A Midsummer Night’s Wedding (1)

I've attended quite a few weddings in my life.

When my older siblings who left the orphanage before me got married, they were so emotional.We, the orphanage kids, even sang a congratulatory song in chorus.Also, the pastor who always looked after the orphanage officiated the weddings, and as I always felt, his sermons were quite long, like a church service.It could be a bit boring for non-religious people who aren't used to church services.Well, most religious weddings are like that.Today was no different."Groom Hyde, do you swear before God to take Psyche Agarphe as your lifelong companion?"Today's officiant was Oscar Archibald.His face was crumpled and flushed, which was quite a sight to behold.Serves him right.I answered vigorously,"Yes, I do.""Then, Bride Psyche Agarphe, do you swear to take Groom Hyde as your lifelong companion and helpmate, and journey together through the hardships of life and the path to salvation?"Psyche didn't answer right away.Under the white veil, Psyche looked around slowly.I felt a bit anxious in that situation.Why isn't she answering right away?Is she going to say "No"?People's eyes turned to Psyche in this strange silence.Psyche seemed to hesitate for about 5 seconds before finally nodding."Yes.""I'll ask again. Do you truly swear?"Oscar's expression as he asked was sharp like a hawk's. It was as if he was asking, "Think carefully. This is your last chance."Unlike her hesitation earlier, Psyche's answer this time was quick."Yes, I swear. I will trust my husband Hyde completely from now on, and I swear that there will be no secrets or lies between us.""Then the wedding ceremony is concluded. I hope the bride and groom will rely on each other and live well through the hardships and happiness of life ahead."What kind of wedding ends in less than 5 minutes?With those words, Oscar abruptly left his seat.It was as if he couldn't stand being there any longer."Sir Loras, let's go!"At Oscar's call, Loras, who had been crossing his arms and shaking his legs throughout the wedding, flinched. His armor rattled.Loras, you bastard, have you completely become Archibald's subordinate now?Loras approached Psyche.And then he said,"Psyche, I still can't believe you made this decision. What happened today could ruin the relationship between the Archibald and Agarphe families. Because of you!"Blaming Psyche here?Shifting the blame and creating a sense of guilt to manipulate someone's emotions is the basics of gaslighting. It seemed like he was trying to shake Psyche's mental state by taking advantage of her kind heart.While the kind-hearted Psyche was speechless, Loras continued to blabber."I was trying to prevent the Agarphe and Archibald families from clashing. Please understand that I did it all for you and the people of the territory. Because I thought of you as my own sister. But Hyde ruined everything."Shifting the blame, self-justification, and blaming others?And what about the fact that he was struggling to marry her while saying he thought of her as his sister?I couldn't stand it any longer.I was about to say something to Loras when,"Sir Loras."Psyche spoke first.Loras's face, which had been turned away, brightened slightly for a moment.Psyche continued,"Thank you for your dedication and loyalty to the Agarphe family so far. But I want to make one thing clear, Loras. Even if I didn't have a fiancé or wasn't sick, I wouldn't have married you.""What?"Loras's brows furrowed.Veins seemed to bulge on his forehead, and his face turned a variety of colors as he flushed red.In other words, Psyche had said this to Loras:Even if I didn't have a fiancé or boyfriend, I would never date you. As a man, hearing those words is practically the end.Indeed, Loras was frozen like a stone, and I could almost hear a cracking sound coming from him, as if his body was breaking apart."See if I care how you do without me!"Loras, who seemed to have barely regained his composure, flicked his cloak and left with Oscar Archibald. Seeing them disappear felt so refreshing that it lifted my spirits.Of course, Psyche let out a sigh of relief."Sir Loras is arrogant and rude, but he was skilled. Now it will be more difficult to command and train the soldiers of the Agarphe territory.""My Lady, why do you worry so much? Lady Psyche can directly command and train the soldiers of the Agarphe territory."I recalled the time when Psyche Agarphe fought a fierce battle against the Wrath of the Deadly Sins, with a giant greatsword.Psyche showed amazing combat prowess, rivaling Wrath's monstrous strength that could tear through steel plates with bare hands.The reason why the Heretical Brotherhood's capture of the royal capital was delayed was because of Psyche and the seven Holy Knights led by her."There's the star of the day!"Just then, someone hugged me tightly, almost crushing my shoulders."Hahaha! It's been a while since I've had such a refreshing day! Monk Hyde, I've come to see you in a new light! Now that you're married, we're family! Call me father-in-law!"It was Count Doban Agarphe.My body was being shaken violently as his arms moved. If there was a person caught in an elephant's trunk, they would probably feel similar to me right now.I spoke to calm the man who was as excited as a rhinoceros,"It's not all good news. We offended Archibald and humiliated him in front of everyone, so he'll definitely try to get revenge with his petty mind.""Revenge? What did we do wrong today? If anything, Loras was the one who did wrong! That bastard, relying on the Archibalds who inflicted a fatal wound on his father…!""A hero like Count Doban wouldn't understand, but petty people are those who get angry when someone retaliates after they've been slapped first."I knew the mindset of petty people well.Petty people would casually harm others, but if someone wronged them even slightly, they would rush in like a rabid dog and bite them to feel satisfied.Oscar Archibald and Loras were the epitome of petty people in my eyes.They would definitely try to get revenge.And since their revenge couldn't be directed at me today, it was certain that it would be directed elsewhere.I'm not a petty person at all, but I tried to think like Oscar Archibald, putting myself in the shoes of a pathetic and self-righteous person.The answer was one."Count Doban, please secure Priest Manaan. Oscar Archibald might kill Priest Manaan and his subordinates before the day is over."It would be a way to vent his anger and silence them.Count Doban was greatly surprised by my quiet whisper."Isn't Priest Manaan Archibald's man? But you're saying Oscar will kill his own man? Even if he spoke honestly today, would he go that far?""…"In my opinion, Count Doban was a loyal and generous man, but he clearly didn't understand how the world worked.How could such a person betray the royal family and save his life and family right before the royal family's downfall?From what I could see, he seemed like the type to fight alongside the royal family until the very end."There's a lot of information we can extract from Manaan, so it would be better to keep him alive and utilize him as much as possible. So please take care of Priest Manaan."It's my role to punish Manaan.I can't let Oscar take that right away from me.Therefore, Manaan had to stay alive for now."Anyway, I understand. I'll do as my son-in-law says. Then let the bride and groom enjoy the festivities."The wedding continued until nightfall.Psyche was blessed by many people."Lady Psyche, congratulations on your wedding!""I'm glad you've recovered from your illness."Psyche was a beloved woman.Honestly, I still couldn't believe that such a woman had become my bride.On the other hand, I received many curses."That nobody, taking Lady Psyche…""I'm so jealous."Mostly men hated me.So this is what it feels like to be a man who has won a beautiful woman.When night fell, I was guided by the servants to a hastily prepared bridal chamber.According to the Agarphe family tradition, the groom enters first and waits for the bride.I sat on the bed in the bridal chamber, where candles were flickering.But the bed was unexpectedly too soft, so it was uncomfortable.Should I sit on a chair?Or should I stand?I didn't know what to do.To be honest, I was nervous!It's my first wedding too!And the fact that I was actually going to marry Lady Psyche, whom I had been secretly crushing on, and spend a pious and sacred first night with her made my heart pound."This is the happiest day of my life!"When is she coming?I was restlessly sitting on the bed, getting up and down from the chair, and drinking water from the water bottle.Rustle-."Is that Lady Psyche?"Even the slightest sound from outside made my heart skip a beat, thinking it was Psyche.But no matter how much time passed, Psyche showed no signs of entering the bridal chamber. But in a way, it was only natural.The protagonist of the wedding is the bride.She might be taking a bath with rose water and the soap I made, with the help of the maids, or she might be putting on makeup.Women usually take longer to get ready than men."I've waited for 5 years. It would be ridiculous if I couldn't wait for just an hour."I decided to wait for Psyche with a magnanimous heart.As I was fidgeting like this,It was almost midnight, or so it felt.Creak-.The door to the bridal chamber opened, and a dizzying floral scent wafted in. I turned my head, and Psyche, with her face flushed red, was slowly approaching me in a dress that looked like pajamas.Her light footsteps, as if weightless, made my breath catch in my throat.Could there be a more beautiful woman in the world?There was!And that woman was my wife from today!Also, I was once again amazed and surprised by Psyche Agarphe."Honestly, I thought you wouldn't show up here, My Lady. I thought marriage was just an empty promise and an excuse to get rid of Oscar."The Agarphe people had betrayed me many times.I even wondered if the nickname 'Agarphe of the Covenant' was given sarcastically because they betrayed so much.But Lady Agarphe kept her promise to marry the one who solved the problems.That fact alone made the pain from all the betrayals I had suffered melt away.My virginity, the symbol of my premarital chastity.I was moved by the thought that I could cross that threshold with Psyche, whom I had fallen for again today.Just then, Psyche opened her beautiful, sparkling lips,"Hyde, as a brilliant biblical theologian like you, I believe you'll understand what I'm about to say."Psyche cautiously began to tell a story.And to summarize that story, it was this:"You want to remain chaste even after marriage?"Psyche, the advocate of premarital chastity.I never thought she would want to practice post-marital chastity too!