IYAMD 138

IYAMD 138

Side Story 1

In mid-January, the Emperor’s wedding took place.

On that day, after the snowfall that had persisted since the end of the year stopped, the sun shone brightly from the morning, drawing the attention of the entire empire to the palace where the wedding ceremony was being held.

Many who had come from rural estates to witness the wedding, along with the citizens of the capital, also set out early in the morning to view the Emperor’s wedding.

The Emperor and his consort each rode in separate carriages and paraded through the streets. The carriages, each drawn by twelve white horses, were grand and luxurious, drawing the gazes of the people.

As the Emperor’s carriage passed by, the crowd cheered and threw paper flower petals into the air. The fame of the consort’s achievements, which had spread throughout the empire between autumn and winter, ensured that the cheers did not die down even as his carriage passed by.

As the procession marched through the grand plaza and down the main streets, butterflies and flower petals created by the wizards of the Mage tower fluttered in the air.

Children, with their heads tilted back, were busy watching the beautiful movements of the butterflies filling the sky along with the snowflakes blowing in the wind, while adults reached out to catch the butterflies flying nearby, fully enjoying the atmosphere.

Despite the cold, the citizens, who had been standing since early morning, followed the path of the carriages towards the palace. Though the crowd was much larger than the palace itself, they did not mind walking as they wished to offer their blessings for the Emperor’s wedding.

Within the slowly moving procession, laughter bloomed. The Emperor and his consort waved from their carriages, and the crowd responded by shouting louder, chanting their names.

The Emperor, accustomed to such events, waved back with a relaxed expression, but the consort was completely different. Every time his name was called, his pale face would turn red, and his hand, with delicate fingers, would wave nervously.

Given his shy reactions, it was no surprise that the crowd became even more mischievous.

Opposite the busy Jaha, who was waving his hand in response to the cheers, Serez sat by a window with curtains drawn. Normally, the consort’s father would sit there, but Marsilia had suggested this for Jaha, who was without family, saying it would be more comfortable than moving alone.

Serez had been suppressing his laughter while watching Jaha’s flushed face since the procession started.

“Why don’t you just laugh?” Jaha grumbled sulkily, and Serez dropped the effort to maintain a neutral expression. Upon seeing Serez smile brightly, Jaha’s face turned even more pouty.

“Does it not suit you?”

“It’s my first time.”

“Still, you’ve experienced a military procession before, so this isn’t your first such event.”

“Back then, everyone was only looking at Marsilia.”

Jaha seemed bothered by the stiff collar of his uniform, occasionally fiddling with it when there was a brief moment to spare. His face, which had turned red like the cloak draped over his shoulder, made it seem as though he was feeling hot and uncomfortable.

While nobles, having been raised with extensive training, might take such discomforts for granted, there was no such attire on the Eastern Continent, so it must have been particularly uncomfortable for him.

Nonetheless, what made his actions less objectionable was Jaha’s demeanor. Serez liked the way Jaha’s back remained straight, his head held high, even though his face was flushed.

Even though he seemed burdened by the gazes of so many people, Jaha’s calmness in meeting their eyes made him seem well-suited to the position of empress. While his speech and actions were sometimes too bold, bordering on impolite, Serez thought that this was actually a fitting quality for subduing the nobles.

Noticing Serez’s evaluating gaze, Jaha shifted his gaze away from the window. With a slight lift of one corner of his mouth, he spoke without moving his lips much.

“It’s a strange country. It’s funny how people welcome the Emperor’s marriage to a man, yet there’s no special title for a male consort. Also, it’s funny that it doesn’t seem odd for a man to bear children.”

“There’s no particular rejection of a male empress, but it’s not exactly common. It’s rare for such a partner to appear, so creating a new title would be too much trouble. People usually prefer familiar terms they are used to.”

“I see.” Jaha casually acknowledged this and turned his head toward the window, once again reddening his cheeks. Despite his slightly confused expression, which gave him a somewhat ​Read on​clumsy look, he remained an oddly refined beauty.

Perhaps it was because he was from the Eastern Continent. His neatly arranged half-tied hair and delicate face occasionally reminded one of a beauty from the East.

Despite his lack of feminine features, his unique charm had garnered the attention of many women who frequented the palace. The Emperor, troubled by the glances directed at Jaha during year-end events and the New Year’s ball, had even been somewhat distressed.

Serez had been thrilled throughout the ball and event, watching the Emperor groaning like a dog in need of something. Honestly, the Emperor’s anxiety was a laughable worry. It was obvious even from the side that Jaha’s gaze was always fixed on him.

As someone from the Eastern Continent, who valued the bonds they formed, Jaha behaved as though no one else mattered except for the Emperor, to whom he had given his heart.

The fact that Jaha, who was five years younger than the Emperor and had never experienced love, appeared far more mature was something everyone at the palace acknowledged.

So, they would live well. In that respect, Serez was quite pleased that Jaha was the Emperor’s companion. It was because he was strong that it was good that the Emperor could rely on him rather than feel the need to protect him. There was no better thing than for the Emperor, who had been alone since his youth, to finally have someone to lean on.

Feeling like the older brother marrying off his youngest sibling, Serez chuckled to himself and surveyed the surroundings through the half-covered window. They were almost at the Imperial Palace, so he gave a light nod towards Jaha.

“Jaha, just do things your way. Please get along well with His Majesty. And… please take care of him. Don’t get too upset if he does something childish.”

Just before the carriage arrived and the door opened, Jaha chuckled softly.

“You don’t have to say that.”

As the door opened, the Emperor, who had arrived first, extended his hand towards Jaha. Jaha looked at the hand indifferently before placing his own hand over it, as if he couldn’t help it.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty.”

As Jaha was about to step down the stairs, Serez gave his congratulations, and the Emperor smiled brightly. He looked like the happiest person in the world today.

Seeing that smile, Serez absentmindedly rubbed the tip of his nose. Was it the cold air? Why did his nose feel so cold?

The Emperor and his companion climbed the stairs to the Imperial Palace side by side, and the crowd held their breath to watch. Perhaps because of the heavy atmosphere, it felt like their steps were heavier than usual.

As Jaha exhaled deeply to release his tension, the man beside him whispered softly, lowering his voice.

“Are you nervous?”

“Yeah.”

“Me too.”

He answered with a face that didn’t seem nervous at all and tightly gripped Jaha’s hand. As Jaha felt the tremble in his hand, covered by the white gloves, he finally looked properly at the man’s face.

“Long time no see.”

The man nodded silently at Jaha’s words.

“I thought I’d die from wanting to see you.”

Seeing the grumpy expression on the man’s face, Jaha couldn’t help but smile brightly. It reminded him of Serez’s words, calling the man immature.

The two of them had been apart for about a week due to the final stages of their wedding preparations.

It was partly because Ashton insisted on them staying in separate places as part of the wedding arrangements, and also because the priests dispatched from the temple kept holding prayer ceremonies, leaving them with no choice but to comply.

The Emperor and his companion were traditionally supposed to offer prayers separately, so they had to follow the practice.

Though Jaha didn’t believe in the local religion, he didn’t think it was right to refuse outright. He felt that since he had decided to live here, he should follow the necessary customs.

This way, the people would feel at ease, and Marsilia would have something to say to the temple and the nobles.

Above all, he couldn’t afford to create any scandals for the time being. After all, he’d have many battles ahead with the nobles and the temple.

As they ascended the long stairs, flower petals made from magic fell above them. It was a sight they had seen during the New Year’s events, but today it was more dazzling and dreamlike than ever before. Without realizing it, Jaha tilted his head upward.

“It’s beautiful.”

Marsilia smiled carelessly and tilted his head.

“You’re even more beautiful.”

Jaha, knowing Marsilia’s tendency to ease the tension with a joke, silently let it pass, though, honestly, he felt chills from the eerie tone in his ear. Would there ever come a time when he’d get used to that strange way of speaking?

As Jaha continued up the stairs, he casually unauthorized copy imagined the future that awaited him and Marsilia. Would it be like the time they had spent together so far, or would something change?

He couldn’t quite picture it, and for that reason, a faint sense of hope bubbled up.

Just then, the door at the top of the stairs to the Imperial Palace opened. The large, sharp door, as tall as Marsilia and five others combined, opened, and the long red carpet was the first thing visible. At the end of the path stood the altar where the officiant of the ceremony would stand.

The golden-decorated altar, the paintings and decorations that filled the high, vast ceiling—all of it was immediately apparent. The sound of the pipes from the organ, coupled with the singing of the young priests, sounded like birds chirping.

Without even having time to be surprised by the holy scene, the hundreds of eyes within the temple turned in unison toward them.

Jaha tightly gripped Marsilia’s hand. The man, dressed in a similar white ceremonial outfit, smiled and took Jaha’s hand in return.

“Shall we go in?”

“Yeah.”

Jaha lifted his gaze toward the straight path ahead. With Marsilia, he stepped into the temple, aiming for the central altar.

Feeling the warmth of the man’s hand in his, the tension that had tightly gripped his shoulders eased, and he exhaled ​stolen content​more easily than before. Jaha smiled more comfortably than he had earlier.