“Yes, understood.”

Reynard nodded at his aide’s prompt response and asked while opening the inkwell on his desk:

“Is the guest list for the wedding ready?”

“Yes, here it is.”

Shane returned to his desk, searched for the list, and handed it over. It was a list of the great nobles to be invited to Reynard and Valentin’s wedding in a few weeks. For Valentin, who disliked extravagance despite his flashy appearance, only a very important small number of people were selected. Both the wedding mass and reception party were planned to be quiet and formal events.

“I’ve changed my mind.”

“Pardon?”

The invitations had already been prepared according to the guest list.

“Increase the number of guests. Prepare it as lavishly and extravagantly as possible. Include all the socialites who might be curious and want to peek.”

“Are you serious?”

The wedding was not far off. They were already proceeding on a tight schedule compared to other noble weddings that typically take over six months to a year to prepare, and now an even bigger fire had fallen on their feet.

“Yes, I’d like it to be so grand that all the nobles of Eldon will clearly know about it.”

“Haa…”

Shane was shocked at the nuance that suggested including not just the great nobles of count rank and above, but also viscounts and barons. Moreover, he was already incredibly busy preparing for the wedding with the ducal family’s people on top of his military duties. He couldn’t help but sigh, feeling dizzy.

“Have you prepared an invitation for First Princess Ellison Leopold?”

“No. You said you wanted to exclude anything that might appear as a political move this time, so I didn’t prepare one.”

“Prepare one immediately. I’ll deliver it personally.”

“Personally, sir?”

It was an unexpected figure. And Reynard visiting the princess with the invitation in person… Shane had never imagined it even in his dreams. Last time you personally delivered the marriage proposal, did you like moving in person…?

Inviting royalty carries many meanings. Especially delivering an invitation personally to just one person. It could easily be seen as supporting that person. Moreover, before the full-fledged succession battle for the next throne begins… Recently, the likely successors, the First Princess and Third Prince, had been showing active movements. The succession structure was surfacing. It was undoubtedly a sensitive time.

“Surely you’re not planning to step into the succession battle…”

“I don’t intend to do it openly. It’s enough to just give the impression of support.”

“What on earth happened today? What are you thinking…”

Unlike a typical soldier who is clear about everything, he couldn’t finish his words. Ignoring Shane, Reynard gathered the documents scattered on his desk.

“I’ll make them regret today’s actions for the rest of their lives.”

There was no direct object of who he would do what to, but the target was sufficiently specified by the flow of the conversation. Shane unconsciously expressed condolences towards that specified target for a moment. Whatever happens in the future, it certainly won’t be easy.

“I never thought you would take political action, sir.”

Silence means affirmation. On behalf of his superior who said nothing more, Shane answered:

“Understood. I’ll carry out your orders as instructed.”

Watching Reynard sit at his desk and start writing something, Shane closed the door and returned to his place.

Everything his superior had ordered now exceeded what he could handle alone. It was time to actively seek help from the ducal family.

Shane sat down and wrote two telegrams. The recipients were Lord Benson and the Duchess of Haddington.

The two telegrams will be delivered quickly by special delivery. Those two people will now be the main forces investigating the Third Prince and carrying out the enormously expanded wedding.

Wedding

The weather was hot and clear, befitting midsummer.

The blue and clear sky was as high as the empire’s climate, and the lack of clouds made the brightness stand out even more.

When shielding your eyes with the back of your hand and looking up at the sky, the sharp spire stood proudly as if jealous of such clarity and blueness, like a spear thrust into a clean surface. It was the spire of the cathedral that had stood for hundreds of years.

Dozens of bells hanging between the towers rang out beautifully by the bell ringers. It had been a very long time since all the bells rang together like this.

Even on Sundays that came every week, only the largest bell would work, while most of the other bells would remain quietly asleep. But today was different from usual, a day when all the bells were busy working.

With the bell ringer’s vigorous movements, the bells boasted low sounds and high sounds according to their respective sizes, swaying left and right and resonating their bodies to sing. As if grandly celebrating their wedding today.

The highest name in the empire except for royalty. Today is the wedding day of Reynard Dennox, heir to the Dennox family and war hero, and Valentin Wiche, rumored in social circles as a beautiful superior omega.

Those boasting of Eldon’s nobility were all gathering at the cathedral. As it began to bustle with people dressed up to the nines, leaving no room to step, the bell sounds gradually grew louder and more numerous.

White doves that had been peacefully arranging their wings between the curved stones and the sculptures of the saint’s disciples all suddenly flew up towards the sky, startled by the bell sounds. They may have flown up in surprise, but the sight of their simultaneous wing flaps was beautiful, as if painting a picture in the blue sky.

It was a pure and clean appearance, just like today’s omega groom.

Of course, while the body might not be quite as pure due to the alpha groom waiting somewhere in this cathedral, the appearance was still many times more beautiful and pure white than the doves.

“It’s truly perfect.”

Madame Delacroix, who was adjusting the sleeves of the wedding attire, couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration at Valentin.

The snow-white wedding attire ambitiously designed by Madame, the gold threads embroidered here and there like paintings, the lace more dazzling and delicate than spider webs glistening with morning dew, the white rose corsage, and the various sizes of seawater pearls and diamonds set in between. Everything was of the highest quality and beautiful enough to be called the best.

Of course, it was an exclamation that could come out because the young man wearing it was so beautiful as if he didn’t belong in this world. He looked like a fairy or angel that had appeared cutting through the air from an unknown world. The clothes and decorations only added a little more to the young man’s elegance.

Hearing the admiration continue for the dozenth time, Valentin was beginning to suspect that Madame might have been cursed to repeat the same words somewhere.

“Truly beautiful.”

But for the groom’s mother hearing those words, it seemed new every time.

Viscountess Wiche was busily directing her ladies-in-waiting. They moved quickly, tidying Valentin’s hair and applying subtle perfume.

As soon as the maid’s touch disappeared after applying lemon to his white fingertips and wiping them with lukewarm water, Valentin stood up. He had grown weary of being groomed for hours in the waiting room.

“Could I have some time to rest?”

“There’s less than an hour until your entrance… but I think you can rest for about 15 minutes.”

Dawson, who was attending to him on the side, answered while looking at his pocket watch in response to Valentin’s question.

“Then… could I be alone for just a moment?”

Valentin asked, looking at his mother, the Viscountess.

Perhaps she read the complicated and confused look in her son’s eyes. She nodded slightly and led the servants and people from the dress shop out of the waiting room.

Finally, as Dawson closed the door and left, Valentin was completely alone.

“Haah.”

A deep sigh burst out from the one who had finally become alone.

The spacious prayer room, where a priest might have knelt and prayed with clasped hands receiving light pouring in from high windows, had become the omega groom’s waiting room for today’s wedding.

Was it to prevent the sound of secret prayers from leaking outside? As soon as the thick stone walls and heavy wooden door that must have been made hundreds of years ago closed, complete silence was trapped inside. Although there might have been people chattering excitedly next to Valentin just moments ago behind the wall, once the door closed, this place became solitary and quiet. It had become a space completely blocking out noise and gazes.

Dust in the air danced between the light spreading in through the window shapes.

Valentin stared at it quietly and then squeezed his eyes shut.

Behind his tightly closed eyes, as if enduring something, a recent event was coming to mind.

[Here are the duties that the Duchess-to-be must perform regularly.]

It was one of the busy days preparing for the wedding. Lord Shane Willgrave, who frequently visited the Viscounts residence to prepare for his superior’s wedding, came to see Valentin directly that day and said this.

He showed Valentin a thick booklet that looked heavy at a glance.

[Duties to perform?]

[Yes, that’s right.]

Are there this many things to do…?

Everyone sitting there together – Viscountess Wiche, her friend Countess Osborne, and her daughter Cecilia Osborne – all gaped. They couldn’t hide their shock at seeing the thick booklet that Shane had suddenly brought.

They had just gathered in the reception room to help with Valentin’s busy wedding preparations.

It was to choose silver crafts to be given as thank-you gifts to the guests at the wedding reception. Especially Countess Osborne, who had recently married off her eldest daughter, had come to lend her insight and wisdom from that experience. Of course, wisdom and insight were just excuses, and it was also to chat about the wedding. Naturally, there was endless gossipy chatter where the ladies had gathered.

Until just a moment ago, they had been calling in a silversmith and flipping through catalogs, repeatedly debating whether to choose two pairs of silver candlesticks carved with roses or if an ornate silver jewelry box with embossed plants would be better. But the women’s chatter, which had been excitedly discussing the sturdiness of the locking mechanism while looking at and touching the actual samples brought, was abruptly cut off by Shane’s visit.

To cut off the ladies’ chatter. It was an amazing talent. As expected of Reynard’s subordinate, unbeatable in his thick skin, one might say. Valentin thought, looking at the reception room that had frozen solid like ice.

And so Shane added silent shock by delivering the duties written throughout the thick booklet to the silence he had created…

[Please read through it and let me know if you have any questions.]

He concluded with the face of a work-hardened soldier, as if uninterested in the silence and shock he had created.

Valentin took the thick booklet Shane handed over. And he quickly flipped through the pages with his hand, roughly looking at the contents inside.

No, in fact, not a single letter entered his eyes.

He was too shocked seeing the tiny letters and densely packed sentences to even read the contents.

[Do I, do I have to do all of this…?]

[Yes. Originally these were duties for the Duchess to perform, but as you know, the Duchess position has been vacant for some time.]

He knew that the previous Duchess, Reynard’s mother, had passed away when he was young. So that position had remained vacant for well over 20 years.

[So it might seem particularly numerous. Because it’s been vacant for so long, there are things that need to be reorganized and things that need to be newly reformed.]