Chapter 1250 - 1175: Wedding
Before dawn on February 1st, under the guidance of the official Night Watchers, carriages and horses gathered in the Central Park outside the ry Court Barracks.
False floral wreaths made of spider silk hung by the roadside, sprayed with fragrant medicine, surprisingly emanating a strong scent.
The Central Park of the ry Court Barracks is located in the southwest, surrounded by small courtyards of veteran families.
This park, situated below the mountain villas, was transformed from a small pond into a small lake.
The water from the surrounding swamp was mostly drained into this park, and rows of bald cypress were transplanted to stand guard along the waterways.
A small mound beside the lake is called Holy Grail Hill, said to be comprised entirely of holy soil dug from Holy Grail Mountain.
Those in the know are aware that only the soil carried by Horn came from Holy Grail Mountain; the rest was dug from the lake area.
Later, under the management of Saintess Hilov, the area was filled with a variety of fresh flowers.
Chamomile, irises, roses, freesias, jacarandas... countless blooms wafted mist-like among the grass.
The fresh or strong fragrance of flowers mingled with the drifting floral mist and sunlight, penetrating the noses of passersby.
From hotels or apartments, crowds streamed in from all directions.
Walking between the dirt paths on the grass, most were seen in pairs, arm in arm.
Men mostly donned crisp black suits, while ladies mostly wore white corset dresses.
The ladies had been starving for days in preparation for this day.
In this era, the concept of a wedding dress did not exist; getting married usually involved wearing nice clothes and saying vows in the church.
Forget about formal attire or ceremonies; there weren’t even wedding rings.
Middle-class citizens might bring one or two companions to help carry a bag.
Inside the bag were wedding ceremonial dresses meticulously sewn by the brides.
They were still capable of bearing these expenses.
Because of the large number of people involved in this group wedding, it couldn’t be held indoors, nor was it appropriate to block streets or squares, hence the choice of the countryside.
The ladies, unable to climb with their fancy dresses on, asked their friends to carry them.
Upon reaching Holy Grail Hill, there were specially designated hundreds of dressing rooms for them to change clothes.
Spring chills lingered, under the azure sky.
Black swallows flew back and forth, carrying new mud to build nests, chirping noisily overhead.
pairs of newlyweds chatted and laughed with shyness, following the signs to their designated positions.
By the way, the idea of 999 couples was suggested by Horn, and no one understood why 999.
At the top of Holy Grail Hill, before them, seven plated copper columns emerged from the ground, inscribed with various scriptures and prayers.
The column tops held cogs interlocking to spin the holy crowns, and each rotation pulled the keys.
Thin as hairs, steel wires trembled, lifting the internal copper hammers to strike holy music mixed with metallic resonance.
Below the seven copper columns, representing the Seven Hills of Earl, lay a circular altar, with a golden Holy Grail and Holy Water placed in the center.
The original officiant should be a high-ranking priest, whose rank would rise alongside the status of those marrying.
Yet, unfortunately, Horn himself happened to be the highest-ranking priest; for him, officiating would require the Saint Master personally.
It was unheard of for a Pope to openly marry, let alone marry four at once.
So none of the ceremony books mentioned how to handle this situation.
After much wrangling, Horn simply proposed doing it himself without others.
Though it was not apparent, the fact was that the Saint Master had already come upon him.
Wearing a tailcoat-like attire, resembling the gentleman’s dress of the 18th-century France, Horn uncomfortably stood before a mirror.
"Your Grace... You look so young," Dass, seated behind a round table, commented, "If Uncle and Aunt were here, they would be weeping uncontrollably."
Horn adjusted his collar but remained silent.
The uncle and aunt mentioned by Dass referred naturally to Horn’s parents, the Old Gallar couple.
Seeing Horn marry Jeanne might give them comfort, yet the sight of the other three women might drop their jaws.
"They’re watching us from the Celestial Kingdom, they must surely be pleased."
Gazing at himself in the mirror, Horn smiled wryly; he was getting married while his real homeland parents couldn’t see.
Outside the window was the noisy crowd, couples having changed into their attire, entered hand in hand.
No matter how good-natured, no matter how civilized, there would always be a commotion at times like this.
Various post-makeup misrecognitions, holding the wrong hand or marrying the right groom, two men accidentally holding hands in strange spectacles ensued repeatedly.
Various comedic acts occurred, thankfully subdued one by one.
Entering the outer space, Horn found not only the 999 newlyweds but a large number of family members, onlookers, and diplomats from various regions and countries also present.
Even Falan’s envoy attended, presenting three dazzling premium emeralds to Horn.
However, as Horn viewed these emeralds, he sensed Charles’s intention of offering three treasures to kill four nobles.
It’s said Charles VIII, leading the Imperial Alliance against the Royal Court, upon hearing Horn’s marriage news, shouted the Falan expletive "voka!"
Having lost the final shield, Charles VIII would face a dual attack from the Dowager Queen and the Prime Minister.
Despite Horn choosing from the four factions, he couldn’t help but select them all quickly.
Charles VIII similarly had to choose among queens proposed by each faction, without autonomy.
The Prime Minister leaned towards new-nobility from aristocratic origins, while the Dowager Queen leaned towards conservative traditional aristocracy.
Many merchant-origin ministers hoped the King might marry a merchant-origin new-nobility.
Falan is not like the Holy Alliance, internally quite united.
His centralized power is not comparable to Horn’s. Horn can have it all, but he must choose.
He walked out from behind the bronze pillar, to a three-meter-high platform in front of the bronze pillar, and stood at the circular altar.
The newlyweds looked up, their eyes fixed intently on Horn.
"The wedding ceremony begins now."
With the sound of the organ and trumpet, four Saintesses slowly walked down the four red carpets.
The four Saintesses wore flower bride wedding dresses of basically the same style.
The ivory white satin top was off-shoulder with a strap embedded with a fine copper chain.
The skirt was short in the front and long in the back. The front had layers of knee-length stiff tulle, while the back had a long train with patterned embroidery.
However, the four Saintesses were distingushed individually.
Jeanne wore a burgundy shawl, and Jia Li donned tighter white gloves made of spider silk to cover her mechanical arm.
As for Catherine, her dress had quite a few floral embroideries, while Hilov wore thick white knee-high socks to cover her mechanical legs.
The four walked slowly from four directions towards Horn, their eyes smiling yet anxious.
Ironically, among the five getting married, the only elder still alive is Louise and Serafe.
And the only one who could attend was Louise.
However, Louise’s appearance was too much like a flower girl, so she ended up not attending.
Thus, after hymns and dances, the wedding moved directly into the groom and bride’s speech segment.
"Thank you for getting me out of this cage." Hilov reached out and held Horn’s hand.
Horn firmly held her hand in return, "We still need to go see the sea in the future."
Next was Catherine’s turn. She looked into Horn’s eyes, her expression complex, "I hope our marriage can be as joyful and enduring as the Holy Alliance."
"Stubborn little girl." Horn ignored the teasing voices and directly stepped forward to hug Catherine tightly.
Her face blushed red, only then did Horn let go.
Next up was Jia Li.
"Our child will become the Holy Alliance’s son, the first citizen." Jia Li’s words were exceptionally short, yet prompted a cheer from the crowd.
Horn looked at her helplessly, "Do you have to talk about these things now?"
"Will you punish me tonight then?" Jia Li blinked at Horn.
Horn didn’t respond but instead looked towards Jeanne, who was waiting with a smile.
He didn’t employ any tricks, instead pulling out a yellowed, ragged marriage contract from his bosom.
This was set by Old Gallar for the two of them.
"Will you marry me?"
"I will." Jeanne’s face broke into a bright smile, rarely tears glistened in her eyes, "Always willing."
Next was the collective speech segment.
Horn served as everyone’s priest, standing on stage shouting.
"No matter if she/he is rich or poor in the future, or whether she/he is healthy or unwell, will you stay together forever?"
"Yes!" The newlyweds collectively responded.
"In the name of the Holy Father and Saint Master with the Holy Tree, I pronounce you married—now the groom may kiss the bride!"
A burst of teasing voices erupted from the crowd, for most, kissing in public was still a bit embarrassing.
Nonetheless, with the Saint’s Grandson in attendance and the precedent set by Harbin, they bravely kissed.
Only the Saint’s Grandson himself cleverly disappeared at the time, which didn’t involve kissing the brides in public—unless he could grow four mouths.
Horn and the Saintesses withdrew, the original venue curtains instantly opened, and the elegant wedding setting was rapidly transformed into a feast.
"One six, two sixes, three sixes, you lost, drink!"
"Put that pig leg down for me!"
On the long table, roast chicken, suckling pig, braised beef, cheese bread, and river shrimp were laid out.
Not only was there a special feast on the mountain for the newlyweds’ families, but there was also a dedicated flowing banquet at the foot of the mountain.
All were white meat and beer - while the taste wasn’t mentioned, it was indeed filling and satisfying.
This spending wasn’t from the Holy Treasury, rather it was funded by Catherine herself.
As the former head of the Meigedi Commerce Association, Catherine herself was among the top three richest people in the Holy Alliance.
Before long, the feast turned into a mess, bowls and plates piled up, and the scent of beer and fruit wine wafted up from the hill to the summit.
By evening, bonfires were lit, Horn and the Saintesses changed their outfits and personally joined in dancing around the bonfire.
They held hands, bowed their bodies, lifted their steps, tapping the ground while dancing and singing.
This scene akin to a rural New Year’s dance party naturally attracted many young couples to join in.
Everything was so joyful.
Far away on another slope, René sat on horseback, eyes reflecting the festive scene in the distance.
He held the quick report in his hand, but ultimately did not move his steps.
Now is the happiest time, wait until tomorrow morning to report.
Just that by then, the Saint’s Grandson, Saintesses, and the many high monks of the Holy Alliance might not be as happy as now.