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“…!”
When I saw Lady Seren, I was speechless.
She appeared in a black wedding dress.
Of course, there’s no stipulated color for wedding dresses, but at the weddings of my staff that I was invited to, many dresses were overwhelmingly bright and gorgeous colors. I’d never seen black before.
…But I would be remiss to describe it as merely black.
It had a large diagonal silver design from the chest to the hem, which was impressive. And from the waist down, there were layers of black, silver, and white chiffon so that every time Lady Seren moved, it shimmered lightly, making it look even more fantastical.
Moreover, she wore many layered necklaces with gems of various sizes.
“…You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
The words just came out, and Lady Seren smiled shyly. She was unspeakably beautiful.
“Black suits you the best, Lord Viol, so I wanted to do my best to match you,” she said.
“I never knew black could be so gorgeous and make you stand out so much, Lady Seren. It suits you very well.”
She wore a glittering silver tiara adorned with colored gems and a veil in the same fluffy chiffon material. She looked demure, classy, and stunning.
“Incredibly beautiful…”
“Amazing…”
“Miss Seren, you look amazing! So pretty! So cool! And kinda… I mean… sophisticated looking!”
“Hehe, thank you.”
My younger brothers also seemed taken aback by her beauty. Lady Seren smiled happily at my youngest brother’s honest compliment.
“Sister, you look really beautiful,” Lady Marietta said. “Black looks elegant on you.”
“Yes, Seren… You look beautiful,” the duchess said. “I was a little worried when you said you wanted a black dress, but it really paid off. Whilst the three of us, including Marietta, worked to have it made, all we could talk about was how it would showcase the best of your charm.”
“Thank you, Mother, Marietta. This is all down to you.”
“Yes, she’s really beautiful,” the duke sniffled. “My amazing daughter…”
“Now stop that, dear. It’s too early to cry,” the duchess chastised him. “Please try to stay strong.”
“Mm-hm… It’s about time to begin.”
The duke was already in tears. But as he said, the time for the ceremony was approaching.
“Well, we can’t keep the king and queen waiting. Everyone, please get in place.”
Everyone became very serious as the old gentleman ordered us to get ready. In no time, we’d formed a double row in front of the hall.
In the lead, Lady Seren and I slowly exchanged glances.
Lady Seren looked up at me and smiled happily. After the ceremony, this lovely creature would officially become my wife. We would return to the same house and spend the rest of our lives together.
Whenever I’m with her, I feel calm and relaxed. And from today onwards, I could spend as much time with her as I wanted.
I was beyond overjoyed.
“…Lord Viol. Let us make each other happy.”
“Yes. I swear I will cherish you, Lady Seren, for the rest of my life.”
Even though I said it seriously, for some reason, she smiled as if amused. But her cheeks were faintly red.
“Please make that oath during the ceremony.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
“In addition…”
“Yes?”
“From now on, please just call me Seren.”
“…!”
I felt like my face was about to burst into flame.
But yes. Yes, of course. Though it was merely a matter of course, I couldn’t help blushing when she blindsided me like that.
“Uh… Um, yes. Of course.”
Seren looked at me as I stammered and smiled even more happily than before.
At that moment, a solemn bell rang.
The ceremony was beginning.
After making eye contact with Seren, I slightly bent my left arm. Almost at the exact moment that Seren’s hand lightly rested on it, the door to the large hall opened.
A bright red carpet edged with gold led straight down the hall. The king and queen were standing at the end of it.
And for some reason, Borden was also waiting like a shadow beside the king. I wasn’t expecting him to come and see us off, too, so I blushed a little, but seeing a familiar face made me feel a little calmer. It was good, in a way.
Ready to start walking, I looked at Seren. She looked back at me and smiled. She seemed much calmer than I felt.
I had to get it together.
From there on, there was no more hesitation.
I walked slowly, and Seren kept pace with me.
And then came the duke, his wife, and the younger sister, a few paces behind us, followed by my family. I hoped I wouldn’t stumble and trip out of nerves.
On both sides of the large hall, many musicians played a gentle wedding march.
As I walked along the bright red carpet arm in arm with Seren, enveloped by the music, it hit me that I was really about to marry her. I was secretly touched by the warm feelings welling up in my chest.
As we proceeded, the faces of the king and queen came into close view.
The solemn music ended about three steps away from them, and we took that as our signal to stop. Then, kneeling in front of the king and queen, the ceremony finally began.
“…Finally, the happy day has arrived.”
The king’s calm voice descended from above. I marveled at how calm and casual he sounded, even during an intense wedding ceremony.
“We are deeply moved by the fact that the day has come when Seren, who we have always thought of as our own daughter, would find a lifelong partner. Even better it should be a High Mage who brings so much to our country and its prosperity… I can think of no occasion more joyful.”
I never expected to receive such eloquent words, and my heart vibrated with gratitude as I kept my head bowed.
“Both of you, lift your heads.”
When I looked up, His Majesty had a gentle smile. And Her Majesty had tears in her eyes.
“I wanted to celebrate this occasion with the two of you. Sorry for the selfish request.”
“Not at all. Your words honor us.”
“…Now, let us perform the oath ceremony. Viol, Seren, hold this chalice together.”
I took hold of the golden chalice, which was about the size of a wine glass, and the king poured some alcohol into it. Our wedding rings glimmered at the bottom of the clear alcoholic liquid.
The moment I held the cup in my hand, I felt a faint magical power and narrowed my eyes slightly.
“As expected, our Archmage seems to have noticed. This is a magical device that has been pledged to the royal family. It is a sacred object, used at all royal wedding ceremonies.”
I didn’t know there was such a thing. I guess there are still many magical devices that even I don’t know about in this country.
“Now then, Viol. Do you swear to love Seren for the rest of your life?”
“…I swear. Lady Seren… I mean, Seren… I swear to love you for the rest of my life.”
When I swore the same thing to Seren earlier, it seemed to come out naturally, so why was it somewhat embarrassing to swear it aloud here? I wondered if Seren felt the same way.
“Good. Then, Seren. Do you swear to love Viol for the rest of your life?”
“…I swear. Lord Viol, I swear to love you for the rest of my life.”
I felt a mixture of surprise and joy to hear Seren make her vows without even the slightest tremble in her voice. Seeing the intense look in her eyes as she swore herself to me made my chest grow hot.
“Good. Now, the kiss to make the vows sacrosanct. Keep your hands on the sacred chalice.”
The kiss?
In front of everyone…?
There was no way for me to know if this was because we were aristocracy or if this was a normal part of most weddings. At least it was new to me, who had only ever attended wedding receptions.
My hands suddenly became sweaty. When I awkwardly faced Seren, she looked up at me, her cheeks bright red. Seeing that gave me strength.
I had to keep it together for her.
When I nodded slightly at Seren, she smiled lightly and quietly closed her eyes as though she were relieved. I placed my other hand around Lady Seren’s, where she held the chalice, helping her to hold it steady.
Seren’s eyelashes were fluttering out of extreme nerves.
I slowly put my lips on those lovely lips. At almost that exact moment, the chalice burned with a bright light. The light was so strong I could feel it even with my eyes closed.
Perhaps the golden cup had reacted to our oath and our kiss.
Surprised by the light, I involuntarily flexed my fingers. As a result, I squeezed Seren’s hand a little tighter. I hoped I hadn’t hurt her.