episode_0024

And so, after the wedding ceremony ended.

-♪~♬

The feast began.

Teodora and I sat together, watching the jester’s performance.

A fat man, looking like a pig, brandishing a sword…

“Hehe~ I will conquer the empire! I am the Grand Duke Francesco! Come here! You wench!”

And then… a dwarf woman shouted.

“No way! If I have to marry a fat pig like you, I’d rather bite my tongue and die~!”

“Hehe~ You wench! Spread your legs! Spread your legs!”

“Eek~! What are you doing, you fat pig? Who do you think you are? Is there anyone to save me, a handsome man perhaps?”

The dwarf woman called for help around her.

“Quickly! Shall I take off my clothes?!”

At that moment, a skinny man appeared, sneaking up behind the pig with a sword raised, and…

-Thud!

Struck him on the head.

“Haha! Now that I’ve taken care of the father, I am the Grand Duke! The lady… no! The princess is mine!”

In response, the dwarf woman turned her disgusted face and said.

“Oh my~ how lewd!”

“Hehe, come here quickly, my dear? Not stepmother, but wife!”

Seeing this, the dwarf woman sighed dramatically with exaggerated gestures.

“Ugh, I hate both pigs and imbeciles! Is there no knight to save me?”

As she spoke, looking around with a pitiful gaze, people burst into laughter.

-Hahaha!

-This performance is really hilarious!

Usually, the jester’s performance reveals how the common people view the ruler.

There is a tradition of jesters satirizing sensitive issues to express their grievances to the ruler, who wants to appear lenient and forgiving by laughing off the criticisms without punishment.

That’s why they bring such crude content to perform.

And this performance was deliberately planned by the jester to attack me.

To undermine my authority.

Well… I also have a moral responsibility.

After all, I persecuted the princess and even married her, and seized the capital under the grandiose pretext of knowing the future.

So, such criticism is to be expected.

Maybe that’s why I don’t feel particularly bad. Laughing off and moving on after watching the jester’s performance is also a virtue.

Living in an era where even the President of the United States is criticized in the media, perhaps it’s natural.

Although the intention is somewhat impure, I can let it pass.

With that thought in mind, I cautiously glance at the woman in a wedding dress next to me.

I can laugh it off when I see such things, but… Teodora, as another party involved, might have been traumatized by it…

I glance at her nervously, worried that I might have upset Teodora…

I see Teodora trembling with humiliation.

Seeing her looking like she might collapse at any moment, I think to myself.

Phew… I should just take the blame.

It would be better for Teodora’s future if I were seen as a petty and vindictive man, right?

With that thought in mind, I act.

“Enough! Can’t you stop?!”

Pretending to be consumed by anger, I shake my hands as realistically as possible, acting.

“Valeron is a devil worshipper, and I killed him to save this empire! But dare you insult me and the royal family?! What are the guards doing?! Not arresting these jesters?!”

As I speak with full anger, the guards storm into the venue to apprehend the jesters.

“Well… wait a moment, Your Highness, the jesters’ performance is satirical… we don’t punish them…”

As Chamberlain Pedro nervously speaks next to me, I glare at him and say.

“Then, will you pay the price for tarnishing my honor?”

At my words, both Pedro and I avoid eye contact.

“Your Highness! Your Highness, we are innocent! It was Pedro Jajak’s idea to put on this performance… We are innocent.”

“P… Please spare me! I only did what I was told.”

The neatly arranged jesters plead earnestly to the steward.

I knew this would happen.

Perhaps Steward Pedro Jajak orchestrated this to humiliate me.

He probably thought I wouldn’t lay a hand on the jesters.

“So, are you saying that this performance wasn’t voluntary on your part?”

I turn to Pedro, glaring at him as the jesters vigorously nod in agreement with my words.

“Pedro Jajak, what is the meaning of this?”

Pedro Jajak stammers fearfully in response to my question.

“I don’t know, they are sacrificing themselves to save their lives.”

“I will hear your explanation slowly in prison. Release the jester guards and arrest this stubborn steward!”

At my command, the guards release the jesters and begin to apprehend the steward.

“Please spare me, Your Highness! Spare me!”

As Pedro, the steward, is dragged away desperately, I take my seat.

“Ugh, the atmosphere is ruined.”

After a gust of wind passes through the banquet, I look towards the host.

It seems like they want to move on quickly…

“Well then, let’s proceed with the first night ceremony of the banquet, Choya.”

-Wow!

-Choya ceremony! Choya ceremony!

I let out a faint sigh at the crowd’s cheers.

“Ha…”

This is still the medieval era.

Hence, some primitive traditions remain.

One of them being the Choya ceremony.

Literally translated, it is a ritual held in front of everyone on the first night.

It used to be done in the midst of the guests, which was quite shocking.

Nowadays, it has been replaced by a ritual where the groom goes under the bride’s wedding dress to remove her panties, but in the past, it was customary for nobles to showcase their first night to as many nobles as possible.

The reason for such a bizarre ritual is that marriage to nobles is welcoming a new alliance.

If one side becomes stronger later on, they cannot dissolve the alliance and reject the other’s family, so it continued to ensure the lineage.

If there were witnesses to a woman losing her virginity, annulment of the marriage was impossible, and they had to live together whether they liked it or not.

Well… I remember seeing dozens of noble men and women crowding around during childbirth.

I think they did such strange things because they were afraid someone might switch the babies?

I don’t understand, and instead, I feel a strong sense of disgust towards these impure and primitive customs, but what can I do? If we don’t perform the Choya ceremony, it won’t be considered a proper marriage…

It must be done…

Teodora’s face turns red at the host’s words.

“Now then! Let’s see if today’s protagonist, Your Highness, will use his mouth or hands to unveil it~!”

-Mouth! Mouth!

-The Ryan family always used their mouth!

-Brother! You know you have to use your mouth, right? Or do you want to get dirty down there?!

As the host livened up the mood, the attendants moved the table in front of Teodora.

Even Octavia and Mary cheered for Teodora to unveil it with her mouth.

Ugh… I really don’t want to do this.

I don’t understand why they are cheering so enthusiastically for such a primitive tradition.

Ironically, in this place, it is believed that a man must use his mouth to remove a woman’s underwear in front of everyone.

Well, if it’s a relationship where both parties are in love, then maybe it’s fine.

Unfortunately… we are not in such a relationship.

That’s why I don’t want to humiliate her in that way.

I stand up and kneel in front of Teodora.

At that moment, our eyes meet.

Her face turns bright red.

She must be really embarrassed.

Well, you have to show your secret places to your sworn enemy, right.

The situation where she had to show her intimate place to the enemy who isolated her politically… It would be a huge disgrace for her.

But she couldn’t help it…

Let’s not just stand there and get it over with quickly.

With that thought in mind, he slips his upper body into her skirt.

The pretty lines and white calves.

Above them, the thighs that stimulate a man’s dark desires and above that…

Her panties, which look pure white and innocent, catch his eye.

-Thump…

Perhaps due to his lack of experience with women, his heart beats rapidly.

-Thump… Thump thump…

As if… he had just sprinted with all his might.

Phew… calm down…, don’t get excited because of me making her go through humiliation…

He tries to cool down his hot heart by continuing to think about her pitiful situation.

-Sigh.

I’m not a pervert, let’s finish this quickly.

As soon as his mind calms down, he grabs the strap of her panties and turns his head.

And…

-Swish!

Although he doesn’t look back, perhaps due to his mood, the sound of her skin and panties rubbing together seems unusually loud.

Soon… he quickly removes them all the way to her ankles and hurriedly steps away from the spot, showing her panties to the guests.

-Swish!

-Hey! Debbie! If you’re from the Ryan family, you should have swallowed it with your mouth!

Smirking at the guests who tease him, he glances at Theodora with a sly smile…

Shaking his head, he nervously shrugs his shoulders, feeling uneasy.

***

After the wedding reception…

He holds hands with her and walks to the honeymoon suite.

The knights, nobles, and priests following behind us.

As soon as we arrive at the large room…

-Click!

The door opens.

In the dimly lit room, a single candle illuminates the room softly.

And he enters with her.

-Thud!

As the sun sets.

Only then does he let go of her hand.

The light from the candle passes between them.

Let’s get this over with quickly.

-Clap clap!

As I applaud, the ceiling lights up with light bulbs like LEDs, brightly illuminating the room.

“Huh…?”

Surprised, Theodora steps back, and I take out a leather bag from under the sofa.

“What… what are you doing?”

Suddenly, a large leather bag appears in the honeymoon suite, and she stammers in surprise, to which I casually reply that it’s nothing.

“There are some documents that need to be reviewed by tomorrow, are you tired because of the wedding? Go wash up and rest for a bit.”

It’s a bit early for her to do it right now.

So, let’s make the most of this time to review the documents.

Tomorrow… there’s the Imperial Tournament, so I won’t be able to look at the documents, I have to handle as much as possible.

There was an emperor who received a lot of criticism for looking at the documents during the Imperial Tournament…

The Imperial Tournament is a competition hosted by the emperor.

So the emperor can’t miss it.

But does the emperor go there and work?

There was an incident where he was criticized for not being manly enough by a noble who loves the tournament and respects the knights, so he doesn’t plan to work there no matter what.

So… if I can’t work today and tomorrow… if I can’t do it for two days…

I’ll probably have to overdo it tomorrow night, that’s why I’m doing this now.

“…”

Without responding to me, she quietly heads to the bathroom, and I continue to struggle with the documents.