Side Story: I changed my husband at the wedding venue

0.

If asked to name the most famous wedding protagonists in Caldeblanca this year and last, people would unanimously point to one couple.

It’s uncommon for someone to have two weddings, especially with the same person, when others typically have just one. It’s even rarer for a second wedding to be celebrated with the congratulations and enthusiastic support of all citizens, rather than becoming mere gossip.

However, Satin Del Mare and Rublier Ka Dillon made this possible. They were honorable heroes from guardian families who saved the true Pope in danger and protected the country from the devil. They were also lovers who overcame malicious scandals that tried to separate them.

Rumors had it that she had an affair with her former fiancé. That she conspired with her ex-fiancé to plot against the future Pope. That she was pregnant with her ex-fiancé’s child in the midst of it all.

The scandals surrounding Satin at the time were incredibly sordid. Satin’s publicly known circumstances added credibility to the rumors. She divorced her paladin husband, was imprisoned, and was even brought to trial by Archbishop Kirion.

Everyone expected the downfall of the Del Mare family.

But then her divorced husband appeared to rescue his ex-wife, and when the secret of the oracle that she had questioned was revealed, all the slanderous rumors that had clung to Satin disappeared without a trace.

Now, no one dared to bring up past rumors. People who had gathered in alleys to gossip excitedly would now cower and run away at the mere sound of Del Mare or Ka Dillon carriage wheels after the capital’s atmosphere settled.

Due to the numerous incidents that struck in a short time, a new season arrived suddenly without anyone noticing.

Looking back, it was already spring.

The tranquility of Caldeblanca soaked the land gently like spring rain. As the harsh cold retreated, mild dawns appeared. It was a quiet morning that everyone had forgotten.

We had been missing this kind of daily life all along.

People let out belated sighs. They belatedly realized how great a happiness it was for a day to start and end without incident.

The devil had crept into the shadows of Caldeblanca without anyone noticing. It even bewitched people’s eyes and ears at the Papal Palace, the center of Caldeblanca. Everyone was enchanted without realizing they were being enchanted. As a result, they lived forgetting the simple truth of cherishing words, hearts, and daily life.

But it was Satin who restored these forgotten values at the end of the long winter. She was the one who stood alone even when no one believed the truth. People were grateful to Satin for bringing the new spring.

Even after the devil disappeared, people suffered from groundless anxiety for a while due to the remnants it had created. What completely ended this anxiety was the news of Satin and Rublier’s remarriage.

Marriage is a major event closely related to daily life. For citizens who were still in shock from the nightmare beyond imagination that the archbishop they had believed in and followed as Pope was actually the devil, the wedding hosted by the two guardian families became a turning point. It was a promise and symbol that the time had come to marry again, love, and live happily.

Satin Del Mare and Rublier Ka Dillon held a grand wedding ceremony. They had a splendid and luxurious ceremony at the same place, with the same officiant as before.

It was a day with beautiful sunlight colors. Even the scent of the season was exciting.

The banners of the two families hung at the front of the church. Guests’ carriages surrounded the church like a long wall. Knights in uniform filled the guest seats.

It was natural since the protagonists of the wedding were their leaders. Even without specific instructions to control the guests, the atmosphere in the church became solemn. Guests sealed their lips on their own and found empty seats one by one according to the guidance.

The bride had arrived early and was sitting in the waiting room with her back to the guests. The servants attending to the bride were so busy that the bride’s acquaintances didn’t even have a chance to make eye contact with her.

Similarly, those who tried to find the groom in his waiting room were puzzled to find an empty room, unlike the bustling bride’s waiting room. There was no one there at all. It was dark because the lights weren’t even turned on.

“Where has Sir Ka Dillon gone?”

Wedding venues are places where unexpected events often occur. Moreover, today’s protagonists already had a spectacular history. People who inadvertently recalled past events hurriedly searched for the groom, but soon burst into laughter.

The groom was stuck right next to the bride’s waiting room. The bride made gestures as if trying to chase him away several times, but her attempts were in vain. There’s a saying that the groom shouldn’t see the bride before the wedding, but the groom sat firmly in place, taking care of the pregnant bride.

After all, who would dare to bring up such sayings to a couple who’s already in a common-law marriage with a child on the way? The bride seemed to have given up, staying put until it was time for the ceremony to begin, when she walked out of the waiting room with the groom’s support.

The tall groom standing in front of the red wedding aisle showed an incredibly happy, beaming smile at the marriage that was finally realized, while still unable to let go of his tension due to concern for his pregnant wife. The Holy Knights invited as wedding guests were all wide-eyed at this unfamiliar sight of their leader.

On the other hand, the bride was calm. Her belly, which had started to show slightly, was hidden under the folds of her voluminous dress and was not very noticeable. Her cheeks, which had been gaunt, had filled out, and a rosy vitality from the tension of the wedding made those who remembered her thin appearance during the trial feel much more at ease.

However, the bride was making a displeased expression as if she didn’t like the low-heeled shoes while arranging her dress skirt. It stood out even more because the groom happened to be so tall and sturdy.

“What is this on the day I should be the prettiest in the world.”

Satin grumbled. It was a small complaint, but the guests near the entrance who were focused on the bride and groom overheard her voice and held back their laughter.

“What are you talking about, you’re the prettiest.”

Satin lightly rolled her eyes at Rublier’s quip.

“I could have been prettier. It’s only once in my life…”

Looking back, it wasn’t her only wedding. Satin quickly corrected herself.

“It’s the last wedding of my life.”

Rublier was flawless. The sharp, cool features that had unintentionally intimidated his classmates when he was young had transformed into his own intense aura as he grew older.

Wearing formal attire that matched Satin’s dress and atmosphere, with his usually messy hair neatly groomed, Rublier standing tall elicited admiration from the guests.

He was the perfect image of a groom. Exactly the kind of man a bride would expect to stand beside her and walk together.

In contrast, Satin had limitations in her bridal adornment as she couldn’t freely use cosmetics. Setting aside the discomforts that weren’t visible to others, there were more than a few disappointing aspects just in what could be seen.

She had her shoes taken away because it was easy for her body to get tired, her skin was dry, and she even had dark spots. People said she would return to her former appearance after giving birth, but the wedding was happening right now, so it was a problem.

“I feel wronged.”

The desire to be the center of attention on one’s wedding day is a common wish for all brides in this world. Satin, unable to realize this wish at her last wedding, pouted her lips.

“Just wait. I might have another wedding at this rate.”

Rublier immediately asked back.

“With whom?”

“With a man who will make me stand out the most.”

“Then that’s me. I’m the only man who can do that.”

With a more relieved face, Rublier bent down to meet Satin’s eyes.

“You can have as many weddings as you want, just have them with me.”

“As many as I want?”

“It’s fine if you want to wear all the wedding dresses you’ve bought, or if you want to have new ones made, or if you want to have a ceremony every year, or if you want to have weddings in every territory of Caldeblanca, it’s all fine as long as it’s with me.”

Satin raised her hand and hit her husband’s back. Rublier grinned like a boy.

The choir’s song began. Just as they were about to quickly compose their expressions and postures and step onto the wedding aisle, suddenly Satin’s view became much higher. It was Rublier. He lifted Satin in both arms and strode down the wedding aisle. This unexpected action, not agreed upon beforehand, startled not only Satin but also the guests.

“Oh my, what’s happening!”

“Goodness…”

“The groom seems to be beside himself with love for the bride.”

The guests let out successive exclamations and screams.

“Rub!”

Satin opened her eyes wide and was about to protest, but ended up laughing. As Rublier, carrying Satin, crossed the wedding aisle in an instant, Cardinal Conchent, who was officiating again, satisfied the guests’ curiosity on their behalf.

“Sir Ka Dillon. Why did you enter carrying the bride?”

Rublier answered proudly.

“Isn’t it so we can get married even a few minutes earlier?”

The guests burst into laughter at the groom’s impatience to bring forward the marriage even by just a few minutes. Embarrassed, Satin turned her head and buried her face in Rublier’s chest.

The ceremony proceeded in the same order as last time. Although they thought it might be boring since they had been through it once before, it wasn’t like that at all. This wedding didn’t have Delilah singing the wedding hymn while hiding her identity, nor Gjorn standing there looking dejected as if he had been dragged to a slaughterhouse.

The wedding without the people who had left nightmare-like memories felt new. Looking back, the previous wedding had been abnormal. It was supposed to be a wedding declaring happiness, but two hearts coexisted under one roof. Instead of expectations of wanting to rely on and live with each other, there was great bewilderment and anger at having to live a lifetime with such a person.

Now they realized. That wasn’t how a wedding should be.

“Rublier Ka Dillon. Do you stand here of your own free will?”

Rublier looked down at Satin. With eyes rippling with all the memories they had to go through to reach this day.

A man who had suddenly stood up and proposed as soon as he saw a wedding he was attending as a guest going awry. Come to think of it, that was an act that couldn’t be done without considerable courage. Rublier had already had the will to stand here gladly of his own accord at that time. The cardinal’s question was unnecessary for such a person.

“Of course.”