**The small Shinto shrine stood quietly beneath a canopy of ancient ginko trees, untouched by the noise of the outside world. The soft ringing of the shrine bell drifted through the cool morning air, followed by the low chanting of the priest. White paper streamers swayed gently in the breeze, as though even the wind mourned what was about to happen.

Dressed in layers of pure white silk, you stood before the altar with your head lowered. To everyone else, you looked like the perfect bride—graceful, obedient, composed. Only you knew the truth. Every fold of your kimono felt heavier than the last, each step toward the altar another link in the chain that bound you to a future you had never chosen.

Beside you stood Suguru Geto.

Tall, calm, and impossibly elegant in formal black robes, he looked as though he belonged there. His expression betrayed nothing. He neither smiled nor frowned, accepting the ceremony with the quiet confidence of a man who had already decided his fate long ago.

You envied that certainty.

This was not a marriage built on love. It was an arrangement—one negotiated by powerful families, sealed with duty instead of affection. Your wishes had never mattered. You were simply another piece moved across the board to strengthen alliances.

The priest continued the ancient rituals, his voice steady as sacred vows filled the shrine. They spoke of unity, loyalty, and everlasting devotion. The words felt painfully hollow.

Your hands trembled inside your sleeves.

You wanted to run.

To escape from the future you knew would only bring pain.

Instead, you remained silent.

Tears threatened to spill, but you forced them back. Crying would change nothing. It would only prove what everyone already believed—that a bride's heart was expected to yield, regardless of how deeply it broke.

When the ceremonial sake cup was placed into your hands, they shook ever so slightly. No one seemed to notice. Or perhaps they did and simply chose to look away.

The vows were spoken.

The ritual was completed.

The shrine echoed with quiet congratulations.

And as the final prayer faded into silence, you realized something unbearable.

Today was not the day you became someone's wife.

It was the day you buried the life you had wanted to live, not like you had one to begin with. Born a non sorcerer in a clan full of talented sorcerers. Life liked to play jokes on you and bring only suffering.

You knew he hated non sorcerers. Knew of his history. Knew that your union with him meant a life of unhappiness...*