"Wedding!"
This was the first word that came to Xia De's mind when he woke up on Tuesday morning.
Weddings have always been important life ceremonies, and according to Delarion tradition, noble weddings are even more complicated and intricate. Not to mention, this wedding was between Mona Cavendish, the princess of the Cavendish Family, and Randolph Iceberg, the second son of Duke Eisberg, who commanded the Third Legion's Northern Garrison of the Delarion Royal Army.
A Delarion-style noble wedding would last an entire day.
In the morning, the bride and groom would not meet. Yodel Palace and the Eisberg Family would each prepare wedding attire and makeup for the bride and groom, a rather tedious process, as no one wanted to lose face here.
In the afternoon, both families would invite relatives and friends to the church. Since Mr. Randolph Iceberg believed in the righteous god "God of War and Peace," commonly known as father peace, the wedding would be held at the Peace Church in Tobesk City, and the entire ceremony would last for several hours.
After the wedding ceremony concluded, the most important and populous part of the day would begin: a grand wedding celebration hosted by the Eisberg Family at their manor, inviting friends and relatives to share in the day's joy.
Marriage meant establishing a family, so tonight's grand wedding banquet was not held at the Eisberg Family's manor, but at the newlyweds' own manor—a display of generosity only true great nobles could afford. The manor that Mona Cavendish and Randolph Iceberg would call "home" originally belonged to another noble family, but that family was erased from Delarion's noble lineage this summer due to their involvement with Cultists...
"Tonight's banquet is at Lakeview Manor, what a nostalgic place... Mia, want to come with me?"
Xia De said as he got out of bed, greeting the new day. The lazy Mia stood on the bed, let out a "meow~," then yawned widely, closing her mouth before Xia De turned to look at her.
Compared to the evening banquet, Mia was more eager for breakfast this morning.
Given the identities of both parties in this wedding, the wedding ceremony starting this evening would likely be even livelier than a garden party. Wedding celebrations were different from ordinary banquets; there would be many interesting banquet games and many interesting things. Xia De remembered Leia mentioning that when her elder sister got married, that wedding celebration lasted until dawn the next day.
For Xia De, besides Leia's handwritten copy of "Summer Night Collection," the most important thing for him was how to display his "wisdom," "power," and "charm."
He already had a preliminary plan, but this meant he would be very busy with this wedding.
"I wonder if the doctor and Priest Augustus will show up. Luvia definitely won't; she has an elective class tonight."
The young Outsider was not a relative of the Eisberg Family, nor was he a relative of the Cavendish Family... at least not on the surface, so the preparations for the bride and groom this morning had nothing to do with him.
But while preparing breakfast, he could already see the carriages parked at the entrance of Yodel Palace's courtyard from the kitchen window, as well as Yodel Palace's unusual decorations for the day.
Ribbons hung from the buildings, and colorful small flags swayed in the morning breeze amidst the thick fog, adding a touch of brilliance to this gray era. Eunuch attendants had spread red carpets across the pathways of Yodel Palace's front courtyard early in the morning, and fresh flower petals, hard to find in early winter, were scattered everywhere.
Xia De even saw a beautiful flower basket hanging from the tip of the spear on the knight statue in the center of the courtyard.
Although King Larus III was always strict with his children, he was definitely a good father, especially to those children who had no utilitarian value to him.
After unhurriedly finishing breakfast, Xia De let Mia wander around the house to digest, while he went to the study to continue refining his manuscript. Thinking in the study was more comfortable than in the woods in the afternoon; the pale morning light penetrated the thick fog and shone on the desk. Xia De, dressed in a white shirt and brown vest, felt that this era was actually quite good.
He had only been sitting in the study for half an hour when the downstairs door was opened. The noise from Saint Delan Square briefly entered the room, followed by the sound of the door closing, footsteps on the stairs, Mia's alert meow, and the sound of the second-floor door opening.
"Xia De, help me bring my dress upstairs."
The Writer's voice reached his ears. Dorothy raised her voice slightly, saying this as she stood in the living room and saw the young gentleman writing with his head down in the morning light of the study. Her face was slightly flushed, and she felt an urge to paint this scene.
Dorothy would attend the church wedding as Xia De's female companion. She arrived at Xia De's house early in the morning, planning to have lunch with him before going to the Peace Church.
The Golden-haired girl also brought her gown, a beautiful golden dress:
"Leia is absolutely fed up right now."
Dorothy spoke as she followed Xia De up the stairs. She carried a large garment bag, while Xia De carried a suitcase in one hand and another brown garment bag in the other:
"Today is Leia's sister's wedding, why is she annoyed?"
Xia De asked, the suitcase and garment bag in his hands carried the scent of smog, the smell of this City.
"According to custom, if a younger sister gets married and the elder sister is still unmarried, then at the wedding, the elder sister must act as a bridesmaid, and the most important one, the chief bridesmaid. Unfortunately, although Mona has more than one unmarried elder sister, Leia's age is the most..."
Dorothy stopped speaking, standing higher on the stairs and looking at Xia De:
"You know."
The Golden-haired girl raised an eyebrow.
An unmarried elder sister serving as chief bridesmaid was a custom of the Old Continent. On one hand, it was a subtle 催促 for the elder to marry; on the other hand, it was a blessing for the unmarried daughter to find a suitable gentleman as soon as possible. Of course, it was also because the chief bridesmaid would receive more attention, and a wedding was also a good place for matchmaking.
"What is Leia doing now?"
Xia De asked, always worried about accidentally stepping on the cat underfoot while going upstairs because the garment bag in his hand was very large.
"Makeup and dress preparation, then she has to go give Mona her blessings, and then according to Cavendish rules, she has a lot to do this morning. The bride is even more at leisure than her; the bride just needs to wait for her makeup."
Xia De carried Dorothy's dress to the side bedroom to put it down. Including makeup time, it would take Dorothy at least an hour to put on this outfit, so they would have lunch early today.
"What gift are you planning to bring to the wedding banquet at Lakeview Manor tonight?"
Xia De asked curiously after Dorothy sat down on the sofa.
The Golden-haired girl pointed to the makeup box she had brought:
"It's inside. My personally signed 'hamilton detective story collection,' with my own blessings written on the cover."
Although a book was not valuable, at least not to a princess, this book was popular at the moment, and with the author's blessing, it was truly the most suitable wedding gift.
"So Xia De, what have you prepared? Oh, I saw in the newspaper that yesterday morning, at the train station, you gave Margaret Anjou a beautiful gem."
Dorothy said, shaking her finger in the air:
"So generous a Knight, what have you prepared for the wedding?"
Xia De knew she was teasing him, so he reached out and took out a small box:
"A ruby. I bought it casually before leaving Middlesburg yesterday."
Actually, Grandma Cassandra heard that Xia De needed a gift and casually gave him one, insisting that Xia De not pay for it.
Inside the round, gilded small box was a heart-shaped ruby. Xia De opened it and showed it to Dorothy. The Writer's pupils constricted slightly, then she said primly:
"Very pretty, but you need to see this."
Dorothy opened the metal folding multi-layered makeup box in her suitcase, took out a red jewelry box from it, and handed it to Xia De:
"Leia prepared this for you, for you to give as a gift."
Inside the red jewelry box lay two teardrop-shaped sapphire earrings, outlined with pure gold frames. Of course, although they looked quite pretty, from the perspective of a Ring術士's jewelry appraisal, they were completely inferior to Xia De's ruby.
Xia De held the box with some surprise:
"Leia actually prepared one for me?"
Dorothy showed a faint smile:
"This gem is still not as good as the ruby earring (Chapter 384) you gave Leia. Yes, that rhomboid gem."
She said this as if she didn't care, then tilted her head to look out at the morning light. This turned her ear towards Xia De, and her right hand unconsciously lifted, touching her empty ear.
【She is giving you a hint.】
"She" reminded softly.
Xia De also understood the hint, so he coughed:
"Then, Dorothy, I will give the gift Leia prepared. As for this ruby I bought from Middlesburg, it will..."
He opened the gilded round box again and handed it to Dorothy. The Golden-haired girl tried hard to control her smile as she turned her head, but her eyes still showed an irrepressible feeling:
"Oh no, Knight, how can I casually accept your gift?"
She spoke very formally, like a character reciting lines in an opera.
Xia De thought for a moment:
"Oh, Golden-haired girl, would you be willing to dance a dance with me at the wedding banquet's ball?"
"Of course, yes, Knight, of course."
Dorothy looked at him, blinked, and waited expectantly for the next sentence.
So Xia De said the sentence the Writer had been expecting:
"Beautiful girl, this will be my gift to you after the ball."
Dorothy could no longer control the smile on her face.
------Author's Note------
PS: There's a recommendation tomorrow, so the author will add an extra chapter as appropriate.
