445 – The merry wedding – 4
Saint Paronas Cathedral─ No, the road to the wedding hall was quiet. I didn’t expect it to be noisy since there were only two people in the carriage, but I didn’t expect there to be any conversation.
But strangely, the silence did not feel awkward. Mar and I are both keeping our mouths shut, but we know how each other feels about being silent. I can’t express this feeling in words, so I’m doing this because I feel like my heart will explode just by looking at the person sitting across from me.
‘It feels different.’
Mar is trying to look outside through the window of the carriage. It’s a cute and beautiful sight, but honestly, it’s something I see every day. Mar is always cute, beautiful, and kind.
But perhaps because it was a wedding day, the mar I always saw looked different. My heart pounded when I saw the bride-to-be, Mar, whom I could only see on the day of the wedding, not the everyday Mar, who I saw every day.
‘First marriage.’
When I thought of that word, I automatically smiled. Yes, I am even more excited today because it is my first wedding day. Even though I had a first love named Hecate, I never got to have a formal wedding, let alone marry.
In addition, since the groom has to hold five more weddings, this is the first and last time that both the bride and groom are married.
…When I think about it this way, I feel like a person with a broken character who does terrible things to priests.
“Mar.”
As time passed, I began to see a future in which I would become a marriage expert, so I opened my mouth. As you go through your second, third, and fourth marriage, you will become more relaxed instead of nervous. If so, you will be able to use this time on your way to the wedding hall in a cozy and fruitful way.
But are you spending this time in silence only with Mar? That’s not polite to Marr.
“Thank you for marrying me.”
“Yes, yes?”
Perhaps it was such a strong start that Marr, who turned her gaze toward me, froze.
I made a mistake. Thanking Mar for marrying her when her head is full of thoughts about her wedding is like igniting a powder keg.
Of course, she has no intention of going back on her words. This is how it will end.
“She kicked me once and pushed me away a lot, but thank you for understanding and waiting for me. I will do my best so Mar doesn’t regret being with me.”
Saying that, she sat down next to Mar, not across from him. Then she naturally put her arms around Mar’s waist and pulled her towards me.
“So, shall we follow the example of my father-in-law and have six children?”
“Well, that, that…”
At those words, Mar rolled her eyes here and there and cherished her words.
She’s probably confused. You might be confused as to whether the six people refer to all wives in total, or if you are referring to the six people you see only with yourself.
“If the children are over 30, the mansion will be crowded.”
She smiled slightly and added the words hinting at the latter, and Mar’s pupils began to tremble rapidly.
“Ka, the knife…”
But the tremor was short-lived.
“If Carl wants it, I will try my best.”
I burst out laughing again at his strong and determined answer. Of course the mention of six was a joke. What kind of crazy husband would unilaterally force his wife to plan her children? And not two or three, but six.
I just thought Mar was overly nervous, so I lightened her mood with a joke ─
“She heard that the first empress also gave birth to seven children. Thanks to this, there were many royal family members to support the empire, which was in chaos in the early days of its founding.”
…?
“The authority of the Crasius family is strong, but the more blood relatives there are, the better.”
When she saw Mar with her eyes shining, she felt something was wrong.
“Yes, that’s right. The more the better.”
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However, she was not bitten this time either. If she shows signs of embarrassment or says it’s a joke, she could end up being eaten by shame again after she has regained her vitality.
Today, I ended up accumulating karma for myself.
As I entered her wedding hall, I saw her familiar face yawning.
“Oh, manager.”
He was the head of Department 2.
“Are you already here?”
“I’m a guide, but I have to come faster than anyone else. I’m not that kind of person.”
I burst out laughing at the sight of Manager 2 giggling. Even though he looks like that, he is performing his role more faithfully than expected, perhaps because he has wedding experience.
“Welcome to your wife, too. Fortunately, there were no unsuspecting guests who arrived faster than the main character!”
“hehehe, is that so? Thank you.”
Mar also smiled and nodded her head at the manager’s passionate report.
Definitely, as Manager 2 said, the guests have not arrived yet. At most, only the personnel of the Imperial Household Department in charge of event execution and management and the priest in charge of the cathedral, the wedding venue, are hanging around. The only things I added to that were the executives of the inspection department that I called.
‘Was there no need to call?’
I touched my chin as I saw that there were more people than I expected. When my guests came, I called the executives to write in the guestbook and receive congratulatory money, but if I had known there would be this many people, I would have just let them come as guests.
The moment I was wondering whether I should tell him to take it easy now, the deputy chief, attracted by the laughter of the second manager, approached me and bowed.
“Are you here, manager?”
“Oh, I just arrived. You’ve had a hard time since morning.”
I patted the conductor on the shoulder out of embarrassment. In fact, it is none of the 2nd Department Manager’s business, but wouldn’t it have been too much to bring in a Deputy Director who was busy with the work of establishing the Ministry of Inspection?
“When the manager is getting married, it is natural for his subordinates to grace the occasion. Don’t mind.”
As if he had read my thoughts, the conductor calmly opened his mouth.
It is not wrong. When the head of a department is getting married, having subordinates act as guides can be a performance that shows the control of the department. Subordinates who unite and dedicate themselves to their superiors—isn’t this a great display?
Of course, the executives of the inspection department are far from dedicated, but at least outsiders do not know the miserable truth. In any case, it means that it is perfect for showing the firmness of the inspection department.
“…If you get tired while working, swap with someone from the Imperial Household Department. I also tell this to the heads of Section 3 and Section 5.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Still, he exercised his last conscience and gave permission for autonomous replacement and left.
‘I have to give you more.’
And I decided to give about twice as much as I was supposed to give in exchange for working. I think my conscience will hurt less if I give that much.
“Hey, Carl.”
“Huh?”
As I suppressed my bitter feelings and walked away, Mar tilted his head and opened his mouth.
“Why are you calling Karl the manager? Isn’t he the minister now?”
I was speechless for a moment because the voice sounded genuinely puzzled. Contrary to Marr’s thoughts, the Ministry of Inspector General has not yet been launched, so my official rank is manager.
Strangely, everyone, including the emperor, treats him like a minister, which is a problem.
I sat alone in the groom’s waiting room and greeted visiting acquaintances. I think this moment is probably the only time I am away from Mar today.
I would like to be in the bride’s waiting room with her, but unlike me, there are many acquaintances who are dry, so it would only be a distraction. It’s unfortunate, but I have no choice but to endure it.
“For some reason, you’re wearing it normally. I thought it was definitely a uniform.”
“If you wear a uniform, don’t you think it’s the same as the other guys? If anyone sees you, they’ll think there are multiple grooms.”
“That’s right.”
And as soon as he saw my face, I answered bluntly to the minister who started an argument, and the minister nodded and agreed.
Wearing the bloody uniform of the Inspection Department at a wedding should be avoided—but the ‘uniform’ itself is a problem in the first place. There are only a few executives from the inspection department hanging around the wedding hall right now, and when I come in uniform, it’s like wearing a couple t-shirt with them. It’s so scary it’s scary.
“But is it okay for the groom to sit still? What about the guests?”
“Your wife’s nephew, Kasa-in-law, was also playing in the waiting room.”
Fortunately, in this world, the groom is completely free whether to greet guests in the hall or relax in the waiting room. There are no set rules or implicit customs.
That’s why I chose the waiting room without hesitation. If you come out to the hall and welcome guests even once, you automatically have to do so the other five times. Honestly, that’s annoying.
“If you are a married man, talk less. The manager only answers in a dull manner.”
“Let’s not treat him as a minister in normal times, but instead treat him as a director only in times like this.”
I had a long conversation with the minister.
Fortunately or unfortunately, there were few acquaintances close enough to come to the waiting room and say hello. There is ample room to argue with the minister.
“Anyway, congratulations on your marriage. He lived alone as if he was going to die, but now he has six wives, and I don’t know what his future holds.”
“I didn’t know, so it’s okay.”
“Huh, if someone knew him, that would be even weirder.”
The minister let out a short laugh and then put his hand on my shoulder and silenced me.
Normally, I would have freaked out and asked why this was happening, but I held back because the minister’s expression was unusually serious.
“Be sure to be happy. That way, when I die, I will have the honor to look at those guys.”
“…Yes, I definitely will.”
The minister nodded at my answer and casually left the waiting room.
‘It looks like the grudge has been relieved.’
Seeing such a minister made me feel a sense of kinship. Just as I lost precious friends, the Minister also lost precious subordinates. Of those subordinates, I was the only one who survived, so I must have been a sore finger and a burden on the minister’s mind. He is the kind of person who worries that something might go wrong with this last remaining guy.
However, that last being has now started a family. Instead of obsessing over dead friends, I looked at new relationships. From the minister’s perspective, this wedding will be an opportunity to prove that his last subordinate can live happily.
Maybe that’s why the minister’s steps seemed easier than usual.