This world does not have the culture of "bride price" that is familiar to outsiders, but it does have "dowry". That is, when a woman from an aristocratic family gets married, the family will pay a large sum of money as a dowry. It may be jewelry, property deeds, or even a large piece of territory.
Especially for the prominent nobles, the dowry of the women in the family when they get married demonstrates the family's strength and reputation.
This was not the first time that Larousse III had married off his daughter, so there were already established rules for the dowries of the princesses of this generation of the Cavendish family.
Shad curiously asked Dorothy, and Dorothy counted on her fingers:
"First, there is a large piece of land, but not around Tobesk. The land here is too expensive. Then there are two or three manors owned by the royal family across the country. Leisia said that sister Mona wanted the manor in the Arctic Ice City. The fact that Lakeview Manor was bought by the Esberg family is also related to this. There is also property. The king prepared a long-term profitable property for his daughter. Theoretically, it only belongs to Mona, but the family has no control over what happens after marriage."
The wealth she mentioned is what most people in this world would never be able to obtain in their entire lives.
"The Cavendish family does not have the tradition of giving cash as a dowry, but the family has inherited a lot of jewelry, which has been accumulated from generation to generation. Mona picked out a sapphire headdress left by her grandmother, which her grandmother wore when she got married. Ajelina said privately that she liked the headdress very much. In addition to jewelry, there are also some antiques. Leicia did not explain these in detail, but they can probably fill three carriages. Oh, mother, I mean Queen Diana will also give some jewelry. For example, the ruby ring she gave you, if it was not given to you in the summer, it would most likely be taken away by Mona this time."
Shad could no longer calculate how much these things were worth in gold pounds. Even if he calculated them using the larger denomination of "Mia", he could probably fill up the entire Six St. Teresa's Square with the Mia he exchanged for.
"Meow?"
The cat walking around on the floor looked at Shade curiously.
"How did Her Highness Mona Cavendish and the gentleman from the Asperger family know each other?"
He curiously inquired again. This kind of topic is always very interesting:
"Or is this a political marriage?"
“Both.”
Dorothy held her teacup in her hand. The warm steam made her feel very comfortable:
"Mona and Mr. Esberg met at an open-air dance three years ago in the summer, and gradually began to write to each other every week. After hearing about this, His Majesty the King thought that the marriage between the royal family and the Duke of Esberg was a good thing, so he acquiesced to this exchange. They got engaged this spring, and the wedding has been prepared since then. I heard that at the banquet at Lake View Manor tonight, there will be special products from the Arctic ice cap that have been specially stored since the spring."
“That sounds good.”
Shade praised:
“This is a marriage that can be blessed by God.”
"Yes."
Dorothy's eyes fell on Mia's tail, which was sliding on the floor. The soft, flexible tail was wagging back and forth like a huge orange and white worm:
"Ajelina is very envious of her sister. Of course, she is even more envious of... these three rings. Aren't they all relics?"
"Huh? What? Oh, yes, they are all relics."
Xia De waved to the cat, and Mia rushed over and jumped neatly from the ground to the sofa. Xia De smiled and reached out to touch Mia's little head, and the cat squinted its eyes and called in cooperation.
The blonde girl said helplessly:
"I know you're very kind to your cat, but sometimes you have to remember that it's just an ordinary cat. Even normal people can't wear three relic rings at the same time, Shade, you're too kind to Mia."
Because they were going to church to attend a grand wedding in the afternoon, they went out to lunch at eleven o'clock. But just as they reached Silver Cross Avenue, Dorothy suddenly stopped and said to Shad:
"Wait a mininute."
She closed her eyes and leaned against Shade. But it was only for a few seconds, not even to arouse the curiosity of passers-by, before Dorothy opened her eyes again.
"Meow~"
The cat on Shad's shoulder meowed immediately, and Dorothy looked at the cat in reproach:
“Its sharpness surprises me every time.”
"Lecia?"
Xia De was even more surprised and glanced at the Yodel Palace a few hundred meters away:
"Why are you here?"
"There is so much to do, and I am really exhausted. Let Dorothy take care of me for a while, at least until lunchtime. I want to have a good rest."
She showed a sense of laziness at the moment, but soon a smile appeared on her face again. When she and Xia De walked towards the restaurant where they had already reserved a table, their steps seemed much lighter:
"It feels so good to walk freely on the street without having to think about what to do next. Shad, do you know what time I got up this morning? I have never felt that the morning time is so long. Now thinking about Mona's wedding dress... Oh, my God, it's a good thing that Ajelina can still help me."
"But now that it's this time and the wedding preparations are over, what else do you have to do?"
Shade asked again, feeling that Leicia had exchanged with Dorothy as if she had "escaped".
"Lunch. Mona Cavendish's last lunch at Yodel Palace. After this afternoon, there will be no more Mona Cavendish. There will only be Mona Iceberg."
At this point, she turned her head slightly to look in the direction of the Yodel Palace. After pausing for a moment, she caught up with Shade who turned his head to look at her.
"We have to hurry up. I don't want to miss the wedding this afternoon."
The topic of marriage is always so heavy, but Shade also wishes the newlyweds the best. On this early winter afternoon, when he walked into the restaurant with the blonde girl, Shade turned around and looked at the Yodel Palace again, just like Leicia just now.
"Perhaps in a few years, or many years, I will also welcome Leicia walking out of here."
But more likely, Leithia Cavendish will be there to greet you.
After lunch, the two of them quickly returned to St. Teresa's Square with the cat. It took Shade only 20 minutes to change his clothes and do his hair, but it took Resia a lot more time.
But according to her, Dorothy's dress was more complicated than her bridesmaids' dresses. She took her own time to arrange her dress and asked Shad to help check the lace edge of the skirt to see if it was damaged during transportation.
Because he was planning to take Mia to the wedding, Shad prepared a blue bow for the cat.
Unfortunately, the cat, which had always behaved very docilely, did not cooperate at all this time. In the end, Shade had no choice but to give up, but still combed its hair with Mia's special comb, and then sat on the sofa waiting for Leicia to finish her makeup.
When Lesia finally looked in the mirror in the bathroom and confirmed that Dorothy's long golden hair was completely smooth, she tied her hair together with a blue ribbon, then took Shad's arm, stepped on her high heels, and walked down the stairs with him.
Many guests were invited to attend the grand banquet held at Lake View Manor tonight, but only a few were invited to the wedding in the afternoon because the church hall could only seat a limited number of people at one time.
The invitation to Shad was given by Queen Diana, who had a good impression of Shad and was also interested in contacting the only "lover" of Duchess Carina to maintain the relationship between the king and Lady Carina. Even though Dorothy, a commoner girl, was a famous writer who had recently gained fame, it was impossible for her to be invited to the princess' wedding. She would appear as Shad's female companion.
Because "Hamilton's Detective Stories" was written by her, people knew that the writer and the detective had a good relationship, and she was the right person to be his female companion.
The Peace Church of the Tobesk Diocese is located in the eastern part of the city. When Shad first came into this world, if it weren't for the matter of "Mrs. Lazoya", he almost went to the church to receive relief food.
The church is located on Saint-Insault Street, the main street in the eastern part of the city. The street is about two miles long (about 3.2 km) and wide enough to accommodate five or six carriages passing through at the same time. Black iron fences are erected at both ends of the street, marking the beginning and end of the street, and the street ground is made of small gray square stones.
The legendary "Saint Yinso" was a saint of the Peace Church who lived thousands of years ago. It is said that the lady, through her lobbying, facilitated the establishment of the first unified human empire in the Sixth Epoch of the Old World, allowing peace to last for many years. This street was named in her memory.
The carriage soon brought Shade and Lecia here. When Shade walked down holding Lecia's hand wearing white long-sleeved gloves, he suddenly realized a problem:
"Will you and Dorothy switch back again this afternoon?"
Leixia subconsciously raised her hand and touched her ear, then shook the red butterfly pendant hanging around her waist at Xia De:
"Maybe it will, maybe it won't. How many times can you tell, Shad?"
"Meow~"
Xia De immediately raised his hand to touch the cat, and Mia called out energetically towards the afternoon sun.
The steam pipe central heating in Tobisk is about to start. Due to coal burning, the smog in the city has been very heavy in recent days. Even in the afternoon, the streets are foggy and particularly choking.
At the foot of the grand church's front steps, the blonde smiled:
“It would be great if every day could be this peaceful.”
"Yes, one day I will."
Shade said softly, and climbed the stairs with the believers of the Peace Church. Although the wedding will be held in the hall, the church is still open to ordinary believers.