We swung the knife at a speed way beyond any normal cake-cutting. It was like we were seriously fighting the cake, fast enough that a normal person wouldn’t even notice a shadow pass. But the important part was still to come.
“Hah!” both Rion and I yelled in unison.
In perfect sync, we swung the knife multiple times, continuing to cut the cake. Because we were using Perfect Understanding to unify our minds, we were able to do so with almost no errors. But Rion was the one doing most of the work with her Sword Mastery skill; I was basically just matching her. In exchange, I was protecting the cut cake with barriers, using wind to distribute the pieces to everyone.
“Ohhh?! The cake flew onto my plate!”
“Me too! It’s floating over my plate!”
“No way! Are they distributing the pieces as they cut it?!”
Exactly! As long as you put the plate under the cake, it’ll land gently on top of it! Enjoy!
And so, our plans were revealed. This supergiant wedding cake had been made so that as long as it was accurately sliced, the distribution of fruit, cream, and sponge would be perfect in every piece. Efil and Clare had done this for the sake of our first task as a couple. Though I’d been the one to ask them for it, I knew how ridiculous a request it’d been. I couldn’t thank them enough for accepting so readily. Of course, in Efil’s case, she simply told me to repay her during our own ceremony, so I had to wonder what she’d make me do for the last wedding.
I mean, I can hazard a guess. Do your best, future me! In exchange, I’ll do my best with this!
“Heh heh! Look, Edgar!” Charles exclaimed. “The cake came flying to me! It must’ve fallen for my charms. It has a good eye.”
“Erm, the cake is flying to everyone...” Edgar commented.
“Wow, this thing smells really good! Definitely trendy!” Rami gushed.
“Urgh, Rion cut a slice just for me,” Gerard bawled. “And she even made it a large one!”
“No way! My slice is bigger by a little,” Gustav boasted. “Heh! Not only does Sera-Bell love me, but Rion too! I’m so sinful.”
Gerard paused, incensed. “I cannot in good conscience let that slide, Gustav-dono. Look closely, mine is definitely bigger!”
“Oh, Gerard, you should be the one to look closer. Your old and decrepit eyes may find it hard to differentiate, but mine is definitely bigger!” Gustav argued.
Both of them let out vaguely competitive noises. At this point, we’d finished serving the cake. It seemed an argument had broken out between two old men, but that was par for the course for this party that was basically a day at the bar. It was only natural for a fight or two to break out, so there was nothing to worry about.
“Sho gooooood!” both Gerard and Gustav gushed. One bite of the cake blew all their ill will and competitiveness away thanks to a combination of sheer taste and Rion’s Absolute Purification. The argument was instantly forgotten.
And so ended our team effort, which heralded the period of everyone being busy enjoying their dessert. The cake had been a team effort, a crystallization of both Efil’s and Clare’s cooking skills, so its deliciousness was unfathomable. On top of that, since Rion had given it a purifying effect, no one could resist its allure.
“Why don’t you try a bite too, Dorothy? I’m sure one bite will finish you off,” I suggested.
“What do you mean, finish me off?” Dorothy asked. “This is such a nice day; please don’t ruin it with your penchant for violence.”
“No, no. It’s just a saying, Thee-chan,” Rion interjected. “I want you to taste it too!”
“I’m digging in now!” Dorothy instantly replied. She didn’t hesitate to stuff her face immediately after what Rion said.
She never changes, does she?
Dorothy let out a gushing noise, communicating how much she loved it. Her expression also told of how happy she was. It looked like she was melting. When we saw that, Rion and I also felt happy. Fighting was all well and good, especially when it took the form of a proper match, but that was assuming that at the end, both sides could still laugh together.
“That way, both sides can fight again when they’re stronger! What a wonderful and perfect perpetual machine!”
“You’re ruining pretty much everything, Kel-nii,” Rion warned me.
✦ ✦ ✦
It was the night of the second wedding. Having finished everything we’d planned, Rion and I were now lying beside each other in my room. It was really calming being in my own house. I hadn’t managed to fight in this wedding’s objection match, but I had managed to reach a good level of exhaustion, so it felt like I could sleep well. What? What about nighttime activities, you ask? I already said we finished everything we had planned—that included.
“Are you feeling okay, Rion?”
“I’m totally fine,” she replied. “In fact, I’m absolutely filled to the brim with happiness. Heh heh heh!” Her bashful laugh was accompanied by her head softly thumping against my chest.
What are you, an avatar of absolute adorability? You definitely are. You’re so cute, I’ll allow it.
I changed the subject a little to allow my brain and body to cool down. “I heard your friends from Lumiest left after the reception. It’s too bad; they should’ve stayed the night.”
“Yeah. They told me that they’d exceeded their planned schedule because they’d taken too long to come here, so they needed to leave right away or they wouldn’t make it,” Rion replied. “They were apparently in some real danger, since even using Parth’s teleportation gate, they barely made it.”
“Wow... Their schedule must’ve had no wiggle room at all.”
“Rai-chan and Char-kun were resisting at the teleportation gate until the very last minute, though, saying stuff about how they would enjoy the festival until the end,” said Rion. “Eventually, Graham-kun had to grab Rai-chan and drag her back, while Edgar-kun had to convince Char-kun to go quietly by aggressively warning him that he’d end up being held back.”
“Yeah, if he’s in danger of that, it was definitely better to go quietly.”
Being held back a year has got to be no joke for royalty.
“Oh, that reminds me, I didn’t see Dorothy anywhere when the reception was ending. Did she go back to her room early?”
“She told me that she would be staying at the Fairy’s Song with Clare-san instead of here tonight,” Rion replied. “She needed to carry several people who drank themselves into a stupor, and, um...it also looked like she was being considerate of us...”
“Oh, ah...”
How should I put it? Dorothy’s really good at thinking of others! Thank you. It’s because of you that everything went well.
“Then let’s go to bed early tonight. We have to get up early, after all,” Rion suggested.
“Yeah.”
Tomorrow was Colette’s wedding in Deramis. In terms of scale, it would probably rival Shutola’s event.
Hrm, I’m feeling worried in a lot of ways. Also, I still have no idea what the other side is really thinking.
I was silent, probably for too long.
“Are you worried about something, Kel-nii?” Rion asked.
“Huh? You can tell? I can’t hide anything from you, can I?”
“Aha ha! I’m your little sister and wife, after all, Kel-nii! Of course I understand you,” Rion boasted. “So, what’re you worried about? Your opponent for tomorrow’s objection match? The only thing we know is they go by ‘Mysterious Swordsman S,’ right?”
“Yeah, it’s the only opponent whose identity is unclear. That’s definitely worrying, but...I’m thinking of something else.”
“What?” Rion asked.
“I mean, neither Addams nor Maria have shown themselves at either of these first two events, right? Even though we invited them to every one.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true,” Rion agreed. “We haven’t seen the other Ten Authorities or Luquille-san either.”
“Right? Addams and the others aside, I figured Maria and Kuon were hooked on stuff like this. I never would have thought none of them would show. Hrm, are my instincts just wrong in this case?”
“Maybe. Or maybe there’s something you should be prioritizing over the weddings?” Rion suggested.
“Something I should be prioritizing...”
As of yet, I only had a faint inkling of what she was referring to. I had no idea if it was even good or bad for me.
But, hmm...I’m getting a really bad feeling somehow. And I just keep getting more excited!
“If you get excited, you won’t be able to sleep, Kel-nii,” Rion warned me.
“Ah, right. I’ll go to sleep now.”