“A forty-pound accessory for the wedding day?!” Song Jin couldn’t believe his ears. “Are you pulling my leg?”

“What good would pulling your leg do me?”

Li Xiao casually flipped through the photos of the actual accessories and said calmly, “Together with the ceremonial outfit, the whole ensemble weighs about sixty pounds.”

“…”

Song Jin stood up to leave immediately. “You can get married by yourself then. I’m going home.”

Li Xiao pulled him back, amused. “It’s only sixty pounds. That little bit of weight is just a drop in the bucket for you.”

Song Jin was so exasperated he laughed. “That’s for training; this is a wedding! How can they be the same?”

Li Xiao: “Mine is five pounds heavier than yours.”

Song Jin: “…”

Are jewels measured by the pound in Danse?

Li Xiao added, “Luckily, we aren’t getting married after ascending the throne. The King’s wedding attire weighs nearly eighty pounds, and the Queen’s is seventy pounds.”

Song Jin’s eyelids twitched, recalling Li Ji’s wedding.

The Danse royal family wore traditional royal garb for their weddings, which indeed felt deeply ceremonial when paired with those unique accessories—but wasn’t this weight a bit inhumane?

Anyone willing to shoulder dozens of pounds of weight just to get married had to be bound by a bond that transcended life and death itself.

Song Jin asked earnestly, “What if the Queen were a delicate girl? Would she have to carry seventy pounds of gear too? Wouldn’t she be crushed into paralysis by the end of the day?”

Li Xiao replied with utter solemnity, “That’s why nobody in my family has married a girl for the past five generations—they were all afraid she wouldn’t survive the wedding ceremony.”

Song Jin: “…”

Song Jin said gloomily, “I always thought you were after my handsome face, but it turns out you had your eyes on my swole muscles all along.”

Li Xiao suppressed a smile. “It’s good that you know.”

The terminal began vibrating incessantly again. Li Xiao expanded the message window.

Sent over this time were the ceremonial wedding attires. Even after multiple rounds of screening, there were still nearly twenty styles left for them to choose from.

Just selecting these items kept them occupied from noon until dusk—it was more exhausting than investigating a case.

Song Jin was seeing stars from staring at them, rubbing his eyes irritably. “Let’s just elope instead. Why bother hosting a wedding? It’s such a pain.”

Li Xiao patted his head, taking both of their cups as he stood up. “Who was the one saying they were really looking forward to the wedding just now?”

Song Jin rested his chin on his hands, watching Li Xiao grind coffee beans. “It was originally supposed to be a wedding for just the two of us. Now it feels like Shengya and Danse are getting married, and we’re just two representatives sent out by our respective countries.”

When Li Xiao thought about it, that was actually quite accurate.

Given their positions, keeping the wedding low-key was impossible.

Song Jin looked through the window at the distant beach sunset. “A wedding doesn’t have to be this grand. It would be enough for both our families to gather, hang out, and mess around.”

Li Xiao: “That doesn’t sound like something you’d say.”

Song Jin drew out a quiet sigh: “I’ve been scared out of my mind by your family’s jewels that are worn by the pound.”

Li Xiao: “…”

For the wedding of the two crown princes, the royal families of both nations had announced the joyful news six months in advance.

Instantly, news about the two crown princes, Li Xiao and Song Jin, flooded every corner online and offline.

Over the years, apart from essential official duties, the two rarely made public appearances.

Every day, vast numbers of netizens pleaded for them to show their faces more. To grab traffic, the media camped out frantically; as long as any outlet managed to capture even a blurry silhouette, it was enough to sustain them for half a year.

Seeing the situation on the brink of spiraling out of control, the spokespersons for both royal families were forced to respond, stating that after finishing their study tours, the crown princes had returned to their academic pursuits and would be focusing on their studies. They warned the media not to disturb their private lives.

Unable to snap photos, many media outlets fabricated short essays just to chase traffic. Consequently, Li Xiao and Song Jin still frequented the trending topics list, particularly rumors of their breakup, which were hyped up almost every month.

Although each rumor was quickly proven false, the topic would land back on the trending list again shortly after without fail. This led many people to suspect whether Li Xiao and his partner were truly experiencing a relationship crisis.

Seeing the online conspiracy theories multiply, the royal families abruptly announced the crown princes’ wedding, sending the entire nation into a frenzy.

Back when Li Xiao and Song Jin casually obtained their marriage certificate while sitting on an excavator at the exam grounds, Danse and Shengya hadn’t even established diplomatic relations yet. Furthermore, both were princes; nobody had expected them to actually make it all the way to this day.

Over the six months, the royal families of both nations gradually released details of the wedding preparations, frequently topping the trending lists and driving public anticipation to its absolute peak.

Shengya Empire, Capital Planet.

The day before the wedding, Pilgrimage Street was already packed with people. They had secured their spots to watch the procession, setting up tents to spend the night.

According to Shengya royal tradition, the Crown Prince and the King would pass through this street on their wedding day to receive blessings from the general public.

Before dawn broke, numerous media crews had already arrived, kicking off live broadcasts to interview the crowd. The atmosphere was extraordinarily lively.

At the exact same time, inside the Shengya Royal Palace.

Attendants were already bustling about, inspecting the decorations and facilities throughout the palace grounds to ensure not a single flaw occurred.

Song Jin had gone to bed past one in the morning, only to be dragged out of his blanket at four by his older brother, Song Yu, to take a medicinal bath. Afterward, he went to the dressing room to put on the heavy, intricate traditional royal attire before heading to the Royal Cathedral to receive the “Divine Baptism.”

Normally, when attending important occasions or conducting official business, they wore modern, simplified uniforms. This outfit, however, followed ancient traditions without the slightest simplification, featuring a slew of extra “components.” The trailing cape alone was nearly ten meters long, with many separate parts that required over a dozen professional attendants to assist in “installing” them onto his body one by one.

Song Jin stood there bleary-eyed with his arms raised, letting them manipulate him like a scarecrow.

When Song Yu and Shen Sinian walked in, they saw him looking as though he could fall asleep standing up.

Shen Sinian: “You refused to sleep last night, and now you know you’re tired?”

Song Jin: “I couldn’t fall asleep.”

“Pre-wedding anxiety?” Song Yu teased. “It’s not like you’re being forced to marry a stranger. What’s there to be nervous about?”

Song Jin: “I’m nervous because I’m worried you’ll cause trouble at my wedding.”

Song Yu: “It’s not like I’m going to snatch your wife.”

Song Jin: “If you dare snatch my wife, I’ll snatch yours.”

Shen Sinian: “…”

Two little brats with no filter.

Song Yu opened the pastry box he brought along, picked up a piece, and fed it to Song Jin. “Listening to the ceremony takes hours. Eat a little something to line your stomach first.”

Song Jin wasn’t hungry at all, but since the pastry was already offered to his lips, he reluctantly took a bite.

“How come you only brought two pieces?”

Song Yu said nonchalantly, “I ate the rest on the way over. It wasn’t easy saving these for you.”

Song Jin: “…”

The old man really never changes.

A knock sounded at the door, and Wang Can and Qin Le entered together.

As the groomsmen personally handpicked by Song Jin, the two had checked into the palace a day early.

Seeing both Song Yu and Shen Sinian present, they offered a respectful bow.

“Boss, you’ve reached a whole new level of handsome today!”

Qian Can held up a professional camera, snapping photos of Song Jin from various angles. “If Boss Li sees this, won’t he be so mesmerized he won’t even be able to walk?”

At the mention of Li Xiao, Song Jin perked up slightly.

According to Shengya royal rules, the Crown Princess did not need to participate in the sermon ceremony. That meant while Song Jin was stuck inside the cathedral listening to a bunch of old men chant scriptures, Li Xiao could still be lying in bed having sweet dreams.

Thinking about this made Song Jin feel aggrieved. He said to Qian Can, “Take them handsome—preferably handsome enough to keep a certain someone from sleeping.”

Qian Can grinned widely: “Got it!”

Once fully dressed, Song Jin shouldered twenty to thirty pounds of regalia and prepared to head to the cathedral.

According to tradition, a family member needed to accompany him.

Song Jin had assumed his father, Shen Sinian, would go with him, but his father dumped the task onto Song Yu instead.

Shen Sinian: “I’m getting old and can’t hold up. Let your brother accompany you.”

Song Yu, who had been drafted into service: “…”

Seeing Song Jin look over, Song Yu said with a straight face, “I’m getting old too and can’t hold up. I’m afraid I’ll embarrass you.”

Song Jin: “…What did you two even come here for?”

Song Yu smiled: “To watch the fun.”

Song Jin: “…”

Not a single reliable person in the whole family.

Right before leaving, Song Yu shoved a “pendant” into Song Jin’s arms: “Let him accompany you.”

Song Jin looked down; it was Song Buli, fast asleep.

“Where did you get him?”

Song Yu: “Your Shi-ge stole him.”

Song Jin: “…”

Song Buli was a wedding ring bearer. He had arrived with Song Yang and his partner to attend the pre-wedding banquet and stayed in the palace.

When Yang-ge wakes up and sees his child has been kidnapped, won’t he come charging over to kill us?

The wedding hadn’t even started, and Song Jin’s head was already throbbing.

He had a bad feeling that something was going to go wrong today.

Arriving outside the hall of the Royal Cathedral, Qin Le and Qian Can dutifully waited at the door.

Song Jin carried the child inside alone, where a group of bishops was already waiting.

Little Song Buli, not even five years old yet, was awakened by the sound of chanting. He struggled to sit up in Song Jin’s arms, looking around in bewilderment when he realized he wasn’t in his own room.

The environment was unfamiliar, but at least he recognized Song Jin. After thinking for a second, he sat cross-legged with a pair of deadpan, confused eyes.

Father and nephew sat side by side with identical scowls, listening to the surrounding ring of old men chant scriptures.

The bishops were sweating profusely, pretending not to notice the increasingly impatient expressions on both faces, silently praying that the service would end smoothly.

Little Song Buli couldn’t even last ten minutes before slumping backward, leaning against Song Jin, and falling back to sleep.

Song Jin: “…”

Brother definitely did this on purpose.

The kid was sleeping so soundly that it made him feel even drowsier.

By the time Song Jin entered the hall, Li Xiao was already awake, scrolling through the photos Qian Can had sent in their small group chat.

There were behind-the-scenes shots of Song Jin in his ceremonial attire, group photos with Song Yu and Shen Sinian, and photos of him heading to the cathedral for the service.

In the small group chat—

Jiang Hao: 【Song-ge looks so handsome today!】

Dabei: 【Gosh! Her Highness the Crown Princess looks amazing!】

Qian Can: 【Quick, compliment my photography skills!】

Jiang Hao: 【It’s a shame you didn’t switch careers to become a photographer.】

Qian Can: 【@BossLi, quickly send me my photography fee, hehehe.】

Li Xiao casually set the number and amount for red packets and sent them into the chat.

【Nice shots. Keep it up.】

Jiang Hao / Qian Can / Qin Le / Dabei: “…!!!”

Red packets worth tens of millions?!

Jiang Hao: 【Wishing Big Brother a happy marriage!】

Qin Le: 【May you grow old together!】

Dabei: 【May your hearts be united forever!】

Qian Can: 【May you and my boss stay sweet and clingy until you’re old!】

Li Xiao let out a laugh, sent them a few more red packets, and finally got up to wash his face and brush his teeth.

By the time Song Jin carried Song Buli out of the hall, daylight had already broken.

Qin Le acted as an assistant, following beside Song Jin to remind him of the upcoming schedule.

Seeing Song Buli sleeping soundly on Song Jin’s shoulder, Qian Can carefully took the child over: “The ceremony hasn’t even started yet, and the ring bearer has already been knocked out. Is that okay?”

Song Jin strode outward: “Wake him up when the ceremony begins.”

Returning to the Main Palace lounge, Song Jin took off his floor-length outer robe to change into his ceremony outfit. Hearing footsteps behind him, he assumed it was Qin Le and said casually, “It’s about time. Help me wake Xiao-xiao up.”

“Alright, I’ll inform the Crown Princess right away.”

Song Jin paused, turned around, and sure enough, it was Li Xiao.

According to rule, they weren’t supposed to meet before the ceremony, but this guy had somehow snuck into his dressing room unnoticed.

Li Xiao naturally took Song Jin’s outer robe, set it aside, and unfastened Song Jin’s sash to help him change.

Song Jin pressed down on his hand: “Where’s everyone else?”

Li Xiao bowed his head slightly, answering respectfully, “They have other duties. My superiors ordered me to wait here for you, Your Highness, to help you dress.”

Song Jin sized him up from top to bottom.

Li Xiao had already changed into the military ceremonial uniform for the wedding. His hair was meticulously styled, shining with a raven-feather luster. Coupled with his tall, relaxed posture, his charm was dialed up to the absolute maximum from the inside out.

Going out to meet guests looking like this, who knew how many more romantic rivals he’d gain in a single day?

Song Jin tilted Li Xiao’s chin up, deliberately stroking behind his ear. “Why do you look so familiar to me? Have we met before?”

Li Xiao replied with utter seriousness: “I have a common face.”

“Is that so?”

Song Jin leaned into Li Xiao’s neck and sniffed. “You smell so good.”

Li Xiao pressed against Song Jin’s shoulders to push him back: “Your Highness, please behave yourself. Today is your wedding day.”

“What about the wedding?”

Song Jin lightly bit his earlobe. “Even if I take a side-spouse, he wouldn’t dare say anything in front of me.”

Li Xiao turned his head slightly to avoid him: “If Her Highness the Crown Princess sees this, I’ll be fired.”

“Does he dare?”

Ignoring Li Xiao’s resistance, Song Jin leaned in close, kissing and touching him while frantically leaving scent marks. “I got tired of that dry old man a long time ago.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Dry old man?

Song Jin: “There’s still some time before the ceremony. Play with me for a bit.”

Li Xiao: “My job description doesn’t include playing around.”

Song Jin raised an eyebrow: “What, you don’t like me?”

Li Xiao originally wanted to keep acting along, but he couldn’t resist his affectionate kitten acting spoiled. Unable to hold back, he wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him close. “I like you.”

Song Jin couldn’t stop the corners of his lips from curving up. “How much do you like me?”

Li Xiao said earnestly, “Even if dry and old, you’re still my favorite.”

Song Jin: “…”

Qian Can and Qin Le in the corner: “…”

Never seen anyone have so much fun ‘cheating on himself with himself.’

While the two were fooling around, the invited guests began arriving one after another.

Shen Sinian and his partner, alongside Song Yu and his partner, personally received the guests.

As part of Li Xiao’s “maternal family,” Li Ji had arrived in Shengya a day early.

When Song Yang and Rong Mian came out looking for their child, they happened to run straight into Li Ji and his partner.

Li Ji held his one-year-old younger son in one arm while holding Yan Qing’s hand with his right. Beside Yan Qing stood their elder son. The family of four was dressed in traditional Danse royal attire, and paired with the ancestral godly looks of the Li family, they remained the most striking presence among the nobles.

“Chou-chou, you’ve grown taller again.”

Rong Mian squatted down in front of Li Ji’s elder son, smiling as he patted his head, then glanced at the little kitten resting on his shoulder. “Is this your pet?”

Li Chou nodded: “Father gave it to me.”

The “Father” he referred to was Li Xiao.

Rong Mian asked, “What’s its name?”

Li Chou: “Sangbiao [Rowdy Bully].”

Rong Mian: “…”

Li Chou looked left and right, then looked up at Rong Mian: “Uncle, where’s Buli?”

Rong Mian: “He’s out on a mission. You’ll see him at mealtime.”

Li Chou wasn’t even four years old yet and didn’t quite understand what a “mission” meant.

While they were talking, Song Yang gestured for Bukui and Bunao to greet them.

Bukui and Bunao stood on either side of Song Yang. One had his hands in his pockets with a cold face, while the other looked confused and hadn’t fully woken up yet. Hearing his prompt, both looked up at Li Ji simultaneously.

Bukui: “Dad.”

Bunao: “Dad.”

Li Ji: “…”

Song Yang: “…”

It was the first time the two sides had met, and Li Ji was completely thrown off.

What kind of stunt is Song Yang pulling now?

The atmosphere froze for a second.

Song Yang pressed down on the two kids’ heads and rubbed them vigorously: “He’s your uncle!”

Bukui swatted Song Yang’s hand away, completely defiant: “Chou-chou’s dad is Buli’s dad, Buli’s dad is our dad, not uncle.”

Bunao nodded in agreement, his bedhead hair getting even messier after being rubbed.

“He’s Dad.”

Song Yang: “…”

Swapping concepts at such a young age—you little rebels.

Amused by the two children, Yan Qing took two gift boxes from assistant Liu and handed them over as greeting gifts.

After receiving them, Bukui and Bunao looked at Yan Qing.

“Thank you, Dad.”

“Thank you, Dad.”

Yan Qing suppressed a smile: “Good boys.”

Song Yang: “…”

Who on earth taught you two to greet people like that?

Seeing Song Yang looking entirely displeased, Rong Mian amusedly comforted him: “When you were little and met my dad, you called him Dad right away too.”

Song Yang: “…”

At nine o’clock sharp, the inner palace attendants came to prompt them. Song Jin changed into his military ceremonial uniform and walked out of the lounge with Li Xiao, heading toward the Royal Cathedral where the wedding ceremony was to be held.

While waiting for the guests to take their seats, Song Jin and Li Xiao sat in the lounge drinking tea.

Seeing Song Jin looking somewhat restless, Li Xiao asked, “What’s wrong?”

Song Jin frowned: “I just have a feeling something is going to happen.”

Li Xiao chuckled: “You’re just too nervous.”

Song Jin: “I hope so.”

At nine-thirty in the morning, the wedding ceremony officially began, presided over by the Pope of the Royal Cathedral and three bishops.

At the entrance, Li Xiao heard the choir singing and the pipe organ playing a melodious, sacred hymn, giving him an instant sense of reality that he was getting married.

Today, he was not a bystander.

Hearing the attendant’s guidance, Li Xiao looked at Song Jin: “Are you ready?”

Song Jin scoffed with a smile: “The moment I met you, I was ready.”

The auspicious time arrived. Under everyone’s gaze, the two slowly walked through the grand doors.

Li Xiao saw Song Yang and Rong Mian smiling at them while holding their children, and a memory flashed before his eyes: Song Yang in his empty workshop, calibrating the time machine alone.

He saw Song Yu and Rong Shi standing at their seats clapping for them, and a memory flashed before his eyes: Song Yu dragging his sick body to fight in battle.

He saw Li Ji and Yan Qing holding their child’s hand and waving at them, and a memory flashed before his eyes: Li Ji lying on a hospital bed, surrounded by medical equipment.

The road leading to happiness was too long and rugged; they had walked it for far too long, with immense difficulty.

Fortunately, everything was still in time.

Song Jin looked straight ahead, returning smiles to those who greeted him, but out of the corner of his eye, he kept paying attention to Li Xiao.

Seeing that his expression was somewhat heavy, as if looking through everyone at something else, that elusive feeling surfaced once more.

Song Jin felt a bit restless, but now was not the time to pry, so he could only subtly repress his emotions.

The two took their places on the platform, taking their vows under the witness of all their family and friends.

Qian Can, Qin Le, and Jiang Hao sat together, thrilled out of their minds, snapping photos from every angle, terrified of missing a single memorable moment.

In the lounge, Song Buli was sleeping soundly when he was shaken awake by the nanny attendants, his head buzzing.

The internal affairs officer knelt in front of him, handed over the box containing the rings, and said patiently, “Little Highness, we rehearsed this before. Do you still remember who you’re supposed to give this box to?”

Song Buli glanced at it: “I’m hungry.”

The internal affairs officer hurriedly instructed them to bring pastries over.

Song Buli cradled a box of pastries in his arms, took a few bites, and finally woke up. Hearing the officer repeat the question, he gave him enough face to reply: “To my dad.”

This made the internal affairs officer overjoyed, nodding fervently.

“Yes, yes, yes! We’re about to carry out the mission in a moment. Are you ready?”

Song Buli nodded.

The officer excitedly turned to his subordinates, telling everyone to get ready.

The little prince was still very young, and fearing he might lose his way during the ring delivery, they had taken numerous precautions to ensure they could guide him through the task.

Inside the hall, the Pope announced the exchange of rings.

Song Jin and Li Xiao simultaneously looked toward the entrance, letting out a slight sigh of relief when they saw Song Buli appear right on time.

Although Song Buli was young, he walked very steadily. Unfazed by the gaze of so many people, he walked up to Li Xiao and Song Jin at his own pace, pulled a box out from his pocket, and held it out.

Song Jin bent down to reach for it, but his eyelids twitched the moment he saw the style of the box.

Something’s wrong.

How is this box different from the one used during rehearsal?

Confused, Song Jin opened it and froze completely.

Lying inside the box were two children’s cookies.

Seeing this scene, Li Xiao: “…”

The Pope: “…”

Song Yu and the others sitting in the front row: “…”

The entire wedding ceremony was not only being recorded, but also broadcast live across the entire network.

Backstage was in absolute chaos. The technical department urgently contacted internal affairs, and internal affairs immediately reached out to the officer in charge.

The internal affairs officer thought his job was done once he ensured Song Buli arrived smoothly; who could have imagined the little prince would get the box mixed up! Right in front of hundreds of billions of viewers, he handed over a box of snacks!

It was over. Everything was ruined.

On the official royal live stream, the chat paused for a fraction of a second before flooding past at lightning speed.

“What’s the situation? Cookies?!”

“HAHAHAHA what a unique set of wedding rings!”

“The little ring bearer is so cute! He definitely handed over his own snacks HAHAHA!”

“Ring Bearer: Oops, wrong one.”

“His Highness the Crown Prince: Who am I, where am I, what am I doing?”

“HAHAHAHA dying of laughter, the atmosphere at the venue completely froze!”

Inside the hall, Song Jin wanted to ask Song Buli to swap back the real ring box, only for the kid to pat his own butt and walk away immediately after handing over the box.

Sitting below, Song Yu, Song Yang, and the others madly gave subtle hints to Song Buli, but the kid was totally oblivious, walking away with absolute confidence.

Since it was being broadcast live, Li Xiao thought for a moment, held Song Jin’s left hand, and turned to the Pope, saying, “We have already exchanged rings. For me, exchanging rings once in a lifetime is enough.”

Everyone looked at Song Jin’s left hand, and the venue cameras immediately zoomed in for a close-up.

On Song Jin’s left ring finger was a ring drawn by Li Xiao in the past. Song Jin hadn’t had the heart to wash it off, so he had kept it all this time.

The live chat room was instantly spammed with “AHHHHH!”

“My ship is sailing!”

“Her Highness really is a master of sweet talk—a god-tier rescue!”

“Wuuu wuu wuu, ‘exchanging rings only once in a lifetime,’ that’s so sweet!”

“His Highness really hit the jackpot by marrying Li Xiao, wuuu wuu!”

“Who wouldn’t want a spouse who’s handsome, strong, and sweet-talks like a dream?”

Inside the hall, the old Pope nodded, adjusted his reading glasses, looked at everyone calmly, and said in a deep, solemn voice: “In that case, let us invite the newlyweds to exchange cookies.”

The entire hall burst into roaring laughter.

The live stream chat was spammed with “666” and “HAHAHA.”

Qian Can, completely fearless, yelled out: “Feed each other mouth-to-mouth! If your lips touch, a penalty of one hundred kisses!”

Jiang Hao agreed: “Seconded!”

Qin Le chimed in: “Mouth-to-mouth!”

As they started chanting, the other young people joined in as well, instantly making the cathedral atmosphere vibrant and lively.

Having no choice, Song Jin picked up a cookie and held it to Li Xiao’s lips: “Give me some face?”

Li Xiao bit onto the cookie, watching Song Jin lean in close, a faint smile coloring his eyes.

Although they hadn’t followed the schedule to a tee, it was certainly a ceremony they would never forget for the rest of their lives.