Chapter 53
Why are you doing this to me. You are not pretending to officiate the marriage just to send me to the afterlife, right?
Anne grew nervous on her own, but the priest, now the high priest, calmly announced the next step.
“First, I will bless the two of you.”
Sprinkle, sprinkle. Holy water was scattered over the veil. Fortunately, Anne didn’t collapse this time either.
The wedding ceremony began in earnest. She had already expected it from attending as a guest before, but weddings here were quite long and tedious. Most of the lengthy process consisted of sermons and prayers, so even the people involved often struggled to keep from yawning.
Since becoming pregnant, Anne felt sleepy at any time of day, and she simply couldn’t fight the drowsiness. Each time her head began to droop, Logan tapped the back of her hand. She would wake briefly, then start dozing again.
Still, everything comes to an end eventually. At last, the highlight of the ceremony arrived, the declaration of marriage. The solemn priests brought the document on a silver tray.
“Please read and sign.”
Few people actually read all the terms before signing. Especially when the contents of those terms had remained unchanged for a thousand years. Logan immediately picked up the pen and scribbled his signature. Anne quickly took the pen and wrote her name beside his.
The silver tray was then passed in turn to Duke Avery and the queen. Unlike the carefree newlyweds, those two at least pretended to read it. Judging by the time it took, they probably didn’t even read half.
After confirming everyone’s signatures, the high priest declared in a solemn voice,
“I proclaim that the union of these two has been fulfilled.”
The guests, who had been holding their breath, burst into cheers all at once. To Anne, it honestly looked less like they were sincerely congratulating the couple and more like they were happy the boring ceremony was finally over. Or excited about the food and drinks.
Of course, not everyone was like that. Among the familiar faces, Anne spotted Marilyn seated beside Diane and Violet. When their eyes met, Marilyn gave her a gentle smile. Anne subtly waved her hand. Logan, who didn’t know the circumstances, whispered softly,
“You’ll still be able to see them often after the wedding.”
“Duh, of course.”
At her cheeky answer, Logan let out a quiet chuckle. That was Anne Agnes.
The two of them walked together toward the wide-open doors. White flower petals scattered over the departing couple’s heads.
* * *
No matter how joyful the royal occasion, it was customary for the first night to be spent at the bride’s family home. Usually the couple would stay for about a week, but considering the special circumstances, Logan planned for one month for now. Depending on how things went, they might even stay until the due date.
And there were not only disadvantages to the rushed pregnancy. Out of consideration for the pregnant bride, most of the procedures were skipped, skipped, and skipped. Only the bare minimum ceremonies were held. The royal carriage carrying the newlyweds circled the capital, which was in a festive mood, before heading to the Avery manor. The reception for the guests would also be held there.
Unlike other brides, Anne only made a brief appearance at the reception before being able to take off the heavy dress. She wasn’t the only one who benefited. Instead of being dragged around by guests all night, Logan also went straight to the bridal chamber.
When Anne entered the room after her bath, Logan, who had been lounging, immediately jumped to his feet.
“Be careful.”
As he approached, Anne let out a deep sigh. Logan seemed to think an early pregnancy meant she was seriously ill. He looked ready to support her at any moment. She deliberately swayed her body and replied,
“I’m really fine.”
“Alright, then lie down quickly.”
Logan quickly pulled back the blanket. In truth, she was tired and wanted to lie down right away. When Anne settled onto the soft bed, Logan carefully tucked the blanket around her.
“Sleep well.”
“…What?”
Wrapped in the warm blanket, Anne’s eyes widened. It was still early evening, the sun hadn’t even set yet. Outside, the party was still in full swing and quite noisy. As Logan drew the curtains over each window, he asked,
“Why, you can’t sleep?”
“You’re telling me to just sleep?”
“Then what?”
At Logan’s response, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, Anne was left speechless. Setting aside the early hour and the noise outside, today was their first night as a married couple.
Of course, after everything they had already done, there was little meaning to a formal wedding night, but in truth, the two of them hadn’t spent a single night together since then. Even before they found out about the pregnancy, it hadn’t been the kind of situation where they could.
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