Chapter 447
The incident of the glowing cross that Enen got involved in wasn’t just a “little happening during a wedding.”
The god of the continent’s mainstream religion, especially now that the Twilight Cult has crumbled and the nomads have embraced the Empire, Enen’s blessings had risen to levels capable of shaking the entire continent. After all, in this world, even a mere priest’s blessing is considered a great honor, so no one would dare take a god’s blessing lightly.
Amid all the chaos, the Emperor—whose intellect is inversely proportional to his humanity—was the first to regain his composure.
“The majesty of the Imperial Family and the Empire is upheld by the celestial grace of Enen and the Great Emperor. Now, Him as well as the faithful servants have personally blessed this marriage, isn’t it a monumental occasion?”
By acknowledging Enen’s involvement in my wedding, he converted that blessing into something greater than just “a blessing for my marriage.” The Emperor presented it as an extension of blessings for the Imperial Family and the Empire, publicizing that the god was watching over them, not just favoring a mere subject.
Of course, if another monarch had tried that, it wouldn’t have made a ripple. No matter how you spin it, a nobleman’s wedding couldn’t compete with the light of the monarchy. There’d be no way to convince anyone otherwise. It would only lead to talk about how a noble was favored over the monarch.
But the Emperor had no such worries. The very act of him ruling as Emperor was a blessing from Enen. Any blessing from a god would pale in comparison to the divine mandate bestowed upon an Emperor.
‘Well, they do have a good head on their shoulders.’
I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself, thinking of the absurd efforts the Emperor was going through to spin the narrative. Thanks to his antics, the aggro that was initially aimed at me got diluted, so it wasn’t all that bad.
Moreover, from this wedding graced by a deity, Cardinal Risiuk had suddenly emerged as a candidate for the next Pope, and there had been urgent dispatches from the Holy Kingdom. It only goes to show my importance had diminished somewhat.
‘As expected, misery loves company.’
Thanks to all that, I was able to enjoy a blissful honeymoon. I was nearly overwhelmed with guests at the mansion right from the wedding day itself.
“Kaaaaaarl… Have you woken up already…?”
“Ah, sorry. Did I wake you?”
As I pressed a kiss on Mar’s forehead, she gave me a sleepy smile in return. It looked like she woke up as soon as she felt the bed move.
I had only gotten up briefly to use the bathroom, but it seemed I disturbed Mar, who had finally fallen asleep late in the morning. I felt bad for being the husband who interrupted my wife’s rest.
‘I really did disturb her a lot.’
Looking at Mar, who smiled at me while perfectly still in bed, I couldn’t help but smile wryly.
‘Way too much.’
From the wedding until now, it had been ten days, and during that time, Mar had spent far more hours doing other things than sleeping in bed. So much so that she was now lying on her back due to exhaustion.
However, I have no regrets. It wasn’t just for my benefit; it was for the happiness of us as a couple and, ultimately, the Krasius family.
“The Krasius family’s authority is solid, but having more offspring is always better.”
At the start, Mar had even been the more proactive one. She had even said such words while we were riding in the carriage to the wedding, which showed how enthusiastic she was.
“Ka, Karl? Just a moment, let’s take a break…”
“We should see the sunrise, right?”
But despite Mar’s indomitable spirit, she couldn’t quite overcome my physical stamina. This was common knowledge, but unfortunately, she didn’t seem to grasp that reality.
While reminiscing about the past ten days, I gently patted Mar’s head.
‘Will our second child be born this year?’
Perhaps they might even arrive along with the First Snow.
“Hey, Karl.”
“Yeah?”
Just as I pondered over what name we would give our first child, I heard Mar’s faint voice.
“Our first child… they might even share a birthday with me.”
Her words brought a smile to my face.
Mar was having the same thoughts as me.
Gripping her waist, I finally got out of the room with Mar. No matter how tired we felt, it just wouldn’t do to have breakfast in the room.
“Master, Madam! You are already awake?”
“Ah, the meal is still being prepared, so please wait a minute.”
Before long, Yuris and Sophia popped in, seemingly waiting nearby for us to make a move. Did they hear us stirring from outside?
“We woke up early, so there’s no need to rush.”
“Yes, yes!”
As I ruffled Sophia’s hair, she kept nodding rapidly. It’s not like the head chef and cooks were slacking off, and we were up earlier than usual, so it was all understandable.
At the end of the day, complaining about why there was no food after arriving at the restaurant earlier than the agreed timeframe would be ridiculous—
“Oh, Madam. If it’s fine with you, can we assist you?”
At Yuris’s cheerful words, my hand froze as I was stroking Sophia’s head.
Mar, being still a bit under the weather, was putting in extra effort to walk straight, refusing to let any unrefined appearance show in front of the servants. But why would Yuris suggest “assisting” her? It meant that in her eyes, Mar couldn’t walk properly.
‘Were they really close by this whole time?’
I gulped involuntarily. Despite knowing that they understood quite a bit at their age, since they’ve been around since childhood and are the youngest among the servants, they still looked like little kids. Just knowing that those little ones were aware of our newlywed activities brought a certain unspeakable embarrassment.
Eventually, I quietly turned my gaze aside, and there was Mar, her cheeks flushed.
‘Sorry about that.’
I sincerely apologized in my heart as I could only imagine how embarrassing it would be for her, thinking everyone knew about our honeymoon.
As if sensing my gaze, Mar looked my way with watery eyes filled with a hint of reproach.
…Even in this awkward situation, I found her cute, so I must really be a bit of a weirdo.
*
After stamping the last of the documents, a long sigh escaped me. Calling it “the last” was fairly optimistic since new documents would soon flood in again, but for now, at least, it was true. If so, I might as well enjoy this moment.
‘I think I’m going to lose it.’
However, as my eyes landed on the freshly stamped document, I let out a hollow laugh.
Yeah, that document was the problem. There was no way I could enjoy the moment when I laid eyes on it. It was the very reason I had left it for last.
[ Cardinal Aldino Boytaja and Saint Alexandria Teresa scheduled to arrive. ]
Seeing the bold print at the top of the document drew another sigh from me. The arrival of these two cardinals was proof that the Holy Kingdom was stirred up due to the miracle that occurred at the wedding of the Information Minister.
Honestly, this was only to be expected. For Enen, who typically hesitated to get involved in matters not concerning the peace of the continent or the existence of the church itself, to participate in a mere mortal’s wedding was irrational. No matter how much I, as the Emperor, boasted about gaining favor with the Imperial Family and the Empire, it was something the Holy Kingdom couldn’t simply gloss over with “Oh, I see.”
Thus, the Holy Kingdom moved quickly yet heavily. They hastily sent a delegation to the Empire—specifically to the St. Paronas Cathedral—and immediately formed another, more formal delegation.
‘That’s quite flashy.’
Moreover, the key figures of the delegation, Cardinal Aldino and Cardinal Alexandria, were surprisingly not just any cardinals, but were major figures overseeing one of the saints. With the power of the cardinal alongside the authority of the saint, they were, in essence, second only to the Pope. In fact, Cardinal Risiuk, the highest-ranking priest currently in the Empire, would still rank below them within their church hierarchy.
Though, at this point, since Cardinal Risiuk had witnessed the miracle firsthand, he might be equally ranked or even superior.
…It also implies that to be on the same level as the two, one would need to be a cardinal who had experienced such miracles firsthand.
‘Thank goodness the Pope isn’t coming.’
Even I found myself laughing at the absurdity of the thought, but it was still true. The Pope had visited last year due to a succession ceremony, but if he hadn’t, it could have easily warranted his presence. There’s no denying that.
In exchange, they decided to send the heads of the rites department and the department in charge of canonization.
Wouldn’t it have been more convenient to just have the Pope come? No, wait. If the Pope does move, he wouldn’t come alone, so this is probably better.
‘Damn it.’
I pressed my forehead and sighed again. While my wedding was elevating the authority of the Imperial Family and the Empire, the price for that was a tangle with a wrathful Holy Kingdom. If I could, I would’ve preferred not to deal with that.
I couldn’t help but feel resentment toward the Minister. It wasn’t the Minister’s fault, but I still wanted to blame someone. I wanted someone to carry the burden of this godforsaken mess.
‘If it weren’t for the honeymoon…’
However, even that slight glimmer of hope was unattainable. The thick shield of my honeymoon was stopping me from commanding the Minister to tend to this issue. No matter what, it just wasn’t right to disturb a honeymoon.
“Should I just ignore it?”
I accidentally voiced my true thoughts aloud. Of course, summoning the official who was enjoying a peaceful honeymoon to deal with this on the pretext of “sort this mess out” could make even the most loyal loyal minister appear like a traitor. I’m not an idiot to that extent.
If I could objectively summon him for a reason everyone could agree was beneficial, it would be possible. The proposed promotion for the acting head of the Information Department could have sufficed since that would have been a valid reason for a summons. But unfortunately, this is a clear negative situation, leaving me no choice but to endure it.
‘Here I am, an executive trying to deal with the screw-up of a subordinate.’
Suddenly, I found myself feeling some self-loathing.
In truth, it was Enen who had caused the trouble, not the Minister, but it all felt like that to me.
It turns out the Emperor is indeed someone blessed by Enen.
[…The divine lord has personally blessed their wedding; it is an extraordinary miracle to rival the marriages of saints found in the ancient Scriptures. If His Majesty permits, I would like to personally meet the two who experienced this miracle to discuss their faith towards the lord, so please open your heart and allow us to do so.]
There was no way I would have received such a letter if it weren’t for this.
‘A saint.’
My lips twitch. It was not just anyone, but the head of the Canonization Department discussing saints. The Minister and Lady Marghetta—no, the Countess of Tailglehen could very well be regarded as potential saints.
It is an immense honor for someone to become a saint posthumously, but to do so while alive? That was undeniably a positive situation.
‘In that case, I have no choice but to summon them.’
I wanted to let them enjoy their honeymoon in peace, but alas, such is life.
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