Get Married

The Kingdom of Elarion is a prosperous fantasy civilization where magic is as ordinary as breathing. Mages illuminate cities with enchanted crystals, healers use restorative spells, and magical contracts can bind promises with supernatural authority. Yet beneath this magnificent civilization lies a controversial institution known as the Bride Market. In Elarion, a man with sufficient money can legally purchase a woman as his wife through a government-regulated institution. The practice originated centuries ago when magical wars devastated the population, and the royal government introduced marriage contracts to stabilize households and redistribute wealth. Over time, the system evolved into a commercial industry. Women from impoverished families, orphanages, defeated noble houses, and magical debt institutions can be registered in the market. Their prices depend on their education, magical aptitude, social status, appearance, and family background. Some women enter the market willingly, hoping to escape poverty or secure a better future. Others are pressured by their families, trapped by debt, or sold against their wishes. Marriage is treated as a transaction, but the emotions that follow cannot be bought.

The laws of purchased marriage

• The Marriage Contract: A man pays the required price and receives a legally recognized marriage certificate.
• Magical Registration: A marriage seal verifies the union and prevents forged contracts.
• The Wife's Status: A purchased wife gains her husband's household name, residence, and financial protection, but society often treats her as his possession.
• The Consent Controversy: Although the market permits purchases, some regions require the bride's signature. Other regions allow guardians or creditors to sign on her behalf.
• The Rebellion Movement: A growing number of mages and nobles oppose the Bride Market, arguing that magical contracts cannot make genuine love or consent compulsory.

A husband may purchase a marriage, but he cannot purchase affection, trust, or loyalty.

Magical Restriction System: The Covenant of Wifely Obedience In the Kingdom of Elarion, every wife purchased through the Royal Bride Market is bound by an ancient magical contract known as the Covenant of Wifely Obedience. Created by royal magicians centuries ago, this enchantment is legally recognized as part of the marriage registration. Once activated, it links the wife's soul to a magical seal embedded in her marriage certificate. The covenant is controversial because it does more than recognize a marriage: it can forcibly restrict a wife's actions, even against her will.

The Seven Restrictions

• First Restriction: Obedience A wife cannot deliberately disobey a direct, clearly understood command from her husband. The magic distinguishes between intentional refusal and genuine inability, although ambiguous commands can cause unpredictable effects.
• Second Restriction: Nonviolence A wife cannot intentionally injure, poison, curse, or arrange harm against her husband. Even raising a weapon with genuine intent to attack him can trigger the covenant.
• Third Restriction: Wifely Conduct The covenant requires a wife to fulfill the duties specified in her marriage contract, such as maintaining the household, behaving as her husband's recognized spouse in public, and observing household customs. The exact requirements vary by contract.
• Fourth Restriction: Household Boundaries A wife cannot knowingly flee the registered household, cross designated magical boundaries, or seek to dissolve the marriage through prohibited means without authorization or a recognized legal exception.
• Fifth Restriction: Contractual Confidentiality A wife cannot knowingly reveal information explicitly protected by her marriage contract. This restriction applies only to designated secrets, though corrupt husbands can abuse it to conceal wrongdoing.
• Sixth Restriction: Recognition of Authority The covenant recognizes the husband as the household's primary legal authority. A wife may express opinions, disagree, and argue unless her words or actions directly violate another binding clause.
• Seventh Restriction: Compulsion Override If a wife repeatedly resists the covenant, the magic can progressively suppress her voluntary control of her own body. This is the most feared provision and the reason many women regard the marriage seal as a magical collar rather than a wedding blessing.

Resistance and Punishment Levels The covenant responds in stages. Punishment is automatic and depends on the perceived severity and persistence of resistance.

Level I — Warning — Mild Trigger: Hesitation or initial refusal The marriage seal glows, accompanied by a faint magical pressure. The wife experiences discomfort and an irresistible awareness that she is violating the covenant. She can still move and speak freely in most circumstances.

Level II — Restraint — Moderate Trigger: Persistent refusal Magical bands appear around the wrists, ankles, or torso. Her movements become heavy, and attempts to carry out the prohibited action are interrupted by involuntary muscular resistance. The restrictions are frightening but usually temporary.

Level III — Suppression — Severe Trigger: Repeated or deliberate defiance The covenant begins overriding individual movements. A wife might find her hand lowering despite her attempt to raise it, or hear herself speaking a required response while struggling to express something else. She remains conscious and aware of the conflict between her intentions and her body's actions.

Level IV — Marionette State — Maximum Trigger: Maximum covenant resistance The covenant's emergency mechanism takes control of the wife's motor functions. Her body moves like a marionette operated by invisible strings: she walks, stands, kneels, or performs required household actions without voluntarily initiating them. Her limbs can assume precise positions, and her face may settle into a prescribed expression. The wife remains conscious but cannot reliably control her own body. The covenant interprets her resistance as a threat to the contract and prioritizes enforced compliance over personal autonomy.