Now then, you two. If you’re looking to hold the ceremony abroad, we currently recommend the Island Bridal Plan.
It includes a seaside wedding on the beaches of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Kingdom, performed in the traditional style of that land. A friend of mine had her ceremony there just the other day, and it was absolutely lovely.
✦ ✦ ✦
One day, at the fruit parlor run by Lucy’s family, the Evans Company, Tomoe and Ichiha were seated across from each other by the window.
Tomoe had a parfait and tea in front of her, while Ichiha had only a cup of Garlan Spirit Kingdom coffee. He was slumped over the table, clutching his head.
“Urgh... My head’s killing me...”
“Are you okay, Ichiha?” Tomoe asked, her voice full of concern. Ichiha looked up at her with a wan smile.
“Oh... Sure. I mean...it’s rough, but I’ll recover with time...”
“Really now. You didn’t have to drink so much just because we were celebrating.”
“I have no defense for my actions...”
The cause of Ichiha’s suffering was nothing more dramatic than a hangover.
Yesterday, he had formally succeeded Hakuya as prime minister of Friedonia. Hakuya needed to focus on his duties as royal consort to Queen Jeanne of the Euphoria Kingdom, and had finally been able to pass the torch to Ichiha, as he’d long hoped to.
That night, Ichiha had celebrated with the usual circle of Tomoe, Yuriga, Velza, and Lucy—along with Souma and his queens, plus the former head of the Monster Research Society (now married into a noble house) and other MonSoc friends.
As the guest of honor—or rather, yesterday’s guest of honor—he had been pressed to drink far more than was wise. Once it had been clear he was in no condition to continue, Tomoe had stepped in with a fierce smile to shield him from further “hospitality.” Even so, he had drunk more than enough, and today he was paying the price.
At least he’d had the foresight to arrange the day off in advance. Tomoe had the day off too, so they had gone to the castle town together. If only Ichiha had been in better shape, he might have actually enjoyed their date.
Tomoe sighed as she watched him suffer.
“I should’ve stopped them sooner... Yuriga and Lu were getting carried away with the drinks. But really, you should have refused.”
“Urgh... B-But I couldn’t spurn their kindness like that.”
“I know it’s important to get along with people, but if you ruin your health in the process, what’s the point...? Oops, now I’m starting to sound like Big Sister.”
“Ah ha ha ha...”
Tomoe’s “Big Sister” was Liscia, who often lectured Souma in the same way. Souma knew her words came from concern, so he endured her sermonizing without complaint. If the nagging came from someone who loved him, and with his best interests at heart, he would listen, no matter how grating it was to hear.
Ah, so this must be how His Majesty feels... Ichiha thought.
“Oh, that’s right. Speaking of Big Sister, I just remembered something.” Tomoe clapped her hands together. “There’s something important I need to ask you.”
“Something important?”
Ichiha sipped his coffee, curious. Tomoe nodded.
“Yep. Hey, Ichiha.”
“Uh, yes?”
“Do you want me to become Tomoe Chima? Or would you rather become Ichiha Chima Elfrieden?”
“Bwugh...!”
Ichiha choked on his coffee, sputtering at the bombshell of a question.
Tomoe’s eyes widened. “A-Are you okay?”
Once he stopped coughing, Ichiha managed, “Y-You’re just dropping that on me, out of nowhere?!”
“Huh? We’re already engaged. It’s a foregone conclusion we’ll be married, isn’t it?”
“Well, yeah, of course, but still...”
“You’re officially prime minister now, so Big Brother was saying it’s about time we tie the knot. I’ve been thinking this is something we ought to decide.”
Unlike the flustered Ichiha, Tomoe remained perfectly calm as she spoke.
“I came to this country as a refugee, and the matter of my family name was always left vague because of my delicate position. Big Brother had Lord Albert and Lady Elisha adopt me so I could stay at the castle, since I was able to communicate with the Seadians. But because my real mom also worked at the castle, I was rarely called Tomoe Elfrieden.”
“I see...”
“But if I’m going to marry you, I can’t keep it vague forever, right?”
Tomoe sighed, propping her elbow on the table and resting her cheek against her palm. The pose carried a hint of allure, proof of both her maturity and Juna’s lessons in how to act like a lady.
“Roroa’s been asking us to hold a wedding ceremony too, hasn’t she? You know, to promote her push for more foreign weddings. I think we should make a decision.”
“Y-Yes, you’re right,” Ichiha said with a nod.
The wedding-planning business Roroa was promoting, with Lucy at the center, needed model couples to showcase foreign-style ceremonies. Since Ichiha and Tomoe were expected to marry soon, they had been approached alongside another couple. Naturally, neither of them objected, but it was inevitable that the prospect of starting their own household would make them a little tense. If anything, Tomoe seemed almost too calm. She already considered their marriage a certainty, and was now casually talking about what her name would be afterwards.
“Um...” Ichiha raised his hand for some reason. “You’re sure you don’t want to go with Inui? That wasn’t on the list of options.”
“Hmm? Rou’s already the heir to the House of Inui, and my new dad, Inugami, took our family name since no one knows his real one, so that’ll be fine. What about you, Ichiha? Don’t you want to inherit the House of Chima?”
“That’s...something we’ve talked about...”
The House of Chima had only four remaining lineal descendants: Ichiha, Yomi, Sami, and Nike.
Of them, Yomi had married into the Royal House of Remus and was no longer a Chima. Sami was also a woman, and would likely take her husband’s name when she married. Since the Chima name carried painful memories for her, it would be best for her to let it go. That left only Ichiha and Nike. But despite being the older brother, Nike had sent Ichiha a letter, asking him to be the one to inherit the main house.
The House of Chima had risen to prominence through their cleverness and scheming, and Nike believed Ichiha was the only one who could carry on that legacy. Though Nike was sharper than, say, Nata, he was still a warrior at heart. That was why he wanted Ichiha—who’d built a reputation as an authority in monsterology—to inherit the family name.
As for Ichiha, he had no objection. He had never gotten along well with his family, except for his elder sister Mutsumi. Even so, both his father Mathew and his elder brother Hashim had died with pride in the family name. And it had been Mutsumi’s family too—the kind and loving sister who’d always cherished him. Letting the name vanish would not have felt right.
That was why Ichiha steeled himself and looked at Tomoe. “I want to carry the family name on.”
“Okay then.” Tomoe nodded without hesitation. “In that case, I’ll become Tomoe Chima for you.”
“You’re okay with it?”
“Sure. It’s not like joining the House of Chima will break the bonds I have with Big Brother and Big Sister. And I can still see everyone from the House of Inui at the castle. Honestly, since you and I will be the only Chimas in the Kingdom for a while, it’ll still feel like the House of Inui is our home anyway. So there’s no reason for me to be picky about my last name.”
“Well... I suppose not.”
The two of them chuckled.
“Besides,” Tomoe teased, “I like what people say about you: ‘With the eight children of the House of Chima, they saved the best for last.’”
“D-Don’t bring that up...”
Once, Ichiha had been dismissed as the incapable runt of the family. But beginning with the Monsterology Symposium, he had started to overturn that reputation, and his appointment as prime minister had cemented the idea that he truly was the best of the House of Chima.
Even so, his timid nature made him uneasy with such high praise, as though it weighed on him. Tomoe’s lips curled into a mischievous smile when she noticed his embarrassment.
“But,” Ichiha said quickly, “they’ve actually added a little more to that saying.”
“Huh? They have?”
“Yes. It goes like this.” Ichiha grinned at her puzzled expression. “‘With the eight children of the House of Chima, they saved the best for last...and yet his partner is better still.’”
“...”
What it meant was clear—while the people held Ichiha in high esteem, they thought even more highly of the Wise Wolf Princess, Tomoe, who’d first recognized his worth. And because they made such a charming pair, the people already called her his “partner” even before their marriage.
““...””
Tomoe flushed red at the words, while Ichiha, despite being the one to have said them, turned an even deeper shade. Speechless and blushing, they could only sit in silence. It seemed that, in the game of love, today had ended in a tie.