SHK CH 757 (Patreon)

Wedding ceremony in Lustburg were surprisingly simple. Thanks to the wisdom of the previous Rulers, people were allowed to marry following very simple procedures by signing a binding contract in front of the administration.


The binding contracts was limited to very clear cut non life threatening clauses and the only binding power was the power of the law.


Nowadays, this kind of wedding is the most common one. 


Even the most remote village could easily register to the Mayor of their zones who would then transmit the information to the nearest outposts spread in all the four duchies.


The literacy rate in Lustburg was high enough to allow such a thing.


But beyond the most basic legal wedding, the one most women in lustburg aspired to was a wedding blessed by Castitas the goddess of chastity. Such a thing was rare. Even for past rulers of lustburg. It was different from a religious wedding officiated by a priest. But rather a one where the Goddess herself would reveal her presence and bestow her grace.


Because of the concept she ruled over, many couples initially thought that one necessarily needed to be entirely chaste before the wedding. But there was one small misconception.

Unlike what her name would make one believe, Castitas was not a goddess who placed absolute value on virginity. Virgin blood could obviously be used during ritual and contract. But what she truly wanted was love.

TRUE love.

Flesh could falter, mistakes could be made, and innocence could be lost against one will. This made it a flimsy concept at best.

What she sought instead was chastity of heart — the discipline of one’s desires, the ability to place love, respect, and fidelity above lust, greed, or selfish hunger.

Her grace, when bestowed, was said to wrap around a couple like a veil. A subtle bond not of chains but of harmony. The blessing did not prevent temptation, nor did it make a marriage perfect. What it offered was clarity, the strength to resist betrayal and the courage to nurture trust even when tested by the fires of time.

It was for this reason that a wedding blessed by Castitas was considered rarer, holier, and infinitely more desired than any feast or grand procession. The law could bind two people before men, but only the Goddess of Chastity could bind two hearts before the heavens.

And so, even among rulers, generals, and nobles, only a handful throughout Lustburg’s history could claim to have stood in her light on their wedding day. 

In fact, peasants and commoners had statistically higher chances to receive this blessing. For no reason other than the wedding of nobilities were mostly made out of convenience rather than love and devotion.

Currently, on the streets, watching the procession of the prince as he stood on his carriage and waved at the crowd, people couldn’t help but wonder.

Was this a wedding blessed by love?

Or nothing but a strategic move to secure the Witches' cooperation?

The answer seemed more than evident for many.

Still, though doubts still lingered, all the citizens and visitors had to admit one thing.

The prince was pretty damn handsome.

***

Sol was waving enthusiastically at the crowd while keeping a natural charming smile on his face.

The entire scene was once again being broadcasted live to the entire Kingdom and beyond. 

It was a wedding with too many implications.

The procession to the church was a little too slow for his taste. But there was nothing he could do about that. This was a necessary tradition, a way to show his composure and the weight of the crown.

In fact, in the past during this procession, the prince would be attacked by fake assassins as a way to show his might and courage as well as to show the valor of his knights. A little like the Coming of age ceremony in the Gladiator arena.

This tradition was mostly scrapped, because true assassins would sometimes use the occasions to actually attack.

Even so, some nobles would do this whole charade on occasion.

This was why,

When a group of beastmen entirely clad in black cloak appeared in the middle of street, armed to the teeth and emitting killing intent, most citizens were more bewildered than scared.

In fact, some were even excited.

The group that seemingly appeared out of nowhere immediately lunged at Sol’s carriage but Sol or even Lilith, showed no change in emotions even as they reached them.

*Clang* *Clang*

Blades sparked as the first wave of cloaked beastmen clashed against an invisible barrier surrounding the carriage. The protective wards inscribed into the wheels flared, their runes glowing faintly before dimming again.

“Protect the Prince! Subdue the Intruders.” Red Rose Knights, led by none other than Lilin, rushed out immediately.

The new knight order created by Lilin went through many renaming before they finally settled on what they thought was the most appropriate name.

All of them, clad in crimson armor, moved as one and established a tighter protection perimeter.

They showed no surprise at the impromptu attack, convincing the citizens that this was a performance more than anything else.

A small fairy appeared above them, breaking the tense atmosphere as she shouted in a voice more powerful than her small height would let believe.

“Hello dear citizens! We are now to witness the wedding of the Century! An union between the Witch Queen and the future King of humanity. Is it not an event worthy of joy!?”

Light burst as she giggled, “But behold! Malevolent intruders are trying to stop this beautiful union! What should we do!? Could this be allowed!?”

“No!”

“It cannot be!”

At first, only a few voices came out. But those voices gave more courage to the other citizens and soon everyone was shouting out loud.

The rising excitement and the dark clothes stopped the citizens from noticing the bewildered look in the eyes of the “Fake” assassins.

“Of course it cannot be! This is why they need to be punished!”

At those words, the Red knights immediately rushed to capture the assassins that seemed unable to move.

But soon, an ominous light started shining from their body. The heat around them increased, as if they were ready to explode.

“Ohhh! How despicable! The undignified assassins are about to use a bomb! What should we do? Should we run!? Cry!? Or pray to the goddess?”

“We need to fight!” One strangely well built citizen shouted in answer before sinking back in the crowd.

“Fight!”

“We need to fight!”

“Show them not to mess with Lustburg.”

“Lustburg does not bow to terrorists!”

The fairy giggled at their answer and waved her hand high, rainbow light sparkled, causing the kids and the adults alike to look at the sky in wonder.

Meanwhile the Red Knights finally restrained all the would-be assassins and a part of them left with them.

Leaving the procession to continue without the slightest damage.

No bloodshed happened. 

It was nothing but a small “performance.”

As for the small fairy, she vanished as mysteriously as she appeared but would come back every time the procession was “attacked” to make a speech, and lead the show. 

The wedding procession was not the only place where such performances happened.

All over the capital, dwarves and beastmen would appear to sow chaos but would then be immediately stopped by flamboyant individuals!

In the plaza, shining undead knights could even be seen dancing and playing while capturing some people on the road in the most amusing way possible.

What should have been a solemn traditional ceremony ended up being a moment of fun, joy and amusement for all the citizens.

This continued for nearly one hour until Sol’s carriage finally stopped in front of the Church’s Gates.

Looking at the sprawling church, Sol spoke, his voice covering the entirety of the capital and reaching the ears of every citizen.

“Today is a day of joy. A day where Lustburg stands not divided by rank, bloodline, or allegiance, but united under one sky. From the highest noble tower to the humblest cottage, every heart beats as one.”

He paused, letting the cheers swell before his smile sharpened.

“And yet, how amusing it is, that on such a day, there are always those who whisper in the dark. Those who think schemes, daggers, and cowardice could ever overshadow the will of this nation. To them, I say this—” His eyes swept across the capital.

He could see it, the power of faith being shaped by his words.

“Try as you might, Lustburg does not bend. Our people do not tremble before shadows. For I am the All Seeing Lord.”

He raised a hand, the gesture deceptively casual, but the weight of his words sank like iron.

“I will protect you. All of you. From plots in gilded halls, from traitors hiding behind polite smiles, and from foreign beasts who dare dream of chaos in my kingdom.”

His smile softened, almost boyish again. “So rejoice, Lustburg. This day is yours as much as mine. Let the world see that our joy cannot be stolen, and our bonds cannot be broken.”

After his speech ended, Sol gave one last wave before entering the church and reaching the altar.

Behind him, the crowd roared, swept up in the wave of conviction, though more than one noble in attendance felt the blade hidden in the velvet of his words.

Some tried to move out, but a clown, a knight or even sometimes a maid would appear and gently escort them away without any citizen noticing.