The Long-Awaited Wedding
The wedding ceremony at Giwangjeo began with the groom from Giwangjeo welcoming the bride arriving from Akwangjeo at the main gate. It symbolized bringing someone from the Ak Wang family into the Giwang family. It meant treating Ak Wang's eldest granddaughter, Ak I-yeon, not as a member of the Ak Wang household, but as Giwangga's crown princess consort, Ak I-yeon.
I'd have loved to walk with her all the way from Akwangjeo to Giwangjeo, but the elders told me to stay put, so what could I do? I had to follow their lead.
Ha.
As I stood at the wide-open main gate, basking in the guests' gazes, a familiar silhouette appeared in the distance. Kki-ing-i and Kki-ong-i, their white fur gleaming even more lustrously than usual, trotted lightly toward us. A lavish carriage trailed behind the two white deer. And perched on the driver's seat was none other than Ak Wang.
What kind of carriage packs enough firepower to topple a whole city? The corners of my mouth tugged upward involuntarily. Spirit beasts pulling the carriage like horses, with a Hwagyeong master who'd dominated the martial world for decades playing coachman. If that carriage had any real combat power, it could probably match a provincial military commander or even a capital guard commander. A sight like this wasn't something you saw every day.
If this weren't my wedding, would I ever have seen those two pulling a carriage? If it weren't Ak I-yeon's wedding, would I ever have seen Ak Wang in the driver's seat?
"Whoa, a carriage pulled by white deer."
"Perfect for the bride's first journey, isn't it? A bride led by spirit beasts—nothing more beautiful or noble."
The founding merit subjects and high ministers, who'd been pillars of the Central Plains for decades, were murmuring among themselves, eyes fixed on the approaching white deer carriage. Or should I call it a "green carriage"? Since it was deer, not horses, pulling it.
"So, we've made it all the way here."
Ak Wang, drawing all eyes as he guided the green carriage, spoke softly.
"To send off my dearly raised granddaughter to Giwangjeo... What a heartbreaking affair."
He let out a small sigh, and laughter rippled through the guests. Everyone knew of the peculiar friendship between Grandfather and Ak Wang. The merit subjects, who'd known them for decades longer than I had, probably knew it even better. They'd witnessed Grandfather's eccentricities and Ak Wang's tempers that I never saw.
And now, Ak Wang's granddaughter was marrying Giwang's grandson. From the merit subjects' perspective, it must have stirred nostalgic memories of the two men's younger days.
"Giwang is just one man, but my parents and I make three. No need to worry."
I offered Ak Wang—who looked genuinely wistful—some consolation that wasn't really consolation. If he was uneasy about leaving Grandfather and Ak I-yeon in the same space, he should look at the rest of the family instead—
"Think three people can hold that guy back? Even the Emperor couldn't during the founding wars."
"Hahaha!"
"That's right! Back then, Your Highness Giwang was something else!"
"I still can't forget how he went around collecting the plaques of merit sects himself, threatening them to join up."
What's that about?
The atmosphere warmed with laughter, but I couldn't join in. I'd just learned of yet another of Grandfather's escapades. Collecting merit sects' plaques? Talk about a simple, direct threat. It basically said: Join up now, or you're just a bunch of nameless, history-less parakho bandits.
"If you're here, come in already! Spreading rumors about me?"
"Not rumors—advice. The grandson-in-law needs to know what kind of monster his wife has to deal with."
Grandfather had emerged at the gate to protest, and Ak Wang snorted softly as he dismounted from the driver's seat, as if to say a real complaint wouldn't have ended there. He then untied the leads from Kki-ing-i and Kki-ong-i and approached the carriage door, opening it himself.
"Yeon-ah. Time to come out."
"Yes, Grandfather."
Her voice was worlds apart from the one she'd used with Grandfather. I nearly burst out laughing. He was sending his precious granddaughter to the home of a friend he found utterly exasperating. I couldn't even imagine Ak Wang's feelings. Yet he was delivering her to Giwangjeo because he trusted me that much. And he believed she'd thrive here.
"My Yeon-ah, how can you be so radiant? 'Flower that shames the moon' must have been coined just for you."
As Ak I-yeon carefully stepped down from the carriage, Ak Wang's face softened more tenderly than ever. I was stumped. Starting off with such extravagant praise left the groom—what was I supposed to do? When the elder hogs all the compliments, the one behind is left awkward.
"If I had my way, I'd keep you by this old man's side forever. But I can't block my precious granddaughter's path with an