Marriage Alliance

Transmigrating into the Warhammer World, Kasgar might not have a golden finger.

But he had a gold ring.

A Centaur gold ring.

That was enough.

"I'm thinking,"

Fulgrim said cheerfully, raising her left hand with the ring on it high, taking it all in.

Why?

Why could she perceive a beauty she had never felt before?

As Primarchs—the strongest weapons and tools for the God-Emperor of Mankind to carry out His will—they were born with mastery over humanity's millennia of accumulated technology, wisdom, philosophy, and art.

But in Fulgrim's genetic database, there was no explanation for why that still-immature Centaur gold ring stirred such intense feelings within her.

Inspiration. Art.

Beauty.

And that indescribable thrill.

The violet bud in her mind bloomed at that moment, bursting open, dyeing all that was dim with vibrant and wild colors.

She wanted to show off, to proclaim it. She wanted countless nobles and commoners alike to celebrate with her and envy her.

Endless thoughts surged forth; countless plays, literature, and cinematic art instantly intertwined, surfaced, and swelled in her mind.

"I'm thinking."

"Perhaps in the future, once Chemos is truly liberated, this moment might be immortalized in the greatest of dramas."

Like a stage actor, Fulgrim elegantly lifted her chin.

"And it will be sung throughout all of Chemos, and even the entire human world to come!"

"Perhaps, in the not-too-distant future, the Centaur gold ring will surpass those cliché diamond rings and become the ultimate symbol of proposal between lovers!"

In that moment, she seemed to see a future where the whole world chose the romantic Centaur gold ring.

But Kasgar apparently didn't like that outcome.

Hell no, don't!

He quickly waved his hands, his head shaking wildly left and right.

Wait, that's not right!

If the Centaur gold ring really became the proposal ring, then when the Emperor conferred the title of Warmaster upon Horus, wouldn't that mean—wouldn't that—

!

Kasgar dared not think further!

But it seemed Fulgrim had misunderstood his meaning.

"Shaking your head?"

"You mean to say this isn't a confession, just an ordinary gift?"

Fulgrim giggled, crouched down, and pinched Kasgar's flushed cheeks, red from his panic.

A young man's blush speaks louder than any sweet talk.

"Since you won't admit it, let me be the 'bad guy' here."

With that, she returned to her workbench, took out a gold ingot, and began to hammer it delicately.

Since Kasgar was too shy to speak up, she would forge the most exquisite and perfect gold ring to witness this mutually agreeable political marriage.

In the future, she would use it as the basis to create the most artistically rich drama in the world, for billions to enjoy!

Fulgrim firmly believed: one day, everyone would propose with a Centaur gold ring!

Oh no.

Watching Fulgrim move like the wind, Kasgar sank into despairing silence.

Years later, facing the Emperor of Mankind pulling out a Centaur gold ring on Ullanor, Kasgar Sherlock, Chief Lord Commander of the Third Legion, would recall that distant afternoon when his flash of inspiration struck.

A few days later.

Was this... moving a bit too fast?

Kasgar, who had rarely been let out of the Manor in an official capacity, found himself thinking idly.

But it made sense, he supposed.

Among the twenty lost Primarchs, Fulgrim's conquest of her homeworld was practically a power fantasy.

After showcasing her talent and charisma, she had easily won over the authority of several fortress strongholds on Chemos, without spending a single soldier, effortlessly earning nearly everyone's adoration.

For the next Thirty Years, until the Emperor's arrival, it would be a happy and leisurely time of building up their domain.

As a Primarch embodying perfection, reclaiming her homeworld so smoothly was only to be expected.

The details of the marriage alliance were negotiated smoothly.

Even though the Sherlock family had no idea how Fulgrim had learned the name of this youngest son, nor why she had passed over the other promising young men of the Sherlock family to fixate on Kasgar, the obscure youngest child.

Still, this was hardly a major concern.

After all, it was merely a political marriage.

A union between the Karax Fortress's traditional nobility—the Sherlock Family—and Fulgrim, a rapidly rising new power.

After the marriage, the Sherlock Family would naturally gain a renowned and beloved Mechanical Technology Expert, while Fulgrim could, as she envisioned, ascend into Karax's elite circles, acquiring a noble title and reputation.

From a higher vantage point, she could display her talents and ambitions.

Everything was the result of calculated interests and trade-offs between the two sides.

For the family's benefit, which son of the Sherlock Patriarch Fulgrim ultimately chose didn't truly matter.

But... was it truly unimportant?

Kasgar Sherlock cast a wary glance around the venue.

The Engagement Ceremony was held at the manor in the Upper Fortress. The venue was lavishly decorated, surrounded by lush, neatly trimmed hedges, with decorative ribbons tied to two ancient trees at the entrance, displaying several lines of ornate High Gothic Calligraphy.

Though the Karax Fortress was short on supplies, that shortage seemed to apply only to the workers.

The old patriarch was currently chatting with other nobles in the manor. As for the other sons of the family, especially the eldest, Herod Sherlock, Kasgar didn't see them present.

Something was off.

Kasgar thought to himself. Normally, on such a solemn and critical occasion, there was no way they would be absent.

The Karax Steel Fortress was divided into an upper and lower layer.

The upper layer was where the Karax nobles resided.

After Fulgrim became an engineer, she successfully repaired the fortress's power and air circulation systems, which had been damaged for countless years.

She even obtained some ancient plant seeds from the fortress's old Eco-pods, allowing her to establish the beginnings of Indoor Vertical Farming and a Green Garden within the barren fortress.

Even within the closed-off steel forest, new sprouts could emerge.

Watching the table, where for the first time dishes made from crops appeared, and the crowd around it savoring the novel delicacies, Kasgar couldn't help but marvel.

Fortunately, given the importance of this political marriage, even the workers toiling daily in the factories benefited, gaining a day of rest.

A few worker representatives even had the right to attend the banquet.

The manor was bustling with people, many of them guests who had come to catch a glimpse of the legendary Goddess of Water.

Their gazes, naturally, mostly fell upon the flawless female Primarch.

Today, she had abandoned her usual engineer's uniform for a magnificent Violet Stola Roman Robe.

The robe was embroidered with countless ornate and intricate Gold Thread Patterns, showcasing its wearer's elegance and nobility. Coupled with her perfect, beautiful face and her nearly three-meter Divine Height.

Every guest present couldn't help but marvel at the goddess reborn in the world.

And the groom, Kasgar Sherlock?

Unfortunately, Fulgrim's Primarch-level height made the not-short Kasgar look especially tiny beside her.

Unless someone deliberately looked for him, he would mostly be overshadowed by her radiance.

Tch.

Kasgar was a bit annoyed.

When he underwent Space Marine augmentation, he would definitely tell the Apothecary to make him bigger!

Kasgar took a small, reluctant sip of the newly brewed Wine Liquid, silently resolving this.

But now wasn't the time to think about that.

Fulgrim's conquest of the planet hadn't required war.

For the next Thirty Years, he would accompany Fulgrim in governing the planet, accumulating administrative experience, and preparing for the future Great Crusade.

He firmly believed everything would unfold as he expected.

Until he heard shouting from afar.