Chapter 47 The Wedding: Moonrise and sunset, the warm tent like a white night. ...

What is the world's most extravagant wedding like? Eleanor knew it in her past life.

The capital was filled with jubilation, guests arriving from all directions. Everyone was dressed to the nines, fully immersed in the day.

Luxury BMWs carried young and beautiful teenagers through the city, where they laughed and reveled amidst the money and flowers tossed around by wealthy merchants.

The servants of God stood quietly on the high platform to watch the ceremony, and every priest longed to go downstairs and personally offer their blessings to the newlyweds.

Everyone was laughing: priests, peasants, nobles, scholars, slaves, merchants, citizens, soldiers...

In her eyes there was only one person, just as in her lover's eyes there was only her.

This was a belated wedding, yet neither of them was late to the other's life.

They shared the best years of their lives and on that day truly believed that they would walk hand in hand happily forever.

......

Kara, karakara.

The bells adorning the roof of the carriage jingled, and the hairpins in the princess's hair made a pleasant clinking sound.

Eleanor sat expressionlessly in an ornately decorated carriage, pulled by four sleek white horses. The coachman was a high-ranking nobleman from Hetua, said to be a relative of Andra.

Following the float were dozens of horse-drawn carriages, forming a long procession laden with gold and silver jewels to present to King Andra.

It contained donations from nobles, as well as "the princess's dowry" that Ophelia took from the national treasury according to custom.

The people from the Marigold Merchant Guild originally wanted to come and contribute, but Eleanor scolded them all away.

She simply brought the ransom and her body to exchange for her sister. She didn't need the blessings of relatives and friends, nor did she need any gifts, and she certainly didn't need the freed slaves to come back and join her to make up the numbers.

The wheels rolled forward.

She heard a chorus of cries as the float passed the bridge pier.

Many citizens of the capital walked from the city center to the outskirts, rushing to the road the princess was sure to take and weeping loudly.

If the rules for relations between two equal countries are followed, the preparations for a marriage alliance would take a considerable amount of time.

Putting everything else aside, there are several different ways to welcome the bride, and the matchmakers from both sides might spend half a year running back and forth on the road.

They didn't know any of those high-sounding diplomatic phrases; all they knew was that Norlana had been defeated, and the princess and those cities would be used to exchange for prisoners, never to return.

Princess Eleanor wasn't just some random "princess" bestowed upon her; her status was exceptionally noble, and her reputation for wisdom was known to all. How could such a princess be treated like merchandise and sold off?

Her dowry was so meager that the officials in the palace couldn't even afford to provide the princess with a few hundred slaves.

Hearing the cries and undisguised chatter of the people, even Hertuya's coachman looked embarrassed and lowered his head in embarrassment.

Eleanor, however, remained calm on the float. As the float swayed, she thought of Andra and another wedding from her past life.

Andra only approved of the wedding that took place after his coronation.

However, in Eleanor's eyes, that grand ceremony was not the only wedding Andra held for her.

Their first wedding had no witnesses and no substantial wealth. Forget a banquet, the two young people even forgot to bring a late-night snack.

The wedding was held amidst a field of wildflowers in full bloom.

In her previous life, Eleanor used the pocket money her mother gave her to buy a small hill in the suburbs.

She started by planting flowers, trees, and fruit trees, hoping to cultivate fruits as sweet as those in later generations.

However, later on, she and Andra would spend a lot of time laughing, playing, and chasing each other in the mountains, whiling away their beautiful and long youth together.

They played a little late that day, and the sun gradually set, adorning the clouds with layers of skirt-like edges.

Eleanor placed the woven flower wreath around Andra's neck, and Andra picked up a leaf, put it to her lips, and blew a broken love song for her.

They embraced and kissed in the silent garden... As night deepened, the evening primroses scattered and shattered.

"Andra, will you always stay by my side from now on?" The hazy moonlight veiled the girl's fair skin. She embraced her lover's shoulder, asking for a promise in the heat of the moment.

"Of course...of course!" The lovers, in their daze, wished they could tear each other's hearts apart. The boy with long, golden-red hair returned a passionate kiss, placing the last withered flower from the wreath on his lover's finger.

She vowed, "We will never be apart, for all eternity—"

As the dew evaporated into white mist, Andra would lift the sleeping girl in his arms under the moonlight and carry her to the hot spring to wash away the floral scents that had settled on her.

...That was truly a simple wedding.

A tear rolled down Eleanor's cheek just as someone suddenly lifted the carriage curtain.

Ophelia appeared behind the curtain expressionlessly, holding the car door open with one hand, and said coldly to her, "Good sister... I've come to see you off. They've arrived and are about to inspect the goods."

Eleanor was speechless. She knew Ophelia hated her, and rightly so.

She was about to get up when Ophelia pushed her back into her seat.

With a gloomy expression, Sister Wang pulled a handkerchief from her bosom and wiped her eyes. "Don't let them see this, or it'll bring bad luck."

Snap!

Eleanor instinctively slapped her hand away, and the handkerchief fell to the ground and was stepped on.

Ophelia narrowed her eyes slightly and whispered in her ear, "You'd better be more careful. You'll have plenty of time to throw tantrums later. With Hetuya's personality... she won't get anything without having more children."

After saying that, he deliberately adjusted Eleanor's earrings. Oh, her newly pierced ears weren't cooperating and were bleeding a little.

This statement is full of malice.

Eleanor fully understood the curse hidden in her "reminder": she wished to die on the delivery bed and have nothing else.

She and Andra were about the same age, and it would be difficult for them to maintain their relationship until the end. Most likely, after giving birth to the first few princesses, their efforts would come to nothing.

Is this Ophelia's secret to self-comfort? Imagining that others will have a more tragic future than hers.

Such an idea is ridiculous.

If she wanted, even without her childhood friendship with Andra, she was absolutely certain she could become Andra's closest friend and confidante.

Are you willing? I am not.

She seemed to hear that voice from her past life again, so much so that she asked and answered it in her mind.

The sound vanished in an instant.

Eleanor gave Ophelia a deep look, without saying anything her sister wanted her to say.

There was no apology, no rebuttal, no anger.

She knew that revealing just a few truths would enrage Ophelia to the point of contortion, but what good would that do?

She chose to get up and leave.

Eleanor, like a puppet that had learned to walk on its own, walked toward the Hetuan cavalry not far away, heading toward a patch of gold and red.

......

His Highness strictly forbade Manzhu and Jingji from accompanying her to Hetuya, and also refused to allow other guards to join the wedding procession.

After all, they were the defeated side, and even the atmosphere was shrouded in fear.

The unfamiliar guards and craftsmen dared not follow her, and only dared to stand by the carriage and watch from afar as the princess, dressed in her formal attire, walked alone toward King Hetuya.

The princess seemed to be slightly sickly and swayed instinctively when she walked.

Her silhouette resembled that of a warrior charging into battle despite having lost an arm, or a prisoner staggering toward her fate.

......

Some people, simply by standing there, exude an air of opulence and prosperity even in the most desolate surroundings. Even standing before an army, her smile eliminates any danger.

Andra saw Eleanor in the same way.

Her little princess walked in the morning light, her drooping shoulders looking delicate and fragile.

She knew she was not fragile—she wouldn't let slaves near, wouldn't let her guards follow her, wouldn't bring more dowry, and even refused to be helped when walking.

She came toward her, but only she came toward her, and that was enough.

Andra instinctively reached out on his horse, intending to carry the slowly approaching princess onto the horse.

But when Eleanor's figure came closer and her face became clear and vivid, she couldn't wait to dismount and run towards her.

Weddings should be celebrated with elaborate attire, but the newlyweds' "dresses" were laughable to outsiders.

Andra obediently wore a cloak layered with jewels, embroidered with patterns and designs for the celebration in gold thread, in accordance with Hetuya tradition.

Beneath the cloak was armor for combat, a beautiful ceremonial knife hung from his belt, and a longsword for battle was tucked behind his back.

The king's horse was naturally exceptionally handsome, but the wedding procession was a bit too large, consisting entirely of a cavalry legion.

Eleanor's attire was similar to theirs.

Her long, jet-black hair was meticulously secured with gold and silver hairpins, yet the shadows around her eyes were left untouched by any makeup. Her pretty face was bare, save for a touch of crimson on her lips.

The princess wore a white and gold dress according to Norlana tradition, but the dress was truly just draped over her body, revealing a long, moon-white skirt underneath that shone brightly in the sunlight.

Even more peculiarly, she seemed to be wearing a ceremonial dagger at her waist, in accordance with Hetuya tradition.

But the dagger wasn't sheathed in a jewel-encrusted scabbard; instead, it hung openly at the princess's waist, its cold light gleaming as she moved.

How absurd, perfunctory, and inappropriate the newlyweds' attire is.

But when they get closer to each other, all the onlookers will have the illusion that "the protagonists in the picture are perfect, and we are the ones who are out of place".

Eleanor looked up and saw the amazement in Andra's eyes.

Really... Even like this, you still like me?

A bitter feeling welled up inside her, because her heart was pounding faster as Andra drew nearer.

Andra walked towards her in the sunlight, a scene that evoked countless memories for Eleanor, making her want to lean on him and offer a hug.

Snap, one step.

Snap, two steps...

Eleanor stopped and froze in place when the image of Myrcella's face appeared in her mind.

Andra stepped forward, rubbed her waist, and gently lifted her up.

"You're so gentle."

For Andra, a person's weight being several times heavier is nothing.

The princess in her arms was like a pile of fluffy feathers, and the touch of her embrace was like a cat's tail, gently wrapping around her and enveloping her heart.

As everyone gazed into the distance from the edge of the long bridge, Ophelia stood amidst the many people seeing her off and opened her mouth.

What was she trying to say? Who knows? No one heard her voice; they seemed to simply watch in silence as Hetuya's entourage slowly departed.

......

The moon rises and sets, and the warm tent feels like a white night.

"Eleanor, do you think this place is too shabby?"

Her golden-red hair burned on her body, igniting a spreading flame.

Is it rudimentary? Eleanor looked at the tent's dome, her thoughts drifting.

It's alright... at least it has a roof. The garden in my previous life didn't have one.

She wrapped her arms around Andra's waist and whispered in her ear, "Have they all been released?"

Andra's muscles tensed, and a helpless smile immediately appeared on her striking face. "You, can't you just......"

She shook her head, sighed under Eleanor's unwavering, emotionless eyes, and said, "Most of them have been released, but some important ones will have to wait until we return to Hertuya."

After receiving a definite answer, Eleanor nodded.

She let go of her hands and lay back on the pillow, opening her arms without moving.

Seeing her cooperating yet uncooperative attitude, Andra chuckled, "Okay, okay... my bad."

The strong king pounced on the pillow as if surrendering, his lips brushing lightly against Eleanor's earlobe.

"Don't worry, after you give birth to your first child, I will definitely hold a grand wedding for you in Hetuya."