A Stranger Wearing the Name of Your Wife - Chapter 6

The temple, having received advance notice, welcomed us with over a dozen people including the High Priest. We had made a generous offering during the wedding ceremony. Using a large umbrella held by four attendants, I walked into the temple.

I came to receive my daughter Ingrid’s protective charm. Since I had requested it beforehand, the charm was brought out right away. Although my husband had promised to receive it, he was too busy with work. So, I thought it would be fine if I accepted it myself.

While waiting, I offered prayers to the nine gods. I bowed carefully to each one, then offered flowers to the goddess statue last. This was my usual ritual whenever I visited the temple.

“We’ve kept you waiting. This is your daughter’s protective charm. Please sign here to receive it.”

From royalty to commoners—when a child is born, it is tradition to write their name in the records and give thanks to the gods. It is customary to receive a temple charm and give it to your child. I picked up the pen to sign the form, but then I froze.

Ingrid’s full name had the family name *Liechtenstein*. I was glad I noticed before receiving it. With that thought, I pointed out the mistake.

“Could you please correct this? Her family name is written as *Liechtenstein*.”

The High Priest looked surprised and checked the document. He reviewed the submitted forms and slowly shook his head.

“We wrote it exactly as stated in the application.”

“…Oh?”

At that moment, I voiced my doubt. I had married into the Richter Empire to form friendly ties with the Kingdom of Addison. Our wedding ceremony had been held in this very temple. We also held a ceremony in the Richter Empire’s temple so my brothers could see me in a bridal gown. Since I was marrying into a neighboring country, the marriage registration should have been submitted in the Kingdom of Addison.

The High Priest’s eyes widened, and he quickly ordered an investigation. The temples across nations are connected. It would take time to check with another country, but the records of the ceremony held in our own temple—where I belonged—were found immediately.

The record of the wedding ceremony was correct. However, there was no marriage registration anywhere. On paper, Duke Stuart of the Kingdom of Addison, commander of the knights, was unmarried. Naturally, that meant I, his supposed wife, was also…

“Please keep this matter confidential. It seems there was some kind of mistake.”

I instructed my maid Elise to stack the large amount of gold coins we had brought. They were originally meant as thanks for the charm. Now, they served as hush money and were presented to the priests. They nodded silently, though their eyes were fixed on the mountain of gold.

**Thud!** I was startled when my eldest brother slammed the armrest loudly. He was not the kind of person to act so rudely.

“What an outrage! This goes beyond disrespect!!”

Brother Rui’s fists trembled with anger. Near Chancellor Eck—my second brother—a sharp *snap* echoed. It seemed the handle of his teacup had broken.

“This is impossible… They were the ones who asked to marry Tria, weren’t they?”

Brother Fort muttered in disbelief, his clenched fists turning red.

“Fort, your hand!”

“Ah… It’s just a cracked nail.”

I stood up and gently opened his injured hand. Kneeling, I wrapped it with a handkerchief. As the red seeped through slowly, I let out a sigh. Their anger showed how much they cared for me. That made me happy, but pain was never good.

“Please listen calmly. Save your anger for the end.”

I sat down and slowly sipped the now lukewarm tea. Then, to explain everything, I opened my mouth once more.