Heir of Aurelian

Chapter 107 The Emperor's Wedding

Marcellus stood in the center of the Cathedral and gazed around at the sights which surrounded him. Today was his wedding day, and if he was being honest, he could hardly believe it was finally here. He was a bit nervous as he gazed around at the crowds that had gathered to witness the event.

The marriage of the current Emperor to the previous Emperor’s sister was a huge deal, one that would solidify Marcellus’ legitimacy to the Western Roman Throne. Many people from all walks of life had gathered to witness the event. Under the ever watchful guide of the Palace Guard, the people were disarmed before being allowed access to the Cathedral.

The young Imperator stood in the center of the Cathedral, dressed in the garb of the ancient Romans. Marcellus was currently wearing a white silk toga which was embroidered in gold edges. However, its length was modified to be cut short at the knees. Over this toga was a purple silk sash which had the same golden embroidery at the tunic, in the center of the device was an additional golden floral pattern.

Fine leather sandals protected his feet, and atop the Imperator’s head was a radiant crown. The Radiant crown was worn by Emperor’s such as Aurelian, and others who were members of the cult of Sol Invictus. The fact that Marcellus had made his own crown into such a device clearly showed his defiance of Christianity’s power and influence even if they forced him to have a Christian wedding.

Though this wedding differed from the ones that the people knew, instead it was modelled after modern traditions from Marcellus’ past life. The men and women who had gathered for this event spoke among themselves in hushed voices, speaking about the strangeness of the entire affair.

Eventually their silence was cut short by the natural beauty of Placidia, who entered the Cathedral in a white silk dress in a style that Roman women would have worn during the republic period. Like Marcellus’ attire, hers too was embroidered in golden cloth. However, the major difference between her wedding dress and a historical piece was that it was designed to cling tightly to the young woman’s natural curves and expose her hefty cleavage. Though Placidia was not as busty as Sigefrida, her bosom was far from flat.

The girl had a flushed expression on her face as she walked down the aisle with Sigefrida tailing behind her, who acted as a bridesmaid. When the young princess finally stood in front of Marcellus, she barely recognized the man. For the sake of this event, he had dyed his hair blond, much like how Placidia always kept her hair. She couldn’t help but giggle as she saw this before commenting on the man’s appearance._.

“I’m not gonna lie Marcellus, you look better as a brunette…”

Marcellus chuckled when he heard the woman’s comments, before nodding his head in agreement.

?[0)??? “To be honest, I didn’t realize how bad of an idea this was until after it was already done. I’ll make sure to wash it out and go back to my natural hair color at the first opportunity given.”

Placidia wore a pretty smile as she agreed with this sentiment.

“That would be for the best…”

Ultimately, the couple’s conversation was cut short by the local clergyman, who was responsible for overseeing this event. The man deliberately coughed in an obvious attempt to get their attention. After Marcellus and Placidia shifted their focus to the priest, he played his part perfectly as he replicated the traditional catholic ceremony from Marcellus’ past life. Marcellus primarily tuned it out, instead focusing on the beauty of his young bride.

In truth, Marcellus had always seen Placidia as his little sister, and never gave her appearance much thought. But today she was so ravishing he could not take his eyes off of her. His heart beat so loudly that he barely registered the Priest’s words when he asked the following.

“Titus Claudius Marcellus, do you take Galla Placidia for your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

It took Marcellus a second to notice, but in the end he nodded his head before responding with a wide smile on his face.

“I do…”

Upon hearing this, the Priest smiled before shifting his gaze to Placidia and asking her the same question.

“Galla Placidia, do you take Titus Claudius Marcellus for your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

Placidia did not even hesitate as she nodded her head with a pretty smile on her face and spoke the words in her heart.

“I do…”

With this, they exchanged their wedding rings, a tradition that confused a lot of the people who had gathered, before the Priest finally announced the ending to the ceremony.

“You may now kiss the bride!”

Marcellus smiled as he gently grabbed hold of Placidia’s cheek before passionately kissing her on the lips. It was the girl’s first time, so she just followed Marcellus’ lead as he entertained his tongue with hers, before pulling apart.

This was another aspect that the people in the audience weren’t expecting, and several moments of silence followed before Sigefrida clapped. Following the woman’s lead, the entire audience cheered as they witnessed their newest emperor seal his marriage with a passionate display. With this Marcellus marriage was complete, now all that was left was the reception.

Since both Placidia and Marcellus’ entire families were dead, the two celebrated by having their close friends and advisors at the event. Ordius had even travelled all the way from Gaul to attend Marcellus’ wedding. Where he patted the man on the back and handed him a glass of wine while complimenting him on his big day.

“Congratulations, your Majesty. I know how much you cared for the girl all these years. It is good to see she is married to a worthy man, and not some ugly bastard. Though in all honesty I was a bit surprised by your blonde hair… The ceremony was beautiful though, if not a bit strange. In truth, wasn’t expecting something so grand. “

Marcellus smiled as he nodded his head in agreement with Ordius words. He grabbed hold of Placidia’s dainty hand and kissed it before responding to his legate.

“Well, it is the dawn of a new era. I figured the Empire deserved some new traditions, and I knew that marriage would be the best thing to change. In the past, weddings were so dull. Now I hope to start a trend, where people dress up, gather, and celebrate as you have seen here.”

Ordius gazed upon the radiant crown on Marcellus’ golden hair before shaking his head in contempt.

“Sure, new traditions are always good fun, but if you don’t mind me speaking so boldly, that crown of your, it pissed off a lot of people. Don’t tell me this is your way of saying to the world that you intend to reinstate the Cult of Sol Invictus as a valid religion? Do you have any idea the trouble that will cause?”

Marcellus merely scoffed when he heard Ordius’ concerns. He took another sip from his golden chalice before responding to the man in a hushed tone. Though he had a smile on his face and waved to his guests, his words were vicious and hateful.

“Those christian bastards made me get married in a fucking cathedral. You know as well as I do that they are an upstart religion, whose passive beliefs have failed our Empire. If you ask me, it is time for the old ways to return.

Just because that cunt Theodosius enacted the Edict of Thessalonica decades ago doesn’t mean I have to follow it. While the Theodosian dynasty may still rule the east, here in the West what I say is law, and I say that the gods of our ancestors reign supreme, and we should no longer submit to the foreign influence of this Semitic religion from the east.”

Ordius could only nod his head in understanding. He too was a closet pagan, much like many of the men in Marcellus’ army. Though the Christians who controlled the religious affairs of Rome had persecuted the pagans for decades, the old religion was not yet extinct.

With Marcellus as the Emperor, he knew that it was only a matter of time before Christian influence dwindled, and the old gods were worshipped far and wide once more. Still, if this was actually Marcellus’ goal, then he would be in for a hell of a fight against the Church.

However, for the time being, Ordius could put his worries aside. This was a wedding, and thus he intended to take every moment to enjoy the food and drink of the reception. As for Marcellus, he felt internally relieved that he could finally settle one of Frank’s greatest regrets. Marriage was always a desire of Frank’s during his life, even if he knew it was a fruitless endeavor. By marrying Placidia, Marcellus felt as if it lifted a weight from his heart.