This world doesn't have the 'bride price' culture familiar to Outsiders, but it does have 'dowry'.
This means that when noblewomen marry, their families will provide a large sum of money as a dowry.
That could be jewelry, property deeds, or even a large territory.
Especially for prominent aristocratic families, the dowry of a family's marrying woman showcases the family's strength and prestige.
Larus III was not marrying off a daughter for the first time, so the dowries for the princesses of the Cavendish Family of this generation already followed established customs.
Xia De curiously inquired of Dorothy, who began counting on her fingers:
"First, there's a large tract of land, but not around Tobesk, as land here is too expensive.
Then there are two or three royal manors across the country; Leia said Mona's sister wanted the manor in the Extreme North Ice City.
Lakeview Manor being bought by the Eisberg Family is also related to this.
There are also industries; the King has prepared long-term profitable industries for his daughter, which theoretically belong only to Mona, but after marriage, the family can't control it."
The assets she spoke of were things that most people in this world could never acquire in their entire lives.
"The Cavendish Family doesn't have a tradition of giving cash as a dowry, but the family has inherited a lot of jewelry, accumulated over generations.
Mona chose a sapphire headpiece left by her grandmother, which her grandmother wore when she got married.
Angelina privately said she originally liked that headpiece very much.
Besides jewelry, there are also some antiques; Leia didn't go into detail about these, but they could probably fill three carriages.
Oh, Mother, I mean Queen Diana, will also give some jewelry.
For example, that ruby ring she gave you, if she hadn't given it to you in the Summer, there's a high probability Mona would have taken it this time."
Xia De could no longer calculate how many pounds these things were worth; even if calculated with the larger denomination 'Mia', the converted Mia could probably fill the entire Saint Delan Square No. 6.
"Meow?"
The cat walking back and forth on the floor looked at Xia De curiously.
"How did Her Highness Mona Cavendish and that Mr. Eisberg meet?"
He curiously probed again, such topics are always very interesting:
"Or, is this a political marriage?"
"Both."
Dorothy held her teacup, the steaming heat making her feel very comfortable:
"Mona and that young Mr. Eisberg met at an outdoor ball three years ago in the Summer, and then slowly began writing to each other weekly.
When King heard about this, he believed a marriage between the royal family and the Duke of Eisberg was a good thing, so he tacitly approved of this communication.
They got engaged this spring, and preparations for the wedding have been ongoing since then.
I heard that at tonight's banquet at Lakeview Manor, there will be specialties from the Extreme North Ice Cap that have been stored since spring."
"Sounds great."
Xia De praised:
"This is a marriage that can be blessed by God."
"Yes."
Dorothy's eyes fell on Mia's tail, which was wagging on the floor, like a giant orange-and-white worm:
"Angelina is very envious of her sister, of course, what she envies more is... these three rings, they aren't all relics, are they?"
"Hmm? What? Oh, yes, they are all relics."
Xia De waved at the cat, and Mia immediately rushed over, gracefully jumping from the floor onto the sofa.
Xia De smiled and reached out to stroke Mia's little head, and the cat purred cooperatively with squinted eyes.
The Golden-haired girl said somewhat helplessly:
"I know you're very good to your cat, but sometimes you also need to remember that it's just an ordinary cat.
Even normal people cannot wear three relic rings at the same time, Xia De, you are too good to Mia."
Because they were attending a grand wedding at the Peace Church in the afternoon, they left at eleven to have lunch.
But as soon as they reached Silver Cross Avenue, Dorothy suddenly paused, then said to Xia De:
"Wait a moment."
With that, she closed her eyes and leaned on Xia De.
But it was only a few seconds, not even enough to make passersby curious, before Dorothy opened her eyes again.
"Meow~"
The cat on Xia De's shoulder immediately let out a cry, and "Dorothy" gave the cat an annoyed look:
"Its keenness always surprises me."
"Leia?"
Xia De was even more surprised, glancing at Yodel Palace a few hundred meters away:
"Why are you here?"
"There's just too much to do, I'm really exhausted.
Let Dorothy handle things for me for a bit; at least during lunchtime, I want to rest properly."
She now exuded a sense of languor, but soon a smile appeared on her face again.
As she walked with Xia De towards the already reserved restaurant, her steps seemed much lighter:
"It feels so good to walk freely on the streets like this, without having to think about what to do next.
Xia De, do you know what time I woke up this morning?
I've never felt the morning hours were so long.
Now thinking about Mona's wedding dress... Oh, my God, thankfully Angelina can still help me."
"But since it's already this time, and the wedding preparations are over, what else do you have to be busy with?"
Xia De asked again, feeling as if Leia had "escaped" and swapped with Dorothy.
"Lunch, Mona Cavendish's last lunch at Yodel Palace.
After this afternoon, there will be no more Mona Cavendish, only Mona Eisberg."
At this point, she turned her head slightly towards Yodel Palace, paused for a moment, then caught up with Xia De, who was looking back at her:
"We need to hurry up a bit; I don't want to miss the wedding this afternoon."
The topic of marriage is always so profound, but Xia De also wished the soon-to-be-married couple well.
On this early winter afternoon, as he walked into the restaurant with the Golden-haired girl, Xia De, like Leia just now, turned to look at Yodel Palace again.
"Perhaps in a few years, or many years later, I will also welcome Leia walking out from here."
"But it's more likely that Leia Cavendish will welcome you there."
After lunch, the two of them, with the cat, quickly returned to Saint Delan Square.
Xia De changed his clothes and styled his hair, which took no more than twenty minutes in total, while Leia took much longer.
But according to her, Dorothy's formal gown was more intricate than her bridesmaid dress.
She enjoyed tidying her clothes, and even had Xia De help check the lace on the hem of her skirt to see if it had been snagged during transport.
And because they planned to bring Mia to the wedding, Xia De prepared a blue bow for the cat.
Unfortunately, the cat, which had always been very docile, was completely uncooperative this time.
In the end, Xia De had to give up, but he still brushed Mia's fur with her dedicated comb, then sat on the sofa waiting for Leia to finish getting ready.
When Leia finally confirmed in the washroom mirror that Dorothy's golden long hair was completely smooth, she tied her hair with a blue ribbon, then took Xia De's arm and walked down the stairs in her high heels.
Many guests were invited to the grand banquet held at Lakeview Manor tonight, but only a small number were invited to the afternoon wedding, as the Peace Church's auditorium had limited seating capacity.
Xia De's invitation was extended by Queen Diana, who had a good impression of Xia De and was interested in associating with Duchess Jialinna's only "lover" to maintain the relationship between the King and Miss Jialinna.
Even if the commoner girl Dorothy was a recently famous Writer, she could not have been invited to a princess's wedding; she would appear as Xia De's female companion.
Because the "hamilton detective story collection" was written by her, people knew that the Writer and the Detective had a good relationship, so her being his companion was fitting.
The Peace Church of the Tobesk Diocese is located in the City's eastern district.
When Xia De first arrived in this world, if it hadn't been for the "Mrs. Lasoya" incident, he almost went to the Peace Church to collect relief food.
The Peace Church's exact location is on Saint Iso Street, which is the main street of the City's eastern district.
The street is about two miles (approx. 3.2 km) long and wide enough for five or six carriages to pass through simultaneously.
Black wrought-iron fences stand at both ends of the street, marking its beginning and end, and the street surface is made of small gray flagstones.
The legendary "Saint Iso" was a saint of the Peace Church who lived thousands of years ago.
It is said that The Lady, through her persuasion, facilitated the establishment of the first unified human empire of the sixth epoch on the Old Continent, bringing many years of peace, and this street was named in her honor.
The carriage quickly brought Xia De and Leia here, and as Xia De led Leia, whose hand was covered with a white long-sleeved glove, down, he suddenly realized a question:
"This afternoon, will you and Dorothy switch back?"
Leia subconsciously raised her hand to touch her ear, then shook the Red Butterfly pendant hanging from her waist towards Xia De:
"Maybe we'll switch, maybe not.
Xia De, how many times can you tell?"
"Meow~"
Xia De immediately raised his hand to stroke the cat, and Mia let out a spirited meow, facing the afternoon sun.
Tobesk's steam pipeline central heating was about to begin, and due to coal burning, the City had been very foggy in recent days.
Even in the afternoon, the streets were hazy and particularly choking.
At the foot of the imposing Peace Church's front steps, the Golden-haired girl smiled:
"How wonderful it would be if every day could be so peaceful."
"It will be, someday it will be."
Xia De said softly, ascending the steps with the followers of the Peace Church.
Although the wedding would be held in the Peace Church's auditorium, the Peace Church remained open to ordinary followers.
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