Chapter 118

The nobility and commoners of this age, devoid of computer games, comics, and various television broadcasts, were always hungry for entertainment.

To alleviate this boredom, the nobles indulged in sexual pleasures with courtesans or concubines fitting their status, while the commoners spent joyful moments with alcohol and prostitutes.

However, the primitive pleasures derived from sexual activities and feasting soon became tiresome.

The people of this era were fervent about festivals held in towns and the lavish displays of power and wealth by the nobility… They most eagerly anticipated the grand wedding of a noble.

In response to this expectation, I continued to give orders while on my way to meet Count Vladimir.

“Walt, increase the number of soldiers stationed inside Nante Castle twofold; drunken citizens and peasants might cause trouble.”

“Inspector Keynes, did I not tell you to spend more money! I instructed that everyone except slaves be allowed into the jousting tournament! And if they’re hungry, we should give a bag of snacks to each entrant! Set the budget at three times the original!”

“Sub-Noble Laurent, allocate all the gold coins in the second vault. And… bring the key to the third vault as well.”

“Short Lieutenant, order your men to send anyone trying to sneak in straight to God’s side.”

“Butler, gather as many top chefs as possible. Remove all the chairs from the banquet hall to the walls and leave only enough tables for the food.”

As I entered the reception room, a count dressed in clothes befitting his noble stature greeted me.

He first bowed elegantly and then spoke.

“I present myself to Count Croilet. It seems we haven’t met since our encounter in Romania six months ago.”

The fact that he arrived before me cannot be disclosed; he must be pretending not to have met on purpose.

“Count, thank you for coming! I never expected a representative of the delegation to be Lord Vladimir.”

“Haha, it is thanks to His Majesty’s favor that I am here.”

“Is that so? Before the wedding, I’d like to meet Her Imperial Highness…”

Upon hearing those words, Count Vladimir frowned and replied, “Unlike Elaline, in the North, you cannot see the bride’s face until the wedding.”

Well, since the wedding is set to start in an hour, there’s really no need to see her face.

“Understood.”

“Separately… I have heard rumors that a girl named Ela, whom you favor, is pregnant…”

Though cautious in tone, this is certainly what he wants to say.

If a concubine has a child before the rightful bride, won’t that child threaten the position of the princess and her son?

If that happens, our alliance would end here.

To alleviate such worries, I provided Count Vladimir with the answer he desired.

“Ela is an orphan of peasant background.”

His expression brightened considerably at that.

While it may be disappointing that Ela has borne a child before the princess, he likely realizes there is no one that poses a threat to her.

Having discussed the situation with the count for about thirty minutes, I stood up to move to the wedding venue, the Great Cathedral.

“Well then, I will take my leave now. Please be careful, Count.”

**

Upon entering the Cathedral, the sight that unfolded was like something out of a fantasy movie.

The columns and walls were adorned with tapestries resembling silk carpets, intricately depicting the history of the Croilet family and the chronicles of Deus.

The chairs had numerous cushions, and on the platform stood a statue of the patron saint of marriage, St. Mary, crafted lovingly from the finest Italian marble, resembling a living woman in its beauty.

As I admired the cathedral transformed into a wedding venue, the archbishop approached me and said, “Your Excellency, please hurry inside. It is customary for both the bride and groom to wait within the venue before the marriage rite begins.”

“Understood, Archbishop. By the way… your outfit suits you very well.”

“On such a joyful day, I made a serious effort to create a new attire. Though the slightly red color may be a bit conspicuous…”

I then whispered to the archbishop, “I’ve received reports from my spies that Romania is in turmoil and that the donations to the Holy See have significantly decreased. If we endure for a few more years, you may become a cardinal in return for your contributions to the church.”

“I am merely your loyal servant, Your Excellency; to become a cardinal… perhaps if later I become a cardinal and can assist Your Excellency, even a small fief for my child…”

It seems that due to the wedding, where there is a lot of money being spent and status elevated, he is starting to fully trust me.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to entrust the future of a bastard child to me.

“Very well, if you become a cardinal… I shall grant you a few towns near Lindelheim.”

His face split into a smile that seemed it could tear his mouth open.

After I entered the waiting room with the archbishop, two hours later, a priest entered and said to me, “Your Excellency the Count, it’s time for you to go out.”

“Understood.”

With that, I stood up and followed the priest.

As I stepped outside, my father, mother, Count Vladimir, and the delegation began to clap upon seeing me.

To match their expectations, I quickly made my way toward the red carpet leading to the platform where the archbishop stood.

At the door, dressed in my formal attire, I stepped out confidently, almost haughtily.

At the same time, the orchestra at the back of the cathedral began to play a grand march.

Perhaps due to the impressive sight, those beside me began to whisper.

“Indeed, he’s a noble; even his gait is different… But what of our son…?”

“How imposing he is.”

“I’ve heard many rumors about Count Croilet being extraordinary… but to such a degree… he resembles a lion king.”

As I heard their words and walked for about twenty seconds, I soon arrived at the platform.

The archbishop smiled upon seeing my arrival and said, “The bride will enter shortly. Please welcome her with applause.”

With those words, our orchestra began to play soft music instead of the march.

Then, shortly after, the music changed, and the sound of a woman in a white dress walking on a red carpet began to echo.

“Her hair is more beautiful than the finest wine from Architel… I feel like the princess sung of by bards would look like her…”

“She truly resembles a princess from a painting…”

“I can’t believe that one could have such a beautiful woman as a wife… I envy him…”

People whispered for about 1-2 minutes, and soon after, the newlywed in the dress stood facing me at the platform.

With a dress as white as snow, hair as red as a glossy apple, eyes slightly slanted like a cat’s, large eyes, a high nose, and a slender chin.

The combination of these features made her face rival that of a Hollywood actress.

And, true to her northern heritage, she had impressive volume around the chest and hips.

“Your Excellency, Your Excellency…”

As I glanced to the side, the archbishop was pointing with his cane at a coin.

No matter how beautiful the girl before me, I cannot lose my focus; I can let my guard down later.

Next, I took that coin and handed it to the bride before me, saying, “I present this gold coin as a token of our marriage. Will you become my wife?”

The bride smiled and responded, “I, Irina Romanova, daughter of Sergei Vladimir Vasilyev, accept Your Excellency’s proposal. I look forward to our life together.”

She reached out to take the coin I gave her, thus making this marriage legally binding.

At the same time, Irina’s status changed to that of a noble countess, having lost her claim to the northern imperial succession according to the principle of marriage between noble and common.

The archbishop raised his scepter overhead after witnessing this and declared, “In the name of Deus, I proclaim the marriage of His Excellency SIEL von Croilet and Lady Irina Romanova has been established!”

As those words echoed, all the guests attending the wedding began to applaud.

Then, the doors of the cathedral opened, and as per tradition, I took Irina’s hand and stepped outside, declaring, “SIEL von Croilet has prepared a modest banquet to celebrate with all guests; I hope all nobles will join in and enjoy. Furthermore, to share this joy with the people of the territory, I will send beer and meat to every city and town. For the following two weeks, I will hold various plays and tournaments in my name.”

Upon stepping outside, I saw Walt, clad in ceremonial armor, along with a hundred knights and soldiers waiting for me.

The ceremonial troops, from commanders to foot soldiers, were adorned in gold-embellished armor and red capes, making for a grand and impressive sight.

Walt knelt upon seeing me and said, “Your Excellency SIEL von Croilet and Lady Irina Romanova, we will serve you from now on.”

Then, Walt stood up, raised our territory’s flag in one hand, and the military band began to play music.

I extended my hand to Irina, who took it, and we proceeded toward the mansion.

As we walked, the citizens standing around began to throw flowers.

Previously, when we invaded Count Helzman’s domain following Schwabin, the citizens had greatly struggled to find flowers for that occasion…

Yet, it seems I never ordered flowers to be thrown during this wedding, so why are not just a few people, but everyone starting to throw flowers?

I then asked Walt as we walked, “Sub-Noble Walt, there are not just a few but thousands of citizens throwing flowers… Who ordered this?”

“No, Your Excellency, they are all throwing flowers voluntarily, filled with genuine respect for you. Just look at their faces as proof.”

The citizens were genuinely smiling bright as they threw flowers, shouting, “Long live Count Croilet!”

“Thanks to you, we can now live without being destitute! And no longer will the guild’s artisans bully us… Thank you! Long live!!”

“Long live Count! Long live Croilet!!”

Seeing that scene, Irina Romanova said with a slightly bewildered expression, “Usually, citizens mobilized for such events show annoyed faces while shouting… How have you ruled the territory such that they’re all out here smiling like that?”

To that, I simply smiled without answering.