Chapter 311 - Getting Rich

"To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until you are parted by death." Yolanthe slowly put the scepter on Anfey’s shoulder. "Anfey, would you like to marry this beautiful woman, Suzanna, as you wife, to love her for better or for worse, until death do you part?"

Anfey just stared at Yolanthe without any response. Christian, the best man, had to nudge Anfey and remind him what to do next. "Say it."

"I do." Anfey suddenly realized he needed to answer the question.

"Suzanna, would you…" Yolanthe asked.

"I do." She answered before Yolanthe could even finish his question. Suzanna was so nervous that she was stiff.

Niya was the maid of honor. She almost laughed out loud when she saw what happened. She immediately covered her mouth. Luckily, her back was to the crowd, otherwise the guests might have laughed along with her.

Yolanthe held Anfey’s hand and gently said to Suzanna, "Relax, ok?" Yolanthe held his hand out to Suzanna.

Suzanna slightly bit her lip and put her hand on Yolanthe’s palm. When Yolanthe let Anfey’s and Suzanna’s hands touch, they could not help holding each other’s hand.

"May god bless this new couple." Yolanthe smiled and stepped back a few steps to allow Anfey and Suzanna to be the center of attention. They were greeted with long and thunderous applause.

Almost all the elites of Maho Empire had gathered here. Most of them had nothing to do with Anfey. They were being appropriately nice to Anfey. Ernest, Entos, the members of Alibaba legion were wishing the best for them from the bottom of their hearts. Everyone wore smiles on their faces, including Wester, Granden, and even Philip, who hated Anfey with a passion. No one would give Anfey a hard time right now. If anyone did, that person would be too naïve. People could sit in this hall only if they had done something extraordinary. They might have made mistakes, but not basic ones.

When Yolanthe raised his scepter again, the whole hall went quiet. Yolanthe scanned the crowd and slowly said, "Do you know why we called them newlyweds? Because only with new responsibility can people grow. For Count Anfey and beautiful Miss Suzanna. Oh, no, please forgive me, it should be for our Count Anfey and beautiful Ms. Suzanna, they are separated from their former lives from this moment forwards. Their lives do not belong just to themselves anymore. They also belong to each other. In life, every decision they make has to consider the other, and be responsible for the other. I hope this new couple will never forget their responsibilities."

Anfey felt Yolanthe was hinting him something. At the same time, Suzanna held Anfey’s hand tighter. Obviously, she felt what Yolanthe said.

"Saul has made a quick decision to hold this wedding, and I must be the host of the wedding. No matter what I am doing right now, I hope everyone can bear with me. In this area, I am a newbie as well." After Yolanthe finished his talk, he gave Saul and irritated glance.

Saul bowed and smiled, but said nothing.

"I have given them my blessing in the ceremony. As a king, I would like to give them a gift to express my blessing and keep this moment forever. I was not prepared for this. I guess I have to give them one of my favorites." Yolanthe hesitated for a second before he took a ring with a blue gemstone off his right index finger. He took Anfey’s hand and put it on for him. "This will be your wedding ring. Are you happy with it?"

"Thank you, King," Anfey said respectfully, lowering his head. In fact, Anfey did not care about the gift. Even if Yolanthe had given him a regular stone, he would still need to keep it well.

Wester, Granden, Philip and other government officials all looked shocked. They knew what kind of ring that was.

"Since the king has given such a wonderful gift, I think I need show my blessing as well." Baery stood up and smiled. "I have had a female suit of armor for many years. Ms. Suzanna is a senior swordsman. I think she could make good use of it."

"General Baery, are you talking about the Azure Armor of Victoria, the temporary Princess of Shansa Empire?" Prime Minister Bryn asked, to see if his guess was right.

"Prime minister, you are very wise," Baery said, smiling. "You are right."

Suddenly the hall became loud with everyone talking. Victoria, a temporary princess of Shansa Empire, was the biological sister of the king of Shansa Empire. She was good at administration. She loved her citizens, and tried to do everything on her own instead of just ordering others to do it. She was a bridge between royals and civilians in Shansa Empire. When the two countries were negotiating, Baery went against his promises and lead his Death Roaring legion from hundreds miles away to attack the region where negotiations were being held. Almost the whole negotiating team from Maho Empire was killed by angry Shansa Empire soldiers. Baery definitely got what he wanted, but he also paid a high price for it. Victoria was caught by Baery.

Back then Yolanthe’s father was the king of Maho Empire. He was furious when he heard what Baery had done. He ordered Baery to release Victoria immediately. Baery agreed to release Victoria but did not do as he agreed. He secretly kept her and killed her. Later, Baery was fired and all his military titles were removed. He was sent to jail. It was unclear what would happen after Victoria’s death. As time went by, the effects started to show. First of all, the king of Shansa Empire lived a life of luxury like no other king enjoyed. The nobility in Shansa Empire followed him as an example, but they were even worse and made people hate them. As a result, the conflicts in Shansa Empire grew worse to the point that fights, battles and wars occurred throughout Shansa Empire.

In fact, Yolanthe’s father later realized Baery was right, at least from the perspective of the country. However, he could not admit his own mistake and release him. After Yolanthe took the throne, his first order was amnesty. Baery was one of the people who benefited from this policy. Later, Yolanthe reappointed Baery to be the commander of a legion on the eastern border.

After the death of Victoria, the location of the Azure Armor became a mystery. Baery kept saying he did not know where it went. Back then, his influence was not as strong, but his family background was good; his sister was Yolanthe’s queen. No one really dared give him a hard time.

He was fed and treated well in jail. Even though Yolanthe’s father had ordered his guards to interrogate Baery to try to find out where the Azure Armor was, those officials kicked the ball to each other. In addition, Yolanthe had asked a favor of Baery. In the end, no one talked about the Azure Armor anymore. But here at the wedding, everybody found out Baery had it all the time.

"King, General Baery, you are giving us a hard time," Mioritch said bitterly. "I have nothing good to give Anfey and Suzanna. I only have a Dragon Shield. I hope Ms. Suzanna will like it."

Everyone was shocked and stared wide-eyed. Judging from the titles they held, the others did not have to give gifts better than those Baery and Mioritch had given, but Azure Armor and Dragon Shield were such amazing gifts, it would be impossible for their gifts to compare. Bruzuryano and Manstuly looked helpless. They stayed at Saul’s house and attended the party empty-handed. They wanted to schmooze with other government officials on the party. When they were asked to give gifts, they could only give their best. Anything they brought with them was very precious, and they probably did not want to give them away.

"Steger," Yolanthe called.

"King." Steger stood up immediately.

"You are going to keep a record of the gifts," Yolanthe said. "You people do not have to give anything expensive. Price does not matter, thoughts matter."

No one could give just any random gift, even though Yolanthe told them price did not matter. They were in Saul’s house now, and Anfey was a student of Saul. Yolanthe gave Anfey a gift first and set an example for everyone. The Dean of Sacred City magic academy was in charge of keeping a record of gifts. No one would dare give cheap gifts.

"Anfey, follow me." Yolanthe gave Anfey a look.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Anfey responded.

Suzanna unconsciously followed Anfey. Yolanthe held his arm out with a smile. "Ms. Suzanna, you should stay here. It is not appropriate for the bride and groom to leave together. You need to receive your wedding gifts in person anyway."

Suzanna had no idea what to do. She looked at Anfey. In fact, Anfey and Suzanna both liked to live quiet lives. Now they were pushed to center stage. She felt very uneasy.

Anfey nodded and followed Yolanthe to the side door. Saul called Ernest over and said something in a low voice.

A soundproof screen kept all the noises outside. The side room and the main hall became two different worlds. Yolanthe waited for a while as Saul released a magic array. Yolanthe said with a smile, "What do you think, Anfey? Are you happy? You are getting a lot of good gifts. Even if you do not do anything afterwards, you could just sell the gifts you got today and you will have a decent life."

"Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty," Anfey said humbly.

"You’re welcome." Yolanthe shook his head. "You risked your life to wipe out a Griffin Aerial Unit, which determined the outcome of the war for the east boundary of the empire. Whatever gift I give you would not be good enough."

"Your Majesty, can I ask you something?" Anfey asked.

"Of course," Yolanthe said.

"Your majesty and the professor have made this wedding possible. You did not just want me to receive these gifts, did you? Do you have other reasons?"

"I do not want to hide it from you and have never hid anything from you, otherwise I would not have called you over." Yolanthe smiled. "This may be premature. Anfey, do you know who Suzanna is?"

"I know some of her past, but never specifically asked her."