[Thank you for letting me know.

I will see what I can find out from her.]

I explained the situation to Kaduna, and hopefully, she would be able to find something of value from the Bride herself.

Meanwhile, me and Kurosawa were in an impasse.

“We should focus on the tasks at hand. Protect the Bride and Groom, eliminate any interference, and make sure the wedding goes as planned.”

“Yet what if the Bride is working together with the mercenaries? What if she is planning to do something with the Groom?”

“If she tries anything, we stop it. If the group attempts anything, we kill them. It’s simple.”

“You are being narrow-minded.”

“And you are being unnecessary.”

As I became more frustrated and annoyed, Kurosawa’s words became harsher and colder.

After I told him the entire situation with the Bride, we agreed it was best for us to meet. Since the Groom was going to visit the Bride soon, I went to the small shrine close to the West Garden.

While the Groom was praying, Kurosawa stepped away from his team so we could talk a bit more privately. After all, we didn’t know if the Groom could understand us.

Yet soon enough, he and I came to a disagreement.

I let out a frustrated sigh, massaging my temples. This guy was giving me a headache.

“Listen—we can’t shut down the idea like that. We must at least keep our minds open.”

The man chuckled, crossing his arms. “If we waste our time and energy by considering every single possibility, we will scatter our efforts and end up with a sub-par performance. And you shouldn’t forget; I am paying you to bring excellence, not mediocrity.”

I swallowed back a scream.

If I could punch him only once…

A few meters in front of us the Groom began to stand up, signaling the end of our talk. I clenched my fists.

“Fine. I will make sure to bring you great results, then.”

Kurosawa barely glanced at me as he got ready to move.

“Report to me if anything of importance occurs.”

And just like that, the Groom and his squad of Royal Guards walked away, going toward the East Wing to meet the Bride.

Hal was behind me, leaning against a stone pillar with both hands in his pockets.

“You are not actually dropping this, are you?”

Hah, that was funny. The kid was talking as if he knew.

Or perhaps I was just predictable.

“All I need to do is prove I’m right.”

“And if you’re wrong?”

“Then I won’t get paid,” I replied with a smile, my fingers moving as I wrote a message.

“Who are you messaging?” Though Hal’s voice sounded bored cold his eyes betrayed his curiosity.

“Someone that might know the relationship between the Bride and Groom better than us.”

When I got a reply, I held back a laugh.

That person was currently at the Wedding Hall.

Perhaps my luck hadn’t abandoned completely, after all.

----------------------------------------

“Those two don’t have a single thing in common, I’m telling you.”

It was amazing how someone could change so much in such a short time frame.

Aída looked as if she hadn’t slept for weeks, and she never stopped doing her tasks as she talked. Walking from one side to the other, carrying satins, flowers, confetti, moving dishes and tables, and shouting back to servants and other people.

Suddenly I was relieved I was not placed on the Design Squad.

“And I mean nothing at all. From guest lists and table arrangements to personal tastes, they don’t agree with anything. The Groom wanted bright, vivid colors while the Bride preferred pale and pastel tones. He wanted to skip the ceremony and vows and just have the Bride walk down the aisle to sign the marriage certificate. She wanted to keep the ceremony and vows without signing the certificate.”

“Would that even be possible?” I asked with confusion filling my eyes.

“Apparently, as long as there are enough eyewitnesses, the marriage would be considered valid even without a certificate…” Aída let out a sigh, her voice showing the strain and stress her eyes would not.

I glanced over to the decoration. The banners and carpets were all warm colors—shades of bright red, glowing yellow, and fierce orange. However, all flowers, napkins—even the decoration of the deserts—were pastel shades.

“There was more information the Trial gave us—I’m not sure how they are relevant yet. Perhaps you will be able to tell, since you are asking me this.”

By the way Aída spoke, it was as if she already knew everything by heart.

“The Bride doesn’t want to have children so soon, the Groom wants a child in their first year of marriage. She has a formal and respectful relationship with her in-laws, while he doesn’t get along with his family. Well, the Bride also has a sour relationship with her parents, so maybe they have this in common.”

“So I’m assuming it was not love at first sight.”

People did say opposites attract, yet in this situation…

The woman laughed, the sound filled with mockery.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up killing each other at this point.”

It’s possible I reacted to her words in some way, for when Aída glanced at me her body almost froze as her eyes became darker, almost scared.

“Wait…is this why you are asking? Did something happen or—“

“Nothing happened.” Yet. “But I want to prepare for situations that might happen. That’s all. Is there anything else you can tell me about their relationship?”

The worry in her gaze did not fade away, her voice getting lower and more uncertain.

“I can’t really think about anything…we didn’t receive much information about their relationship itself. It was more related to their particular tastes, and opinions regarding the wedding.”

Something about what Aida was telling me…

Something about the lying bride, and that whole situation…

It felt like a puzzle. One with missing pieces and diversions, one that didn’t wish to reveal its real purpose. That was forcing me to look at things in a certain way.

I’m missing something…

“Can you send me a copy of everything that was informed to you about the Bride and the Groom? Like you did with the schedules.”

“Sure, it will only take a second.”

I watched as Aida touched the air in front of her a few times, and soon enough I received a message.

I raised my eyebrow.

“How did you send those so fast?”

“Oh, there is an option here to share these details with other people. At first, I thought it could be limited to the Design Squad, but since I can also share them with you, I guess it’s a new feature for this Trial.”

Now this is interesting…

Although we had been divided into different Squads, it was almost as if the Trial was encouraging us to depend on each other. To collaborate.

And certainly, knowing the schedules for both the Bride and Groom was a great help. Knowing someone in the Royal Guard and the Escort Squad to pass information also made things easier.

Yet was that all?

Was protecting the Bride and Groom everything this Trial was about?

“Eun-Woo? Do you need anything else?”

Her voice brought me back, her gaze hinting that was not the first time she called me.

“Yes-I mean, no! This is enough for now, thank you.” I gave a short nod, smiling as my eyes wandered through the wedding hall. “If I need anything else, I will let you know. I will check out if there is anything suspicious around here. Message me if you need anything.”

Though I didn’t ask, Hal also started to check the tables and chairs, as well as the pillars.

In the end, we didn’t find anything. No marks, no traps, no nothing.

I opened the last message Aida had sent me, comparing the information between the Bride and Groom. And just like she had explained, the two of them were like oil and water.

It was almost as if they had done it on purpose.

He had more of a sweet tooth, she loved sour and bitter food.

He liked going outdoors, enjoying the sun and warmer temperatures. She was fond of staying indoors, and rainy, cloudy days.

The Bride didn’t like long travels and loved books, the Groom had a thirst for adventures and long journeys.

There were only two things that had some similarity between them, the only thing that would catch my eyes every time I read it.

Neither of them had a good relationship with their parents. And both of them preferred some part of the ceremony didn’t happen.

Almost as if they were being forced.

I checked the schedule one more time, an idea surging in my mind as I calculated the time.

“Hal, that skill of yours. The one that tells you when someone is lying. Does it have a limit?”

The boy furrowed, suspicion flooding in both his eyes and his voice.

“No. Why do you want to know?”

"I want you to use this skill, to check something."

Because if the Trial wouldn’t tell me everything I wanted to know—

I would just have to ask the happy couple directly.