By Zephyria 
The remaining half-day was spent listening to my friends explain the wedding procedures.
When I thought of weddings from my past life, the first thing that came to mind was red silk robes.
In the Central Plains, partners were chosen according to the customs of not marrying someone of the same surname and matching social status. After a matchmaker shuttled between the two families to set a date, the bride, her face covered with red cloth, would ascend a palanquin from her family’s home and be transported to the groom’s house. It was very common for the bride and groom not to see each other’s faces until the day before the wedding.
Families of good standing would slaughter not just chickens and pigs, but also cattle, to use for the feast. The moment of sharing the wedding cup and pledging fidelity to each other, witnessed by all the elders of the family, was brief, but guests were entertained for days.
While weddings in common households were not as grand, the practice of covering the bride’s face with a mongtouhong (red veil) and sharing the wedding cup was the same. Not only family but the entire village would flock to the feast, contributing food and drink.
They said that for Sierren’s wedding, there were three essential items and two necessary people.
The essential items were three: newly bloomed flowers, pure white attire, and rings symbolizing eternity.
Flowers were used to make a floral crown and a bouquet. It was customary for the groom’s parents to meticulously cultivate and use newly bloomed flowers. These flowers carried the meaning that the bond the couple would forge would be as fragrant as the blossoms.
In truth, any flower that was newly bloomed was generally considered precious, and its rarity or commonness was not a major concern, though it was common for nobles with private greenhouses to tend to their own flowers.
The pure white attire was usually prepared by the bride’s parents. Clothes of the same white fabric were made for both the bride and groom. Such pure white garments were worn to symbolize purity and chastity.
The attire, worn all day from dawn until late at night on the wedding day, was sealed in a box the next day and not taken out for three years. This was done as a promise to remain solely faithful to each other.
The rings were chosen by the bride and groom together. They were meant to be worn consistently until the end of one life, and typically, two pairs were made together.
One pair was made with large, prominent gemstones, designed to shine brightly and brilliantly like a chandelier on the wedding day or during important events. The other pair was made in a simple design, suitable for constant wear even by those who worked with their hands, with each other’s names engraved on the inside.
The necessary people were two: a priest and an officiant.
For the vows, a priest from the First Goddess’s temple would be dispatched, one who possessed sufficient Divine Power. They would guarantee the vows in the name of the god and bestow Divinity upon the bride and groom when they drank the holy water. There was a superstition that choosing someone unknown to both parties would lead to a long marriage.
The officiant was generally chosen to be an elder who held deep meaning for the couple but was not related by blood. It was common to ask a teacher or a senior colleague, but it was also not uncommon for a close friend to serve as officiant, so I was advised to ask Ruben separately.
Hearing all this, the wedding day suddenly felt much closer, and I became nervous.
My parents said they would prepare the flowers, and the Empress Dowager would prepare the clothes. So, all I needed to worry about was following Ruben when he asked me to go pick out rings together. I felt bewildered, wondering if a wedding could really be this simple.
Marianne, who had been explaining everything, smiled brightly and teased me.
“Still, you’ll be able to go on a honeymoon, right? I thought it would be impossible.”
“Honeymoon?”
“Yes. Didn’t you say earlier that you’d need to prepare to use the portal?”
“Why is that?”
Demian answered that question.
“The act of planting the Sacred Tree will be a great feat spanning generations, so naturally, you must do it with His Majesty. You can leave right after the ceremony in July. To prepare for His Majesty’s absence, I’ll need to make various arrangements beforehand as well.”
Ah.
Right, Sierren had a custom of traveling between regions.
Just thinking about it made me feel excited. Recalling the days I spent exploring unfamiliar places with Ruben and looking after each other made me blush with anticipation and smile uncontrollably. Feeling unnecessarily embarrassed and awkward, I fiddled with my chin and then asked tentatively,
“What about Demian?”
“Yes? What did I…”
“Don’t you have anyone you want to marry?”
“Ah… I suppose I should start looking soon. I don’t know about Michael, but until very recently, His Majesty was working past midnight, pushing us to create tasks even if none existed. Thanks to that, we were living lives without end of work…”
“…What?”
“If His Majesty works until midnight, then the seniors don’t leave until His Majesty sleeps, and then the people under them are all suffering. Look at today, even though I took annual leave, I still worked the morning shift.”
“…Did Ruben order you to do that?”
“No, that’s not it. It’s just… performance reviews are based on the evaluations of those around you, so excessive loyalty is the norm. That’s how you get promoted on time.”
Ruben had told me he worked until ten, but it wasn’t quite like that.
According to Ivan, all my friends were past the age of marriage, yet not one of them seemed eager. I felt a pang of disappointment, wishing they would be happy for me finding a good partner and perhaps offer congratulations and gifts.
“Aren’t you going to ask me?”
“…Marianne.”
“What? You don’t seem curious at all. I won’t tell you.”
“What do you mean? Do you know what precious gift I’ve prepared for Marianne?”
“Lies. Even if you did, Michael wouldn’t have chosen it himself, would he?”
That was true.
I hesitated, unable to bring myself to say Benjamin’s name.
Marianne gave a sly smile and clasped her hands together, fidgeting them in front of her body. I watched her curiously, wondering what she was about to say with such playful antics.
“For now, I’ve decided not to get married and just enjoy dating.”
“…What?”
“When I think about it, there’s nothing I’ve done wrong. Even if I’m this busy and preoccupied, what can I do if someone says they can’t live without my love? Receiving flower bouquets sometimes, dressing up in pretty clothes and strolling down the street… I think I’ll be happy enough with that.”
“Um, is the other person…”
“Who knows? Well, if they don’t like it, they’ll leave. It would be a bit sad, but I think it’ll be okay. Everyone has to find their own happiness, after all.”
She was asked about the other person…
I knew without needing to be told. Demian, who seemed to already know, was calm, showing no surprise. He looked at me as I pondered, then shrugged his shoulders with a friendly smile.
“Somehow, none of us from the same cohort are having ordinary love marriages. I guess that’s why they say ‘clear water at the source makes clear water downstream’.”
“Who is the water at the source, and who is the water downstream?”
“Naturally, the water at the source is our esteemed Emperor, and the water downstream is ordinary imperial citizens like myself. Watching such difficult and desperate love, as if the two of them are the only ones in the world, makes it hard… ordinary encounters don’t feel like love anymore.”
“…Hmm.”
“Since the legalization of same-sex marriage, there are factions proposing a system where individuals are recognized as a family even without sharing a bed, so I’m not afraid of being alone late in life. If fate allows, we’ll meet somehow.”
As he spoke, Demian recounted stories about how the proposals and introductions he had heard from my friends had fizzled out. He mentioned how Shayden, as the heir of a certain family, was expected to marry early, but his frequent fieldwork left him no time for romance; how Benjamin had rejected all seven arranged marriages and introductions without even meeting the candidates, causing the Claudian Marquisate to give up entirely; and how Jenny had rejected three confessions from people in the same department, leading to no one daring to approach her anymore. All these stories were fascinating.
❖ ❖ ❖
How far had the rumors of my blood relatives’ visit spread?
In the evening, as if the previous quiet had been a lie, countless invitations arrived. The tables were so full there was no room even for a teacup.
The envelopes piled high on the tray brought by the attendant were very unfamiliar to me, but Ruben seemed accustomed to them. He touched the invitations, reconfirming the names that the attendants had already sorted, and showed them to me.
Invitations from people I didn’t know were placed on the left tray, while those from people who wanted to see me now that I had returned alive were on the right tray. Occasionally, Ruben moved a few from the left tray to the right.
However, just by looking at the names, I could barely tell who they were. I would only know them if I saw their faces. I was truly impressed by how Ruben could so precisely distinguish between those I knew and those I didn’t.
“There’s no need to meet too many people this month, Mika. If there are people you absolutely want to see, shall we host a tea party and invite them all at once?”
“Hmm… Well, my friends would come just by being called, without any parties or anything.”
“Is it okay not to meet your seniors and juniors?”
“Let me see. There weren’t many seniors or juniors from my Academy days who left a lasting impression… Ah.”
I found Walter Orgen’s name among the invitations and opened the outer envelope.
“Is this senior still in the capital?”
“Ah, yes. Orgen senior is currently working as a temporary instructor at the Academy in the capital.”
“…What? An instructor?”
“Archery and flower arrangement.”
“…What?”
I couldn’t close my mouth, so astonished that someone who had become a Sword Master was teaching flower arrangement. However, Ruben, acting as if it were nothing surprising, leaned his cheek on my shoulder and looked at the invitation with me. Below the elegantly written phrase, “I will make time at your convenience,” was a magnificent signature.
“For a long time, the Mana concentration in the capital has been stable. Then, due to a sudden fluctuation in Mana concentration, several non-Mana users also bloomed and became able to use Mana. As a result, the other effects of aura and Mana are being proven.”
“…Yes… Such as?”
“For example, flowers whose branches are cut using aura last longer. It requires further research, but it’s probably similar to how a wound made by a sharper blade doesn’t fester. There’s no one more suitable than Walter Orgen senior to teach the delicate hand movements required for aspiring Sword Masters.”
“…Hmm.”
“Shall we go see him?”
I was curious about his inner chambers, which he might have decorated with flowers.
“Then, I’ll meet this senior.”
“I knew you would. While we’re going… let’s give him the wedding invitation too.”
Ah.
Was this what this meeting was for?