Surprisingly, I woke up in the morning feeling very good. I should have gotten almost no sleep, but for some reason both my mind and body were overflowing with energy; I had little lingering drowsiness. It was enough that I could say I had slept better than ever. Still, Shutola was amazing. I would have never even dreamed her threads could do all that. She’d really gone above and beyond expectations, as usual.
I continued to bask in my memories of the night as I changed for the parade. Today, I was wearing a Trycen-style white tuxedo instead of the usual formal attire given to me by the guild. Yep. White. Surprisingly white.
I mean, of course a wedding would involve white, but as someone who usually wore the opposite color, it just didn’t feel right, like the clothes were wearing me. The kissing thing was definitely a problem, but it felt like the impression that the people of Trycen had of me would change from black to white thanks to this.
“It’s almost time, Kelvin-chaaan!”
As I was thinking, I heard a voice from outside the room. The speaker was the general of the Magic Knight Order.
Oh, it’s time already?
The current head of the Magic Knight Order was the Ice Dragon King Salafia for some reason. Indeed, the same Salafia who was Rosalia’s mother and who had raised Azgrad. She was always in her human form while in Trycen, but it didn’t seem like she was hiding the fact that she was a Dragon King, since all of the citizens seemed to know.
Many would probably ask about worried or dissenting voices being raised with a Dragon King working for the government, and in truth, there were some at first, but it seemed she’d been accepted surprisingly quickly. Anyway, I didn’t know the details—Salafia would be a better person to ask about all that. Probably.
Huh? You think I’m just offhandedly giving up thinking about it? I mean, I’m not that interested. I’m actually more interested in the rumors that she’s the strongest of all the generals in the history of the Magic Knight Order—or rather, the entire history of Trycen. In fact, I think she might be the most powerful Dragon King as well. I heard that she didn’t sign up to be part of the objection system, but if she were to face me for real... Well, the thought makes my heart race.
“Ah, right. I’m comi— Wait, why are you inside already?”
“Hm? I thought I heard you call for me!” Salafia replied with a loud giggle.
I found she was standing beside me before I could even give a response. How did she get inside without opening the door?
I wanted to ponder the question, but I didn’t have time. Salafia spun around me, apparently checking my fit while fixing anything that seemed off with practiced ease.
“Okay, everything’s good,” she announced. “My, my, you look so handsome now! Totally ready to marry into Trycen.”
“Oh no, technically Shutola is marrying into my family...”
“That was just a joke. A joke!” Salafia explained, laughing. “A Dragon King joke. You shouldn’t take the words of an old lady like me seriously.”
I was quickly forced to accept that I probably wouldn’t be able to keep up with her, personality-wise.
I mean, I’m glad you helped fix me up. I’m looking really sharp now.
“Now then, I’ll go over today’s schedule one final time, okay? First, you’ll be going out onto the castle terrace to be seen by the people as a new couple. Basically, all you’ll have to do is smile and wave; the master of ceremonies will move things along for you. But remember, you will need to give some sort of greeting, so please think about that, okay?”
“Right. Well, I’ll make sure not to be rude.”
“What? You’re not going to be like a super battle junkie and say something like, ‘This girl is mine, ha ha! If you want her back, you’ll have to defeat me in battle!’ or something?” Salafia asked, surprised.
“I won’t. Who do you think I am?”
Salafia cackled. “That was also a Dragon King joke! That eased some of your nerves, didn’t it?”
Er...was that really a joke? I mean, I guess it could work as a way to create a good time for an objection... No. Even if I won, I’d still be seen as the bad guy.
“Okay, back to the schedule!” Salafia exclaimed. “Once the unveiling is done, it’ll finally be time for the main event: the parade. You’ll be riding a special carriage going slowly around the capital, so prepare yourself. There are rest stops set up in blind spots along your route, but you’ll only have time to hydrate and maybe go to the restroom. Don’t forget that this is a historied ritual done by many members of royalty, so kiss while keeping in mind that you’re being watched!”
What does that even mean? But, er, we did do a lot of “practicing” last night, so I think it’ll be fine.
“After you show off a hot and elegant kiss to the people during the parade, it’ll finally be time to head to the church,” said Salafia. “Actually, most of the royalty throughout history are quite exhausted by this point, so the ceremonies themselves are usually very simple. I suppose they felt they’d spent so long kissing for the public that kissing again for a vow didn’t seem very attractive. Only invited guests are allowed at the reception, after all, so the couple-to-be are usually sitting. I suppose the parade is the real reception, huh?”
“Ha. Dragon King jokes are pretty funny, aren’t they?”
“Oh my, that wasn’t a joke just now,” said Salafia. “Marriages for Trycen’s royalty have always been affairs of presentation and exhaustion. The practice is recorded in detail in writing.”
I had no response to that. Oh no, her Dragon King jokes are too hard to understand. I don’t think I’ll be able to tell them apart.
“Oh, look at the time. Right, then, Kelvin-chan, let’s go take a look at Shutola-chan a little earlier than those in the past have gotten to,” said Salafia.
“Huh? Wai—”
By the time I noticed, she grabbed me and carried me at extreme speeds through the castle. She ran smoothly, as if she were ice skating—and once again, by the time I noticed, we were in front of the room Shutola had been assigned to change in.
How can this lady go so fast indoors?
“Hello? Knock knock! Sorry to interrupt you while you’re changing,” said Salafia. “I have your hubby here. May we come in?”
“That voice... Mother? Yes, she’s already done changing, but...” Rosalia replied. She was both Salafia’s daughter and one of the maids back at my place.
Ah, so Rosalia is in charge of helping Shutola get dressed. She was learning how to be a maid from Efil, so she’s definitely qualified. Wait... Oh! Is this going to be my first time seeing Shutola in a wedding dress? While I’m still being carried by Salafia? Hey, Salafia, we’re here now! I’m fine! So let me down! Oh no, she’s already going in!
“Ah! Kelvin-san,” said Shutola.
“Uh, hey, Shutola...”
And so, I came face-to-face with the pretty, beautiful, dignified Shutola while still in an embarrassing state. But setting me aside for the moment, there was something more important to attend to. Frankly, I was entranced. Her dress was pure white, just like my tuxedo—or rather, her dress shone even whiter. It was decorated with feathers and was reminiscent of the dresses she usually wore. That was why it matched Shutola perfectly. Her veil was integrated into her diadem and was very princess-like—another perfect match.
Yeah, perfect. Totally perfect.
“Sorry to interrupt while you’re going crazy with lust, but Kelvin-chan, come on, you’ve got to say something,” Salafia told me. “You need to tell her what you think!”
✦ ✦ ✦
✦ ✦ ✦
“Oh, um... Uh...you’re very pretty, Shutola.”
“Oh, thank you! You’re, um...very cool too, Kelvin-san. I like it!” Shutola replied.
“Really?!”
She had turned completely red the moment I’d told her the truth. When she replied, I’d probably gotten just as red. Meanwhile, Salafia was watching us with a very satisfied look on her face. During all this, Rosalia was wondering why she wasn’t putting me down, despite how important it was to get us to communicate.
Um, Salafia? Are you satisfied now? Would you please let me down?