I called out, "come in!"
James opened the back door and said, "all the guests have arrived, it is time for you both to make your appearance."
I held out my arm and turned towards Becca, "let's do this."
Becca hooked my arm and nodded, "I'm ready!"
We stopped at the door to the main ballroom for a moment. I took a deep breath and opened the door…
Once we took our first step out of the room, I could hear elegant entrance music being played. Looking below, all the noble guests were standing up and clapping.
I put on my best smile, nodded and slowly walked down the stairs with Becca. James explained to me earlier that dancing would come later in the night and the first thing for us to do was to greet the guests as a couple.
I wanted to greet Becca's parents first, since I felt it was important to respect your family, but Becca and James convinced me against it because it would be seen as an insult to the marquesses who are ranked higher than a count.
Therefore, our only choice for the first people to talk to was one of the two marquis families. For this choice, we decided to go with a big gamble. Becca was hesitant at first, but my strong feelings finally convinced her.
My big gamble was to first talk to Marquis Lancaster and his wife Martha instead of talking to Marquis Roberts and his family. This was a bold decision because Marquis Roberts and his family had much more military power and wealth than Marquis Lancaster.
However, I much preferred to align myself with Marquis Lancaster and his wife, who had the most influence over the noble women.
While on the other hand, Marquis Roberts currently had 5 wives and was known to have a short temper and would beat his family if they angered him. I didn't want anything to do with the guy. Plus, given the person he was, I doubt he would be on our side once our first two laws were announced anyways. I secretly hoped that a few of his wives would divorce him once we legalized divorce in the future.
As Becca and I walked up to Marquis Lancaster and Madam Martha, the intensity of the murmuring around us grow quickly. I ignored it and held my hand out to Marquis Lancaster.
"Hello Marquis Lancaster, thank you for coming to our wedding banquet."
He too was shocked at my decision. His eyes were open wide, but he still shook my hand and replied, "I'm not sure your purpose, but I don't think I have much to offer you."
I smiled and looked at Becca then back at the Marquis. "We actually came here first because we want to learn from your example and be a loving couple just like you two."
Lady Martha looked like she didn't believe my words, but she responded, "I never want to discourage a couple trying their best…so congratulations on your wedding."
It seemed pretty obvious that she knew about the original Nicolas' behavior and did not believe in our chances of being a good couple in the future.
However, Becca was happy to be congratulated by the couple she admired growing up. "Thanks so much Madam Martha! My husband has promised to be loyal to me, so we can follow in your footsteps."
I leaned in to Becca ear and whispered, "geez Becca, stop being so cute. I can barely stop the urge to ruffle your hair even though it would ruin your hairstyle."
Becca looked at me and chuckled, "haha, wait until tonight Nick!"
When I turned back to look at the Marquis and Madam Martha, they looked even more shocked than when we first come to their table. Madam Martha spoke up, "I hope we can talk more intimately a different day."
Marquis Lancaster agreed, "yes, please set up a meeting at our manor whenever you are free. We will entertain you."
I nodded, "of course, we both hope to get a lot of advice from you two."
Then we waved goodbye before heading to Marquis Roberts' table. As we walked away, I could hear Madam Martha whispering to her husband, "I thought they hated each other? They didn't even kiss at their wedding ceremony…"
Unfortunately, the fact that had I just transmigrated and was too confused to kiss Becca during our wedding ceremony will become an obstacle in making people believe we love each other dearly.
Once at Marquis Roberts' table, he did not look very happy. After exchanging greetings, he murmured, "You made an unprecedented decision today…"
I put a hand up, "sorry about that, my wife is a big fan of Madam Martha, so I wanted to make her happy."
He scoffed, "who cares about what your wife thinks? Just keep her in line and do as you please."
I had noticed already that Marquis Roberts did not allow any of his wives to speak unless he explicitly told them they could. He was a miserable man.
Before I could respond, Becca attacked, "my husband cares a lot about what I think. We are partners, who made decisions together. But you wouldn't know anything about that…come on let's go."
Becca pulled my arm as we walked away. I didn't want to look back and see the Marquises angry face. I sighed, "Looks like we made a powerful enemy right off the bat…"
Becca comforted me, "did you see the way he treats women and especially his wives? He was always going to be an enemy of ours once he heard about the laws we are going to implement."
"You're right…now let's refresh ourselves by talking to your family."
At Becca's families table, there was her father, mother, brother, and sister-in-law.
"Hello Father and Mother-in-law, thank you for coming to our wedding banquet."
Becca's Father and Mother quickly ignored me and focused on Becca.
Becca's Mother praised, "Rebecca! You look so beautiful! I have been telling your for ages that you could look that good if you put a little effort in! But I guess it takes the right man to make you want to change haha."
Becca blushed, "I just didn't want to let him down…"
Becca Father coughed, "you look beautiful and happy, Rebecca. I hope your marriage will be long and full of joy."
Becca smiled, "thank you, Father."
I turned to Robert and Fern while Becca was busy talking to her parents. "So no Ron today?"
Fern laughed, "kids are not exactly built for these long reserved social events, so we left him at home with the nanny."
It's true that I hadn't seen any other kids at the banquet yet, so it must be pretty common to leave noble children at home.
Robert come up to me and put his hand on my shoulder. "Nick, I wish you and Rebecca a lifetime of happiness."
I patted his arm, "I will do everything in my power to make that a reality."