Ch.32Coming of Age and Wedding Ceremonies (4)

“Father of all, please look upon this young woman with mercy…”

Archbishop Armand continuously uttered words of blessing, while Ines stood quietly before him in a reverent posture.

It seems this will soon come to an end. Armand’s lines have changed to those spoken when a coming-of-age ceremony reaches its climax.

“—Thus, I shall anoint you with oil.”

“I humbly receive it.”

Armand cups one hand to form a small vessel and pours a bit of oil into it. Seeing this, Ines gently closes her eyes, bows her head demurely with her hands clasped together.

“Ohhh…”

Words of admiration continue to flow from the guests. Count Lorel and Louis Dauphin beside me are also staring at Ines, completely entranced.

Hmm… The atmosphere is certainly mystical, or in this case, I suppose it could be called divine.

The platform where sunlight converges is extremely bright, and there, Ines and Armand, illuminated and shining radiantly, are preparing for the baptism.

At a glance, it almost looks as if Armand is the one receiving baptism rather than Ines. Ines’s appearance, with her attire and beauty combined, resembled that of an angel, while Armand merely looked like a devout believer. After all, a human cannot baptize an angel.

“Today, one young lamb has become a proper adult; please watch over her future path that it may be free of hardship.”

Drip—

A small amount of oil is poured onto Ines’s head as she stands with clasped hands and bowed head.

The oil, catching the sunlight, gleams brilliantly, enhancing Ines’s divine aura.

The guests who had been exclaiming in admiration are now completely speechless. A silence—a reverent silence—settles over the banquet hall.

……….

“Hehe… How was it, Duke?”

As soon as the coming-of-age ceremony ended, the mirrors that had been installed outside the windows were removed, and the lights that had been turned off were restored, returning the banquet hall to its previous state. Some people still seem lost in the afterglow, their expressions somewhat dazed.

Ignoring the admiring nobles, Ines descended from the platform and slowly walked toward where I was standing. The guests between us parted to the left and right like the sea waters divided by Moses, creating a path for Ines to move through.

“That was amazing. How did you come up with such an idea?”

Even for me, who remembers all kinds of modern lighting equipment used in stage productions, the coming-of-age ceremony just now was incredibly impressive.

If even I feel this way, how must the others feel who have never seen anything like it?

“I did my best with the production.”

Her best… It would be difficult for people of this era to imagine such things even if they tried their hardest.

Ines has remarkable talent for production. She’s a genius, truly a genius.

“It felt like the divine revelations I’ve only heard about in fairy tales or the Bible might be something like this.”

“To have such a beautiful wife, congratulations to you.”

“Who came up with that lighting effect? Could you possibly introduce me to them…?”

As Ines approaches, slightly excited guests rush around us, expressing their admiration along with various questions and requests.

“Hehe, a revelation? You flatter me.”

“Hahaha, thank you for the compliment.”

“Yes, it was me. Feel free to use the production method.”

Ines and I responded to their comments with appropriate smiles until the wedding preparations were complete.

Finally, when a servant signaled that everything was ready, Ines, who immediately noticed, gave me a signal.

“Ah, then shall we… go now?”

Grab—

“…Yes.”

Ines takes my hand without the slightest hesitation, smiling brightly. This despite physical contact with men being taboo for daughters of noble families.

This is essentially a declaration to everyone watching… that the wedding ceremony will soon take place, that we are now family.

Count Lorel, Ines’s brother standing nearby, sheds a few tears at the sight.

“…Master, take care.”

“I will.”

To be honest, I was slightly worried about what Chloe might do at this point, but surprisingly, she lets me go without resistance.

However, from her expression, it’s very clear that she’s desperately holding herself back.

…Chloe is currently in an emotionally charged adolescence. When she gets older, the feelings she currently holds for me will disappear.

Even if it hurts, please bear with it a little longer, Chloe.

“Ines, let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Though not much time has passed, the platform where the coming-of-age ceremony took place is now filled with preparations for the wedding.

Our servants and attendants must have practiced quickly arranging the items many times.

“Congratulations, Duke.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you all.”

Ines and I go to the entrance of the banquet hall, then hand in hand, slowly walk toward the platform along the red carpet laid on the floor.

The surrounding guests applaud us while offering words of congratulation.

However, the guests’ expressions are more composed compared to the coming-of-age ceremony earlier. Perhaps their expectations were set too high by the coming-of-age ceremony?

Flutter—

“What is… this?”

“Flower petals…?”

Just then, the guests notice something landing on their heads and look up in confusion, slightly surprised.

It may not match Ines’s production skills, but I can proudly say it’s somewhat spectacular.

The guests blink and look around at the pink flower petals fluttering down from the ceiling.

Hmm… Still, the reaction is slightly less than I expected. It seems Ines’s coming-of-age ceremony was too impactful.

“Lord, today a pair of humans seek to fulfill their love.”

The two of us, standing on the platform, receive Archbishop Armand’s officiation.

Judging by the oil still on Armand’s hands, it seems the schedule was too tight for him to properly clean up after the coming-of-age ceremony.

Of course, there’s also some oil on Ines’s head from the ceremony, but rather than making her hair clump together, it actually makes her hair look more lustrous.

The rest proceeded according to protocol, and now only one thing remains.

“Claude and Ines, please make your marital vows before the Lord.”

Marital vows, in other words, a kiss.

Of course, not as passionately as one might in bed, but simply pressing lips together and separating after a moment.

In Korea, Ines would be too young to even drink alcohol, and to kiss her… ah, never mind, let’s not think about it anymore. If I keep hesitating, nothing will happen.

“Um… Duke— mmph…!?”

Ines’s hesitant words are cut off by my lips. She was clearly about to say something, but since I covered her mouth, I couldn’t hear the rest.

However, Ines doesn’t try to continue what she was saying despite being interrupted.

She simply closes her eyes gently, wraps her hands around my neck, and feels the warmth transmitted through our lips.

Clap clap clap clap clap—

“Phew… Um… Ines.”

“Y-Yes…”

Amid the applause of the guests, we separate our lips and look into each other’s eyes.

Ines seems not to have expected me, who always hesitated, to act like this; her eyes and voice are mixed with equal parts surprise and excitement.

A normal wedding would end here, but I still have one more thing.

The attendants who haven’t heard about this surprise event I secretly prepared must be flustered by now.

“Give me your hand. It’s a gift.”

“This is…”

When I was researching the customs of this world while preparing for the wedding, the most surprising thing was that there was no culture of giving wedding rings to spouses during the ceremony. What? How can a wedding not include rings?

I took the puzzled Ines’s hand and placed a ring I had personally designed on the ring finger of her left hand.

It’s made entirely of gold with two thin silver lines in the middle and a diamond at the very center. Of course, the diamond is set at a height similar to the ring so as not to interfere with Ines’s daily life.

Due to limitations in craftsmanship, the diamond couldn’t be given a brilliant cut, but it’s still sufficiently beautiful.

“Look, I have a similar ring too. They’re a matching pair.”

“It’s… beautiful. Thank you…”

Ines examines the ring on the ring finger of her left hand.

She’s smiling softly, her cheeks slightly flushed, and her eyes gleaming with delight—she seems to really like it. That’s a relief.

“Well, shall we go down?”

“Yes… husband.”

“Husband…?”

It’s a more intimate form of address than “Duke,” but… it’s a bit embarrassing.

Ines carefully extended one hand, and I took it before walking down from the platform with her to receive the congratulations of the guests.

“To use light in such a way for production… and the fluttering flower petals were excellent too. You are truly remarkable.”

“Ines… be happy.”

Louis Dauphin, the heir to the Kingdom of Caroling, seems to have become slightly wary of us, perhaps feeling somewhat threatened by Burgundy’s cultural level, while Count Lorel appeared both greatly pleased to see his sister grown into a proper woman and simultaneously melancholic about having to let her go.

And Chloe… was nowhere to be found.

According to the attendant watching over Chloe, when I kissed Ines, she tightly closed her eyes and lowered her head, and then when I put the ring on Ines’s finger, she turned around and left the banquet hall.

…Chloe.