"Jin, sorry to keep you waiting."
It was nearly nine o'clock when Saki finally emerged, having finished her preparations. Ar and Reiko followed close behind her.
"Thank you for lending me Reiko-chan. It was a huge help."
Saki had traded her usual unkempt look for a neatly combed style, and she wore a lavender—or rather, a bluish-purple—dress. Though her figure was slim to the point of being a bit thin, the simple A-line cut suited her perfectly. She wore a hair ornament shaped like a single flower, and, of course, her glasses.
"Wow. I barely recognized you."
"Fu, it’s a bit embarrassing to be told that to my face," Saki said, her cheeks flushing a rare shade of crimson.
Just then, Reinhard’s butler, Claude, arrived.
"Jin-sama, Saki-sama, I have come to escort you."
Dressed in a black butler’s suit, Claude gave them a polite bow.
"I’ll take my own carriage, if that's alright?" Jin asked.
"Yes, that is perfectly fine. Then, Saki-sama, please, this way."
Jin set off for the Mansion in his own carriage, while Saki rode in the one driven by Claude. Claude didn't say a word about the fact that Jin’s carriage was towing an additional cart; having traveled with him before, he had likely already realized Jin wasn't one for traveling light.
"Are these the wedding gifts, Jin-sama?"
Upon arriving at the Randol estate, Jin handed the bed and futon over to Claude. The butler ordered the footmen to carry them inside. The doors to the Mansion were wide enough to allow the furniture to pass through easily, but Jin mentally noted that he should make them assembly-style next time—assuming such an occasion arose again.
"And this is from me." Saki held out a small box.
"Thank you, Saki-sama."
Claude accepted it as well. Apparently, the wedding gifts were all collected in a single room for the bride and groom to examine at their leisure after the ceremony.
"...And I was asked to deliver this by someone else." Jin held out the package containing the mascot dolls he had brought for Elsa.
"By 'someone else,' you say?"
To the puzzled Claude, Jin added, "Yeah. It's from someone Reinhard knows, but who couldn't show her face here today."
"I see."
Claude seemed to catch on to the meaning. He took the package and carried it into the gift room. After this, Claude and the other servants would unpack everything to verify the contents—a standard precaution to ensure no dangerous items were among the gifts.
"Jin-sama, Saki-sama, please wait here."
The two were shown to a waiting room. Many guests had already arrived, and Jin spotted several familiar faces among them. It was clear that this wedding had been planned far in advance, with preparations meticulously handled.
"Oh, Jin-dono! It has been quite some time."
The one greeting him was Reinhard’s friend and the bride’s older brother, Mattheus Geist von Realgar. Standing beside him was another acquaintance.
"Is that you, Saki? I hardly recognized you!"
It was Fritz Randol von Grosch—Elsa’s brother and Reinhard’s cousin.
"Ah, Fritz. It’s been a while. I heard you were out of the country; when did you return?"
"Just recently. I'm attending today as the representative of our branch family."
The smile on Fritz’s face held none of its former edge.
"Jin-dono, was it? My apologies for my behavior during our previous encounter."
Fritz even offered Jin a sincere apology. He was quite literally a changed man. Jin hadn't seen him since the Seduce magic had been lifted, and he was inwardly stunned by the transformation.
"...If only Elsa could have been here as well."
"Fritz... No, this isn't the place for that conversation."
Saki started to ask a question but caught herself, mindful of the setting. Instead, she turned to Mattheus.
"It’s been a while for you too, Mattheus. Is your wife well?"
"Yes, she is doing wonderfully. But Saki, you look like a different person. You’re a far cry from the girl we used to play with back in the day."
As a childhood friend of Reinhard, Saki was naturally a childhood friend of Mattheus as well.
"Kufufu, they say a woman can change into anything with a bit of makeup. Besides, your sister was the one who taught me how to apply it."
"Berche did? I see. By the way, what is that thing on your face?"
"Yes, I was curious about that as well," Fritz added.
"These? They're called 'glasses.' Jin made them for me to correct my vision. Thanks to these, I can see everything clearly now."
Hearing this, Mattheus turned back to Jin.
"Jin-dono, is this a tool of the same nature as the 'microscope'?"
Jin nodded and was about to explain when the doors opened.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the bride and groom are ready. Please, come this way."
The Head Butler of House Randol arrived to announce the commencement of the ceremony.
A wedding in the Shouro Empire was not held before a god.
Because organized religion had declined following the Great Magic War, churches had fallen into obscurity, and there were no longer widely worshipped deities. In their absence, the people of the Shouro Empire had turned toward ancestor worship.
The ceremony consisted of reporting the union to one's ancestors. To represent these ancestors, nobles used portraits, busts, or stone tablets engraved with family crests, while commoners used mementos or wooden dolls.
In the case of House Randol, it was a stone tablet. It was enshrined in a quiet room at the very back of the Mansion—a space that served as the family sanctuary. The crest, engraved on a slab of pure white marble about three meters high and two meters wide, depicted two lions facing one another. Jin was told that the names of all the family's ancestors were carved on the reverse side.
"We are here to report the marriage of the fourth son of House Randol, Reinhard Randol von Adamas, and the eldest daughter of House Geist, Berche Geist von Scarlett."
Standing before the tablet, Reinhard and Berche reported their union alongside their parents. Both were dressed in pure white.
"I, Berche Geist von Scarlett, vow that from this moment forth, I shall be known as Berche Randol von Scarlett."
"I, the witness, Christoph Balde von Tarnart, have duly observed this vow."
The man reminded Jin of a priest, but his role was that of a witness, a requirement for all noble weddings. Usually, a witness was a representative sent by a higher-ranking noble, but Christoph had been personally appointed by the Empress herself. It was a significant honor.
Jin stood at the very back, listening to Saki explain the nuances of the ceremony.
"It’s quite solemn, isn't it?" Saki whispered, her voice barely audible over the silence. "Reinhard has a good eye. I’m sure Lady Berche will be a pillar of support for him in the years to come."
There was a faint note of loneliness in her voice. Jin couldn't quite find the right words to comfort her, but he opened his mouth to try.
"Saki, you—"
"Shh. The couple is coming through."
Having finished their vows before the stone tablet, the newlyweds were now walking between the rows of guests, accompanied by their parents. The guests erupted into applause and offered words of blessing.
"Congratulations, Reinhard. I wish you both long and happy lives."
"Lady Berche, congratulations. May your new life together be filled with joy."
Jin and Saki joined in the applause, offering their own well-wishes.
Once the bride and groom left the room, they were permitted a short time alone together. Meanwhile, the guests moved to the Great Hall, which had been set up for the reception. Before the couple made their second entrance, Reinhard’s father, Wolfgang, addressed the room.
"Friends, I thank you all for attending the wedding of my fourth son, Reinhard, and Berche, the eldest daughter of the House of Count Geist."
His mother, Isolde, continued the sentiment.
"With this, our son Reinhard has truly become his own man. We hope you will continue to offer him your favor in the future."
The parents bowed. Berche’s parents gave similar speeches, and once they finished, the bride and groom entered in a change of clothes. They had traded their pure white garments for ornate formal wear suitable for a celebration.
"Apparently, helping each other change clothes is the first act they perform as a married couple," Saki whispered to Jin.
As the couple took their seats at the head of the hall, Count Randol spoke once more.
"Reinhard, Berche, congratulations. I have a gift for you both. I hereby grant you the village of Kalts, located to the west of Banne."
Kalts was a small village situated between Banne and Ekishi, the territory ruled by Elsa’s father, Georg Randol.
Applause filled the hall. With this gift, Reinhard had become a lord in his own right, even if the territory was small.
"We accept with the utmost gratitude."
"I shall serve with all my heart."
Reinhard and Berche bowed deeply.
The hall erupted in applause once more. Reinhard had become a village lord—much like Jin himself.