The wedding took place in the largest ceremonial hall within the Wynne family’s domain. The craftsmen had rented it out for several months prior as they prepared for the event.
Sansui and the others had innocently asked them to display the gifts from Magyan. They were supreme treasures—the kind of which a great nation’s king would send to an equal—and the craftsmen who had volunteered to prepare the wedding hall took to the challenge immediately. They were no less skilled than those of the recent joint wedding, and they staked their pride and dignity on the work, delivering results beyond the payment Sansui had offered. This wedding was a monumental task for them. They threw themselves at the challenge of presenting the Magyan Kingdom’s gifts, and in the end, they matched them evenly.
They must not surpass us, they thought. Overpowering the Magyan Kingdom’s treasures would be wrong—but they must not let themselves become mere background either. We have to stand out just as much, and still blend in... That balance was essential.
They poured their very souls into achieving it.
Countless sleepless nights were spent refining their plans, and even when they did lie down to rest, their minds continued shaping ideas. How do we make it perfect...? What’s still missing...? There were times they clashed with other craftsmen, but always in the end, they always joined forces to reach a single answer. Their aim was to create the finest wedding possible—and to bring happiness to the two who would stand at its center.
The rural ceremonial hall had been transformed into a sacred space. The behind-the-scenes workers had completed their roles, and from here, it was finally time for the stars of the event to take the stage.
In the bridal waiting room, Blois stood in an Arcana-style wedding gown. It was a classic bridal dress crafted by the nation’s best artisan. A few self-proclaimed experts had remarked that “it won’t suit her,” but seeing her now would have surely left them speechless. Blois smiled blissfully as she wore the wedding dress she had always longed for, and one would wonder how anyone could say it didn’t suit her.
“Ahh, Blois...”
“Oh, Blois...”
Seeing their daughter clad in pure white, both her father and mother were struck silent. They had once watched her go out into the world to become a guard, and now she had reached the dream everyone longed for. How could they possibly hold back their tears? The tears of sorrow they had shed over the years, worrying for their daughter’s safety, now flowed anew—matched by an equally overwhelming tide of joy.
“Father, mother...”
Seeing her parents like that, Blois also had to hold back her tears. She had come to understand just how much it meant to put her parents at ease. I finally made them feel safe...
“Truly, I don’t even know how we can ever thank Lord Sansui,” her father said.
“Yes... We owe it all to Lord Sansui,” her mother added.
Because she was a daughter who had suffered so much, they had wanted to send her to someone they could trust completely. The man who had fought beside her in the deadly place they themselves had driven her into—There could be no one more trustworthy, they thought. Such a person was beyond anything they had imagined.
“Blois...” they both sniffed.
They couldn’t bring themselves to embrace their daughter in her wedding dress. It was as if they felt they no longer had the right to. But even so, it was enough for them. More than enough. They didn’t need to touch her. Simply seeing their daughter standing so beautifully in her bridal attire, they knew.
This is already a blessing beyond anything we deserve.
“Go on, Blois. You mustn’t keep Lord Sansui waiting.”
“Yes,” she said.
Guided by the man serving as escort, Blois began to walk. When she entered the ceremony hall, she found the chairs filled with Wynne family relatives, Sansui’s students, and Lain holding Fanne in her arms. Of course, Suiboku—Sansui’s master—was also present. Her family, who knew her well and wished for her happiness, and the people who adored Sansui, her partner, all sat in quiet awe as she made her entrance.
In the hall where they gathered, decorations from the Magyan Kingdom and the Arcana Kingdom—two different cultures—coexisted flawlessly, symbolizing harmony between the nations. It was a realm of beauty that could never be reached by saying “just something normal” or “anything is fine.” The space bathed in that beauty was nothing short of heavenly. And at the end of the aisle along which Blois walked in solemn grace, Sansui waited for her.
He wore formal attire and carried himself with uncharacteristic poise, like an adult. He’s trying to look cool, one might think, but in truth he was simply a man, trying to look his best, waiting for the woman he loves.
“Blois.”
“Sansui.”
They spoke each other’s names as Blois’s slow approach finally reached his side. Sansui embraced her, and then, together, they faced their guests. Seeing the two standing side by side, the guests’ eyes grew moist. Their happiness makes me want to cry, was the thought in everyone’s minds. Wrapped in the warmth of being celebrated, the two simply stood.
“Everyone, thank you for answering our invitation on this occasion... We are profoundly grateful.”
Speaking in place of the couple, Senve Wynne took the role of master of ceremonies.
“With this moment today...Blois Wynne is officially wed to Sansui Shirokuro and will henceforth be known as Blois Shirokuro.” When he spoke those words, Senve was overwhelmed and shed tears once again. After letting out several sobs, he somehow managed to resume. “My apologies... Ahem. The bride and groom already have two daughters, who are also in attendance today. This has been permitted by the current head of the Sepaeda family, and Lord Sepaeda himself guarantees that there is nothing improper about it.” Senve declared this with unwavering resolve.
“Only those who celebrate this new beginning for the two of them are permitted to remain in this space. If anyone believes otherwise, step forward and stand before me!” With Sansui present—as well as his master and his students—Senve made this final proclamation as a father. It was a traditional exchange, yet he was truly determined to protect this ceremony with his own hands. After a moment of silence, he declared, “There is no fool here who would defile this sacred place. Then, everyone—give these two your wholehearted applause!”
The mighty warriors who were Sansui’s students, and the nobles who were Blois’s relatives—both groups rose together in applause. Wrapped in the sound of those blessings, the two embraced and exchanged a kiss. However many hardships awaited them in the future, this moment alone was sacred and inviolable.
“Sansui... How do I look?” Blois asked.
“You’re beautiful, Blois. To me, you’re the perfect bride.”
Sansui spoke from the heart, without thinking about whether it suited him or sounded unlike him.
I just want to praise my wife as she is.
“And what about me?” he asked. “Am I a husband worthy of you?”
“Yes... To me, you are the best husband of all.”
A wedding was a single flower that bloomed in the course of a life. Bringing that flower into full bloom required immense effort, and that flower scattered in an instant, impossible to hold in place. Yet the flower left behind a seed. Even if the blossom faded, the fact that it had bloomed would never be erased.
The seed of the great tree they would grow together—their family—was born here.
✦ ✦ ✦
At the Sepaeda family’s main estate, the head of the Sepaeda family was handling some desk work. He had been struggling with such tasks ever since the injuries he suffered at the recent joint wedding, but reading reports, at least, posed no issue. Ignoring the persistent pain in his dominant hand, he continued going through the documents. Partway through, he noticed something peculiar. From all across the Sepaeda-controlled territories, a flood of reports with nearly identical content had arrived.
“Hmm... The aftermath, it seems.”
Most likely, neither the ones submitting the reports nor the ones who had caused the situation in the first place had fully grasped what had happened yet. Only he—who stood in the position where all the information of Sepaeda converged—could have noticed first. But before long, others would surely understand as well.
“Well, it’s not something that can be hidden, I suppose...”
Thinking about how the rumors would spread, Sepaeda let out a small laugh of amusement. A little while later, however, he grimaced. If Sansui and the others learn of this, they won’t find it so funny, he thought.
“I hope they only learn about it after the ceremony...”
May nothing spoil the wedding.
With this wish, he returned his eyes to the reports. In each of them, a lord had reported that they had captured several swindlers falsely using the name “Sansui Shirokuro.” According to them, they had until now looked the other way, but since Sansui was coming to greet them in person, they had decided to take action. Some lords even mobilized soldiers to suppress the criminals by force. As a result, much blood had been spilled.
As he read the reports, Lord Sepaeda imagined how the common people must have felt seeing such scenes. No matter that the captured were criminals—if the arrests were violent, the people must have been terrified. And immediately afterward, when news of Sansui’s wedding reached the populace, many would surely feel as though Sansui himself had demanded a purge for the sake of his ceremony. In truth, the lords had acted on their own, but considering the chain of events, the misunderstanding was not entirely unreasonable.
Thus, in the minds of the people, Sansui and Blois’s wedding became remembered less for its splendid decorations and more for the bloodshed that had unfolded around it.