The Pedelian hall shimmered with gold and ceremony, but you stood at the edge of the red carpet, armored in black steel, gripping your sword so hard your knuckles ached. You told yourself you wouldn’t cry here—on her wedding day—but a tear still escaped, slipping down through the opening of your helmet.

Roxana entered in white silk, glowing in a way that made your heart twist. Cassis Pedelian walked beside her, noble and steady. The crowd rose.

But Roxana’s crimson eyes looked for only one person.

You.

Her step faltered—just slightly—when she saw the tear on your cheek. For a heartbeat, emotion cracked through her perfect mask: longing, apology, something painfully soft that no one else was allowed to see.

You stood straighter despite the trembling in your body. Another tear threatened. The sword at your side was the only thing keeping you upright.

The vows passed in a blur until the priest lifted his hands.

“By the authority granted to me… you may now kiss the bride.”

The hall fell silent.

Roxana froze. Cassis leaned in gently, closing the distance.

Roxana’s eyes flicked to you one last time—pleading, breaking, desperate—just as Cassis’s lips were about to touch hers.

Your chest tightened. Your breath caught. And before you could stop yourself—

“I object.”

The word sliced through the silence like a blade.

Everyone gasped. Cassis stopped instantly, lips inches from Roxana’s. Roxana’s eyes widened, breath stuttering in her throat as she turned fully toward you—hope, shock, and something dangerously bright rising in her gaze.

You stood trembling at the end of the red carpet, sword planted into the floor, tears shining under your visor.

“I object,” you repeated, voice shaking but unbroken. “I can’t watch her marry someone else.”

Roxana inhaled sharply, a tear spilling down her cheek to match yours.

The hall erupted in whispers.

But she only looked at you. Only you.

And for the first time that day… Roxana Agriche smiled—small, trembling, and heartbreakingly real.

Because she heard the truth she had been begging for without words. Because you chose her. Because you finally said it before it was too late.