Chapter 109: Crown Prince's Wedding

June 19, 2022 - 4 minutes read - 800 words

A month later, the Royal Capital is celebrating.

The wedding of Crown Prince William and his bride Elizabeth was held in the church, then a reception party was held at the Royal Castle.

The two newlyweds are dancing in the center of the dance floor, William, with his long silver hair, and Elizabeth, with her golden fluffy hair. She looks at him with her green eyes, overjoyed with excitement.

Once the two are done with this dance, the aristocrats will line up to greet the couple. I’m having to operate in aristocrat mode today, so I lined up behind the other Counts. Luckily, the Counts are pretty early on in the aristocratic ranking.

Behind me is the Viscount line, I hear various mutterings about me like “Impudent Upstart” and “A Son of a Disgraced Moneylender”, but I don’t let it get to me. I’m doing unprecedentedly well for a person of my parentage and age, I expect all of that.

It’s finally my turn to greet the two newlyweds and their parents, the King and Queen and Marquis Dixon and his wife. It’s the first time I met the Crown Prince and the Queen, but they reply with a smile.

Soon, my greetings are over and I’m enjoying some wine, when someone comes over to chat.

“Patrick, it’s been a long time.” Kyle

“Oh, Kyle. How did your project end?” Pat

“Yes, I rounded up all the main suspects. I’m glad we were able to put a lid on the case before the wedding. Thanks in no small part to you, Patrick.” Kyle

“By the way, don’t you need to greet the families?” Pat

“I’m a Baron, so I’m not in a rush. The Viscounts have yet to finish, I think? There’s so many Viscounts and Barons in this Kingdom. It’ll be a while before I can greet them.” Kyle

Kyle has a point there. In the Kingdom, there are 20 Dukes, 8 Marquis, and 20 Counts, including me, but the next ranks are much larger. Currently there are 123 Viscounts and 258 Barons. If you add up all the Baronets and Knights, you’d find yourself above 1,000. Nobody under a baron is expected to personally greet the couple, unless they were personally acquainted.

I’ve been marked as a tall poppy by the Viscounts and Barons, since I got promoted into the upper ranks. You could also say the lower-ranked aristocracy has a crab mentality. On top of that, I’m the first generation of a new family.

When making the greeting, the current head and next head will do the greeting. I’m guessing Kyle is the next head. At this point, the Viscounts finish and the Barons starts their greetings, so Kyle heads off.

“Count Snake!” Dekose

I hear a familiar voice.

“Cousin Dekose! It’s been a long time! How is Uncle Trolla?” Pat

“Father is taking charge of the guards. I was planning on getting in the well-wisher line, but I dallied and it got too long. I’m killing some time to let it diminish before heading over.” Dekose laughs

“Are you staying in the capital for a while?” Pat

“Oh, probably around ten days. Do you want to have dinner one of those nights? We’re happy to host you.” Dekose

“No, let me do the hosting. I’ve got whiskey and brandy!” Pat

“Oh, that’s the new liquors that everyone wants! Whiskey has managed to make its way to the Canaan territory, so I got to enjoy some, it was good! I haven’t had any brandy yet, I’ll look forward to it!” Dekose

“Good day, Mr. Patrick.” Sona formally greets me with a fluttering dress

“Your Highness Sonaris, I hope you’re having a good day.” Pat

I met her yesterday so she could give me the clothes she had made for today, but I have to be formal since our engagement is still not public knowledge.

“It suits you” Sona whispers

“Thank you” Pat whispers back

The clothes I’m wearing are black with green stripes in various places and the Snake family crest on the left chest pocket. The cloak I’m wearing also has the family crest.

There are rules for cloak length in the Kingdom.

The King’s is long enough to drag on the floor, while a Duke’s goes down to the ankle. A Marquis’s can drape to the back of the knee and a Count’s ends at the bottom of the back, like the one I’m wearing. A Viscount’s must end above the waist while a Baron can cover the shoulder blades.

The length rules only apply to the head of the family, family members use the rule for the next level down. The other members of the Royal Family use the Duke length rules for cloaks.

“See you later” Sonaris whispers as she leaves

Hmm? Later?