According to tradition, it was unlucky to get married during the time when the moon was waning, and summer was better than fall. Therefore, we scheduled it for the last full moon before the end of summer. The honeymoon would be delayed since I had to be there for the summer harvest and fall planting season, but we would make up for it by having an eight-week honeymoon instead of the traditional two weeks. As for the unseemly haste, though it was slightly scandalous, we quietly spread the word that we were expecting a child.
In the meantime, Prince Baiyu got busy taking care of his inheritance. Since he was leaving his family and joining my household, it was considered right that he get his share of the family’s wealth before we got married. In this pre-industrial society, this was mostly land and businesses, which involved a lot of taxes and paperwork.
Wedding fever hit my staff hard, and they spent every day talking about nothing but what they were going to wear for the wedding feast, which the White Tiger clan was throwing for us. Now that I was practically family, Lady Yuying had given permission for a portal to be made between her house and mine.
According to Deming, the chef who was in charge of the banquet was an old friend of his, and, based on the staff’s gossip, they were old rivals. The food was sure to be spectacular, given that he would want to show off his skills to my Demon Chef. The White Tiger clan made all the arrangements, and I was thrilled I didn’t have to do too much.
I reconfigured the main house, expanding it by half to accommodate our current and future needs. With my Farming level at 40, I could now have six buildings total and a six-courtyard house. The outer courtyard, where all visitors and business matters were handled, doubled in size because I added Prince Baiyu’s and Shuye’s new offices. It was also where the staff lived and worked.
The first inner courtyard was where I put our workrooms, the kids’ classroom, and the library. It was also where Lari’s suite of rooms was located since he liked to stay nearer the action. The second and third inner courtyards were small, more cozy spaces where the Kharli, Mo, and I lived. The fourth was a large open space, west of the other courtyards and connected to the outer courtyard as well as the first inner courtyard, with a Chinese garden for all of us to enjoy. The last courtyard was above the garden, and it was for my parents. I furnished the rooms there with all modern appliances and decor, the way my mom liked.
Obviously, the most important part of the preparations was the wedding dress.
In accordance with the local customs, Prince Baiyu was giving me a dress to wear for the ceremony. However, I wanted a different gown for the wedding photoshoot, to be presided over by Kharli and Mo using the System’s instant cameras.
The Cash Shop had several Chinese-style red wedding sets as well as Western white wedding gowns. I modeled a dozen of them for Kharli, Mo, and Fengying, and we all agreed that the [Persephone’s Spring Dress], with its draped bodice ballgown and cascading layered skirt along with diaphanous detachable sleeves, was the best of the lot. It even had a pretty sparkle effect.
[Persephone’s Spring Dress:
A wedding gown fit for a goddess. Blessed by the goddess of spring and flowers, it symbolizes growth and new beginnings.
Special effect: A soft sparkle that enhances the wearer's beauty.]
The concept of outdoor or themed wedding photoshoots was unknown in this world, but they understood formal portraits. Thus, with Prince Baiyu in white robes and me in my wedding dress, we had our photos taken in a special room I had decorated with a flower wall. I had initially used all white flowers from the Cash Shop, but it made my white wedding gown look flat. Therefore, I changed it into a more colorful display of assorted summer wildflowers and pink and white roses.
We had fun experimenting with different kinds of lighting from my inventory, like white LED lights, pink fairylights, ring lights, and even candlelight. In the end, we opted for natural light from a large window supplemented by the ring light.
At first, the girls took photos while Prince Baiyu and I stood in the usual stiff formal poses, but I gradually suggested more and more informal ones to make things more romantic, like holding hands, looking into each other’s eyes, leaning against each other’s shoulders, etc., until it became much more fun.
Kharli and Mo were grinning and squealing like hyperactive toddlers the whole time, which helped make the atmosphere more casual. We called it quits after they took over a hundred photos. Prince Baiyu and I changed into everyday dress while the kids printed out all the pictures, which they then delivered to my rooms.
“What are we going to do with these?” asked Prince Baiyu as we sorted them into piles of the ones we liked and didn’t like.
“The best ones will be put in a book for my mom and dad to look at later, since they’re missing the ceremony. The bad ones will be burnt. Oh dear, look at this one, my face looks tragic!” Grimacing, I handed him a photo where my mouth was wide open in a big laugh. “So unflattering!”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“No, you look cute. Let’s keep it.”
“Please, no. By the way, we should take more photos. We can wear more casual attire. My mom told me people age ten years after they have a child.”
“Ten? My dad said twenty!”
I laughed. “Clan members live longer, so ten years in human time is thirty years in clan member time.”
***
On the day of the wedding, I got up before dawn, and the maids already had a hot bath scented with perfumed oils waiting. I got a massage and half a dozen beautifying hair and skin treatments before I donned the wedding clothes Prince Baiyu had provided.
It was summer; therefore, there weren’t many layers to the set of bridal clothes. The thin inner clothes were covered by a high-waisted red silk skirt tied above the chest, and then a lozenge-shaped bodice was tied over it. Then I donned a wide-sleeved red silk coat with a long train. The coat and skirt were embroidered with gold peonies along the collar and hems. The whole ensemble was surprisingly breezy, and I could hardly believe how comfortable it was.
Instead of a heavy gold crown, I insisted on using a much lighter and smaller diamond and gold Art Nouveau-style tiara from the Cash Shop. It was a pretty little thing with a central heart shape flanked by floral clusters. My hair was gathered up in a no-fuss chignon.
“Oh my lady, you look magnificent,” said Yinuo. It was early on in her pregnancy, but she was already wearing looser clothes. The doctor who was monitoring my coffee intake was taking care of her, too, and said she was having twins. “You’re the most beautiful bride in the world!”
“I feel weirdly calm,” I said. “No wedding jitters.”
“Shall we?” asked Fengying.
“Yes.”
We left my quarters at the main house and took the portal to the Mustard tree farm.
Prince Baiyu and I had considered many venues for our wedding, such as the Emerald Cove or the picturesque islands I had discovered in the North, but we decided to hold it at home for maximum privacy and easy use of my System items. Since I owned a lovely castle that would have been the envy of many a bride back on earth, we chose to hold the ceremony there.
I sighed as I stepped through the door into the Mustard Tree dimension. It was a glorious summer day, and I paused to take it all in.
I had arranged everything before the big day, moving the portal to the edge of the castle garden and decorating it as extravagantly as my heart desired. Now I looked over my work and smiled. The surroundings had been transformed into a French formal garden, with two straight lines of plum trees, all of the same height, and in full bloom. There were flower beds in the shape of triangles, squares, and circles symmetrically placed on either side of the path, which was currently covered with a pristine white carpet. The great stone castle rose majestically behind the garden, looking like something out of a fairy tale.
And this was just the outside!
We walked to the castle, me holding on to my train to make sure it wasn’t dirtied, and into a lovely little room in the east tower. The maids left me alone. It was customary for the bride and groom to have some time to themselves before the ceremony. Those who were religious could pray or meditate, and it was a good time for people to calm their wedding nerves. Prince Baiyu was in the west tower.
I went to a window and looked outside while I thought of my parents. It would have been nice if they could have been here as well.
Once the allotted alone time was over, Yinuo returned and escorted me to the small chapel where everyone was already waiting for me. I took out a simple bouquet of violets. I originally wanted fresh flowers, but violets were simply too delicate to use, so I had some made of silk. It was fine since it would be a nice souvenir.
Through the chapel’s open doors, I saw the interior glowing with the light that beamed through the high windows. Garlands of white roses and ivy were wound around the stone pillars, and everywhere I looked, there were flowers cascading from arches, woven into garlands, and arranged in elegant bouquets on pedestals. A red carpet runner stretched down the center between rows of wooden pews that had been adorned with flowing ivory and violet ribbon and small bouquets of peonies and baby’s breath.
My staff were all there, dressed in festive robes, and the more sentimental ones were already crying into their handkerchiefs.
Prince Baiyu was waiting for me at the altar with his parents. The world around me seemed to recede, and I looked only at him as I walked down the aisle as serenely as I could, holding my bouquet. I felt like I was floating.
At the altar, I put my bouquet back into my inventory and held both of his hands in mine. He made as if to turn to Shuye, today’s officiant, but I gently turned him back to me.
We gazed into each other’s eyes as Shuye started reading the wedding vows in an ancient language. I had been given the translation, so I knew what the words meant. He was asking us if we wanted to marry and if we agreed to love, honor, and cherish each other all the days of our lives. At the end of Shuye’s solemn recitation, Prince Baiyu and I said “yes” at the same time, our eyes never leaving each other.
Shuye then announced that we were married.
My husband lifted my hands to his lips and kissed them before turning to the others and proclaiming, “Let the world bear witness, my heart is hers, now and forever."
I nearly swooned at this delightful declaration of love, but I wasn’t given any time to bask in the feeling of joy because this marked the end of the ceremony. Lady Yuying and Lord Yulin, dressed in matching robes of red and silver, hung jasmine garlands around our necks and kissed both our cheeks while wishing us a happy wedded life. We were then inundated with hugs, kisses, and well-wishes from everyone. Lari, Kharli, and Mo were all crying tears of joy.
“Thank you, thank you,” Prince Baiyu and I murmured to them.
After everyone finished their greetings, Shuye announced that it was time for us to start our married life and led us to the bridal chambers on the castle’s second floor while the rest stayed behind in the chapel. My Farm Guide had good self-control and was able to refrain from making the usual risque wedding jokes.
“Thank you. The ceremony was exactly what I wanted,” I said to Shuye.
“Yes, it was lovely. Thank you,” said Prince Baiyu as he closed the door in Shuye’s face.
The bridal chamber had been decorated with flowers and red banners with the character for double happiness written on them, but it was sparsely furnished. In fact, the only bit of furniture inside was a huge bed.
I put my arms around him and said, “That was wonderful! I was extremely touched when you made that declaration…”
He picked me up and put me down on the bed. “My dear, you haven’t seen anything yet. Let me declare my love for you again.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You mean… in bed?”
“Yes.”
His mouth covered mine, and after that, there were no more words.
A shoutout!
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Author's Note:
- I hope you liked this! I worked hard to get it just right. Violet would never want a super fussy wedding, but she would put tons of Cash Shop decorations.
- Dear readers, this is a fade to black. I am not writing what happens on the wedding night.
- Thanks for reading!
- Advanced chapters on my Patreon!
- Please let me know if there are any errors.