"Well, after all, you are marrying the empress of this country," Hargram answered
"Eh?" exclaimed Frost in shock. "EHHHHHHHH!?"
"Ye don't have to scream like that..."
For the rest of the journey, Frost sat there paralyzed from shock, mouth agape, while the maid continued styling him. He only regained his sanity once they stopped at the gate checkpoint. Once again, hearing people bustling around the carriage, he started looking around.
"Where are we now?"
"Capital City's Main Gate Checkpoint," Hargram answered
"I see..."
Forst leaned over to the window and looked outside as the maid finished styling him. On the outside, he saw the tall, imposing walls made from azure stones with small window slits. Deeper, he saw the closed gate as the knights bearing the same emblem Hargran wears, but on their armor, conversed with the carriage in front of them.
"Seriously, they should know who is coming through, so why do they even bother checking," Hargram grumbled.
"Aren't those the security measures? Isn't that their job?"
"It is, but... They are too uptight and serious about it"
"Isn't that an obviously good thing?" Frost asked, slightly confused.
"Yes, it is. Truly, the Gate Guards are so good that we barely have any security concerns. But they should take it easy with other Knights officials. It's annoying when I have to be stopped every time I try to enter."
"Hearing you say that, were you perhaps caught in a compromising situation because of them?" Frost asked in a pondering tone.
Hearing that, Hargram flinched and turned away from him, not saying a word but smiling nervously, clearly flustered, making Frost giggle a bit. Then they stayed silent for a bit before the Gate Guards outside started shouting orders. Hearing that, Frost looked outside to see the heavy iron grate get pulled up before the thick reinforced wooden gate opened. The light from behind it slightly blinded Frost, before he saw the marvelous city, buildings of various sizes, made of yellow and red brick with added wood beams and structures. He watched in awe as the carriages slowly moved on the gray stone road, on the sides of which snow was swiped onto the sides. In the distance, placed higher than the city, a huge silver and azure castle stood. Before long, a sudden outburst of cheers erupted from outside, scaring Frost back onto his seat.
"Long live her majesty!"
"Empress!"
"Glory to our Empress!"
"Here, here.. Ah! She looked at me!"
"Ah, our Empress, she is so gorgeous!"
Hearing those cheers and seeing all the happy people made Frost a bit nervous.
"They all really love her, huh..."
"Of course, Her Majesty is a benevolent empress who loves her people" Hargram responded with a smile
"I wonder... whether they will accept someone like me as her husband..."
"Don't worry about that, they all know that this marriage is a symbolic one, out of convenience"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Frost asked
"I... can't say any more than that, ye will learn more later" Hargram answered, clearly uncomfortable.
"Well, that's interesting... although I remember reading something somewhere about a situation like that..."
Frost, thinking more about his situation, once again looked outside and noticed something odd.
"Wait... the clothes people wear here are pretty light compared to those in villages..."
"Oh, that's due to the heating magical array underneath the city, it's installed I all of the major cities to make sure the atmosphere is suitable for all residents..."
"Huh, neat"
The carriage continued to roll through the city, showered in cheers. Frost kept looking out the window at the people, wondering how they could be this happy in such a harsh environment. After a while, the environment started to change, the building began to grow, become more elegant, and be decorated. The people also changed, their clothes looked more refined, although there were also some more rough-looking ones, watching the carriages with interest.
"Those are foreign adventurers and mercenaries." Hargram noted, noticing Frost's interest.
"Well... I probably should have expected that."
"Don't worry, there aren't many of them here. They mostly stay in other major cities."
"Why is that?"
"Frankly, the Capital Northrone does not offer them many opportunities; in other cities, they can find more jobs or chances to travel further."
"Isn't that a bit of an issue?"
"No, Nothrone was always more focused on its residents, so there aren't many threats around here. We are surrounded by harsh mountains, and our closest coast is rugged and hardly developed, so naturally, other major cities hold geographical advantages."
Satisfied with the explanation, Frost resumed looking out the window, only for the carriage to stop. The door opened and Frost stepped outside, looking at the tall tower of what he concluded was the local temple. A tall and long building, of cold, dark blue rock, an emblem of crossed winged crescent moons adorning the top of its bell tower alongside a large wooden door and small windows. As he gazed at the building, multiple maids, dressed identically to the one he traveled with, surrounded him and performed a quick change of clothes, leaving Frost shaken and confused, but looking much more elegant. He now wore a very dark blue, militaristic-style long coat, with silver bindings and seams, with the same emblem as the knights on his arms and chest, but in the form of a silver medallion on a chain.
Additionally, he got black fur boots, black gloves, a dark blue cape finished with silver fur around the neck, and the nation's emblem on the back. Soon, from the Empress's carriage, she stepped out, wearing an elegant but simple long light blue dress with silver accents, azure heels, and a cape similar to Frost's on her back, but light blue with silver fur and silver royal spaulders, all fitting on her modest hourglass figure. Before long, she entered the temple, alongside her guard of nearly equal beauty. In a short moment, Frost himself was escorted towards the temple.
"Good luck to ye," Hargram dryly said while waving, earning an awkward smile from Frost.
With that, Frost entered the temple feeling lost in the long, arched hallway, where darkness was illuminated by dimly lit candles, at the end of which, behind a few rows of simple pews, stood a simple altar. Behind it stood a statue of a robed figure with crescent-like wings. An old man in white priest robes with black and pale gold decorations sat between the statue and the altar. Nearby, on a bench, a young woman with an annoyed scowl sat, impatiently stomping her leg. She wore a nun's uniform, her short red-brown hair tucked in the veil, and black stocking clad legs were visible from the slit in her robe. Frost walked towards the altar, where he saw the beautiful Empress waiting.
"Hurry it up, foolish man!" The smooth voice of the Empress's guard caught his attention
"Ah... yes... sorry" was all Frost could say.
As he neared the altar, the Empress spoke.
"Verna, we are ready to begin the ceremony" she said to the nun coldly
"Huh, about time... I was getting bored... But seriously, do we have to do this every time?"
"Yes"
"Come on, looking at this guy, he won't make it long," the nun said while pointing at Frost. "No offence dude, but you look weak".
"Verna..." Before Frost could react, the Empress coldly rebuked the nun.
"Jeez... ok, ok," Verna got up and went towards the sitting priest. "Wake up, old man, you've got a marriage to officiate."
"Oh, is it that time already?" the old priest said as he woke up and stood up.
Watching him, Frost was surprised to see the old man grow to a very tall man with long legs and long arms.
"Alright, young'ins let's start..." The ceremony started abruptly, confusing Frost. "Do you, young man...um... what's your name?"
"Um... Frost..."
"Do you, young Frost," the priest continued before Frost could say anything more, "take Her Majesty, the Empress of the North, as your wife?"
"Yes?" was all he could say when met with menacing gazes.
"Great... Then you, your Majesty, take this man as your husband?"
"Yes," the Empress coldly answered
"Well, with that, in the name of the Goddess of Night Sun, I pronounce this marriage as complete," the priest said while putting his large hands on the heads of both Forst and the Empress.
Frost awkwardly looked at his apparent wife properly. He was astounded by her beauty, despite her expressionless face, her pale skin, no blemishes, and deep, cold blue eyes, accentuated by her silky silver hair. He stared at her until she noticed his gaze.
"All gathered cheer for the newly married." The priests' words broke the awkward staredown as everyone started clapping with serious expressions
"Seriously? That's all? Kinda anticlimactic," Frost thought
"All hail her Majesty Arianne Northallen von Berhalm and her new husband! Viva!" one of the guards exclaimed
Hearing his wife's name for the first time made Frost freeze in place, as realization hit him.
"Wait... No way, right?..." he stared thinking to himself "I can't believe it... I must have been stupid... I thought things seemed familiar... Empire in the North, well-loved Empress, now her name, Northallen, Arianne Northallen von Berhalm, it's all too real to be a coincidence..." he looked around, noticing more and more familiar things. "I was so preoccupied with staying alive that I didn't notice how familiar it all was... The place I went through... the people I met... I never thought something like this might happen..."
As Frost continued to panic internally, Arianne started her announcement
"Let it be known to the whole continent of Garnathera, the Empress of the glorious Northallen Empire, Arianne Northallen von Berhalm, has gained a new husband." she announced loudly yet coldly.
"I can't believe it... But I somehow ended up inside in the world of 'Hero overturns the world' novel... married to the goddamn villainess!"