The next morning, Charles and Celia set up their wedding headquarters and prepared for the ceremony on the plains by the side of the road that stretched south to the outskirts of the capital city. The plan was to depart for the capital at noon from there; they would proceed into the capital city and head for the Great Temple near the castle that worshiped the Six Wise Gods, then hold the ceremony at the outdoor altar there.
At present, thousands of people from the bands and guard squads participating in the parade were gathered, along with friends and family visiting to give the new bride and groom words of blessings.
For example, in the groom’s pavilion, a knight was leading a man wearing a pitch black outfit into the room. “Sir Charles, I have brought Mr. Reiss.”
“Oh, Mr. Reiss. You managed to attend.” Dressed in his extravagant groom’s outfit, Charles welcomed Reiss with a wide smile.
“We are good friends, after all. I am more than happy to be in attendance; I’d like to extend my sincerest congratulations to your wedding on this occasion, Sir Charles,” Reiss said with an empty and fake smile.
“Ah, thank you. When did you arrive in our capital?”
“I only arrived today, mere moments ago.”
“I see. If you had arrived earlier, I would have given you a proper welcome, but...”
“No, no, don’t mind me. Though we may be officially at peace with each other, I am still an ambassador of the Proxia empire. If I acted too friendly with you, there would be those who would find that most disagreeable. I’m essentially sneaking around this time, so please allow me to participate on the down low, if you will.”
Charles frowned apologetically. “I am most grateful for your consideration. However, since you have made the journey here to the capital, it is only right for me to treat you as a proper, noble guest. Allow me to prepare a visitor room at the royal castle during your stay. There is no need to pay any concern to the eyes of a small minority. Please, come visit my home once the ceremony is over.”
“Heheh, tonight will be your first night as a married couple, after all. How about I visit your estate in a few days? I’d like to personally give my own wedding present.”
“Hahaha, understood. Then I will gratefully enjoy myself tonight.”
“Yes, please do... Hm?” Reiss nodded with a smile pasted on his face, when he suddenly sensed something and moved his head slightly.
It was only for an instant, but I felt the presence of a materialized spirit just now. Is it within the capital? With this many people packed into one area, pinpointing it will be difficult. So as long as I don’t approach carelessly, my presence shouldn’t be detectable...
Reiss narrowed his eyes; his gaze was directed toward the center of the capital.
“Is something the matter, Mr. Reiss?” Charles asked curiously.
“No, it’s nothing. I don’t want to get in the way of your other visitors, so I shall head over to the Great Temple first.” Reiss smiled.
“Then allow me to assign you a number of guides. If you need anything, speak to them.” Charles said, directing a knight with a glance to do so.
“I am much obliged. Let us meet again later.” Reiss bowed once at the end and left with the escorting knight.
Looks like it’ll be difficult to search around alone. Guess I should lie low for now, he thought to himself.
“Now, it’s about time I went to visit Celia myself. You — call my wives here. We’ll head to Celia together,” Charles ordered a nearby butler.
“Yes, sir. Understood.” The butler nodded reverently at Charles after receiving the order and left the tent with light steps. Charles huffed through his nose triumphantly.
“The day has finally arrived. I cannot wait for the night to come,” he murmured, grinning to himself.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, Celia was wearing her flattering princess line wedding dress as she waited idly on standby in a tent separate from Charles.
“Are you there, Celia?” Charles’ cloyingly sweet voice sounded. There were knights posted on guard in front of the tent, so he was probably asking despite knowing she was there.
Celia gave a small sigh before smoothing over the smile on her face and responding. “Yes, I am.”
Charles then immediately entered the tent. Following him were six women in dresses and six knights in extravagant ceremonious knight garb.
“...O-Ooh, how marvelous! This is wonderful, Celia! You’re truly a beauty!” Charles praised Celia delightfully when he spotted her in her wedding dress. The women and knights behind him couldn’t help but widen their eyes at her pure beauty.
The fabric of the upper body of the dress fit her perfectly and contrasted with the softly spread skirt, making Celia’s already thin waist seem even more beautiful in silhouette. Furthermore, the combination of Celia’s silver-white hair and pure white dress was truly elegant and divine, almost like the image of a winter fairy.
“Thank you very much, Sir Charles.” Celia bowed gracefully.
“...It’s wonderful, truly wonderful,” Charles said, nodding several times before reaching his hand out to touch Celia’s cheek.
Celia desperately stamped down the urge to flinch; she flinched once and turned her face away in embarrassment.
“Are you nervous? Don’t worry. I’ll be there.”
“...Okay.” Celia nodded with her head down. Her voice was trembling faintly.
“Hahaha, you must be rather nervous. I brought my wives along to help you relax, but... First, allow me to introduce the elite guards who will be escorting us in the parade.” Charles spoke cheerfully, removing his hand from Celia’s cheek and looking at the knights standing behind him. The knights had been captivated by the sight of Celia in her wedding dress, but when Charles’ attention turned to them, they promptly corrected their posture.
“They’re the gentlemen who guarded me during my stay at the guest house... right? I’ve seen their faces a few times before.” They were all older than Celia, but only in their late twenties or so.
Charles turned to address them with a huff of laughter. “Ah, you remember their faces? Consider yourselves lucky, men.”
“It’s an honor,” they replied happily.
“These men are the elite of the elite from the newly formed order that I serve as the commander of. They were formerly members of the Royal Guard, but were handpicked by yours truly. They’re true knights, both in terms of family lineage and ability,” Charles bragged smugly.
“So, they’re the very best — that is indeed reassuring. Everyone, I thank you all for your work today,” Celia said, turning a gentle smile toward the knights.
The man acting as the leader of the knights placed a hand against his chest and responded proudly. “Yes, ma’am! We will ensure of Lady Celia’s safety, so please rest assured.”
The other men also nodded furiously with somewhat dopey looks.
“Hey, hey. I hope your protection includes me.”
“Of course it does. However, a knight of Sir Charles’ caliber would never make a blunder even if the unexpected happened, no? If anything, we’d be holding you back.”
“Hahaha, well said. You’ve got a good tongue there.” Charles laughed heartily.
“Shouldn’t you be heading back soon, dear?” A woman standing back addressed Charles.
“Hm, so I should. Celia, I have brought Tenasina and the others along. Use this opportunity to get to know them well, as I must attend to the parade directions now.”
“I understand.” Celia nodded respectfully.
“Good, then I shall leave now. Tenasina, I leave the rest to you. Take care of Celia.” Leaving those words behind, Charles left the tent with the other knights.
“Yes, do take care, dear. I shall make sure to have a proper chat with her.” The woman named Tenasina and the other women all bowed their heads quietly as they saw Charles off. Thus, the only ones remaining in the tent were the group of women, connected to one another by way of Charles Arbor.
When Celia met Tenasina’s eyes, a strange chill ran down her back, but she decided to invite the ladies to sit down first. “Umm, Lady Tenasina... And everyone else, too. Please, have a seat. Could you get enough tea and snacks for everyone?”
Celia turned to the attendant next to her and asked her to prepare some tea.
“Well, I suppose. I don’t intend on staying long, but I might as well sit down.” Tenasina took a seat with a blunt tone to her voice. The other women silently followed her, taking their seats in what was probably a predetermined order. Once she confirmed that everyone was seated, Celia moved to take a seat herself.
“You, remain standing there,” Tenasina ordered. “And you, attendant: after you’ve prepared the tea, go tell the guards not to let anyone inside for a while. Then wait outside yourself.”
“...Huh?” Celia and the attendant girl were both taken aback.
“Hurry it up,” Tenasina ordered with a voice faintly laced with irritation, making the attendant girl hurry out about her preparations.
“Y-Yes ma’am.”
Based on the mood in the air, Celia chose not to sit down, but remain standing instead.
“I believe we have met a number of times already, but I am the first wife, Tenasina. This will be our first time seeing each other as a group of seven, I suppose,” Tenasina began speaking, strongly emphasizing her position as first wife. The other women all shrunk back silently as they sat.
“I believe there were some girls here that were Celia’s classmates and students...” Tenasina said, looking at two girls who appeared to be aged similarly to Celia. The women present were all wives of Charles, but their ages were rather scattered.
In comparison to Charles being in his mid-thirties, Tenasina was exactly thirty-years-old. After that, the ages of the wives slowly got younger as they grew in number, and the girls who were Celia’s classmate and student were the fifth and sixth wife, respectively.
“She graduated by skipping years, so we only spent a short amount of time as classmates...”
“I-I’ve taken your classes before, Professor.”
The two girls answered timidly.
“Is that so?” Tenasina nodded shortly. At that point, the attendant returned to place the tea and candies on the table, before promptly leaving the tent. Once Tenasina confirmed that, she looked at Celia.
“Well, I’m sure you were in a higher position during your time at the academy, and your family lineage may be better than these girls too, but once you are wed to Charles, you will be the lowest rank among us as his seventh wife. Normally, it would be impossible for the eldest daughter of a count to be the seventh wife, preventing such a problem from occurring, but it seems you’re particularly special... So I shall make everything clear here and now,” she said bluntly.
“...Of course. I understand,” Celia nodded obediently.
“An admirable attitude. You are special, but that doesn’t mean you can disrupt the traditional hierarchy of the family. It would be a problem if you misunderstood this. We will obey Charles’ decision to wed you, as it seems Charles has taken a particular liking to you, so you may be favored at first. However, we will not tolerate any insolent behavior. Make sure you do not even consider making a fuss about anything,” Tenasina said harshly. The girl just beside her was also nodding along.
In other words, the higher ranked wives, including Tenasina, feared an issue over the subject of inheritance. Going in order, the second and third wives would have been blessed by a share, but with Celia and her high place in society potentially overturning that appearing, they were probably rather panicked on the inside. It wasn’t as relevant to the lower ranked wives, but having Celia ranked below them gave more of a sense of superiority and prevented her from colluding with others.
It wasn’t the kind of treatment a woman raised as the daughter of a high-ranked noble should be able to accept, both in terms of logic and pride.
“I understand, Lady Tenasina. And everyone else, too... I am inexperienced, so I would greatly appreciate it if you allowed me to join your ranks at the lowest position,” Celia replied humbly, bowing her head at everyone present. If she had to live at this house for the rest of her life, then she wanted it to be as peaceful a living situation as possible.
However, Celia’s reaction must have been unexpected to the existing wives, as Tenasina and the others all turned a doubtful eye toward her, most likely not believing that her words were sincere.
...I’ll probably be picked on for a while.
Imagining her life from here on out filled Celia with despair. She was used to being alone, so she could endure a certain extent of ostracism from the family, but she had no one she could vent her feelings to, so her endurance would indeed have a breaking point in this situation.
On top of that, she had to offer herself to a person she didn’t even like — whenever he wanted. If that life was to continue for her forever, who knew if she could really endure it...
Would it not crush her heart?
Would she eventually grow dependent on Charles?
Would it possibly change the person she has been until now without her realizing it?
With no salvation in sight, Celia couldn’t help but feel incredibly scared.
Tenasina huffed through her nose unhappily. “Hmph, that’s a terrible expression. I won’t allow you to participate in the ceremony looking like that. You are still a bride of the Duke Arbor family, after all. Smile wider,” she said roughly.
“Yes, ma’am.” Celia forced a smile on her face. For some reason, she had trouble remembering how to smile, but she tried anyway.
“L-Lady Celia, First Princess Christina has arrived. What shall you do?” The panicked attendant girl came inside and spoke in a fluster.
“Excuse you! What is the meaning of this insolence? Who said you were allowed to come in?” Tenasina raged at the girl. She must have been very flustered, as her expression showed realization of her mistake.
However, Celia paid no mind to that. “Princess Christina... Please allow her inside immediately.”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!” The woman left the tent in a hurry.
“Who allowed you to...” Tenasina furrowed her brow at Celia’s actions.
“...I’m sorry. But if we were to keep the royal princess waiting while we were talking among ourselves, wouldn’t that be an embarrassment on the Duke Arbor family name?” Celia offered her logical reasoning.
“Tch...” Tenasina tried to say something in an expression of her indignation, but sensing Christina’s presence near the tent, she put on a smile instead. Then, Christina appeared, having been guided by the attendant girl who had been waiting outside.
“Thank you for coming today, Princess Christina. I wasn’t expecting the princess herself to pay a visit, so forgive me if my reception is a little hasty...”
Celia left Tenasina and the others alone for now and handled Christina instead. She was aware she had basically secured Tenasina’s animosity, but now wasn’t the time to be concerned by that.
“No, don’t mind me. I chose to visit without any warning, after all. I came to give you a word of congratulations on behalf of my mother and father. Would you happen to have a minute?” Christina asked Celia as she looked at the group of women inside the room.
“Of course...”
“Please have a seat over here, Princess Christina. Go on, don’t just idle around, you lot move to the corner of the room instead. Celia, you sit there.” Tenasina drowned out Celia’s voice with her own, taking lead of the situation. After moving the other women, who had been frozen in awe, she ordered Celia to sit down and shrewdly took her own place next to Celia.
“...Thank you. Excuse me.” Christina looked at Tenasina with a somewhat cold gaze and sat down.
“No, I am honored to be able to meet you at a place like this,” Tenasina said in a flattering way, putting on a decent smile.
“There isn’t much time, and I’d like to talk to my former professor
alone. Could I have you ladies step out of the room?” Christina said, heavily hinting at how she didn’t have time to deal with Tenasina and the others.
“...I understand. I’m sure you have much to discuss, so we will take our leave. Please, enjoy yourself,” Tenasina agreed with an uncomfortable smile pasted on her face, then left the room with the other women in tow.
“You may leave, too. Stand guard outside and make sure no one else comes in,” Christina said to the attendant girl, who stood unsure of how to proceed with her duty.
“Y-Yes, Your Highness!” The woman left in a hurry.
“How ridiculous,” Christina sighed and muttered under her breath. “Professor, it’s been a while... Now we can take our time talking leisurely. Won’t you have a seat as well?” She offered Celia a seat with a gentler tone than before.
“Thank you very much. Please excuse me, then. There’s some freshly poured tea ready here, so please help yourself.” Celia thanked her and poured the tea, which was left sitting for just the right amount of time, into an unused cup. She offered it to Christina, before sitting down herself.
“Thank you. The wedding dress suits you very well, by the way. You’re beautiful, Professor Celia... The women earlier cannot compare to you,” Christina praised, smiling faintly.
“N-No, that’s not true. I am aware that I may be lacking in feminine charms, since I don’t seem like a mature adult.” Celia shook her head, dismissing the thought as absurd.
“I don’t think that’s true. I believe any man that chooses those earlier women over the current you is simply blind, Professor,” Christina said with a huff of laughter, making Celia smile happily.
“Ahaha, thank you. I’ll accept that compliment gratefully.”
“...Your face is looking a little less pale than when I first came in. Did those ladies say something unpleasant to you?” Christina asked while observing Celia’s expression.
Celia mustered a smile on her face, not about to complain. “No, nothing of the sort... I was just too nervous to sleep properly last night. But having you here has made feel better rather quickly. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, after all.”
The Silver Bride Page 13