The hall fell silent—no one dared to speak. That silence alone confirmed it: the wedding would go on.
A small smirk played on Zethan's lips. He knew exactly why no one objected, despite the many unspoken reasons they had to protest the marriage. It wasn't that people lacked objections—they had plenty. Some were shocked that King Zethan would actually allow himself to marry a commoner. Others were bitter, having rooted for brides from noble lineages. In fact, several kingdoms had even gone so far as to secretly wager which of their daughters would become Zethan's queen. The reason for no objection was because of Zethan.
Now, they were left in utter disbelief. Not a single one of their daughters had won his heart. Instead, the woman beside him came from a low-class home… and she didn't even have a mother—she was dead.
