Chapter 3: Their Wedding (1)

Episode 2. Their Wedding (1)

Today, three and a half months after the fall of the Imperial order, Esbaden Castle was busy preparing to welcome the new bride.

The knight with dark blond hair, who had climbed to the top of the wall, suddenly frowned, “I can’t accept it.”

He grumbled angrily and continued talking to the tall knight standing next to him.

“Why does the lord have to become in-laws with such uncivilized barbarians?”

“Claude, the Bashals are not barbarians. And be careful, this is the Imperial Castle.”

“Baron, aren’t you angry as well? This is the same as making fun of not only the master but also the duke of Esbaden!”

The big, curly-haired knight called Baron did not respond.

He also seemed to agree with Claude’s last words.

“What kind of insult is this? Was it not enough to have a national wedding with the princess!? All thanks to someone! And now we have to guard the borders!”

“I think you’re insulting me.”

“Lord, lord!”

Claude’s complexion turned pale as he looked back, towards the familiar voice.

The Duke of Esbaden, Leonhart, who suddenly appeared, was staring at him with cold eyes.

Duke Leonhart Von Esbaden Halton.

He was the only nobleman protecting the western border of the empire, and at the same time, a knight that dedicated a pledge of loyalty to the emperor. He was also someone who had terrible principles.

A thorough character.

He had a strong temperament that did not bleed a single drop even if stabbed with a dagger. He was right and suitable, but only for the emperor and his empire.

Due to his terrifyingly beautiful appearance and overly cold and uptight personality, even the knights who had been on the battlefield with him for many years still feared him.

Claude, who was known as the right hand of the duke, was no exception.

“You’ve always had a loose tongue.”

“I’m sorry!”

Claude hurriedly bowed his head and stepped back.

As if to replace him, Baron, who was standing next to him, took a step forward.

“Congratulations on your marriage, Lord. Your ancestors would be delighted too.”

Leonhart raised one corner of his mouth obliquely in response to Baron’s greeting.

“Well.”

If his father, who had valued his honor and pride more than his life, was alive to hear of this marriage, he might have died foaming at his mouth.

Not surprisingly, his marriage partner was a princess from the Bashal tribe, who had been tormenting the Empire for years.

“By the way, my Lord, are you alright? Maybe the marriage…”

Was it alright to make hasty decisions like this regarding a companion who would be with you for the rest of your life?

At Baron’s worried eyes, the duke turned his head indifferently.

It didn’t matter who he was married to as long as he could gain the emperor’s trust and shut the mouths of his vassals.

‘But I never imagined that I would marry a Bashal.’

The Duke’s marriage partner was the princess of ‘Bashal’, an old enemy of the Empire.

The kingdom was founded by the union of five nomadic tribes who lived on the prairies.

In fact, Bashal, the strongest of the five tribes, was close to a coalition tribal federation system.

The Bashals, who believed that the land had no owners, invaded their territory year after year and robbed them of food and resources.

From the point of view of the Empire, they were like a thorn in the eyes that could not be touched nor removed. No matter how large an empire was, it could not wage an all-out war against Bashal, who had already expanded its power.

There were two reasons why the Krone Empire, the strongest on the continent, feared Bashal.

Excellent horsemanship and archery, and their strange powers of nature.

The Bashal people were so good at horseback riding and archery that there was a rumor that they were already good at archery the moment they started walking.

Moreover, the “natural power” they used was similar to magic but more difficult to deal with.

Then, such an alliance was formed through marriage with the Bashal Kingdom. From the Empire’s point of view, it could not be anything but a blessing.

“Actually, I don’t understand either. Shouldn’t the princess’ husband be the prince for the sake of a national alliance?”

As Baron said, it should have been like that.

Because the only match for the princess could have been the prince.

However, the only prince of the Empire refused to marry for unavoidable reasons.

It was impossible to have a princess from a foreign country as a concubine, so there was only one route left for the marriage.

A young, unmarried aristocratic young man, who was as noble as the prince, would marry the princess.

Thus, Leonhart Von Esbaden Halton, a young aristocratic young man of high status, was selected as the husband of the princess instead of the prince.

He was the Duke of Esbaden of Halton.

“Master, I see the procession of the bride!”

As the wagon procession appeared in the distance, Duke Leonhart’s eyes narrowed.

His wife was said to be the only princess in Bashal who could not get married.

Rumor has it that all the men left their cranes and ran away because she was shockingly ugly.

But to the Duke, his partner’s appearance didn’t matter at all.

Rather, if she was ugly, moderately ignorant, and a fool, she would be perfect for playing the role of a scarecrow that just fills the empty seat next to him.

‘What was her name again?’

The procession drew near as Leonhart tried to recall the name of his wife-to-be, whom he couldn’t even remember.

“Open the gates!”

When the procession finally reached the front of the wall, the huge iron gate of Esbaden Castle opened with a heavy sound.

It had been a long time since Esbaden Castle, called the impregnable fortress, welcomed the entry of strangers.

***

“Are you the Duke of Esbaden?”

When a member of the Bashal tribe asked Baron with a grim expression and using his clumsy imperial language, Baron, as well as Claude, became contemplative.

Because of Leonhart’s handsome appearance, the attendant did not seem to have thought that he was the terrifying Duke of Esbaden.

“I am a knight serving the Duke. This is Duke Leonhart Von Esbaden.”

At Baron’s introduction, the attendant glanced at the duke with unsure eyes.

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Then he shook his head as if to wait for a moment and ran back.

After a while, someone from the procession ran towards the duke and his party, a smoke of dust forming following it.

The eyes of the three people, who had narrowed their eyes to see if the person running was an attendant, widened in an instant.

“Lord, lord! Avoid it!”

“What is this!?”

It was a huge white horse that attacked them.

The rider, who was running at full speed, twisted and stopped in front of the duke’s team.

A small seal fell from above.

Her true identity was a woman who was lavishly adorned from head to toe.

The woman walked in front of the duke with a light gait.

“Are you going to be my husband?”

Her voice was very mellow.

She did not act as if she was a princess of a country who had almost been sold for an alliance marriage.

It was before the duke even answered when the woman pulled her hood off without any hesitation.

The rich silver hair hidden under her hood poured down like a waterfall.

“I am going to be your wife, Dooha Yel Bashal.”

After her introduction as the princess of Bashal, Dooha smiled, her golden eyes shining.

“You can call me Dooha.”

The Duke, Leonhart, looked at her and involuntarily frowned.

Because he was so blinded by the sun’s rays behind her.

The Duke of the Krone Empire and the Princess of the Bashal Kingdom.

It was the moment when their relationship began.

***

The gifts and ceremonies that Dooha, the Princess of Bashal, brought with her were so rare that even the duke, who was the second richest person in the empire after the emperor, was surprised.

From the beautiful furs of animals that he had never even seen before, to rare gems that were hard to find on the continent, and embroidered silks filled with boxes.

Everyone in Esbaden Castle was astonished by the enormous amount of gifts.

“It’s surprising that they are surprised by only this. The level of knowledge of the people here is understandable, isn’t it, Princess?”

“Layla, you better not say that. There are a lot of ears here.”

At the words of her master, the maid, Layla, pouted.

Layla was of mixed ancestry, born to an Imperial father and Bashalin mother. She said that as a child, she lived in the Empire. When her father died of an illness, she returned to Bashal.

The reason she followed Dooha as her maid was because she was the one who knew the Empire best in Bashal.

“Heh, it’s hard to find an imperial person who knows about Bashal, even in the capital.”

“Layla.”

“Okay, okay. I will shut up.”

But as soon as she told Layla that she wanted her to be quiet, Layla soon opened her mouth again.

“By the way, the one who will become the princess’s husband. He is really handsome. The men in Bashal were really ugly and sloppy.”

At her words, Dooha turned her gaze to the duke.

A strong physique, with blond hair that gleamed in the sunlight, and eyes resembling sapphires that gleamed dazzlingly.

Clear features that balance each other without a single error.

The silver armor that he wore all over his body frighteningly suited him.

“Isn’t that right? Isn’t he handsome?”

“Well, you’re always telling me that I am beautiful so…”

“Ah, I forgot that the beauty standards of the princess are of a Bashal’s. But, by the standards of the Empire, the princess is an unparalleled beauty…”

“Yes, thank you for the empty words.”

“Oh, but it’s true!”

Ignoring Leila, who was shrieking hard, she looked at the man who would become her husband.

To put it bluntly, the word “beautiful” was more appropriate for him than handsome.

But he had a face that didn’t quite fit Bashal’s aesthetic standards.

Dooha looked away from the duke without an expression on her face.

“Layla, it doesn’t matter to me how he looks.”

“What? Really?”

“The most important thing is to be able to have a good conversation.”

“Do not worry! The princess’ imperial language skills are at a very high level! Communication will not be a problem at all!”

Dooha didn’t mean it that way…

Dooha laughed at Lyla’s cute face.

“Yes, it’s because you taught me.”

“Hehe.”

Towards the end of their conversation, the empty wagon was filled with wedding gifts prepared by the Duke’s family.

A huge amount of gold bars, wheat, and barley that would not be lacking even if you ate it for your entire life.

Looking at the carriage full of gifts, Bashal’s attendants smiled satisfactorily.

At the end of the offering exchange, the wedding ceremony proceeded quickly.

While still wearing Bashal’s bride uniform, Dooha held the Duke’s hand and headed to the chapel in the castle.

Because of the Bashalin belief of not believing in foreign gods, the priest did not attend their wedding.

Thanks to this, the wedding was held more simply, and the number of guests was small.

This was also because there were no guests on the bride’s side except for the attendants. The Duke also invited no one except for those from close families.

“You two can sign this document.”

At the words of the marriage guarantor, the Duke and the Princess signed their marriage pledge without hesitation.

They finally became an official couple after exchanging slender gold rings studded with rubies and diamonds.

For a large-scale wedding that attracted everyone’s attention, it was a very simple wedding.

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