The moment Brando carried Solenne out of the courtyard, every single person present froze solid on the spot.
Everyone in the royal capital knew full well that the Duke wanted nothing to do with the second young lady of the Rivington family. This forced royal marriage was nothing but a reluctant, awkward bind from the start, and everyone figured they'd have a huge rift between them and act like total strangers after the wedding.
This wasn't just completely unheard of among high-ranking royal nobility. Even for the run-of-the-mill aristocratic families in the capital, no one had ever seen or even heard of a groom carrying his bride on his back on their wedding day.
Brando didn't give a single damn about all the curious, shocked stares burning into him from every side. Right then, he only
