The royal carriage carried the bride across the entire city, led by one of the King’s Guards and the Court Mage Elizabeth, who wore a crimson cape and black gauze robes. Several pairs of guards followed, their military uniforms a bright red trimd with gold, their helts topped with white tassels.
Every ti they passed a place where people had gathered, the clamor of the crowd would spontaneously turn into cheers, rising in wave after wave. People held top hats, flags, and bottles of soda high in the air, waving them enthusiastically. For safety reasons, the Wertzburg City Hall had issued a temporary decree requiring all alcoholic beverages to be consud indoors. So, the people celebrating outside and waiting to catch a glimpse of the King and Princess chose Fanta to quench their thirst.
"Look, Milly. Our people are blessing you," King Albert Ludwig said, hearing the cheers from the streets of Wertzburg. His brow finally smoothed, and he relaxed his tight grip on his daughter’s hand.
Alia was lost in the wonderful sound of the cheers, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. She savored the mont before replying to her father, "It’s because they adore you, Father."
Then she gazed out the window, waving gently to her loyal subjects.
The May Day festivities were also underway. In the fields of the surrounding countryside, unmarried young n erected birch branches, waiting for young won to hang their kerchiefs or handkerchiefs on them. Though they were just large branches stuck in the ground, people called them "May Trees."
After erecting a "May Tree," the young man would often hide nearby, anxiously waiting for the girl he admired to tie her kerchief to it. anwhile, a young woman who had set her sights on soone would watch from a good vantage point, hoping he would put up a tree, before finding a mont when no one was looking to hang her own token.
At night, the "successfully matched" couples would dance in the fields, while villagers and townspeople gathered around the May Trees to feast on beer and sausage. These rituals served both to create a romantic atmosphere for the young couples of Bayern and to express hope for a bountiful sumr harvest.
On a road bordering the fields, a carriage pulled by swift horses raced along at full speed. Inside the wide, long carriage, the last guests invited by His Majesty Albert were arriving: the Duke of Fortenburg, his wife, his eldest daughter, and his youngest son.
His eldest daughter complained about the bumpy ride. "Father, why did you change your mind and co after all? This jolting and the awful sll from the fields are making sick. It’s just... the youngest daughter of the Wittelsbach Family marrying so wild kid who popped out of nowhere."
"Then shouldn’t that make you even more curious as to why His Majesty is holding such a grand wedding?" The Duke gazed out the carriage window, his eyes overwheld by the sight of tents, May Trees, and people beaming with smiles.
Unlike the common folk outside, who were still guessing the groom’s identity, the guests inside had long known who Bart was.
"Yes, I knew that wild girl would lose her head and get duped by so crude commoner." Inside Wertz Palace, acquainted nobles chatted while waiting for the ceremony to begin. A young man with a distinguished air was lounging on a sofa, bad-mouthing the day’s two protagonists.
Surrounding him were other kinsn of slightly lower status, as well as a flock of chattering young won fanning themselves with silk fans. Amid giggles, these bored youths spread rumors, such as that it was a "shotgun wedding."
The young man savored the feeling, though in between jokes and banter, he still scanned the crowd for any sign of Otto. "If you ask , that Otto... he’s my, well, a distant older brother of mine, I suppose," he said, pressing a finger to his temple. "Anyone who interacts with him, any normal person, ought to notice the difference between themselves and His Highness the Prince... May the Divine Spirits bless the Wittelsbach Clan. Let’s just pray the eldest son doesn’t die in the army."
That was a very sensitive remark, and the chorus of agreent from the others died down considerably.
The young man hadn’t bothered to lower his voice, so Rorschach, who was sipping sparkling wine nearby, overheard everything. He silently walked over in front of the youth and discreetly used [Basic Level Decomposition Skill] to dispose of all the ties and buttons on his clothing below the waist. No doubt the young nobles would be in for a big surprise when he tried to stand up.
On the Bart Family’s side, in addition to the groom’s parents, prominent rchants from the Logistics Guild and the Brewing Guild had also entered the palace. These n normally ca and went from the City Hall as if it were their own private estate, but upon stepping into a palace so concentrated with splendor and art, their forced composure only betrayed their nervousness.
They certainly had enough money to collect such works of art, display suits of armor and weapons, and install stone-carved colonnades in their own manors just like the nobility. But these magnates, who had all co up the hard way, could never bring themselves to splurge on such extravagance. Their greatest pleasure would always be making money, and more money!
A steward ca in to announce that the ceremony was about to begin, and everyone began filing into the main hall. At the far end of the magnificent chamber, along its central axis, stood a majestic statue of the first King of Bayern. This wedding, held without the participation of the Lord of Order or any other Divine Spirits, would be witnessed by the bride’s ancestor.
A solemn and magnificent orchestral piece began to play, a chorus reverberating beneath the high, vaulted ceiling:
"Faithfully guided, draw near, to where the blessing of love will preserve you!
"Victorious spirit, the reward of love, unites you in faith, most blessed of pairs.
"Champion of virtue, now advance! Flower of youth, now advance!"
An educated rchant heard the lody and whispered to his companion that it was the "Wedding March," which heralded the groom’s arrival. A nearby noble who overheard this scoffed internally. ’A truly cultured and knowledgeable gentleman would only call it "Master Wagner’s ’Wedding Chorus’ from Act III of *Lohengrin*."’
Sure enough, the bride and her father appeared at the main entrance of the hall, stepping onto the red carpet after the guards and the masked Court Mage. From Rorschach’s perspective, the bride, Alia, had shed her subtle "tomboyishness" today. Whether it was her makeup or her own pounding heart, her cheeks were flushed, giving her a radiant glow. Her tasteful, pure white gown was studded with countless diamonds, its train held aloft by three pairs of young boys and girls.
With all eyes fixed upon them, the pair walked to the end of the hall, waiting for the groom to snatch... no, to *receive* his daughter from her aging father’s hands.
According to custom, people began looking for Bart’s parents, as the groom would normally be waiting with them for the bride to reach the dais. But the groom was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly, the lights in the hall flickered, and a mont later, they all went out. Even though it was evening, the guests were startled to find their surroundings plunged into an incredible darkness.
Amid the guests’ exclamations, the orchestra abruptly changed its tune to sothing oppressive and somber. As everyone’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, they could vaguely make out that they were now in a forest shrouded by thick fog.
"Don’t be afraid, my dear. It’s part of the show." The music was still playing, which helped the Duke of Fortenburg collect himself slightly as he pulled out slling salts to revive his wife, who had fainted. But he could feel that the fog was real; the moisture was so heavy that his skin felt damp. Not only that, but he could have sworn he also slled the aroma of soil and vegetation.
Suddenly, a dragon’s roar erupted, pushing the music to a crescendo. Flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder illuminated not only the panicked guests, but also a ferocious-looking dragon. It spread its wide, mbranous wings and swooped low over the crowd.
"Ah!" The Duchess, having just been revived by the slling salts, fainted in the Duke’s arms once again.
The dragon circled for a mont, bared its sharp claws, and with a roar, dove straight for Princess Alia!
Alia watched it all with a blank, unfazed expression. Only when the claws were about to snatch her did she finally play her part and put on a look of terror. Her father, Albert, however, was tense, seemingly debating how to protect his daughter as he moved to spread his arms and shield her from the claws.
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