Chapter 153 "Alright, I'll keep watch on my wedding night..."
The coldest season of deep winter is also the most festive season in the North, signifying the year-end harvest celebrations and the arrival of the new year, equivalent to our "New Year".
My formal wedding with Mamboy was also held at this celebration. The celebration, once declared open, would last for a full month, with balls every few days. On nights without balls, groups of nobles would gather to drink, boast, or gossip; ladies and young women might even sit around the fireplace all night chatting. It's said that the North is different from other lands; it has almost no holidays or rest throughout the year, only a month of unrestrained revelry at the end of the year. Naturally, the most babies are conceived at the end of the year.
The night before the wedding, I didn't sleep a wink. I had to try on all sorts of dresses, including the dress for the altar, the dress for the banquet, the dress for the small reception, and the dress for meeting the elders of the Mamboa family. They were all different, and the makeup was different too. I had to keep trying on different makeup and jewelry to adapt to the different looks and outfits.
Before I could properly dress and groom myself, I had to take a perfumed bath in a hot spring pool filled with rose petals and perfume. My hair also had to be washed with the finest essential oils to ensure it would be shiny and lustrous. When I put on a white yukata and stood in front of the mirror with my long, freshly washed hair, I could hardly believe my eyes.
Her long, jet-black hair was so beautiful, shiny, and lustrous that it was breathtaking in the firelight.
I suddenly understood why Mamboa and Bernot's hair was always so beautiful. Their long, silvery-blue and silver hair was so lustrous, the kind that shimmered at any moment—it turned out they used the finest shampoo. In this other world, it must have been the additive-free kind, possessing a mysterious magic that made their hair stunningly beautiful.
Of course, their hair quality should also be good.
Two maids surrounded me, combing my hair into a courtly updo, and said with smiles, "This must be your first time using this kind of essential oil shampoo, right? It works really well."
"Yes, you can only get such a good flash effect the first time you use it."
"Does Prince Namanboa also use this?" I couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, but when the prince uses it, the process is a bit more complicated, and he usually washes it several times." The maid skillfully styled my hair and said enthusiastically, "This essential oil only achieves the best effect the first time it is used, and then it needs to be used several times to achieve such a good effect."
"Washing my hair is such a hassle." I stared intently at my black hair in the mirror; it really was beautiful.
“No trouble at all,” the maid said with a smile. “The prince can lie in the hot spring and have someone wash his hair for him. He can also close his eyes and take a nap.”
“That’s right, the prince works very hard, often working through the night and having no time to sleep,” another maid chimed in. “He can only sleep at night occasionally; usually he just takes a nap or sleeps for a while while taking a bath.”
"Really?" I was taken aback. "He must be really busy. How do you know all this so clearly?"
"Everyone in the palace knows."
It turns out he wasn't a spoiled brat at all, even though he looked like one.
Two hours later, I was escorted by a group of maids to the magnificent Stone Hall, where all the chandeliers were lit up, making it as bright as day.
The moment I appeared, the nobles bowed to bless me, as was their wedding tradition.
Manberia, dressed in a magnificent deep blue groom's suit, greeted me with a smile, took my hand, and led me to the altar that had been temporarily set up in the middle of the hall.
"You look so beautiful today, I almost didn't recognize you," he whispered to me.
“It’s your clothes and jewelry that are beautiful,” I said.
The light blue wedding dress was absolutely stunning. Over a thousand pearls adorned the hem, the delicate rubies on the cuffs sparkled, and the roses on the bodice were embroidered with lifelike detail. Adorned with a dazzling three-tiered diamond necklace, the roses looked like magical roses that seemed to glow.
“Your hair is beautiful too,” he exclaimed in an exaggerated tone, “I’ve never seen such beautiful black hair!”
He added, "And it's so dazzling and shiny."
I replied, "Thank you for your premium shampoo."
“I like it when you use our shampoo,” he chuckled.
The old priest, who was officiating at the wedding, slowly walked to the altar, and we remained silent. It was a familiar scene; the old priest offered his blessings. This was my second wedding, and I found the procedures largely the same. First, the old priest recited blessings, then several high-ranking nobles offered their blessings, and then we descended the altar to receive theirs.
After the grand ceremony, the smaller ones begin, which differ from those in the Westerlands. In the Westerlands, only priests and nobles offer blessings, while the Northerlands are more complex.
After changing into my formal attire, I sat in the head seat with Mamboy to watch a group of girls sing and dance. The other members of the entourage would watch the performance with us and eat the wedding banquet.
After more than an hour, I could go back to my room to rest for a while. Half an hour later, the small banquets began. These small banquets were scattered throughout the various halls of the palace, somewhat like a hotel with multiple private rooms. I had to follow Manberia to each of the "private rooms" to serve the wine. The maids behind us had trays full of wine glasses; I only needed to pick up one glass and hand it to the eldest maid, and that was it.
After going around to each of the private rooms, I can rest a little longer, about an hour and a half, where I can eat something and take a nap.
As evening approached, I would change into the formal attire I wore when visiting elders, and walk behind Manberia to meet the family elders who were already waiting in the council hall.
They were all quite old and sat on makeshift cushions. I had to toast and bow to each of them, while also receiving their blessings.
This process was relatively short because there weren't many elders. After the toasts, the main part of our wedding was finally complete, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Are you tired?!" Mamboya asked me, leaning close to my ear.
I moved a little further away from him and yawned.
"You'll be even more tired on your wedding night," he said with a sly smile.
"You can't..." Suddenly remembering something, I immediately added, "Our wedding night won't be like what I've seen before, will it?"
A long time ago, I saw him having a wedding with someone else—he was sleeping naked in bed, and people were throwing fruit peels and scraps of paper at him.
“That’s right,” he actually nodded seriously, “that’s how weddings are.”
"I don't have a marriage certificate," I tried to argue.
“But she’s still my official wife, so it’s a formal wedding.” He moved closer to me and whispered in my ear, “Don’t be nervous, I’ll protect you. Whatever anyone throws at you, I’ll protect you.”
"How are you going to help?" I yelled, pushing him away again. "Get up naked and try to block it?"
"Yes." He nodded again.
"..."
After the evening banquet, the nobles suddenly cheered and pushed and shoved Manberia and me into a magnificent gold and blue room.
The gauze curtains in front of the bed fell down, and the maids who had been waiting helped me remove my wedding dress. While Manboya was turning around to undress with the help of the servants, I slipped under the covers and secretly took off the rest of my clothes. This was against the rules; on a nobleman's wedding night, the clothes must be undressed by a maid.
But Manberia just smiled and didn't say anything more.
I watched him crawl naked and shamelessly under the covers, intending to press himself against me. I sensitively kept my distance and covered my chest with the covers.
The veil was drawn back, and the nobles, laughing hysterically, hurled countless small pomegranates at us. I was hit by several at once, wincing in pain. Just as I was about to be struck by another, Manberia suddenly stood up, disregarding his exposed lower body, and shielded me with his body. The nobles roared with laughter again, throwing pomegranates even more enthusiastically. The ladies and young women screamed and cheered, throwing even more frequently. What a treat! For them, Manberia's was quite a treat. They laughed merrily, relentlessly throwing pomegranates at his genitals, forcing him to raise his hands to block, lest he be hit too many times.
I couldn't help but laugh; he was so pathetic and hilarious.
After about ten minutes of tossing, someone rang a silver bell, signaling that time was up. The nobles then put down their pomegranates, laughing and regretfully leaving the room.
The candlesticks were taken out, the lamplight gradually dimmed, and the room became quiet.
I was about to reach for my outer robe when he quickly stopped me.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"What are you doing?" he asked back.
"Let's just pretend to be a married couple," I said.
“No.” He refused outright.
"A good man is one who forces a woman to do something."
"I was never a good man to begin with."
"If a woman is unwilling, the bed is like a slaughterhouse."
“I like slaughterhouses, where the animals scream loudly, and I want you to scream loudly too.”
“I believe you have the ability, but I really don’t want to,” I said sincerely.
"Why?" he asked, feeling extremely aggrieved. "I proved to you that I'm not sick."
"These things require mutual consent."
He didn't say anything more, but got out of bed wrapped in the sheet, as if afraid that I would see him naked. He wrapped himself up very tightly, with nothing showing except his two strong arms.
I was startled and quickly jumped up to pull the gauze curtain over my naked body.
His extremely aggrieved voice came from behind the gauze curtain, "Forget it, you're so annoying, I'm not going to sleep with you."
I laughed, "Get lost!"
"I won't leave. I'll sleep on the sofa. Tonight is our wedding night. If I really leave, you'll be too ashamed tomorrow."
I laughed loudly, "Do you think I need your one shot?"
“This is a marriage procedure, not a matter of right or wrong?” His voice became even more aggrieved, as if he was about to cry. “I’m so considerate of you, but you always bully me.”
"Who bullied you? You bullied me. You even left me in the freezing cold before."
He immediately fell silent. I yawned and suddenly noticed a folded thin blanket under the bedside table. I quickly took it out and covered myself with it.
Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard his muffled voice say, "Fine, I deserve to be widowed on my wedding night."
The room was warm, and I was feeling drowsy. He seemed to say something like "I was wrong" again, but I didn't listen anymore and fell asleep.
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