EIITAB - Chapter 46 <Special Dress >
Do Your Best And Regret It
It was a strong and extreme expression that was not like her usual expression. Is that why?
It seemed like everyone was finally taking this issue seriously. As she said, Yorgos and the temple were well aware of the fact that they were gradually losing influence in the north after the Great War. He was also seriously aware that the resentment of the Kalathi people was so great that he could no longer appease them with relief goods sent through Aslan.
They were aware that it would be difficult to overcome the angry public sentiment using the same methods as before, but they were unable to find inspiration on which other method would be more effective.
If this continues, the northerners will give up fighting the winter and advance to the capital through the 'impenetrable wall'. In this case, the common opinion was that it would be difficult to avoid a civil war.
Hestia sighed as she looked at the two men who were worried about how to properly take care of their own interests.
"So take advantage of my marriage. In short, it was a call to action to extend a hand of reconciliation before completely losing influence over the North. There's no need to explain every single detail. We just need to give people a hint so that they can start talking about what we want."
"Suggestion?"
"Yes. The implication is that you will marry me to Duke Kalathi as proof of peace. We had to fool them first so that we could fool others as well."
Hestia said her next most important words, hoping that she would appear relaxed.
"To do that, it would be better to hand over the income I have from the Southern Plains to the North in the form of a dowry."
Yorgos furrowed his brow.
"All the grain from the Great Plains is in Kalatier? Hestia, isn't that too big?"
It wasn't even his private property, but Yorgos made a sound of regret as he savored it, as if it was quite a waste. However, Hestia, who could never compromise on this issue, spoke repeatedly in a firm voice.
"It's not excessive. Only by showing this level of sincerity will the people of Kalathi not doubt Your Majesty's sincerity."
"Hmm..."
Meanwhile, the high Priest, who had been quietly listening to the story, nodded his head loudly with a stern expression on his face and opened his mouth.
"Everything Hestia said is correct. I can't deny it."
"I'm glad you agree."
The high Priest said heavily, looking at Hestia with serious eyes.
"But for that plan to work, Hestia must still belong to the temple."
Hestia quickly realized the problem he was trying to address. As she points out with the High Priest, this is all a scenario that will work for her, even if she has to maintain her position as a Saintess until she dies.
"If you understand that, our temple will follow Saintess Hestia's plan."
"But a priest's marriage is unheard of. Of course, I think it's right to take the name down...."
The high Priest shrugged his shoulders and spoke indifferently.
"Since the oracle that the Saintess should get married is out of the question, wouldn't it be okay to make an exception this time?"
Hestia took a moment to choose her words. There was nothing wrong with what she said to the High Priest. To be honest, she wanted to end her relationship with the temple along with her marriage, but if that was impossible, she also needed to take a step back.
After finishing her thoughts, she quickly nodded her head.
"All right. Let's do that."
It was a 2 to 1 situation. Yorgos took a while longer and then reluctantly agreed.
'It's too bad that we can't clean up our relationship with the temple... This wasn't a bad achievement. It wasn't a losing deal.'
In any case, if she moved to the north, she would not have anything to do with the temple.
Hestia received Yorgos's signature and seal on a consent form authorizing her to hand over all income collected from the southern plains to the north. Then she stood up. All she wanted to do was go back to the Kalathi Mansion as soon as possible.
***
The next day, Hestia and Aslan's wedding. The ceremony was scheduled to be held quickly. Aslan hates hassle. Hestia likes quiet. This is because the personalities of the two people coincided for a long time.
Naturally, only a few people were invited and attended. The nobles were anxious to attend their wedding while criticizing Aslan, but the reality was that they could not even see the invitation envelope. So, those who attended their wedding were Yorgos, the Queen, the Crown Prince, and from the temple, the high priests including the High Priest and Saintess Anessa. And the men Aslan brought from Kalati. There were only a few like that. Considering their social status, they were very simple people.
As time was urgent, most procedures were omitted and the ceremony was also simplified. Angela dressed Hestia in the dress she had repaired until dawn today and helped her dress up. She said,
"If only I had had enough time, she could have created a beautiful dress that would have fit a Princess better..."
Angela muttered in a depressed voice as if she was disappointed that she couldn't do that. But Hestia didn't think that way at all. To be honest, it was excessive compared to the clothes she had to wear every day at the temple.
"No. Isn't this dress really pretty?"
It was simpler than the dress she wore in her last life, at her wedding to Stefan Ceretto. The wedding dresses that are popular in the Kingdom of Ellsworth these days are decorated with lots of jewels and lace.
'It was a trend in my last life, but I wore such fancy decorations to hide my pale complexion. It was a design that I thought did not suit me.'
So Hestia actually liked this wedding dress she was wearing today more. She thought something that wasn't flashy would better suit her image and personality.
"And it's a special dress for me."
She swept it slowly, as if caressing her own dress, with her longing gaze. For a moment, Angela's touch became cautious. This was because she knew better than anyone else what this wedding dress meant to Hestia.
As her marriage was decided urgently, Hestia's dress was a problem, but Aslan's formal attire was also a problem. Aslan also never dreamed that he would get married like this, so he didn't have any suitable clothes to wear at the wedding.
This is because he originally came with the intention of not engaging in any social activities at all. However, he couldn't postpone the ceremony to get new clothes. This is because Aslan cannot stay in the capital for long. He and his lieutenants had to return to Kalathi in the north, past an impassable wall. This was because they were the only ones who could stop 'winter'. And neither Yorgos nor the Great Temple welcomed Aslan being stuck in the capital like this.
Of course, Kalathi did not have the financial means to buy new clothes. Even if he had sufficient wealth, Aslan was not the type to wear Western clothes. He tried to buy food and medicine with whatever goods he had.
"Can't I just wear anything?"
Angela couldn't help but grab the back of her neck again at Aslan's sullen question. At a time when the situation was becoming difficult, Hestia came up with a clever idea. Of course, there was a high possibility that Aslan would dislike it, so he had to be very careful in expressing her opinion.
"If it's okay with you, how about wearing my parents' robes?"
Aslan's eyes widened at the unexpected suggestion. Hestia could not bear to make eye contact with him. This is because he knew better than anyone else that the three things Aslan hated most were the Ellsworth royal family, the temple, and herself. He might say out loud what nonsense she's talking about right now.
However, contrary to her guess, Aslan did not look very displeased. Objectively, Kalathi had no regrets about the previous King and Queen. They were people who went on an inspection trip to inspect the lives of northerners who were suffering due to the winter but suffered misfortune.
Unlike Yorgos, who divided sides between the South and the North, he was a monarch who considered the people of the North as his own and tried to take care of them. As the owner of Kalathi, Aslan was grateful to the previous King. He thought that even if only they were alive, the situation wouldn't be as bad as it is now.
Meanwhile, Hestia interpreted his prolonged silence negatively.
"I said something pointless. I'll assume you didn't hear it. Just any clothes you have..."
"No. Let me wear it."
Hestia looked at him in surprise at his answer, which was cooler than expected. Aslan was giving her a look with a calm expression as if something was wrong.
"Is it okay?"
"Are you planning on putting poison on the clothes? Otherwise, there wouldn't be any problem."
Hestia's lips quietly parted. She said, looking at Aslan with her disbelieving eyes.
"How can you say something like that, or think something like that?"
"... If it's okay with you, I'll wear it."
Aslan hurriedly finished speaking and left the room, indicating that it was decided not to bother him any further. This was because he had to inform his lieutenants of the news that she was getting married.
Hestia gave Angela an order as soon as she could sigh.
"Angela. It may be a hassle, but I have to go to the palace and bring me two sets of clothes."
"Yes, Princess. Do not worry. I'll bring it carefully!"
So Hestia and Aslan decided to wear the formal clothes her parents wore. As it was royal clothing, it was made of high-quality fabric and was well maintained, so fortunately the clothes were in good condition. There was just one problem.
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