Chapter 33
Chapter 33
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Wedding Ceremony (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Erwin Rommel, in the presence of the Lord, I ask you.”
The pastor asked.
“Do you take your bride, Elise von Richthofen, as your wife? Will you love, honor, and cherish her in good times and bad, in health and sickness, remaining faithful to her until death parts you?”
“Ja, ich will. (Yes, I will.)”
At my response, the pastor turned to Elise.
“Elise von Richthofen, in the presence of the Lord, I ask you.”
The pastor posed the same question.
“Do you take your groom, Erwin Rommel, as your husband? Will you love, honor, and cherish him in good times and bad, in health and sickness, remaining faithful to him until death parts you?”
“Ja, ich will. (Yes, I will.)”
With her trembling response, the exchange concluded, and the pastor whispered.
“The rings now.”
At those words, I carefully drew the ring case from my pocket.
It was a moment when my fingertips felt unusually sensitive, but I calmly opened the case and took out one of the gleaming pair.
Then I recited the traditional vow.
“...Nimm diesen Ring als Zeichen meiner Liebe und Treue. (Take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity.)”
“Ja... (Yes...)”
Hearing her reply, I slipped the white ring onto her slender, delicate ring finger.
As I moved to put the other on my own ring finger,
“Let me do it for you.”
She whispered softly, taking my hand, and I felt the quiet moment as she slid the ring on while I tucked the case away.
“At this time, I declare your marriage established.”
As we finished exchanging rings, the pastor proclaimed.
“Was Gott verbunden hat, soll der Mensch nicht trennen! (What God has joined together, let no man put asunder!)”
The pastor’s words fell a bit short.
Not just people—no hardship, no time or space, no war or tragedy would ever divide this marriage.
That was my wish, and my firm resolve.
The wedding was over, but an eternal vow had just begun.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Look at that beautiful couple.”
“So romantic.”
“Hehe.”
“...”
From the moment the wedding ended and the reception began, Elise clung to me without letting go.
She had been reserved in the sacred church, but back at the estate, she was all over me like there was no tomorrow.
...Naturally, our display caught the eyes of the conservative, stoic Germans around us.
“It’s a bit embarrassing...”
“Nooo.”
When I tried to gently pull my arm free, unable to bear it, Elise stretched out even more.
What’s with her? Like a cat.
Soon, she grinned and whispered.
“Darling, your face is red.”
“Ugh...”
Darling. No wonder my cheeks were burning.
Looking at Elise’s beaming smile, I couldn’t take it anymore and averted my gaze.
She wrapped her arms around my arm again, smiling happily.
...I wanted to let loose too, but pride held me back.
“Excuse me.”
“Who... Oh, please go ahead.”
“...Hm?”
Thud, thud— As I wrestled with my inner conflict, someone approached us.
The towering height and mountain-like presence visible from afar could only belong to...
I shot Elise a glance, and we both rose from our seats in surprise.
“Excellency Hindenburg.”
“No need for that. Lieutenant Rommel.”
As I quickly tried to salute and slip my arm from Elise, Hindenburg waved it off.
With his deeply sunken gaze fixed on me, he said,
“Sorry for arriving so late to the invitation. A wedding reception already.”
“Not at all, Excellency. Your presence alone is an honor.”
“No, sitting stiffly at a wedding would’ve drawn complaints. Anyway, something important came up.”
“...”
I wanted to protest, but Hindenburg’s unusually dark aura kept me silent.
He was strangely more talkative and distant than usual.
Unlike his typical mountain-like silence and weightiness.
His gaze shifted from me to Elise.
“Sorry to interrupt such a joyous day, but I’d like to borrow the groom briefly. Is that alright?”
“...Yes, please do.”
She peeked out from behind me like a small animal, nodding reluctantly with a pout,
Then hesitantly added,
“But send him back soon...?”
“I will.”
Hindenburg gave a faint smile and turned, gesturing for me to follow.
I trailed him to a secluded balcony amid the silence and curious stares.
“...”
“...”
A curtained balcony. If I’d known about this spot, I would’ve come here with Elise.
A twinge of regret made me smack my lips as I eyed Hindenburg’s back.
He looked unusually small.
“...You must be wondering why I brought you here. Stand beside me.”
“Yes, sir.”
At his words, I tensed and took position next to him by the terrace railing.
Hindenburg then pulled a cigarette case from his pocket.
“Care for one?”
“No, thank you. I couldn’t possibly.”
“Then I’ll have one alone...”
At my refusal, he blankly took out a cigarette, trailing off.
For a long while, he just stared at it in his hand without lighting up.
Finally, he muttered and snapped the fancy-looking cigarette in his own fingers.
“...Never mind. No smoking.”
With a sigh, he pocketed the case and stared beyond the horizon.
As if sorting his thoughts and emotions.
My curiosity grew, but I held it in.
“First... congratulations on the wedding. Charming young lady.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Another long pause passed before Hindenburg spoke again.
He continued slowly.
“But I regret bringing bad news to a feast day.”
“...What is it?”
His lips quivered briefly before he answered.
“Count Schlieffen has passed away.”
“...”
A heavy sigh welled up inside me, but I swallowed it.
Count Schlieffen... dead. He was getting on in years, but still...
...Now I understood Hindenburg’s demeanor.
“Tragic...”
“...”
I struggled to form words.
“Did he pass today? The funeral...”
“Days ago. Funeral just ended.”
“I see.”
Count Schlieffen... I hadn’t been particularly fond of the old man.
We’d worked together briefly, and he’d tricked me more than once. I’d seen through his last letter ploy easily, but it could’ve cost lives.
But it seemed I was mistaken.
“Hoo...”
I finally let out a sigh.
Unexpectedly, my chest felt tight.
Maybe I’d avoided him too much because of the Kaiser. Been too insensitive.
“...Any last words?”
“Keep the right wing strong... his dying wish.”
“The Schlieffen Plan.”
“Mm.”
In the Schlieffen Plan, the left wing was the bait army to draw in France’s main force, while the right wing was the main army swinging through Belgium and the Netherlands to envelop the enemy.
Keep the hammer strong and the anvil minimal...
But that wish went unheeded.
Moltke the Younger weakened the ratio from 7:1 to 6:2.
Even aside from that, it wasn’t the most reliable plan...
“Excellency the Count was right after all.”
Hindenburg, who’d turned to gauge my reaction, murmured.
“You’re calm about it.”
“No, the Count’s passing is...”
“No, the plan.”
I could see an inscrutable mix of emotion and thought flicker in Hindenburg’s eyes.
“You think the plan will fail.”
“...”
As I fell silent, Hindenburg stared at me intently before stepping away from the terrace.
He turned and said,
“...Anyway, that’s all I had to say. I’ll be going.”
With that, Hindenburg walked toward the curtain, footsteps steady.
As I pondered how to bid farewell, just as he reached for the curtain, I spoke.
“Soon.”
He paused and glanced back slightly.
I said clearly,
“When war breaks out, everything will become clear.”
Hindenburg fixed me with a strange look.
We locked eyes, our thoughts unreadable to each other, until Hindenburg moved first.
I watched his retreating figure until it vanished, then sighed and leaned against the terrace.
“War, war, war.”
Maybe because my mind was full of marriage thoughts, the word felt different from before. Peace too.
It had to. Back when I’d resolved to give my life, I had nothing to lose.
Now, something precious had come into being.
“...No more war, ever.”
Remembering my past life, I chuckled softly.
The laugh lightened my heart.
“In the end... there’s nothing I can change.”
Yeah, what could I do to stop next year’s great war? At best, delay it a few months with luck.
Life has no inevitabilities, but from this point, the future feels like an unstoppable current.
Overwhelming plausibility everywhere made it feel predestined.
All I could do was hope to alter the ending. And...
“Elise and I.”
Us, our marriage, maybe our family.
To reach an ending where we lived happily ever after.
That was all I could wish for.