Chapter 52

As the wedding day approached, the reception room of Duke Astrea’s residence became increasingly crowded.

While the gifts delivered from nobles across the regions were significant, 80% of the chaos was due to Eched.

Eched had ordered everything listed in the catalog she had casually left behind.

When four carriages loaded with goods first arrived at the ducal residence, Shaterian was so shocked that her face turned pale.

Eched claimed they were gifts for her, but she couldn’t simply feel pleased.

Honestly, the Astrea family neither managed a separate territory nor had a merchant guild for additional income.

Of course, there was the wealth that the ducal family had accumulated over the years, but their only regular income was Eched’s salary as the Commander of the Knights.

Such lavish spending was incomprehensible.

“Don’t worry. It’s money I’ve saved up.”

Eched brushed off her concerns as if they were trivial, even though she was worried they might go bankrupt.

“This level of spending doesn’t even make a dent in my fortune.”

The total cost of the goods could have purchased a mansion the size of this ducal residence. Yet, he claimed it wouldn’t even scratch his wealth.

She found it hard to believe, but Eched wasn’t the type to boast or lie about such things, so she simply nodded.

‘I had thought he was just moderately wealthy.’

Come to think of it, he had effortlessly handed over a bag of gold coins to purchase illegal auction tickets not too long ago.

“Still, this is excessive. You’re going to live a long life, so you should start managing your finances now.”

She nagged him, saying that he should save for a comfortable future or invest in land or buildings to generate income.

Eched’s expression as he looked at her was peculiar, but she ignored it and started sorting through the items to send back to the stores.

Time flew by quickly.

Even though the servants were handling all the wedding preparations, she couldn’t understand why she was so busy.

Dragged around here and there, constantly pestered…

And so, the Water Festival period arrived. The first day of the festival was their wedding day.

“It’s a perfect day to get married…”

“Miss, you don’t have time to be standing around like this.”

She was helplessly dragged away by a firm hand.

Their wedding was to take place at the Temple of the Goddess of Compassion, located on the outskirts of the central district.

The location was chosen because it was easier to control the crowd.

At first, when she told His Majesty that she wanted a family-only ceremony, he was appalled.

He argued that even if every noble and citizen of the empire were invited for a grand wedding, it still wouldn’t be enough. How could she suggest such a thing?

His Majesty’s words alone made her feel dizzy, so she quickly shook her head.

‘If you do everything as you wish, Your Majesty… This is my wedding… If you don’t want to see my simple wedding, then there’s nothing we can do. We will hold a small ceremony among ourselves without you, Your Majesty.’

Once again, the soft sword failed to pierce the solid shield.

In the end, everything went according to her wishes.

Even on the morning of the wedding, His Majesty puffed out his cheeks in frustration. Looking at the sparsely attended ceremony, he sighed deeply.

“It’s quiet and nice, isn’t it?”

Her sister smacked her roughly on the back.

Before the ceremony began, she waited in a room next to the chapel. She grumbled about how boring it was to wait when there were no guests and wished the ceremony would just start already.

Eventually, the time to enter the chapel arrived, and Eched came to the room where she was waiting.

Dressed in a black tailcoat with contrasting white gloves, Eched looked strikingly handsome despite the simplicity of his attire.

Having been busier than me lately, Eched had been coming home late at night and leaving before dawn, so it had been a long time since she had seen him face-to-face.

As he entered the room, Eched paused momentarily upon seeing her sitting quietly.

“What? Am I too beautiful?”

Since her face was mostly obscured by the veil, he probably couldn’t see her clearly. Still, she blurted out a teasing comment to hide her awkwardness.

“Beautiful isn’t enough to describe it.”

He murmured softly, but she heard him clearly. His words made her blush, though she also found them exasperating. She couldn’t help but wonder if this was somehow related to Orgon’s antics.

Suppressing the urge to cringe, she averted her gaze to escape Eched’s intense stare.

“Let’s go now.”

Eched extended his hand. Since they were to enter the chapel together, he had come to escort her.

Shaterian took his hand.

Her face was burning, and she wished she wouldn’t have to remove the veil, as her cheeks felt like they were on fire.

They stood side by side at the entrance to the chapel. The attendant standing nearby announced loudly upon seeing them ready.

“The bride and groom are entering!”

The booming voice seemed out of place for a wedding with no guests.

Smiling faintly, she stepped onto the long white carpet leading to the priest.

Although there were no invited guests, the chapel, decorated for the wedding, was stunning.

Sunlight streaming through the windows above the altar illuminated the spot where we would stand.

As they walked along the carpet toward the priest, they exchanged casual chatter.

“Did you finish all your work?”

Eched nodded slightly.

The Grievance Counseling Office would temporarily close during their honeymoon. Pell would return to work earlier than her after a brief break to assist in the office.

“I heard on the way here that His Majesty is distributing gifts to the citizens to celebrate our wedding.”

“He’s buying clothes and jewelry, but the wardrobe you’ve already filled for me is so full that there’s no space left.”

“Then we can just build another wardrobe.”

“I won’t even get to wear all of them before I die.”

“…Don’t talk about dying so carelessly.”

She stifled a laugh at his stern tone.

“Okay, that was my mistake. Sorry. Anyway, I told him to use the money he’d spend on me to provide free food to the citizens. I didn’t think he’d actually do it, though.”

“I don’t understand. Why do you care about such things?”

Eched sounded genuinely curious.

You probably wouldn’t understand even if you lived a lifetime.

“Let’s just call it a small act of kindness and a bit of pity. Hmm… I also have a slight hope that the citizens will live well.”

“No one cares about the empire’s well-being as much as you do.”

“Even I think so. Maybe I should dethrone Orgon and become the Emperor.”

She chuckled as if sharing a secret.

By then, they had reached the priest.

Standing beneath the statue of the Goddess of Compassion, the priest greeted us with a benevolent smile.

“Congratulations on your union. May the blessings of the Goddess be upon you.”

It was worth begging for a short congratulatory speech. She discreetly gave the priest a thumbs-up.

As expected, the priest began reciting the wedding vows.

“Do you, Eched Astrea, vow to love your bride with all your soul, even unto death?”

The phrasing was rather grim. She found it odd, but Eched answered without hesitation.

Soon, the priest turned to her.

“Do you, Shaterian Melis, vow to love your groom with all your soul, even after death?”

Her vow was different from Eched’s. 

Was it normal for the bride and groom’s vows to differ?

However, it wasn’t the time to question it, so she simply nodded.

“Yes.”

The priest smiled with satisfaction and presented the marriage certificate.

Once they signed and submitted this document to the temple, they would officially be husband and wife.

The question the priest had asked her was written above the signature line: ‘Do you vow to love your groom with all your soul until the day you die?’

The wording differed from what the priest had spoken aloud, but she assumed it was just a minor variation and signed without much thought.

“Now, for the ceremonial kiss.”

“What?”

She stared at the priest in confusion, but he stepped back and gestured for them to proceed.

Priest! You said you’d skip all unnecessary procedures! How could you sneak this in?

Protesting was pointless with her family watching. Sighing, she turned to face Eched.

The veil was lifted, and Eched’s face came into clear view.

Feeling unbearably embarrassed, she glanced around nervously. She wanted to get it over with, but Eched simply gazed at her without moving.

‘Fine!’

She decided to take the initiative, rising on her tiptoes to press her lips against his. However…

“Ouch!”

A sharp sound echoed as pain shot through her gums.

Instead of a kiss, they bumped teeth.

Tears welled up from the pain. She quickly lowered her heels and rubbed her aching front teeth.

“Why did you lower your head all of a sudden?!”

She snapped at Eched, who looked down at her in bewilderment.

Realizing this wasn’t the time to be angry, she blushed deeply, ashamed of what had just happened.

“…I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

The priest barely managed to suppress his laughter as he declared them married.

Behind them, the other priests pulled on a rope, ringing the chapel’s bell with a clear chime.

When she turned around, she saw her family struggling to hold back their laughter. She wished she could disappear into a hole.

***

A strange breeze swept through the wedding hall, which had turned into a competition to suppress laughter. The golden eyes watching the ceremony shone with an unusual brilliance.

“So, this is how it ends…”

Despite the commotion, the two standing at the altar seemed genuinely happy.

“It started with that child.”

Orgon—or rather, the goddess borrowing his body—whispered softly.

Thus, it must also end with that child.

It was time to bring to an end the long and tangled bond, she murmured, before fading away like a faint mist.