[Side Story 2] Wedding (2)

Starting with Bisto, the first Emperor of the Empire, the secular monarchs of the continent throughout history had worn their crowns with the help of the Pope, or at least a high-ranking cleric. This was because they wanted to add a divine radiance to their magnificent title as monarchs.

Those attending today's coronation naturally believed that this ceremony would also use the Pope's authority. There was no reason not to, after all. Everyone knew that the Pope and the Emperor and Empress were close, so they wouldn't have to go through a big ceremony.

So, when Pope Renus continued to sit in the guest seat even after the coronation began, there was a stir among the attendees.

Those who could talk without attracting attention whispered to each other. Well, it seems like it was agreed upon, right? The officials all looked like it was obvious.

It was definitely true. The Emperor and Empress, as well as the Pope, showed no change in expression. In fact, as if to show that no secular power could add authority to the Emperor, there was no high-ranking conductor in the front of the grand banquet hall, except for the Emperor and Empress. For the nobles, there was a low-ranking official who was practically invisible…

"I swear."

When the official recited the ceremonial question, "Do you swear to pray for the prosperity of the Empire with all your heart and love the people?", the Emperor and Empress answered simultaneously, with only two attendants standing beside them.

No one in this place had ever heard of attendants being present at a coronation. But no one objected. They all knew.

That this event was both a coronation and a wedding for the Emperor and Empress.

That their oath was a declaration to the world that they were both monarchs and that they were husband and wife, and that they had ascended to the positions of Emperor and Empress simultaneously.

They were already a married couple who had even had a child before the Pope, but the fact that they were holding a formal wedding ceremony in front of everyone was not strange to the nobles. The wedding ceremony before the Pope was to make the marriage legally valid, and it was customary for high-ranking nobles to have a separate commemorative event in front of their own people.

But the couple ascending to the highest position simultaneously… that was astonishing. In the history of the Empire, the Emperor and Empress had always been nominally equal, but in reality, the person appointed as his spouse had always stood behind the Emperor, who possessed the azure Jewel Heart.

The Emperor and Empress swore their duties as monarchs in a sunlit spot with incense as a backdrop. It didn't take long, as the words were all abstract, but the sight of the two young and beautiful people standing together was deeply etched in people's memories. Especially since they exchanged tender and gentle expressions whenever they glanced at each other.

"Do you swear to cherish and value each other for the rest of your lives?"

"I swear."

Even that kind of vow was included. Usually, in weddings that nobles held in front of their relatives, they didn't say things like that. Instead, they would make more statements boasting about the union of two powerful families, wouldn't they?

When the list of monarchical rules prepared by the official was finished, two crowns, each adorned with magnificent jewels, were brought before the Emperor and Empress. There were many fine crowns that the Bisto family had kept in the Imperial Treasury, but since they couldn't use their own crowns, artisans had made new ones.

Two attendants brought out the crowns. In the Empire, there was a belief that if the bride and groom were too happy, it would inevitably bring bad luck, so they needed to have a friend of similar age wearing similar clothes beside them to blur the eyes of bad luck. However, since the two attendants couldn't actually wear clothes that would be mistaken for the Emperor and Empress, their attire was simply beautiful ceremonial robes.

The Emperor gracefully placed the Emperor's crown on his head. The Empress already had a tiara on her head, so she had to remove it with the help of the bridesmaid before she could wear the Empress's crown.

The crowns, made of velvet in the same color as their clothes, adorned with sable fur and studded with glittering jewels like stars, the golden scepters they held, the orbs… they were all flawlessly magnificent. Even those who were calculating how the birth of the new royal family would affect them and their families felt a pang of emotion.

As the newly crowned Emperor and Empress turned to their subjects, the official who had recited the list of monarchical rules was the first to kneel. Those seated in the audience stood, except for a few who deemed it inappropriate, and placed their hands on their hearts.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empress!"

"Long live!"

The subjects followed the official's solemn chant. The two, now officially Emperor and Empress, linked arms and slowly walked out of the grand banquet hall.

Fireworks lit up the sky. Those who were not allowed to enter the banquet hall cheered and welcomed the new Emperor and Empress. The couple passed through the castle hall, waved to the people outside the castle gate, and boarded the prepared carriage. The procession, with a band in front and a knightly escort in white, was scheduled to circle Penmerwick.

Amidst the outpouring of cheers, Neris slightly raised her head.

High in the sky, something golden, not the sun, flew like a radiance.

It was the dragon, blessing this day.

***

"It's finally over."

Neris, who had finally entered her bedroom after attending the commemorative banquet, said in a tired voice.

The door between the two rooms, previously called the Grand Duke's bedroom and the Grand Duchess's bedroom, was wide open. Now they were the Emperor's bedroom and the Empress's bedroom, but nothing much had changed.

Usually, they both lived mostly in the Empress's bedroom, but today, it took several people to undress Neris, so Cledwin had no choice but to undress in his own room. His reply came from beyond the open door.

"Finally."

Ellen briskly undressed Neris. Layer by layer… as her body grew lighter, Neris felt a wave of fatigue wash over her. She wanted to just go to bed and lie down as she wiped her face and rinsed her mouth with herb-infused water.

"Arbyone is sleeping soundly. She must have been grumpy all day, with everyone making a fuss except for her. It's a good thing we found a good nursemaid. I like her."

"Hmm."

Finally, her hair was untied, and she was left with only a white linen nightgown, the room around her fell silent. Ellen led the maids in an orderly fashion, taking all the items used today and leaving the bedroom.

Around that time, Cledwin, also lightly clad, entered Neris's bedroom and closed the door behind him. Neris raised her eyebrows at him.

"Why are your answers so short?"

Cledwin grinned and approached his wife, kissing her.

His soft lips, exhaling fragrant breath, pressed against hers again and again. Memories of countless shared moments instantly ignited her senses.

Her fatigue vanished sharply.

"Your Majesty."

Cledwin, briefly parting his lips, held Neris tightly and whispered in her ear.

"My eloquence is lacking, I fear I have not been able to entertain Your Majesty's ears."

The sensation of his teeth gently biting her earlobe and his low breath. Neris's face flushed. A breathless sigh escaped her lips into the quiet, heavy air of the night.

His hot lips trailed down her white, slender neck. Light red marks were left wherever he passed. The ravenous desire she felt through her thin skin sent a thrill to the top of her head.

Neris closed her eyes, gritting her teeth to fully savor the escalating sensations. Cledwin scooped her up and carried her to the bed. He looked down at her and grinned mischievously.

"What will Your Majesty call me tonight? Whether you call me a lowly servant, an unjust knight, or even a damn enemy, only Your Majesty's word is right."

Neris rolled her eyes, looking up at her husband's face, which appeared slightly red in the dim candlelight. So that's why her answers were short, she was thinking about this.

"Don't do that. You know I have trouble with that kind of thing."

"Your Majesty, why are you being so formal with me?"

"Really."

Neris chuckled at Cledwin's nonchalant reply. He sometimes wanted to play this game, but she had never really played along. She had tried to play along, but she would always lose her interest, pondering what kind of self he wanted her to be.

But even seeing his wife's face, which clearly meant refusal, Cledwin didn't back down. Even though he usually stopped immediately if he sensed she disliked it.

"Your Majesty."

Touch. His well-shaped, strong lips gently enveloped her slightly swollen, small lips and then parted.

"Always."

Touch. Next was the left side of her neck.

"Too."

Touch. This time it was her collarbone.

"Thoughtful."

Touch, touch, touch. Each time he touched her, her skin stood out softly.

"There are many."

Cledwin punctuated each word, leaving red marks on his wife's favorite spots. Clothes were scattered on the floor. Candlelight cast shadows of the two on the ceiling and the floor. Neris moaned softly, her body burning with heat wherever he touched her. Her back arched, her head sinking into the bed without her realizing it.

"Ah, hhh…!"

"You always strive for decorum, Your Majesty, and I admire that, but I wish you knew that you don't have to be perfect sometimes."

Her thighs were hot. Especially the inside where he had bitten her. Her toes were spread wide apart.

A low voice whispered sweetly, like a devil.

"Your Majesty is the mistress of this land. Those like me exist only for Your Majesty's pleasure, so just think about what you 'want' to do."

The air in the bedchamber grew damp.

"Your Majesty's pleasure is what I seek, how can you try to satisfy me in return?"

Her moaning voice began to crack.

"Just ask. Command me. What would please Your Majesty?"

It felt like all the hairs on her body were standing on end. Tears stained the man's thumb as he stroked her flushed eyelids. His sweat-soaked arms, like a runaway horse, clutched her intertwined body.

Breathing occasionally with the air her husband blew into her, Neris gradually forgot to think. She felt a dizzying sense of liberation. He was right.

She didn't have to be good at it. It was a game for pleasure.

She had never done anything in her life that she didn't have to be good at, so she had simply forgotten.

"...Rude, black, ah… thing."

Her violet eyes, moist with desire, narrowed as she glared at the culprit who was driving her crazy. Like a predator chasing its prey, her husband pressed on relentlessly, leaving her no room to breathe.

"I, black… am your mistress, how dare you look down on me?"

"I will obey Your Majesty's command."

Whirl. In an instant, their positions reversed. Looking down at her husband, who had grinned and effortlessly lifted her up, Neris thought she was in trouble. A look of bewilderment crossed her face.

"….I'm not good at this…"

"Your Majesty, do not think about whether you are good or not. If it pleases Your Majesty, then it is right."

Cledwin casually took her hands and kissed them. He was right. But the flaw he had pointed out in her was about to resurface. How should I do it? I need to think…

As soon as he saw the confusion on her face, Cledwin proved that he could move freely even from below. Neris's mouth slightly opened, her hands taken away. It was a struggle just to hold on.

"Your Majesty, isn't this different from what you commanded?"

"Quiet, ah, stop, too…!"

Finally, bursting into laughter, a mixture of pleasure and amusement, Neris leaned forward. Cledwin, holding her upper body in his arms, rose. He laughed and kissed her lips greedily.

"Don't think. Do what you want."

"It's hard…"

"It's okay. I'll do it until you get used to it."

"I don't like that. We can do it without saying weird things."

"It's not just about talking. We got married and then immediately went to war, and then there was a baby… I haven't had much time to figure out what you like. I'm going to do everything I've wanted to do all this time, until I know everything about you, even things you didn't know yourself. Especially the things you haven't let me do because you're embarrassed."

Neris felt dizzy.

"What about my right to refuse as a person of dignity?"

"Huh, that's weird. Do you have that right when you arbitrarily locked me up in a seal, preventing me from talking to you, without even telling me…?"

It was true. Neris had no words to say.

Finally, on their second wedding night, she learned anew what she "liked," until dawn broke.