Sovereign of the Ashes

The presence of a Rank Four knight and mage to bless the union of Sein and Natalya highlighted its significant and far-reaching nature.

This occasion marked one of the rare times Natalya displayed her feminine charms.

Previously, she had often been perceived as a tomboy.

Now, in a long white wedding dress, Natalya exuded a surprising harmony of elegance and maturity.

While it might have been an act, maintaining such a facade convincingly was no small feat.

It was no wonder Natalya had been known as the flower within the Order of the Steel Fist, attracting even the affection of a Rank Three Sky Knight when she was younger.

On her wedding day, Natalya appeared more composed than ever. Her eyes were slightly red—perhaps from excitement, or a touch of sadness at leaving her parents.

She now radiated a femininity not seen during the engagement ceremony, significantly softening her androgynous facial features.

One might speculate whether this change was due to her “breakthrough” with Sein during the Verdant Leaf World War.

Indeed, Sein was among the rare mages capable of fulfilling the needs of a female knight of equal rank.

Without his body tempering experiments, Sein might not have matched up to Natalya’s vigor.

During the ceremony, one guest seemed slightly out of place.

Rank Two female knight, Reina, known as the other female T-rex of the Order of the Steel Fist, had an even more notorious reputation compared to Natalya.

Despite her genuine happiness for her best friend’s new chapter in life, Reina could not shake a growing sense of loneliness. These emotions drove her to indulge in the wedding feast with an almost voracious appetite.

Fortunately, since House Ernst was hosting, there was an abundance of dishes made with top-notch ingredients and magical beast meat.

Reina indulged freely, confident that the hosts could well afford her hearty appetite.

The connections and prestige gained by House Ernst from organizing this grand wedding were substantial, clearly offsetting their lavish expenditure on the banquet.

Placing her hand on Sein’s arm, Natalya moved together with him to greet the full-fledged mages and ranked knights in attendance.

During their rounds, Natalya noticed Reina, who sat alone in a corner.

Despite Natalya’s meticulously applied makeup and beautiful dress, the corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily.

Leaning closer to Sein, she whispered, “Do you remember you promised me one condition back then?”

At that moment, Sein was engaged in conversation with Grimm, another guest at their wedding. Since he was distracted, he did not fully catch her words.

“I couldn’t think of anything until now. I wish you could...”

Before Natalya could finish speaking, Sein politely raised his wine glass to excuse himself from Grimm, then walked toward Reina.

“What did you say?” Sein asked, having missed her earlier words.

“I was saying...”

As Natalya opened her mouth to repeat herself, Sein approached Reina—who was practically inhaling her food—and patted her on the shoulder.

“Why does it seem like you’ve gotten bigger? Is this a rebound weight gain?” he asked.

Sein remembered he had taken Reina to his laboratory for a long experiment after the Verdant Leaf World War, providing her with food that was filling but low in calories.

This regimen had significantly reduced her weight, but now Reina seemed to have returned to her original weight and gained even more.

His comment made Reina pause in her feast and look up at him in surprise.

She had not expected that Sein and Natalya would come to this secluded corner to speak to her.

Natalya closed her mouth and gave up bringing up the topic she had in mind previously.

It became evident that Sein was likely to take a dominant role in their family dynamics.

This was just the beginning of their marriage, and Sein already appeared more assertive in every aspect. Natalya might find it difficult to assert her influence over him in the future.

Based on Sein’s observation, Sia was more assertive than Wilson, leading him to surmise that she held more sway in her family than Natalya’s father.

However, it seemed unlikely Natalya would meet Sia’s expectations within the House Grantt.

Unlike the gentle and refined Wilson, Sein possessed a streak of the black mage’s skepticism and decisiveness—traits that belied his outwardly charming and scholarly appearance.

Yet, these were the very traits that attracted Natalya to him.

If Sein had not demonstrated his assertiveness by publicly humiliating her back at the Thunderfall World, Natalya might not have given him a second glance!

Given her strong personality, a man with just a pretty face would not have appealed to her.

Only someone like Sein, who possessed both composure and assertiveness, could dominate her.

As for family dynamics, it seemed unlikely that Natalya would be able to take the lead, even with her mother’s help.

Sein’s direct question and Natalya’s gaze prompted Reina to lower the drumstick she was enjoying.

Being approached by the couple during their wedding was a significant gesture, an indication that the hosts held her in high regard.

However, upon meeting Sein’s gaze, Reina could not help but feel a chill.

The mere mention of their past body tempering experiments was enough to make Reina tremble slightly.

Responding to Sein’s concerned inquiry about her apparent weight gain, Reina attempted to dismiss it.

“Really? I don’t think my body shape has changed much,” she replied.

Sein frowned and scrutinized Reina further before decisively stating, “Actually, I think you’ve gained weight, and it’s quite noticeable.”

“Your body fat percentage seems to have changed significantly in a short time. It might not be ideal for your ongoing body tempering efforts. You should come to my lab soon,” he suggested thoughtfully while stroking his chin.

Reina shuddered when she heard the suggestion, yet she tried to maintain her composure and said, “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

Sein gave her a firm look, causing a flicker of fear to cross her expression.

“It is. Just come to my lab after the wedding is over,” he instructed.

In an attempt to reassure her, Sein added, “It’ll just be a routine check-up; I won’t impose any diet restrictions on you, so don’t worry.”

Relieved by Sein’s reassurances, Reina let out a sigh.

Despite the daunting nature of past experiments, she valued her friendship with Sein and Natalya and would be pleased to spend time with them under different circumstances.