What Is the Point of a Wedding?
What is the true essence of a wedding? Everyone likely has a different answer. A magnificent venue, exquisite food... or perhaps a sweet honeymoon, wedding gifts, and the blessings of loved ones. The elements that make up a wedding are incredibly diverse. And now, approximately four days after agreeing to marry her superior, Chloe was suffering from an aspect of weddings she had never even considered.
"Ah... Wa-wait a moment. This is too much..."
She had been twisting her waist back and forth for a while now, struggling against the tight, unfamiliar sensation constricting her entire body. A whimpering groan escaped her lips.
Regardless, her groom-to-be was ruthless.
"We don't have time. Answer quickly."
"Right now, I... *hic*, *gasp*."
"Hold your breath."
"*Gasp*."
Chloe took a deep breath. But her partner snorted and pressed down hard on her solar plexus, just below her chest. Consequently, her efforts to inhale were wasted as a ragged breath burst out of her.
"Whew, haaa."
Looking at Chloe, Curtis sneered in a low, thoroughly unimpressed tone.
"You should be exhaling, not inhaling. What are you doing, Warrant Officer? This shouldn't be your first time."
Finally, Chloe exploded.
"Ah! This is literally the first time in my life wearing a dress like this!"
Yes. Chloe Amboise was currently dealing with the ultimate core and conclusion of a wedding: the wedding dress fitting.
"I can't even breathe! It's too small! Has everyone really been getting married in clothes like this?"
At Chloe's scream, the seamstress hovering by her side laughed cheerfully.
"Of course. It's the beginning, the end, and the very flower of a wedding."
The small drawing room of the Berk Ducal Residence Annex. White silk and lace were scattered everywhere, and an overwhelming number of embroidery thread samples were laid out. Seamstresses and maids bustled through the clutter—a scene commonly found in the toilette rooms of noble ladies preparing for marriage.
However, there was one difference from the usual scene. Chloe was wearing a dress that was already fully finished.
A pure white dress. Any gossip-loving noble in Ivanes would be able to guess the original owner just by looking at the color of the dress Chloe was wearing.
Curtis's mother, Queen Mildred. What Chloe was wearing was the very pure white dress Queen Mildred had worn at her wedding to the late king.
Queen Mildred had looked so beautiful in that dress that the newspapers featuring illustrations of the wedding had completely sold out. Needless to say, it had completely revolutionized the wedding culture of Ivanes, where brides typically wore shades of red.
The wedding dress worn by the groom's mother. It was the very dress that every woman in Ivanes envied.
Since it was the wedding of someone as prominent as Grand Duke Berk, they could have easily commissioned an incredibly expensive custom dress. Yet, Curtis Shan Berk had gone out of his way to retrieve the dress sleeping in Queen Mildred's summer villa. He had briefly summarized his reason for choosing it:
"First of all, we don't have time."
"Yes."
"And it makes it look like I love you."
At first listen, it sounded quite symbolic and romantic. After all, marrying in his late mother's dress while wearing her ring... it certainly would look that way. Chloe agreed with that logic.
However, there was one problem. Queen Mildred had been an extremely delicate and petite woman.
"Ah, are you sure you didn't bring a child's dress by mistake?! I can't breathe!"
While Chloe was a tall, well-fed, ideal soldier of the new era.
The seamstress, who had been groaning as she tightened Chloe's dress, apologized reflexively.
"I'm sorry, Sir Amboise!"
The young seamstress's name was Julia. Thanks to her mother, who had followed Queen Mildred from her homeland, Julia had worked in the grand ducal household since childhood. She was also slated to be the lady-in-waiting who would remain by Chloe's side. There were only a handful of servants in the grand ducal residence who could properly serve her, so it couldn't be helped.
Chloe waved her hand reflexively.
"It's fine. It's not your fault."
"I don't think it's my fault either."
The man standing in front of her was shamelessly nonchalant. He raised an eyebrow and spoke casually.
"How about starving yourself until the wedding, Sir?"
"Keep talking like that if you want to call off the wedding."
Julia watched them with flustered eyes at the sharp exchange between the soon-to-be-wed couple. Naturally, even to the servants of the grand ducal residence, this marriage was presented as one built on love. Even if they were trustworthy maids, the true nature of the contract could not be revealed.
But what is this tension between Sir Amboise and His Grace?
For three days, servants had been strictly forbidden from entering the annex where the Grand Duke's fiancée stayed. It was only this morning that she, along with the other seamstresses and maids, had entered the annex under the pretext of wedding preparations. It was true that the maids were filled with a mixture of curiosity and admiration.
And why wouldn't they be? She was the fiancée of Grand Duke Berk. Anyone working at the Berk Grand Ducal House had wondered at least once what kind of woman he would marry.
Their curiosity manifested in various ways. The newer staff members usually thought along the lines of, What kind of woman would marry such a handsome and perfect man? and She must be an incredibly beautiful and noble lady, right?
On the other hand, the veteran servants' thoughts branched in several directions depending on their level of loyalty.
"The Grand Duke would probably only marry if the Grand Duchess were bald."
"If it's a love marriage, maybe he won't mind the Grand Duchess's hair."
"Forget it. Even if she's of noble birth, what kind of woman could tolerate that temper of his?"
"With a face like that, maybe she'd be willing to shave her head just to marry him?"
And Sir Amboise, whom the servants finally met in the annex, was a person who shattered all those expectations and curiosities.
For reference, the title "Sir Amboise" had been personally designated by Grand Duke Berk. Since they weren't married yet, she wasn't the Grand Duchess. And since she didn't possess a high rank or title of her own, she couldn't be called Lady Amboise either.
"Since she is my fiancée and a soldier, I will have the servants call her Sir. I will do the same."
"Huh? A Warrant Officer can't be addressed as Sir."
"Between being called my wife in advance, or being called Sir..."
"Hahaha! I've wanted to be a knight since I was a child!"
...Such behind-the-scenes stories remained a secret to the servants.
In any case, she was quite different from what the servants had imagined. Her status was one thing, but her appearance was far from delicate—she was remarkably sturdy.
Well, everyone has different tastes. The servants simply assumed that was Grand Duke Berk's preference.
Besides, Chloe did possess a unique charm. Perhaps because she had trained her body since childhood, her broad shoulders paired with her tall height made her look striking. Her lean, toned muscles and straight legs were also quite impressive.
They said that in the pleasure city of Godefroy, a theater troupe consisting entirely of cross-dressing women was highly active, but even their actors would likely bow to Sir Amboise. Thus, the idea that Grand Duke Berk had fallen for her wasn't entirely unconvincing.
However, what truly flustered them lay elsewhere. For a couple who was supposedly marrying after a three-month secret romance due to the King's persecution...
"Have you never even had a dress fitted before?"
"I told you back then! A banquet dress! I didn't have one! Do you think I'd have custom-made clothes?"
"Sir Amboise has lived a truly frugal life."
"What's that? Are you trying to hurt my feelings?"
Their atmosphere was downright combative.
Unable to watch any longer, Julia, the seamstress standing nearby, carefully intervened with a look of pity.
"Um, Sir Amboise, have you really never worn custom-made clothes before?"
At those words, Chloe, who had been glaring and talking back to Grand Duke Berk, shifted her attitude and answered sheepishly.
"Embarrassingly, ever since I enlisted at eighteen, I've only worn military uniforms."
"Even dogs shed their coats twice a year."
At the familiar sarcasm, Chloe's eyes narrowed into sharp triangles.
But Julia indignantly scolded the Grand Duke, "Oh, honestly, Your Grace!"
"You are truly too much. Teasing Sir Amboise when she's already so busy with the dress alterations."
Curtis snorted.
"We have to finish the wedding in a week. She should be memorizing the noble registry not just during dress alterations, but even while dancing."
Yes. The noble registry held in the Grand Duke's hand was also contributing to this combative atmosphere. Apparently, to become the Grand Duchess, she had to memorize the names and details of the major nobility. That was the very reason the Grand Duke was standing firm in the toilette room, a space normally reserved strictly for women.
Naturally, Julia and the other seamstresses were thoroughly flustered. Even if he was her fiancé, was it really okay for him to just barge into the toilette room like this...?
But unexpectedly, the Grand Duke's fiancée simply sighed and accepted it.
"I'm used to it. I'm fine, Julia."
They said they fell in love while working overtime!
The seamstresses felt incredibly sorry for Sir Amboise, who seemed to be one with overwork. A new bride should be cherished and pampered by her groom!
Fortunately, the Grand Duke did show some consideration for his bride-to-be's modesty while she was in her undergarments. They were conversing with a velvet partition set up between them.
However, the words exchanged across the partition were far from romantic. As the Grand Duke rattled off the names and details of noble families without taking a breath, the servants' minds grew even more dazed.
Honestly, it was too much. A groom urging his bride to answer questions when she couldn't even breathe because her dress was too tight.
Julia, the seamstress who had often been doted on by the late queen consort in her childhood, clenched her fists. She was the only one here who would dare to voice even a mild protest to Grand Duke Berk, and she believed that now was the time to step up for the poor Grand Duchess-to-be.