My Slain Dragon Bride

Chapter 263. A Hilariously Chaotic Wedding

A wedding was being held at Count Consilus’s castle.

As it was a noble wedding, it was a momentous occasion, with lords from all over the realm gathering in one place.

For that very reason, it was customary for nobles to display banners announcing their arrival upon the castle walls, showing off the prestige and grandeur of their domains.

But there wasn’t a single such banner.

Even the banner of the castle’s owner, Consilus, had been taken down.

At the center of the castle gate hung only one banner.

The emblem of Valdrova.

That alone was enough.

As the carriage that had rolled all the way from Valdrova’s Castle entered the town castle gates, cheers erupted.

"Long live the great Red Dragon!"

"Long live the Guardian of the Far East!"

"Alte, who watches over all things, please look favorably upon Her Grace, Grand Duchess Valdrova!"

Voices praising Valdrova’s achievements rang out endlessly, welcoming her arrival.

Hearing those cheers, Valdrova’s hands tensed.

Unable to hide her embarrassment, she finally put on a white porcelain mask.

"Ms. Ferda..."

"Yes."

"Um... I’m not really sure what I should do... Should I wave my hand?"

Her free hand fidgeted in front of the window as though it had nowhere else to go.

"You don’t have to. I’m sure they already know that Your Grace is smiling at them."

"R-Really?"

Valdrova looked out the window again.

But in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to wave. She simply watched the people smiling at her until they reached the inner castle.

Luri, who was sitting on the driver’s seat, cleared her throat and shouted.

"Show proper respect!"

The commoners bowed their heads, while the knights dropped to one knee.

The atmosphere inside the castle was so overwhelming that even the insects in the grass seemed to hold their breath.

Luri opened the carriage door.

Ferda stepped out first, took Valdrova’s hand, and helped her descend.

The woman who stepped out of the red carriage was every bit as striking as the carriage itself.

Her descent from the carriage was more than enough to be described as the descent of a goddess.

Valdrova concealed herself beneath a wide-brimmed hat, with a translucent veil hanging from its edge all the way below her thighs.

It prevented anyone from seeing her clearly, even if they dared to steal a glance.

The commoners couldn’t even raise their heads, while the knights could barely kneel and catch a glimpse of her figure.

I heard she had a remarkably slender appearance...

What a foolish thought. Weren’t we informed that this is a double?

After the incident in the Empire, Valdrova had begun occasionally appearing in Hestia Village.

However, she never participated directly. She merely showed her face from the balcony for brief periods.

Since there were few opportunities to see her in human form, many scholars and painters gathered at high places, desperately trying to capture her Dragon Eyes.

Red hair.

Golden eyes.

Her sharp gaze seemed to contain flames powerful enough to melt the world itself, while her slender figure was said to embody the very essence of inner strength beneath a gentle exterior.

That was the image of Valdrova known to the public.

But Ferda and a small number of others already knew the truth.

It wasn’t Valdrova herself.

It was a double.

And among even those people, only a very select few knew that the double’s appearance had been created through the disguise techniques of a demon named Penelope.

As the child of Sitri, the Demon of Lust and Illusion, Penelope was exceptionally skilled at disguise.

Having been able to observe Valdrova from closer than anyone else, Penelope had memorized her appearance well enough to impersonate her.

But she could never dare become Valdrova herself.

Ferda had agreed to let Penelope act as Valdrova’s double, but he would never tolerate her becoming identical to the original.

Thus, two differences had been deliberately added to distinguish the double from Valdrova herself.

Instead of gentle, puppy-like eyes, she had sharp, cat-like eyes.

And instead of a voluptuous, somewhat soft-looking figure, she had been given a slender and graceful appearance.

They had decided that establishing her dignity as a Dragon and a ruler was more important than giving her a warm and approachable impression.

Although people were puzzled by how different she looked from the descriptions they had heard, no one dared dismiss her as merely a woman.

After all, the horns on her head and the long tail were unmistakably the features of the one they revered.

Valdrova carefully walked across the carpet.

One step.

Then another.

Every step she took was incredibly cautious.

Valdrova was genuinely nervous.

I mustn’t make a mistake...

There were so many eyes watching her.

If she made a mistake, she would only cause trouble for Ferda.

Fortunately, no one except those close to Valdrova noticed anything unusual.

After taking several steps, two elderly men knelt before Valdrova.

The lord of the castle, Count Ulvera Consilus, spoke first.

"Ulvera Consilus offers his greetings to the Aspect of the Great Flame. Your Grace has personally graced this land with your presence and illuminated us with your Dragon Eyes. Your divine favor is so great that it feels as though even this year’s winter has already begun to melt."

Rather than answering with words, Valdrova quietly nodded.

She was remaining silent to hide her trembling voice, but to everyone else, that silence was more than enough to convey an overwhelming sense of gravitas.

Beside him, an elderly man leaning on a staff also offered his greetings.

"I humbly offer my respects. I am Duke Valeri Purity of the Northern Kingdoms Alliance. I am also the father of Lyudmila, the bride at today’s wedding."

For those familiar with Duke Valeri Purity, the scene was rather awkward.

It was refreshing to see such a renowned great warrior showing such impeccable respect to someone despite his advanced age.

"I have heard much about Your Grace from my immature daughter. I do not know how I can possibly apologize for her rudeness. In my heart, I feel that only offering my life would be enough to atone for it."

Valdrova didn’t answer.

Instead, she discreetly looked at Ferda.

"Her Grace bears you no ill will. She sincerely hopes that the marriage between the two families proceeds smoothly without incident."

"To hear Your Grace say such words... I am overwhelmed by your grace. Beyond merely uniting our two families, I hope this can become an alliance between the Eastern and Northern Regions."

"We have kept Your Grace standing here for too long. Please, proceed inside."

After Valeri Purity and Ulvera Consilus finished their greetings, they cleared the way.

The wedding was being conducted with such extravagance that it was difficult to believe it was taking place at a count’s estate.

The Purity Ducal Family was certainly involved, but even taking that into account, the scale was excessive.

A Dragon is attending, after all. Of course this is only natural.

Who in this world could become friends with a Dragon and invite one to their wedding?

Even if someone were bold enough to issue such an invitation, it would normally be dismissed as something too insignificant to warrant a response.

A wedding was the grandest occasion of one’s entire life, something that happened only once.

Having a noble of higher rank attend that one opportunity was practically equivalent to receiving that noble family’s blessing.

But Valdrova’s visit meant something even greater than a visit from the Emperor.

The servants who had been rushing about stopped simultaneously at the arrival of the Red Dragon.

At the same time, more and more eyes began turning toward her.

Even Valdrova’s movements, concealed behind her mask, became noticeably stiff.

Her steps gradually slowed until she was walking in rhythm with Ferda.

When they came close enough for their shoulders to almost touch, Ferda felt something soft against his finger.

Valdrova’s little finger carefully curled around his.

The tension she was carrying traveled through her pulse and into Ferda.

Ferda gently wiggled his finger against hers, soothing her anxiety.

Her pulse gradually became calmer.

They arrived at the garden where the wedding ceremony would take place.

The seats prepared for Ferda and Valdrova were positioned even farther forward than those of the families of the bride and groom.

"The ceremony will begin shortly. Please enjoy yourselves while listening to the music performed by the finest orchestra in the Northern Region."

Valdrova nodded.

Since no one could tell someone of a rank higher than the Emperor to wait, the orchestra’s performance had been scheduled earlier than planned.

Once she sat down and the space around them opened up, Valdrova could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

She carefully tilted her head toward Ferda and whispered.

"I’m sorry..."

Her face had turned bright red.

Valdrova had been so nervous that she couldn’t say anything and had ended up acting spoiled instead.

Ferda discreetly took her hand and said,

"You’re doing well, my Eleanor."

She swallowed hard and repeatedly took deep breaths.

It seemed even more difficult for her than when dozens of giant monsters had descended upon them.

Ferda couldn’t help but feel both sorry for her and incredibly fond of how adorable she was.

Regent Ferdaaa.

There was, however, someone who ruined the atmosphere.

A voice that instinctively made Ferda frown.

Its unbearably light tone was so grating that he wanted to wash his ears immediately.

The person whispering directly into Ferda’s ear was Penelope.

She had been invited as Lyudmila’s friend.

Ferda expertly sent her a telepathic message.

Get lost.

Could you spare me just a little time, pleeease?

Didn’t I tell you to get lost?

Haha, I’d love to, but then I’d have to tell Her Grace Valdrova about this, you know?

Is that a threat? How dare you—

No, can’t you just hear me out? I told you it’s urgent!

I’ll give you five seconds. Speak.

It’s serious enough that we need to stop the wedding right now!

Ferda wondered what the hell she was talking about.

If you don’t come, there’s really going to be a huge disaster!

"......"

Even after hearing her say that, Ferda couldn’t bring himself to believe Penelope.

"Mr. Ferda? Are you all right?"

Valdrova quietly asked after noticing his unnatural behavior.

Ferda turned to her.

"Would it be all right if I went to the restroom for a moment?"

"Oh, of course."

"I’m sorry. I’ll be back quickly."

Ferda stood up and swiftly left.

If it turned out to be nothing, he decided that today would be the day he beat Penelope half to death.

***

The place Ferda went after listening to Penelope was the bridal waiting room.

He was beginning to sense that Penelope’s frantic behavior wasn’t simply because she was being frivolous.

Lyudmila’s older brother, the Young Lord of House Purity, Igor Purity, and the great warrior Sergei Purity were standing there with troubled expressions.

"What’s going on?"

The two visibly flustered when Ferda appeared.

"Greetings to the Regent of the Far East! Nothing is wrong. Please don’t worry."

"May I ask why the Regent has come to the bridal waiting room...?"

"Penelope said there was a problem, so I came here. Are you certain that nothing is wrong?"

"Ah, well..."

The two men seemed to find it difficult to lie.

"Over here!"

The frivolous woman inside the bridal waiting room waved her hand enthusiastically.

"Come in and talk to me!"

Ferda followed Penelope into the bridal waiting room.

The biggest problems with weddings tended to happen on the very day of the ceremony.

Even couples who loved each other could suddenly run away on their wedding day. It happened all the time.

Ferda naturally assumed that something like that had happened.

Perhaps Lyudmila had lost her nerve now that the wedding had finally arrived, and Ferda would have to persuade her to go through with it.

But reality was different.

Lyudmila was sitting quietly in the waiting area, dressed in a pure white wedding gown.

She was wearing a wide dress to conceal her full-term pregnancy, but because of that, she didn’t look fat at all.

Ferda entered and asked her directly.

"Lady Lyudmila?"

"Oh, o-oh! Regent?"

Lyudmila visibly panicked.

It seemed she had been so absorbed in something that she hadn’t noticed him approaching.

"Is something wrong?"

"What? Something wrong? No? Nothing is wrong."

Lyudmila smiled.

But her smile was slightly different from the innocent smile Ferda had seen from her before.

It was an unnatural smile, as though she were trying to hide her suffering.

Seeing her up close made it obvious.

Beads of cold sweat had formed on her forehead.

She repeatedly inhaled short breaths through her nose and exhaled through her mouth.

"There is no need to hide it. Can you tell me what is wrong?"

"No. Hoho! Everything is... perfectly fine! The wedding can proceed without any problems!"

Ferda frowned and decided to take a stronger approach.

"As the Regent of the Valdrova Grand Duchy, I cannot accept an unfortunate incident occurring here. If I determine that the ceremony cannot proceed, I will inform Her Grace and have the wedding postponed until another day—"

"That...!!"

Lyudmila grabbed Ferda’s hand.

"Y-You can’t do that...!"

"...Then why don’t you tell me what’s going on?"

Ferda glanced at the hand she was gripping and added,

"And let go of my hand, too..."

As befitting a family of Northern warriors, her grip strength was absurd.

Ferda’s hand nearly snapped like an autumn reed.

"Well..."

Lyudmila forced a smile and said,

"When I woke up this morning and stretched..."

"......"

"My stomach suddenly started hurting a little, you know?"

"......"

"I thought maybe I had become a little sensitive and nervous, so I tried to calm myself down slowly, but..."

She hesitated.

"It... it didn’t work."

Ferda immediately understood what she meant.

There was only one thing that could cause a woman at full term to experience continuous abdominal pain.

"......Your labor has started."

"......."

"And the interval between the contractions is...?"

Lyudmila shyly raised one finger.

"One minute..."

Ten minutes before the bride was supposed to walk down the aisle—

The bride had gone into labor.

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