Wedding Feast (Part One)

On the morning of December eighth, an elegant carriage rolled along the road at an unhurried pace. Several fully armed attendants rode on each side, a sight that made onlookers wary.

Baron Rokas kept opening the window to look outside. He was in high spirits, and so was the whole territory.

December had brought the bitter cold of winter, yet Tatshaw Territory was filled with a joy as warm as spring.

The baron's wife had announced that she was pregnant. It was wonderful news.

Though Romon already had a daughter, his vast baronial fief badly needed a male heir to put its people at ease.

Without a lawful heir, people could not help worrying that a change of lord might one day turn their lives upside down.

Years of disasters and war had already left the county's people deeply anxious.

Under the kingdom's land laws, if a noble died without a son or brother, the right to decide who received his territory reverted to the state. If he had only a daughter, she was fortunate if she was already married, for her husband could inherit it.

But if she was unmarried, the Love Goddess Church would most likely intervene in her marriage. Who didn't know the church had ties to the Royal House?

And who could guarantee that the young lady would be allowed to choose her own husband?

There was plenty of room for scheming.

That was why, despite Romon already having a daughter, everyone hoped a male heir would soon be born.

At last, their hopes seemed to have moved the gods. Lady Eileen, whose marriage had so far brought no such news, was pregnant. Based on her own observations and the guidance she had sought from the gods, this child was very likely to be a boy!