Act 1:
Betrothal
ONE SUNNY DAY, I was busily making potions, just like always—these were the mid-grade variety. However, the batch size was far smaller than usual, as the knights had been placing smaller orders. Monsters really did seem to be spawning less often these days.
I guess my job as the local black swamp purification squad has finally come to an end. I was beginning to feel like I might actually be able to lay down my Saintly duties sooner or later.
By now, I was so accustomed to brewing mid-grade potions that I could pretty much do it in my sleep, so before I knew it, my mind was drifting back to certain recent events.
A frozen cluster of trees sparkling in the light of the setting sun…
Albert, dressed far more handsomely than usual…
And…
“I love you.”
At the memory of his voice, my hands came to a standstill and warmth bloomed in my cheeks.
Gah! No! Stop! Don’t think about that right now! I’m supposed to be working!
The recollection filled me with a mix of giddiness and embarrassment that made me want to squirm. I shook my head back and forth, trying to extinguish the thoughts.
I had accidentally fallen into a reverie about my recent outing with Albert.
It had been just the two of us, and he had prepared a romantic scene where he declared his love for me. And it had been no mere profession of desire—he had asked me to marry him.
I’d been there the whole time and I still couldn’t believe it had really happened. But it had.
And ever since his proposal, I had been a bit busier than usual. I might have been in a different world, but even in this one, there was a mountain of things that needed doing once you got engaged.
For one, we had to inform his family of our engagement. This was common practice in both the world I’d come from and in this one. It turned out that here, though, marriages between noble houses also necessitated a contract between the involved families, so the whole thing was even more rigorous. Since it was a requirement, we had to arrange a meeting with Albert’s family.
However, it was quite a while after the proposal before we figured all that out, as his family was so busy.
It was understandable enough. Both the lord and lady Hawke were busy with their duties in their dominion, and his oldest brother was the minister of military services, and his other older brother was the magus of the royal magi assembly—meaning, in short, that they all worked for the crown. Albert himself was also the knight commander of the Knights of the Third Order, so honestly I was probably the one with the most wiggle room in my schedule. Some familiar voice in the back of my head was telling me that wasn’t true, but that was probably just my imagination.
“I can’t believe tomorrow’s finally the day,” I mused to myself, reflecting on that very upcoming meeting as I worked.
We were scheduled to convene at the Hawke estate in the capital tomorrow afternoon. Albert had handled everything, so all I really had to do was prepare a gift. There was also the matter of what to wear—which I still hadn’t decided.
I was actually kind of worried that I might be missing something. I mean, this country—in fact, everything in this whole world—was so very different from Japan. I didn’t really know what was common practice for this sort of thing back home to begin with, so I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to hear I’d completely dropped the ball somehow or another.
With that thought in mind, I turned to my greatest ally for advice: my etiquette teacher. I had been taking lessons from her for a while now, and I had no trouble approaching her with this kind of question. More importantly, she was an expert on precisely this matter. With her seal of approval, I was sure to succeed.
Turned out I’d been right on the money. As one might expect of a professional, she was able to get everything squared away at a moment’s notice. She declared that it would all be ready for me at the palace on the big day.
It won’t shock you to hear that when nobles meet with other nobles of high status—such as a count—you’re pretty much required to wear a fancy gown. The kind of gown you need help putting on. So, just as I did on the days when I had etiquette lessons, I needed the assistance of my maids at the palace to get me prepped. I hated squeezing into those things, but one had to dress appropriately for such occasions. As such, I humbly accepted my fate.
Perhaps it was because I showed so little resistance, or perhaps it was because we were preparing for a meeting with my future in-laws, but when the maids received their assignment from my instructor, they were even more enthusiastic than usual.
Even Marie, who rarely showed any emotion, seemed pleased by the task, going as far as to say, “I suggest that you stay the night at the palace so that we may begin the necessary preparations as soon as possible.”
How could I possibly say no to that level of excitement? “It’s a good thing I asked for an evening engagement instead of first thing in the morning.”
My meeting with my future in-laws was officially tomorrow. It was almost time to begin the ordeal.
The looming date was making me nervous, but at the same time, I felt like I was walking on air.
Nothing on the docket was especially different from my usual lesson prep work, so it was weird that my feelings on the matter had taken a 180-degree spin.
“Not long before it’s go time.” What I needed to do for now was pull myself together and focus on work. I mulled over how much I could get done before evening fell and zeroed back in on potion brewing.
And then the day finally arrived.
My maids woke at the crack of dawn and really put their all into dolling me up, so thankfully I actually looked really nice, instead of like someone had slapped lipstick on a pig.
The gown the palace had prepared for me was lemon-yellow layered with white chiffon. The chiffon was embroidered with little white flowers, which were the perfect touch for this time of year. My hair was drawn into a half-up style and adorned with white carnations. I honestly loved it.
I was a bit exhausted by the time we reached the end of the whole process, but I was reenergized by the sight of myself in the mirror.
Once I was ready to go, I stepped into the carriage provided for me by the palace and rode to the count’s estate in the capital. I also went by myself. Strictly speaking, I was accompanied by some guards and attendants, but it was really just me by my lonesome.
By all rights, I should have had a guardian at my side, but I had politely declined the offer. After all, that guardian would have been His Majesty the King himself.
I’d declined first and foremost because I would have felt awful asking him to put off any king business just to accompany me to meet my future in-laws. But I also had to assume bringing the king to meet your new family would be unspeakably awkward. Then again, maybe I would have felt that way even if my legal guardian weren’t a ruling monarch.
In any case, I had decided to go alone.
We arrived at the entrance to the count’s estate to find the entire Hawke family lined up to meet me. I got kind of nervous, seeing every single member of his family. After Albert, there were his parents, his brothers, and even their servants, all waiting for me as I stepped out of the carriage. However, their reception was both immediate and warm, and my anxiety melted away at once.