelia didn’t enjoy farming, she could try a small business instead. Either way, Armand just wanted to stay far away from the world of fighting and bloodshed.
Of course, that was just his dream of a better life. He didn’t even know how long the current standoff between the two princes would last. He had a feeling something big was going to happen soon, but couldn’t guess exactly when.
He even found himself wondering, if they held a grand wedding while both princes were still in power, would anyone from the royal family come to give their blessings? What if the second prince actually showed up to watch Armand marry the woman he had once claimed as his own...?
That thought made Armand feel sick, but at the same time, the idea of the second prince having to witness it made him feel a bit triumphant.
Despite all his worries, in the end, when he looked into Evelia’s eyes and saw her slight disappointment over his uncertain answer, Armand made his decision.
After all, he had once promised her that he’d make her feel secure.
“Let’s go with spring, then. We’ll aim for a spring wedding.”