Chapter 26 The Princess’s Wedding Ceremony…
Chapter 26
26.1
In the 638th year of the Void Era, on the first lunar day of the hot season, a joyful atmosphere permeated the Ravenmont Castle where the Karagalang family resided.
Duke Caragaran's eldest son, Alex Caragaran, is about to marry the royal family's youngest child, Princess Matilda.
Not only Ravenmont Castle, but the entire Ravenmont City was filled with a joyful atmosphere: when the lord was happy, he would reduce taxes in the territory, and the citizens would live better.
Therefore, on the day of the marriage ceremony, the citizens of Ravenmont gathered early in the square in front of the temple of the goddess Gaia, each dressed in the light-colored clothing used for celebrations. Children joyfully threw golden rose petals into the air, saying, "Praise the Lord!"
Euridsi and Hesong squeezed into the crowd watching the ceremony in the square, standing in the front row, watching the situation in the temple:
The long door of the temple was open, and the "Earth" relief and beautiful stained glass windows in the temple could be vaguely seen. Sunlight poured into the temple through the windows, casting spots of light on the ground like broken gems.
The statue of the goddess Gaia stood in the center of the temple, and the goddess's high priest stood upright in front of the altar.
On the left side of the high priest, all the important figures of the Caragaran family were present; standing closest to the high priest was naturally the elegant Duke Hugh Caragaran: his black hair was combed very neatly, and on his chest was a golden "Rose Scepter" family emblem.
Euridice looked at Duke Karagaran and whispered, "The red-haired lady standing next to the Duke must be his wife."
Hersong nodded slightly. "Yes, that's the Duchess, Agnes Felix."
"Felix..." Euridice chewed on the last name. "Oh, she is the daughter of old Count Felix. Old Count Felix also has such fiery red hair."
The children of the Felix family all have red hair as bright as flames, which makes them stand out in the crowd.
"Yes." Hesong lowered his voice, unconsciously feeling a little fearful. "The Duchess is of noble birth. We, the illegitimate children of the Karagaran family... must maintain absolute respect for her."
Olidisi curled the corners of his mouth but did not comment on it.
Next to the Duke and Duchess of Karagaran stood their two children, a boy and a girl, who had not yet been engaged.
"Osborne Karagaran, the arrogant young knight, is an acquaintance of ours," said Euridsi. "And the young lady beside him must be his sister, right?"
"Yes," said Hersong, "that is Cecilia Karagalan. She is the most precious dewdrop on Karagalan's rose scepter."
Oledsi raised an eyebrow: "The most precious dewdrop?"
Hesong hummed, but didn't harbor much ill will when he mentioned Cecilia. "She's the smartest of all the Duke's children. No one in the academy can achieve better grades than Cecilia. She's also not arrogant towards other apprentices; she's very kind. It's a pity that she's in poor health and often falls ill. Otherwise, she might be the most suitable heir to the Karagaran family."
Olidesi stroked his chin, deep in thought. As the two spoke, the royal representative had already arrived at the temple to the right of the high priest.
Prince Rokolan represented Queen Lucinda at the ceremony, standing at the right hand of the high priest.
Next to Prince Rochelle are two other children of the royal family: Prince Richard and Prince Constance.
"Ah, Constance." Euridice said the name and smiled softly, "Long time no see."
Prince Constance seemed to sense something and turned his head slightly to look towards the square. However, a sudden cheer erupted in the Temple Square, disrupting Prince Constance's sight.
"Princess Matilda!"
"Sir Alex!"
“They’re coming!”
As the midday sun shone on the square, the temple bell rang with a "ding".
Amidst the huge cheers in the square, the musicians outside the temple played the "Vanzetta Ceremonial March"; the sounds of the organ and flute intertwined, melodious and cheerful.
The Knights of Ravenmont, who were loyal to the Karagaran family, walked slowly towards them. The three columns composed of giants, chimera orcs and human knights were neatly dressed in silver armor with the pattern of "Rose Scepter" engraved on the silver armor.
The giant knights were more than twice as tall as humans, with muscular build and a very striking presence. However, the protagonist of the ceremony, Alex Karagaran, possessed a demeanor that was no less impressive than that of a giant knight:
Alex Karajalang rode a white horse and walked in the middle of the team with a smile on his face.
He was wearing an exquisite golden dress robe, buttoned up meticulously. He had the iconic "Karagarang" style of long black hair, which now fell smoothly behind him like black satin, with the ends of his hair tied up with a golden headband, making him look gentle and handsome.
"This Alex is so beautiful." Olidisi said softly.
Hesong curled his lips. "He's different from that arrogant and violent fool Osborne Karajalang. Alex always has a graceful smile on his face. They say that Alex Karajalang is the child who most resembles Duke Karajalang."
As the two men were talking, the handsome Alex rode past them. The young noble, wearing snow-white gloves, smiled and waved to the citizens of Ravenmont along the way.
In front of the temple, Alex dismounted from his horse and handed the white horse to his knight. Then, according to the etiquette of the Wanzeta Empire, he saluted in front of the temple before entering and standing beside the altar.
When Alex was ready, Princess Matilda's carriage slowly stopped in front of the temple:
The princess, wearing a golden dress, slowly got out of the carriage.
Princess Matilda was not wearing a veil. The people watching the ceremony could see her appearance clearly and could not help but exclaim in admiration:
"Goddess, the princess is so beautiful."
"Her hair is so special – mostly icy blue with beautiful blonde streaks in it."
"That's a hair color unique to the royal family! Look, Prince Richard and Princess Constance also have hair like that."
Princess Matilda seemed not to hear the voices of these discussions. She lowered her eyes, held the "Nine Lights of the Sun and Moon" medal, a symbol of the royal family, in her hand - it was a gift from the king - and slowly climbed the stairs of the temple.
The knights threw golden rose petals into the air, and the people cheered; Princess Matilda walked into the temple amid the cheers, walked to the altar, and stood side by side with Alex.
The musicians finished their "Vanzetta Ceremonial March," and the noise in the square gradually died down. The high priest of the temple slowly raised his hand:
"In the year 638 of the Ethereal Era, on the first full Sunday of the first lunar month of the scorching season, we witnessed the sacred marriage contract at the temple of the goddess Gaia."
The priest's voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard by everyone present.
"The marriage contract is made of love and soul. Alex Caragaran, Matilda Mayfield, do you voluntarily enter into this marriage and pledge eternal loyalty and trust to each other?"
Alex Karagaran glanced at Princess Matilda—who didn't look at him—and then he said, "I do."
Matilda paused and said, "I do."
The high priest nodded, reached out his hand over the bowl of water on the altar, and gently touched Alex and Matilda's foreheads.
"This marriage has been promised by God," the high priest said. "With all the gods as witnesses, the marriage contract is established."
The musicians played the "Vanzeta Ceremonial March" again. Alex Karagaran and Princess Matilda turned around and walked side by side towards the temple gate and onto the square outside the temple.
The crowd erupted in cheers, and petals, herbs and feathers were thrown into the air to express their blessings for the marriage.
He Song watched all this and whispered, "The ceremony is complete...you..."
He hesitated for a moment and didn't say anything else. Euridsi understood what he wanted to ask:
Aren't you going to kill Alex Carragherang? What's your plan? When will you do it?
"Don't worry," Olidesi said with a smile. "This sacred ceremony is only open to the closest relatives of both parties, so we can't enter the temple. However, after the ceremony, we still have a grand celebration banquet."
Hesong was startled for a moment, then came to his senses. "Yes, a banquet. Everyone will attend the upcoming banquet—the royal family, representatives from the major nobles, the Knight Commander, envoys from the Chamber of Commerce... and the judges and administrators appointed by the king. Everyone will be invited."
Olidesi smiled. "We will also be invited—the Queen always invites all the Karagalang people. Then, all the actors will be present, and the show will begin."
In the grand banquet hall of Ravenmount Castle, the lights prepared for the ceremony illuminated the castle with golden splendor:
Delicate and beautiful crystal chandeliers hung from the arched ceiling, and the fire in the fireplace and the candlelight on the dining table were also dancing brightly.
Due to the large number of guests, there were no seats in the banquet hall. Instead, waiters carried trays of food and served them promptly. Guests stood in groups of three or four, their laughter and conversation blending with the cheerful dance music played by the musicians. The air was filled with the fragrance of flowers and fine wine.
Oledsi, wearing a gray dress and holding a glass of white wine, sighed in boredom, "This kind of aristocratic social scene is really boring."
Before Hesong, who was standing beside her, could speak, a voice said mockingly, "What a lowly and ignorant commoner."
O'Lidsey looked over and saw Osborne Karagaran looking at her coldly.
The young knight no longer carried a sword - his tendons were cut off by Prince Rochlan, and his right wrist was twisted in a strange shape, so he could no longer use a knight's sword; however, even without a sword, the hatred in his eyes was sharper than any knight's sword.
Osborn sneered, "A lowly commoner, a dirty bastard, who allowed you to enter the banquet hall of Ravenmont?"
Before Oulidsi could speak, a cold voice replied, "The royal family invited them. Are you going to disrespect the royal family?"
Olidisi's fingers holding the wine glass paused slightly.
She turned her head and saw Lorenz Ebrard standing beside her.
26.2
This was the first time the two met after Eurydice and Lorenz broke off their engagement.
Of course, this was also the first time Lorenz and Hersong, Euridsi’s former and current husband, met.
Lorenz still looked the same—handsome, sincere, and naturally likable—but he seemed thinner, which made his eyes more profound and had the calmness that belonged to the "Duke."
Facing the young and handsome Duke of Ebrard, Hesong lowered his head somewhat awkwardly. Before Oulidesi could introduce them to each other, Osborne Karagaran glanced at Lorenz and spoke with a slight pause, "Oh, so it's our new Duke of Ebrard, Lorenz Ebrard. You've been invited, too."
Although the two sides were not close, Osborne Caragaran and Lorenz Ebrard were blood cousins. Beatrice Caragaran was Osborne Caragaran's aunt, and the Caragaran family knew very well what had happened to the Ebrard family.
Osborne laughed sarcastically: "It seems that you care a lot about your ex-wife, my dear cousin - oh, no, Duke Abrad."
Osborne glanced at Euridsi with disdain as he spoke. "Duke, your ex-wife doesn't seem to be in the right place. After breaking off her engagement with you, she quickly married a lowly bastard—what a joke."
Ollido suddenly laughed.
"Is it a joke?" she said with a smile. "You're right, we are here to see a joke."
Osborne was startled. Olidisi smiled and turned the white wine in his hand: "Don't worry, the real joke will come soon."
Before Osborne could speak, a loud scream suddenly came from the other side of the banquet:
"Ah—someone's dead!"
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