After making his rounds through the estate, Stewart returned to the castle just in ti to see Tuck's tall fra climbing a ladder. His strong arms were carefully lifting a brilliant blue crystal lampshade to affix it to the chandelier. Seeing that both the lord and young masters were occupied, Stewart quickly headed toward the kitchen.
A few minutes later, the sapphire lampshades were securely in place, covering the entire chandelier in the main hall.
"Thank you, Tuck!" Relay said with a smile, hands on his hips.
"Don’t ntion it. But I must say, these lampshades look quite exquisite," Tuck replied, gazing up at the chandelier. The lampshades were etched with several delicate patterns resembling the figures of won.
"They do look rather intricate. I'm curious to see the effect," Taylors added from the side. "Relay, can you show us now?"
Relay smiled mysteriously and shook his head. "That’s a surprise I’ve prepared for Crina. You’ll all have to wait until later."
At that mont, Stewart erged from the kitchen, carrying a tray of snacks and dried at. "Since we can’t have a proper al today, I figured everyone must be hungry. Here are so freshly made fruit cheese and jerky from Maru."
"Oh, you’re always so thoughtful, Mr. Stewart!" Rhett said as he picked up a piece of cheese. He had a particular fondness for sweets, perhaps because they always seed to put him in a better mood.
Tuck grabbed a handful of jerky, eagerly stuffing pieces into his mouth. Finding it wasn’t enough, he reached for another handful.
"Tuck, don’t stick your saliva-covered fingers back in there! You’re getting the other jerky all wet!" Taylors said with a look of disgust, abandoning the at and opting for the cheese instead.
Each kingdom had its own customs, and in the Kingdom of Gillon, it was tradition that on the day of the wedding, aside from the wedding feast, neither family could eat a full al.
Rhett recalled reading about this custom in the biography of the kingdom's first king, Mandes Gillon. During the fall of the ancient Dan Kingdom, Mandes had gathered an army in the chaos to resist the orcs. In one of the largest battles, the Battle of Purple Gold Ridge, Mandes was defeated and forced to flee into the deep mountains. While hiding, he developed feelings for his aide-de-camp, who would later beco his queen.
The biography explained that during this ti, they had very little food left. To make their wedding al more lavish, they skipped breakfast and lunch. Surprisingly, despite being pursued by the orcs, they were never found and managed to survive against all odds.
Mandes believed this to be a miracle, one he associated with their wedding. After founding the kingdom, this story spread widely, and many bards added their own embellishnts, infusing it with a sense of mystery.
This tradition evolved into a custom where, on the day of the wedding, no one could eat a full al except at the feast. Additionally, weddings were ant to be intimate, with no guests beyond the two families. Over ti, only the royal family strictly adhered to this tradition. For ordinary nobles, the rules had beco more relaxed—eating small als was allowed, and inviting guests outside the family was no longer forbidden. However, most weddings still followed the custom of only including the two families unless absolutely necessary.
As Rhett reminisced, he realized that he hadn’t invited Roy from Maplewood Town due to the tight schedule. "I guess Taylors and Mina’s wedding will have to be postponed by a few days," he thought to himself. However, based on previous simulations, he knew that this delay wouldn’t prevent the two from being together, so he wasn’t too concerned.
Just then, the head cook, Maru, erged from the kitchen. "Master, if tonight’s wedding feast requires seafood dishes, we should start catching so fish, shrimp, and crabs from Solar Lake now. I’ll need ti to remove the fishy sll."
"Right! I almost forgot!" Tuck exclaid, smacking his forehead. "I’ll handle it; I’ll be quicker!" He hurriedly headed toward the castle doors.
"Hold on, Tuck. Your brain must still be half-asleep," Taylors called out, dissatisfied. "Are you planning to just head out like that? Even if you catch a lot, how many can you bring back with just two hands?"
"I’m coming with you!" Taylors said, grabbing a few boxes from the kitchen as the two brothers hurried off.
...
In the Kingdom of Gillon, wedding feasts were typically held in the evening.
As night fell, the grand hall of Deep Rock Castle was bathed in a srizing, oceanic glow. The sapphire lampshades, polished by Relay to have hundreds of facets, sparkled flawlessly. The lit chandelier made the entire hall resemble a world of blue crystal.
The crystal faces, each subtly reflecting the image of a graceful woman, left the maids in awe. They stared wide-eyed, their voices hushed as they whispered excitedly about the spectacle.
Creak...
The large doors of Deep Rock Castle slowly opened...
Crina, looking radiant in her wedding attire, gracefully stepped into the hall. Her father, Gale, held her arm, surveying the hall with satisfaction at the dreamlike scene.
Relay, dressed in a black suit, stood under the brightest light, smiling warmly at Crina, who was walking toward him on the red carpet.
His dream girl, Crina, was dressed in a white satin gown with colorful feathers hanging from the hem like fluttering birds. The neckline was adorned with delicate gold-threaded lace, and her sleeves were trimd with rich blue rose borders.
Her beauty was so dazzling that everyone in the hall was captivated, unable to look away—not out of disrespect, but out of pure admiration.
Relay was no exception.
Every step Crina took held his gaze, as if she were a vortex drawing him in with an irresistible pull.
It wasn’t until she stood beside him, her enchanting fragrance filling his senses, that he finally snapped back to reality.
Gale, his eyes filled with emotion, looked at Relay for a few seconds before nodding lightly and stepping down to join Rhett.
"Look at them. They’re finally together," Gale said, feeling both happy and a little reluctant.
"They’re a perfect match, don’t you think?" Rhett replied with a smile.
"My daughter, I wish you a lifeti of happiness," Crina’s mother, Carol, said, her hands half-covering her tear-filled eyes.
All eyes in the hall were on the couple standing in the center. Relay took Crina’s hands, and they began their wedding vows.
In the Kingdom of Gillon, the officiants at weddings were the bride and groom themselves. No third party was involved. The widely accepted explanation for this was that marriage was a sacred and private matter between two people. As the first test of their union, the wedding should be sothing they face together without outside interference.
Usually calm and composed, Relay was overwheld by the emotions brought on by the woman at his side. After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice filled with tenderness:
"On this special day, I am blessed to welco the most important guest of my life—my beautiful Crina.
From the mont we t, fate has guided our hearts to grow closer.
...
...
...
I am grateful for the ti that brought us together, and I look forward to a future as beautiful as a painting, where we grow old together."
Applause erupted from the audience after the half-hour-long vow.
Relay and Crina gazed at each other before bowing to the audience and stepping down from the stage.
With that, the wedding feast officially began.
In contrast to Earth, there was no round of toasts at this feast. After all, the only guests were family mbers, totaling fewer than ten people.
Relay and Crina, as the stars of the day, had just taken their seats when Rhett raised his glass to toast them. "To Relay and Crina, may your marriage be filled with happiness."
"Thank you, Father," they replied together, with Crina now addressing him as "Father" after joining the family.
"Relay, I’ll make a separate toast to you. I hope you’ll always take good care of my daughter!" Carol's tone held a trace of sorrow, which did not escape Gale’s notice. He frowned in disapproval.
Relay, flustered by the attention, leaned over to her. "It should be toasting you, Mrs. Carol. Thank you for raising Crina with such love and care."
"I’m sure Relay will do his best, Carol. You don’t have to worry!" Gale reassured her, backing Relay up.
"If Crina ever feels wronged by Relay, I’ll be the first to set him straight!" Rhett added firmly, as a father should.
Carol nodded, smiling through her tears. "I believe in Relay. I wish you both happiness and hope you’ll visit the castle often."
"Mother, we certainly will!" Crina replied, moved by her mother’s words.
"I’m confident that Relay and Crina will not only build a wonderful life together but also never forget their parents. Today is a day for joy, so let’s all be happy!" Gale gently patted Carol’s arm. "And next ti, don’t be away so much. You’re always off visiting friends, and Crina misses you when she cos ho!" He added with a hint of dissatisfaction.
"I know what’s important!" Carol retorted, taking a sip of wine and giving Gale a playful glare.
Aside from Rhett, everyone else laughed at their exchange, finding it endearing.
The atmosphere remained warm and joyous, carrying on late into the night.
Once the wedding feast concluded, the guests from Darmtown, aside from the lord and his imdiate family who stayed in the main castle, were housed in the auxiliary building.
In the fifth-floor hall of the main castle.
The night was quiet, broken only by the occasional rustling of leaves in the autumn wind, which sounded clearer and lonelier than in sumr.
Rhett leaned back in his soft chair, reflecting on his son’s marriage. His eyes grew thoughtful.
Involuntarily, mories surfaced, bringing familiar faces to mind—faces that had once been full of life.
Rhett’s expression faltered as he stared into the flickering fla of a candle on the dining table. "Nina, if only you could see this. How wonderful it would be...
We promised to watch our sons grow up together, to see them marry and start families... But then you... you were taken from first..."
He sighed, a deep sadness washing over him.
Despite the joy of the day, such happiness always seed to dredge up painful mories.
Suddenly, a flash caught his eye!
Rhett's pupils contracted as his years of battlefield instincts kicked in, making him sit up straight.
The source of the light was close—very close. He quickly stood up, scanning the room for the origin of the flash.
"It was this?" Rhett frowned, narrowing his eyes at the object lying on the table—a rainbow-colored shell he had previously used as a decorative piece.
He picked it up, feeling the ridges along its surface, his thoughts racing.
"I’m certain that wasn’t my imagination," Rhett thought to himself. His senses were sharp enough that he knew he hadn’t mistaken what he saw. But then, why had the shell flashed?
He channeled his energy into the shell, searching for any elental trace, but found nothing.
A strange feeling crept over him. He recalled the letter he had taken from the traveling rchant, which described the shell as a gift from the deep-sea fishn.
"Could it be true?" The thought crossed Rhett’s mind.
But he quickly dismissed the idea. A re flash wasn’t enough to prove that the shell ca from the deep-sea fishn. While it might indicate the shell wasn’t ordinary, it wasn’t conclusive evidence of its origins.
"Still, this shell likely holds so secret. Leaving it out in the open doesn’t seem wise anymore," Rhett mused. He rembered that the shell had reacted when he had been thinking about Nina, so he tucked it safely into his pocket.
Stepping out onto the balcony, Rhett gazed up at the night sky, his thoughts drifting with the moon.
Though the idea of the dead returning to life seed impossible, the mory of Nina stirred sothing within him, making his breath quicken.
"Nina... was that you just now?" Rhett whispered into the night.
Clutching the shell, he sighed again.
He decided that now was the ti to run another simulation.
Although he had no idea what secrets the shell held, he resolved to keep an eye out for any clues related to it, as well as to the deep-sea fishn. Perhaps the simulation might offer so hints.
Additionally, he couldn’t forget about his planned trade for aquatic magic beasts with Colton—another crucial elent in the upcoming simulation. It would be wise to check for any unforeseen circumstances.
There was also the plan for the autumn hunt of the Darkwing Eagle, and the small matter of helping Gale figure out the color of his hat...
Given how much had changed since the last simulation and how many new plans were in motion, Rhett decided that a new simulation was necessary to ensure everything went smoothly.
This is a double-length chapter. Thank you for your support! Please check out the author’s notes on the next page.
Also, a big thank you to all my readers for your continued support! It’s the end of the month, so if you have any spare monthly votes, I’d greatly appreciate it if you could cast them for this book. They reset at the beginning of the new month, so don’t let them go to waste!
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