At the age of thirty, Decker, who had neither a successor nor a wife, had become Count Pervaz and had to hurry up and get married.
Everyone in Pervaz was out of their minds preparing for the wedding in such a short period of time, but they all thought it was a blessing that Decker had a bride at least.
"I'm sure they'll be nervous about us going, but by Zyro's standards, everything will probably seem a little lacking."
Asha was defending Pervaz and Decker in advance in the carriage heading to Pervaz.
"What are you so nervous about, Asha? Are you worried that I'll find fault with the table set by Count Pervaz?"
"…."
"Are you serious?"
"I was just thinking about who it was who said that Pervaz Castle looked like an 'ogre's outhouse' as soon as he saw it."
"I don't know who it is, but that's a very rude person. But don't worry, you'll never see such a person again in your life."
For the first time in a long time, Carlyle's face, which smiled without any hesitation, looked annoyed.
* * *
Decker and Dorothea's wedding was much grander than Asha had expected.
Meanwhile, Pervaz had developed tremendously, thanks to the enormous support of Carlyle in the name of "the price of participating in the Southern War."
In addition, with the presence of the great Emperor, the level of the wedding ceremony soared to the highest level of the empire.
"Even without that, they say that everyone is eager to get close to Count Pervaz, but it seems even more crowded than when we got married."
Carlyle whispered to Asha, looking around the wedding ceremony that was eventually held outdoors because there was no hall to accommodate this many guests.
"I don't know if we came here and made the people of Pervaz suffer."
"I sent enough manpower. Don't worry."
Asha was secretly touched by the fact that Carlyle had taken care of Decker's wedding as well.
And she also felt a little betrayed that Decker, who had persistently refused to accept what she was going to send, had accepted what Carlyle had sent.
Carlyle, seeing Asha's complex expression, kept quiet about the fact that he had sent the manpower under the pretext of 'imperial order'.
"Groom, please enter."
It seemed that the noise around him was dying down a bit, and the priest who officiated the wedding announced the groom's entrance.
Everyone's eyes turned back, and Decker, dressed in a black suit, began to walk out with a stride.
"Oh! That person is Decker Pervaz… ?"
"He's handsome. Why was he a bachelor until now?"
Decker, who was neatly dressed, had shaved off his beard and combed his hair neatly, looked quite presentable.
"Wow, Decker…!"
"Why? Do you think you're going to fall in love with him again?"
"…What on earth are you talking about? Do you want to see me throw up?"
When Asha exclaimed, Carlyle pretended to be jealous, but Asha frowned as if she had heard that she would fall in love with her older brother.
At that, Carlyle was relieved again. In his eyes, Decker looked quite handsome now, and every time he looked handsome, the talk about the marriage between him and Asha kept coming to his mind.
By that time, Decker had reached the priest, and the priest called for the bride.
"Now, bride, please enter."
Finally, the moment everyone was waiting for had come. The flower of the wedding is the bride, isn't it?
"What…? Sir Raphelt…?"
Asha was surprised again.
Of course, Dorothea, who was wearing a delicate lace wedding dress, was also beautiful enough to be surprised.
However, Asha, who knew that their relationship had broken down, was even more surprised that Dorothea appeared holding Giles' hand.
"What happened?"
"Sir Raphelt is not a bad person either. I believe that there was also a love for his daughter in his plan to make Lady Dorothea the empress."
"Surely Lady Dorothea didn't ask for forgiveness from Sir Raphelt?"
"On the contrary. Sir Raphelt is the one trying to improve his relationship with his family."
"That' Sir' Raphelt...?"
Asha asked back, unable to imagine the self-righteous Giles groveling to his family.
However, she was glad that Dorothea's expression was happy as she entered, holding her father's hand.
Giles' expression seemed tense, but even that looked good to her somehow.
'Tsk. Well, is this enough to forgive him...?'
Asha had always been unconsciously avoiding Giles because he was the only one she couldn't forgive, but seeing him become Decker's father-in-law made her see him in a slightly different light.
"I hope he has changed his personality. If he harms Decker or does anything out of line...."
"Sir Raphelt knows that you won't stay still. He knows everything except for people's hearts."
Carlyle laughed lightly.
Meanwhile, the wedding ceremony continued in a bright atmosphere.
Decker and Dorothea exchanged wedding rings and declared their vows in front of everyone, even sharing a shy kiss.
TL/N: AAAAAH! CUTE!!!!
Asha, who was watching from the front row, almost burst into tears when she saw Decker smile happily, but other than that, it was a perfect wedding.
After the wedding ceremony ended and the banquet began, Asha was greeted by familiar faces.
"Della! Nina!"
"Your Majesty the Empress."
Before Della and Nina could curtsy, Asha hugged them tightly.
"Della! Is your arm okay?"
"It's not completely disabled, so heaven has smiled upon me."
Della, who had been badly injured in the arm when the demons and barbarians invaded the castle, smiled brightly as if it was nothing.
She could not lift her left arm above her shoulder, but the strong woman was still doing an excellent job as the head maid of the Pervaz Castle.
Nina became Dorothea's personal maid.
"The new Countess is also a shy and kind person like Your Majesty, so there is no hardship at all."
"I'm... shy and kind...?"
"Yes!"
Asha was a little embarrassed by Nina's assessment of her, but she laughed it off, thinking that Nina's evaluation criteria were quite harsh.
In addition to them, warriors including Bastian and Danilo were amazed by Asha, who had become the Empress, and they spent a long time talking about the deceased while reminiscing with them.
* * *
"It's been a while here too."
Carlyle reminisced as he looked around the bedroom prepared for the imperial couple.
The room was the one he used to use on the second floor.
Most of the interior decorations had been changed, but the view outside the window and the arrangement of the furniture were almost the same, so it felt familiar.
"Originally, this room on the second floor was the lord's room… …"
"Ah, Count Pervaz uses the room opposite this one. This is a guest room for distinguished guests, isn't it?"
Asha nodded and approached the window.
The sun had set, but the outside was still festive. It would be the first time in their memory that a lord had held a wedding in Pervaz.
The people of the territory were given plenty of meat and alcohol, lanterns were lit brightly, and bards sang songs everywhere.
The smell of delicious food seemed to vibrate throughout the territory.
Suddenly, Carlyle thought of the harvest festival, where they had hung up crude decorations everywhere and served wildfowl meat and alcohol.
"Carlyle, now I know how shabby our harvest festival was."
Asha laughed and Carlyle hugged her from behind.
"Well, of course. The harvest festivals held in wealthy territories or the imperial palace are much more abundant and splendid than that."
"Isn't it ridiculous that we didn't even slaughter a pig for the harvest festival?"
"No. It was more absurd than that."
"What is it?"
"That 'everyone' was really happy."
For Carlyle, who had grown up seeing too much of the ugly side of humans, it was a shock.
It was a terribly poor territory, and as Asha said, it was a harvest festival where they didn't even slaughter a pig, but the people of the territory were all genuinely happy.
They were so happy that they laughed, cried, sang, and danced.
Until they collapsed, everyone.
"I thought I would only see such a sight in heaven."
Asha was somehow proud of Carlyle's praise.
However, Carlyle poured cold water on Asha's mood.
"But Pervaz will be different in the future. I'm saying that it won't be able to embrace everyone with camaraderie or a sense of comradeship like before."
A lot of money had come in and many people had immigrated from outside.
There would be conflicts between people who didn't know the past of Pervaz and the original inhabitants of Pervaz, and there would also be crimes related to money.
There would be more than a few people who would approach Decker with the intention of taking advantage of his innocence.
"That's a trial that Count Pervaz will have to overcome."
Carlyle seemed to be worried about the future of Pervaz and Decker, but Asha shook her head firmly.
"But what after he finds out? Are there any alternatives?"
"There is Lady Dorothea. She will be able to fill in Decker's shortcomings admirably."
Carlyle nodded at that as well.
Dorothea was a strong-willed person, despite her outward appearance.
One could tell just by the fact that she was the first of the Raphelt family to rebel against Giles.
Moreover, it was thanks to her that the school in Pervaz was able to open its doors not too late, the compulsory education system was introduced, and the orphanage and daycare center businesses were started.
She was simply suppressed by Giles and had not been able to display her abilities until now, but she was a genius who had studied countless books and inherited Giles' blood.
"Yes, she will do well. The problem is us."
"That's right. There are many things that need to be solved, and there are still many people who oppose me."
Asha looked down at the castle forecourt, where a cheerful song was playing, and turned back to Carlyle.
"Well, I'm not that scared. We'll do well too."
Carlyle's gaze swept over Asha's forehead and cheeks.
His wife had been this strong since the very first time he met her.
She was a woman who had crawled through a war zone with death following her every step, ended that war, saved her own territory, and finally saved this very empire.
Carlyle smiled as he brushed Asha's cheek.
"As long as I have you, I'm not afraid either."
His promise flowed into Asha's lips, leaving a sweet aftertaste.