After Story: The Clover Crown
AT a clinic on the outskirts of town, the sound of church bells could be heard over the shouts of children playing in the yard, where mint and chamomile plants grew among the clovers and wildflowers. Iris visited this place so often that the local fairies were drawn to live there, breathing color into the land…but only Reseda realized this.
Here, a series of rugs had been laid out, with a plank of wood positioned over four sturdy boxes to create a makeshift table. A plain cotton tablecloth had been placed over the wood, with large plates of food on top. Old, worn cushions surrounded the table on all sides. Even without proper furniture, it was clear they had done their best to prepare a party.
A thin bedsheet hung over the magnolia tree branches to create a shady spot, where more rugs and cushions were placed. It looked like some sort of lounge area, complete with pillows smuggled out from their bedrooms. They had decorated the whole place with paper chains, hearts, and flowers, all made from colored construction paper.
Reseda and Iris smiled at each other. Today, they were dressed in their informal street clothes…but unlike before, they wore rings on their fingers. They were invited there by the clinic’s residents in order to celebrate their marriage.
The official ceremony was only a few days ago—smaller than Prince Bleuet’s wedding, of course, but a large wedding nonetheless. Iris had hoped for a more modest ceremony, but because Reseda was the second prince and Iris was the newly appointed Maiden’s Aide, it turned into a day of celebration for the entire kingdom of Floraison.
The ceremony was held at the biggest church in town; from there, they rode in a carriage parade all the way back to the palace, where a sumptuous banquet was held. As someone who didn’t enjoy pageantry in excess, it was utterly exhausting. Today’s small-scale party, however, was more in line with her tastes. A heartfelt celebration organized by casual friends was far more meaningful to Iris than any gala event.
“Cherry! Mint! Bend down a little!”
Even after the commoners discovered their true identities, they still affectionately called them by their nicknames. As requested, the couple bent down. Then, as the children placed flower crowns made of clovers onto their heads, little fairies flew out of Iris’s ringlets and gathered around the crowns to help with the process. The children couldn’t see them, of course, but they could tell that the air around them had grown sacred. They all sighed in admiration at the sight of Iris with her glossy clover crown.
“Mint, you look like the Goddess of the Fairies,” Reseda teased her.
“And you look like the King of the Flowers, Cherry,” she teased back.
“Okay, now link arms!” a precocious little girl demanded.
Reseda proffered his left arm, and Iris curled her right hand around his bicep. Then a couple of three-year-olds walked up and took their free hands, and…well, it really meant a lot to Iris that the children would so readily touch her skin without a moment’s hesitation.
“Buh-buh-buh-bum, buh-buh-buh-bum, buh-buh-buh-bum-buh-buh-bum-buh-buh-bum!”
All at once, they started singing the wedding march song. In HanaKoro it was only ever a prelude to a happy-bad ending, so it caught Iris by surprise. Then the kids started tugging on Reseda and Iris’s hands.
“Dis way, Minty!”
Led by a toddler with a lisp, Reseda and Iris were dragged to the head of the table, where a homemade cherry pie awaited them. The precocious girl walked over and handed them a knife with a pink ribbon on it. The sight made Iris laugh. Honestly, does everything have to be so girly just because we live in an otome game?
“Time to cut the cake!” shouted the man with the scar on his face. This isn’t really a “cake,” but oh well—close enough, I suppose. Together, Reseda and Iris slid the knife into the pie.
“CONGRATULATIONS!!!” everyone shouted in unison.
“Thank you, everyone,” Iris replied.
“This really means a lot,” Reseda chimed in.
Instantly, the children swarmed them.
“I washed the broccoli!”
“I caught the fish!”
“I picked the flowers!”
“Try some of this!”
“No, eat this first!”
They tugged on their clothes and shouted their demands at the newlyweds while the grown-ups all sighed wearily.
“Good grief. Do they even realize how rude they’re being to the Prince of Floraison and the Maiden’s Aide…?”
“They’re just kids, y’know…”
“And if they were so easily offended, they wouldn’t come here…”
“Though if this were a formal occasion, we’d all be in trouble…”
The adults started scolding the children.
“Kids, back up a bit and let them eat their food!”
“I want some cherry pie!”
“Not until you eat your dinner!”
Iris clapped her hands to draw everyone’s attention. “Has everyone washed their hands? Then let’s all dig in!”
Reseda and Iris smiled at each other as the children all started to eat.
✦ ✦ ✦
❀❀❀
AFTER their meal, it was time for a siesta under the magnolia tree. The large white flowers showered the newlyweds in their light fragrance from above while the crisp scent of the mint plants rose up from below. The younger children had gone to take a nap while the older children gathered around the couple.
“Your wedding dress was soooo pretty!”
“And Cherry looked like a real prince!”
“Can we see your rings? Pretty please?”
Per their request, they offered the children their left hands. The golden rings were engraved with magic words and embedded with gems that matched their eye colors.
“What do the words say?” one of the children asked, since ordinary people were unable to read magescript.
“Let us walk side by side,” Reseda answered, and the girls all slumped their shoulders.
“That’s not romantic at all!”
“That’s something you say to a guy friend!”
“You have to say stuff like ‘I’ll always protect you’ or girls won’t like you!”
Reseda smiled stiffly.
“Now, now, that’s not true at all,” Iris chided. “I like Cherry very much.”
At this, he snickered.
“Besides, I want to protect him just as much as he protects me,” she continued. He burst out laughing.
“Good grief, must you be so loveable?” Reseda grabbed her by the chin and leaned in.
“Reseda! Not in front of the children!” Iris grabbed a pillow and smacked him with it. A fairy flew out of it and up to the magnolia petals.
Then the children started to tease them. “Reseda and Iris, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”
Flustered, Iris glanced around. The adults were all watching with amused smiles; none of them said a word to stop the kids. Even Sauge was grinning at them—when did she get there?! Apparently, she wasn’t planning to save Iris!
“You may as well resign yourself to your fate,” Reseda whispered.
And so, he planted a happy little kiss on her lips.