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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Happiness.
He had no desire to engage in philosophical contemplation about what happiness truly meant.
When asked if he could be happy, diving into the definition of happiness itself seemed far too academic.
His mother’s question, however, had a different meaning.
Would this marriage, which would undoubtedly appear insane to others, truly bring him happiness?
At first, the question hit him like a hammer to the head, but he quickly realized this wasn’t something that required lengthy deliberation.
Though the impact was significant, the consideration was brief, and his answer was simple.
“I think I’ll be happy.”
“Oh?”
Of course, he hadn’t given this answer with any particular certainty.
He wasn’t some oracle who could see the future. That strange notification window hadn’t shown its face since that day either.
In novels and games, others who were reincarnated into different worlds usually started with some amazing cheat or special privilege, but all he had was this peculiar constitution that traded talent for lifespan—he wasn’t even sure if it was a blessing or a curse.
This wasn’t some adult game where you had to perform certain acts regularly or die. That wouldn’t make any sense.
His thoughts had briefly wandered, but the essence of his answer was this.
“I think it will work out that way. I feel like I’ll be happy.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Honestly, if you think about it rationally, this marriage is completely absurd. Maybe it makes sense for me, but what reason do they have to agree to this marriage?”
“…None, I suppose.”
“Even if blinded by love, marriage is reality. But look at them—they’re all willing to go along with this ridiculous arrangement.”
Of course, there would be hardships and days when they’d fight.
In his case, having not one but five wives meant the probability of marital disputes would be even higher.
Yet despite these unfavorable conditions, they had all agreed to his outlandish proposal.
The very process of getting married was already an ordeal that most couples would never face.
Romeo and Juliet? That wasn’t even comparable.
At least their families only opposed a one-to-one relationship.
“…So what are you trying to say?”
“If we’re getting married like this, of course I’ll be happy. If others heard about this, they’d pack a lunch and come running to stop it, but since we’re doing it anyway, we have to be happy.”
“You mean you want to prove them wrong… something like that?”
“Not exactly. The process of getting married itself is already full of hardships, and we’ve overcome all that.”
“I think I understand what you mean.”
His mother nodded with an unreadable expression.
A marriage that would undoubtedly draw finger-pointing and accusations of insanity from others. But life was too short to constantly worry about others’ opinions.
Of course, they’d have to be mindful of public perception in general, but the people who would gossip and chatter behind their backs weren’t the ones getting married in their place.
“…I’ll talk to your father about this.”
As if finally surrendering, his mother spoke in a heavy voice.
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Countess Alline Weiss finally raised the white flag.
Her son seemed cheerful, oblivious to her inner turmoil, but the Countess found herself in a complex state of mind.
“He’ll be happy, he says…”
While it wasn’t profound enough to say it had struck a chord with her, she could tell it was sincere.
Experience and wisdom were privileges of adults, not youth.
Having received permission, they all bid farewell, and as she watched their departing figures, the Countess murmured softly,
“…Well, he’d better be happy.”
Since he was living in the capital now, she would have gladly approved even if he’d chosen a love marriage, which was becoming fashionable among young nobles these days.
The Countess had never harbored ambitions of increasing their territory or gaining a higher title.
She’d simply planned to manage the lands inherited from their ancestors and pass them on to her eldest daughter when the time came.
She’d never considered political marriages.
Besides, what they called political marriages were just fancy words—what kind of political alliance could be forged through a small territory like the Weiss domain?
They say no parent can win against their child.
Though as a parent she still wasn’t entirely comfortable with this marriage, if Rudrick would be happy, that was all that mattered.
Her head already ached thinking about how to explain this to her husband, but ultimately the final decision lay with her as the head of the household.
Her husband loved Rudrick no less than she did, so once she relayed their son’s words, he would have no choice but to agree.
The Countess watched the white flash of teleportation magic fade, then slowly turned away.
Of course, her husband’s inevitable scolding awaited her, but what did that matter?
If Rudrick said he’d be happy.
That was enough.
“…As long as he lives happily without breaking his parents’ hearts, that’s all we need.”
After all, most parents share the same wish for their children’s happiness.
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Now that they had official permission, there was no one who could stop Elena’s rampage.
There was a brief commotion the next morning when newspapers ran massive headlines about my relationship with Lassiel, but such trivial matters couldn’t deter Elena with the wedding just around the corner.
“How can you spend an entire day just choosing a wedding dress…?”
“My lord still doesn’t understand. A wedding dress is like a bride’s pride.”
“Shouldn’t it normally be the groom worrying about what tuxedo to wear?”
Watching Elena getting worked up over simply choosing a wedding dress made me question my common sense.
This was a gender-reversed world, wasn’t it? Shouldn’t the groom be the one agonizing over his formal wear rather than the bride fretting over her dress?
When I looked at the others to see if this was normal in this world, it apparently wasn’t.
Eileen chose hers as carelessly as her usual demeanor, while Lassiel just quickly picked one at random. Sylphia mentioned visiting Lear briefly and returned with an extremely elaborate dress.
Just as I was thinking Elena might be the odd one out, there was an unexpected ally.
“The dress…”
Arwen narrowed her eyes as she studied various dress illustrations in the catalog.
Even though these were just drawings, not photographs, since cameras didn’t exist here, and might look different in reality…
“A dress is just something you pick that looks pretty enough. That’s what everyone else is doing.”
“Don’t speak of things you don’t understand. This is a once-in-a-lifetime wedding. In my case especially, it’s the only wedding I’ll have in a lifespan far longer than ordinary humans.”
“…I should have thrown out all those romance novels earlier.”
I couldn’t understand these two oddities obsessing over everything from the dress down to the smallest details.
Or rather, I’d given up trying to understand them.
Instead, Elena turned to question me.
“Why are you choosing yours so casually?”
“All tuxedos look basically the same, so what’s there to agonize over…?”
“…I’ve wondered this before, but sometimes I question whether you’re really a man.”
“Excuse me?”
I glared at Elena, who had casually made such a gender-discriminatory remark.
Just because I was a man in this world didn’t mean I had to be obsessed with choosing clothes. Though I admit I might be an exceptional case.
Anyway, as we bickered like this, it started to feel real.
Elena was obviously the most serious about the wedding, while Eileen and Lassiel chose their attire casually according to their personalities and styles.
Though their attitudes varied by personality, we all shared one thing in common.
‘Anticipation.’
Naturally, none of us had experience with marriage or divorce.
I hadn’t been married in my past life either, and none of the five had been with me before the regression.
This wedding was a level playing field for everyone. It was everyone’s first wedding.
Having already visited and received my parents’ blessing, no one could back out now claiming a change of heart—the arrow had left the bow, the water had been spilled.
Though they might bicker and act annoyed, none could fully hide the smiles playing at their lips or the anticipation in their expressions.
And the same went for me.
Even as I complained about how long they were taking to choose wedding dresses, I didn’t find this time boring or tedious. It was my wedding, after all.
We all shared in this happiness together.
I hadn’t expected to fulfill my promise of happiness to my mother so soon.
Well, whatever.
The process might be a bit unusual, but as long as the outcome is good, that’s all that matters.
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