The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 469 A Gathering of Guests
night.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" Nyx gently draped a coat over Roland's shoulders.

"Tomorrow will be January 1st, 2943, the Third Age!" Roland didn't answer Nyx's question but sighed. Unbeknownst to him, he had been in Middle-earth for almost two years!
“Hmm,” Nyx hummed softly.

"Let me check if there are any other oversights. After all, this is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and we can't be careless," Roland said, shaking his head and smiling.

"Go to sleep, the wedding is tomorrow! Sleeping too late will give you wrinkles." Roland gently pinched Nyx's nose, his eyes full of doting and affection.

"Waaah! You're talking nonsense again! You're the one with wrinkles!" Nyx pouted and said each word slowly and deliberately, then started throwing a flurry of punches at Roland.

Roland couldn't help but chuckle as he felt the force of Nyx's fist. Wasn't that the strength of her grip like a massage? For a battle-hardened knight like Roland, that little girl's pink fist was like a tickle. After all, Roland's solid muscles were not easily damaged by ordinary weapons.

"Alright, stop fooling around!" Roland pulled Nyx into his arms, kissed her forehead, and then took her little hand and rubbed it. He was mainly afraid that Nyx would hurt him, since his hard muscles would feel no different from a rock if he hit her.

"I'm going to sleep now... You should get some rest early. Tomorrow will be very busy." Nyx glanced worriedly at Roland as she gracefully left.

"Ugh... So annoying!" Roland was feeling a bit overwhelmed. Thanks for the invitation, this was his first marriage in two lifetimes... To describe it as utterly helpless would be an understatement.

The most outrageous thing is that none of the nobles under his command can share Roland's burdens. All Roland can do is curse them as traitors! Don't they understand what it means to be a subject who suffers the shame of his ruler?

(Renault, Yunfeng...: So what does your marriage have to do with me? You're the groom, do you expect me to go up and get married for you?)

What drove Roland to the brink of despair were these ceremonies. Thank goodness for the Western setting of China, not some damned Chinese wedding. The simple Western wedding looked so lovely to Roland. If it were a complicated Chinese ceremony… family! Who would understand?! An emperor's wedding isn't a wedding, it's torture! The whole process would be unbelievable if it didn't leave you skinned alive!

"Sigh!" Roland slowly took out a golden crown from a wooden box. Judging from its style and decorations, it was clearly the Queen's crown! Roland carefully held this crown, which he would personally place on Nyx's head the next day, his mind filled with thoughts.

Ironically, Roland's first thought upon seeing this thing was, "How much can this thing sell for?" He figured if Yun Feng found out, she'd want to kill him! This crown also has another name—Blessing of the Frozen Stream!
The ancient crown is inscribed with a line of dragon language: "The torrents will devour her enemies, Lagrang will protect her people!" This meticulously crafted crown by Yunfeng would be considered mid-tier among legendary equipment. The crown, primarily made of adamantite, is infused with the full magic power of a single ice-type calamity monster's magic crystal, linked together by thirteen ice-type magic crystals to form a magic array. Its effect is simple and brutal: increases maximum magic power by 100%, provides an ice-type magic shield, and amplifies the effect of ice magic by 50%! (The protective effect is roughly equivalent to withstanding a demigod's attack.)
"Yunfeng, you've gone to so much trouble!" Roland said, gazing at the crown in his hand. Having access to the Ring System, Roland had already checked the effects of the Ice and Snow Flow Blessing. While it lacked flashy descriptions, each simple skill revealed an extraordinary effect. Roland estimated that this item had not only emptied his own stash of treasures but also Yunfeng's, as he knew perfectly well how much he had taken from the system.

"Let's check if there's anything we haven't prepared. If not, let's go to sleep!" Roland muttered to himself as he flipped through the various records, which contained information on tomorrow's supplies and preparations.

……

"Your Highness! It's time to get up!" The personal maid's voice rang in Roland's ears, and then Roland felt himself being shaken. "What the hell? An earthquake?" Roland muttered in a daze.

"Your Highness, today is your joyous day!" The maid shook Roland anxiously.

Roland regained some of his senses and reached out to touch it... Hmm? It's cold!
"Princess Nyx went to get ready a long time ago. She said you slept too late and asked me to wake you later!" the maid said anxiously.

"Thump!" Realizing what had happened, Roland knew something was wrong and leaped off the bed, leaving the maid still standing by the bed in a pushing position.

"Whoosh!" Roland quickly put on the Lagrange dragon robe that had been prepared beforehand, much to the maid's astonishment.

To be fair, Roland's attire was somewhat presumptuous. After all, he wasn't yet the Lagrange Dragon Emperor, and wearing an emperor's robe without inheriting the throne seemed rather incongruous. However, these were all prepared by his subordinates, so Roland just chuckled and considered it an otherworldly version of donning the imperial robe (not for delivering takeout!). In any case, it was just a formality. Until a true imperial bloodline appeared, Roland was the sole heir to the empire! Moreover, it was impossible for another Lagrange imperial bloodline to emerge in this world; Roland would be the first emperor!
"Whoosh~" Roland shook the dragon robe coiled around the giant dragon, his thoughts swirling. The golden-red dragon robe was as vibrant as the proud people of the Lagrange Empire!
Roland straightened his clothes and walked out with his head held high.

……

"Your Highness, you are truly awe-inspiring today!" King Bader bowed, patting his chest.

"Good morning, King Bard thanks you for attending the banquet." Roland smiled as he looked at King Bard, who was greeting him in the hall.

"Hearing that you were getting married, Peter Gros and I rushed over overnight. It seems we're not too late!" Iovia said, patting her chest in greeting, her movements exuding the elegance of a star elf.

“You arrived at just the right time! You have a knack for timing! Hahaha!” Roland returned the greeting to Iovia.

“Roland, blessings to you! I also send my blessings to Balin and Dain. Dain couldn’t come because of the collapse of Iron Hills, and you know Balin, it’s too far away.” Thorin came over and patted Roland’s arm.

"Thank you for your blessings! I'm so happy!" Roland couldn't help but blush. He knew better than anyone how Iron Hill had collapsed; the culprit was still fast asleep in the house!
"Good morning! Roland, I wish you a happy life! May you have a few little princes soon!" Bai Yi walked over and patted Roland on the shoulder.

"Thank you for your help to the elves. I hope you like the gift I brought!" Thranduil slowly walked out from the crowd, holding a wine glass in his hand.

"???" Roland was stunned. Thranduil had actually come? Did he have that much influence? He had only sent an invitation to the Woodland Kingdom as a formality. Although the Woodland Elves were xenophobic, Roland couldn't discriminate against them. It wouldn't be right not to send one to Thranduil. Who knew that this damn guy would actually come? This was a complete surprise!
(End of this chapter)