Chapter 110: Wedding Ceremony

The legal, official wedding ceremony with Hilda was what I’d been longing for so much. Personally, I thought the engagement period was unnecessary, but actually, thanks to that waiting period, the anticipation burned even hotter. And Hilda had sometimes played naughty tricks trying to break down my self-control.

As a result, I was nearly growing relics on my body.

My father-in-law was extremely conservative about marriage, so his position was that we had to complete the set engagement period before getting married. But recently, perhaps sensing some looming threat, he suddenly obtained the wedding date from the church. That’s how Hilda’s and my legal Munt marriage was completed at lightning speed.

"Starting with Count Euz, there were quite a few nobles eyeing you as a son-in-law. Father must’ve thought that if he dragged his feet, he might lose such a prized catch."

"He didn’t need to worry about that. I have no intention of separating from Hilda."

Michael knew this well because he’d watched my usual conduct and affection toward Hilda from the side, but my father-in-law didn’t. At first, he’d reluctantly accepted me as the groom Hilda chose, but as time passed, my value skyrocketed tremendously.

He’d even heard people say I was too good to be just the War Minister’s son-in-law.

If I’d been in my father-in-law’s shoes, conservative or not, I would’ve sealed the deal quickly. Moreover, if Hilda and I were to separate, the family would be completely humiliated in noble society. So my father-in-law was anxious and secured a grand wedding along with the church’s certification.

That’s why Michael said he’d almost fallen over backwards laughing.

He said it was the first time he’d seen their father prepare for a wedding so passionately.

"How many invitations do I have to write, exactly?"

"We’re only sending them to each family’s head, so roughly 100 should do."

And I was currently wrestling with the invitations.

These invitations made of high-quality paper cost 1 silver coin each.

In other words, I was about to pour 100 silver coins into invitations alone.

I knew high noble weddings cost a fortune, but this truly exceeded my imagination. Thank goodness I’d received gold coins as compensation from Count Euz; otherwise the devil inside me would’ve nearly awakened.

What was even more absurd was that unlike banquet invitations, wedding invitations had to be written entirely by hand.

From beginning to end. Plus, you had to write them in long form to be proper.

It was because of the belief that you receive blessings from guests who enter bearing invitations you personally wrote. A custom similar to how giving alms to beggars supposedly earns you a ticket to heaven. What on earth did men who married multiple times do? I’ll never separate from Hilda.

I mobilized all kinds of flowery phrases and fancy vocabulary to write them, ending each with personal thoughts. Now I’d finished one. I had to write 100 of these? Just as I was feeling overwhelmed, I felt a soft touch. Hilda kissed me on the cheek.

Though the Middle Ages were conservative about physical affection,

my lovely bride-to-be truly loved it.

"Hang in there, Wolf. The Lord’s grace will shine brightly on our future."

"I’m suddenly energized? I’ll write 100, even 200."

When I’d written the 50th, I ended up throwing the quill pen.

After Hilda giggled and kept cheering me on, I barely managed to finish them all.

The very next day, we held the proxy wedding ceremony.

The only people attending the proxy wedding were relatives of the War Minister’s family and Hilda’s female friends.

The reason the female friends attended the proxy wedding was to enjoy the bridal bath, customarily held the day before the wedding. That’s where the concept of a bachelorette party originated. Apparently it’s just friends bathing and having fun together. On the men’s side, there was a similar tradition resembling a bachelor party, but I refused all of it. Because Michael’s planned itinerary blatantly included the brothel district.

Brother-in-law, you crazy bastard.

Trying to get me killed?

Anyway, at Neuden Parish in the northwestern district where the War Minister’s family was located, the bride and proxy groom Michael held the ceremony first without the actual groom. I’d heard about proxy marriages, but it seemed like such a pointless procedure. I was inwardly dissatisfied, but since it was a medieval noble marriage custom and tradition, I had no choice but to go along with it.

It had started because noble families too far apart couldn’t hold weddings on time, so they’d hold proxy marriages first, but as time passed it became established as custom. That was why we ended up having a proxy wedding even though we were practically next door to each other.

A wedding without the groom.

Having refused the bachelor party, I was waiting at home with nothing to do.

Right about now, Hilda’s proxy wedding must be in full swing.

After spending a night with Michael with their legs touching, tomorrow Hilda would hold the official wedding with me at Breisburg Cathedral. If we were ordinary nobles, it would’ve been about the level of a village festival, but since I (a lord) and the War Minister’s family were on a different level, apparently enough money and food to rival a city festival would be consumed.

When my father-in-law said he was gathering beggars to receive the Lord’s grace and blessings, I doubted my ears. My father-in-law held the belief that through charity, beggars bestow blessings on behalf of God. The more beggars, the more blessings come in, and my father-in-law took responsibility for the costs.

"Really? I can bring them all?"

"Yeah. Better to feed the folks who’ve helped you at a time like this."

So since we were gathering beggars anyway, I ordered Bodo to round up all the street friends who’d helped him and feed them until they burst, just for that day. The cost of feeding these beggars alone was 200 silver coins. Who the hell had devised this kind of procedure? This was practically a wedding designed to showcase noble wealth.

And finally, the day came.

Unable to sleep from excitement at the thought of having a real wedding, I dressed in luxurious wedding attire and majestically mounted Mont Blanc, which had been adorned with various decorative saddles and cloths. Naturally, Mont Blanc was quite indignant about the decorations, but the horse’s cooperation was a grand compromise barely achieved after feeding it sugar cubes.

Murmur murmur.

Escorted by my retainers, I headed to Breisburg Cathedral, where many citizens and beggars had gathered in droves around the building. Because of the crowd, August at the front and Anton holding the family banner couldn’t advance any further. An unexpected standstill.

What the hell? Was my wedding a national event?

Why were there so many people?

I knew many would gather for the wedding of a regional lord and the War Minister’s family, but this exceeded my wildest expectations. Then well-armed soldiers appeared, forcibly parting the thick wall of people to make way for me to enter.

"I’m Leichnich, Lieutenant of the Grand Duke’s Guard. You may enter now."

"The Grand Duke’s Guard? Wait, why is the Grand Duke’s Guard here?"

"Because the great sovereign of Beren is attending your lordship’s wedding."

What was guarding the cathedral’s perimeter was the Grand Duke’s Guard. Grand Duke Karlus attending my wedding was an extremely unconventional move. Given the War Minister’s family’s influence, it wasn’t strange for him to attend, but this wasn’t even the eldest son’s wedding—just the youngest daughter’s.

Which meant the Grand Duke was attending in recognition of my standing.

Wait, why would the Grand Duke go so far? Sure, I’d risen to become a lord,

but even so, I was the lowest-ranked among lords.

Surely there was no political motive behind this?

"What the hell is this commotion? Why did His Grace attend my wedding?"

"He said it’s meant to celebrate the union of a new lord and the War Minister’s family, but honestly, I don’t know either."

Michael also showed clear signs of being flustered, saying he’d never expected the Grand Duke’s attendance. The other ministerial families and nobles seemed shocked by it too. The Crown Prince and Princess were also at the Grand Duke’s side. Only the Queen I’d seen at the banquet hall was absent. I was ushered into the groom’s waiting room without even time to greet the Grand Duke.