It was a clear, sunlit day.
Under a boundless sky washed in blue, with the golden sun gleaming over the crystal sea, the long-awaited wedding ceremony between Princess Lysonna and Crown Prince Aleis finally began.
“Ahh, Princess Lysonna looks so beautiful! And His Highness Aleis is simply wonderful as well!”
Bertia’s eyes already shimmered with emotion before the ceremony had even properly begun. Her gaze followed the couple as they walked hand in hand. Princess Lysonna was dressed in the Seahealby Kingdom’s traditional wedding attire, a simple yet elegant white gown, with the Crown Prince Aleis escorting her.
“They really do look happy together,” I murmured.
Aleis’s gentle smile seemed to ease the princess’s tension. Her expression, slightly stiff from nerves, softened beneath his warmth.
When we first arrived in Seahealby, the two of them had been awkward around each other. Yet now, standing side by side, they looked so natural together that it was hard to imagine them any other way.
They’re going to make a good couple, I thought, slipping an arm around Bertia’s shoulders as we watched them walk down the deep navy carpet laid straight across the white sands.
We were in a secluded royal cove, a part of the Seahealby Kingdom’s ceremonial grounds reserved exclusively for the royal family. There was a grand hall atop the cliff where guests gathered, and a long stone path that descended toward this cove where sacred rites were performed.
In this kingdom, the serpent guardian deity of Seahealby was also a sea god. Because of that, shrines dedicated to the Serpent God were often built close to the shoreline. Even the royal family’s ceremonial shrine wasn’t on the cliffside structure above but nestled discreetly here, at the edge of the cove.
In short, the building above was for ceremonies of celebration and farewell, while the shrine below was for the gods, where prayers and offerings were made before the watchful sea.
The passageway connecting the upper building and this hidden cove had been carefully carved into the side of the cliff. A sturdy stairway, about three meters wide and equipped with solid railings, ensured that no one risked falling into the sea below.
Considering that high-ranking priests, members of the royal family, and noble dignitaries used it during sacred ceremonies, it was only natural they’d built it to such high standards.
In the Seahealby Kingdom, nearly every royal event, from weddings to funerals, involved a ritual of gratitude and prayer to the kingdom’s guardian deity. Typically, guests remained in the main hall atop the cliff while only those with permission to attend the sacred rite were allowed to descend the staircase into this private cove.
That said, the cove also served as the royal family’s private beach. Once the sacred rituals concluded, the area—aside from the shrine itself, which was strictly off-limits—was opened to other guests as well.
Though honestly, I doubt many people would go out of their way to climb down that long flight of stairs to get here.
“They’ve gone inside now,” Bertia murmured.
We watched Princess Lysonna and Crown Prince Aleis disappear into the cave where the shrine was said to be located. Then we made our way to the seats prepared for us and gratefully took the chilled tea that had been served.
As close friends of Princess Lysonna, we had been granted the rare honor of descending into the royal cove today. Around us sat members of the Seahealby royal family, a handful of high-ranking nobles, and several representatives from the Umyuve Kingdom who had come to attend the ceremony.
Even though we were allowed into the cove, the cave housing the shrine was off-limits. That space, it seemed, was sacred to the royal bloodline of Seahealby. Even during ceremonies like this, only a handful of individuals, including the chief priest, were permitted to enter.
Most holy places were like that. In this case, it wasn’t just a matter of sanctity. The cave itself wasn’t very large, so there were practical limits to how many people could fit inside.
“What a beautiful place.” Bertia sighed, gazing at the sea shimmering under the sunlight.
She wasn’t wrong. It truly was beautiful in a way that made you forget the climb, the heat, and even time itself.
The heart of the cove was a sweep of pure white sand. On either side, the shore was hugged and guarded by sheer cliffs and jagged rock, as if the land itself curled round to hold this place safe. The cave that housed the serpent shrine was set into one face of those cliffs.
At our feet was the pristine beach. To the left and right, the cliffs rose so abruptly they felt almost fierce. Straight ahead, the blue ocean stretched to the horizon. Every mood of the sea was visible from here: calm glass, tumbling surf, distant haze. It was breathtakingly beautiful and, not incidentally, a splendid defensive position.
“Maybe I should look into whether we have anywhere like this in Alphasta?” I mused.
We did have a few private beaches reserved for the royal family, of course, but none sat in such naturally defensible terrain. Wherever we put them back home, we had to station a decent escort, so the idea of relaxing by the water felt a little fraught. If we built a private spot using a landscape like this, though, we could probably manage with fewer guards and actually enjoy the ocean.
“What a lovely idea! If Alphasta had a place like this, everyone could come and have fun!” Bertia practically sparkled as she said it, watching sunlight scatter across the water.
“Everyone…” I echoed with a small smile. “Your friends would love it. My aides would too.”
Forgetting the possibility that it might just be the two of us was so like Bertia that I couldn’t help but grin. Would I be unhappy about that? A little, yes, but then again, I rather liked this part of her.
Even if she says “everyone,” her considerate friends will probably sense when it’s time to give us space.
They themselves would want both group fun and private time with their partners.
If anyone were to try to actively interfere, it would likely be Marquis Noches, who doted on his daughter and still fussed over her even though she was married. But that was something the marquis’s lady could be persuaded to handle if she put her mind to it.
“Since we graduated from Halm Academy, we haven’t really been able to get everyone together to play like we used to. I’d be so glad if we could make that happen!”
Bertia chatted on cheerfully, her eyes sparkling as she spoke, and I couldn’t help smiling in return.
Then, all of a sudden, I felt someone’s gaze on me.
I sighed inwardly and decided to pretend I hadn’t noticed. It wasn’t worth the trouble.
For the record, the culprits were two princes: Prince Ramtak and Prince Izlarich.
“By the way,” I asked casually, keeping my eyes fixed anywhere but in their direction, “how are things going with Miss June these days?”
At once, Bertia’s shoulders slumped, and her bright expression wilted like a flower deprived of sunlight.
“It’s tough to quarrel with someone,” she murmured, sounding deeply conflicted. “I tried my best to fall out with her. Truly, I did. But when she speaks to me with such genuine happiness… I can’t bring myself to be cold or ignore her.”
“I can imagine.”
Even now, June was gazing at Bertia from across the seating area, her expression so full of affection it was almost dazzling. If Bertia so much as waved, June would likely take it as an invitation and rush straight over.
What made things more complicated was that Prince Izlarich, who not long ago had gone out of his way to keep June away from Bertia, had become rather friendly toward us lately. Now that he was on good terms with her, I could practically guarantee that if June started moving in our direction, he’d follow without hesitation.
It seemed that ever since that tea party, Izlarich had begun to open up about his feelings, and his relationship with June had improved remarkably. He’d even thanked me for the not-so-subtle push I’d given him back then.
These days, every time we meet, he looks about two seconds away from calling me “big brother.”
Of course, I rejected that notion with all my strength. I already had two younger brothers—Shaun and Bertia’s brother, Ansel—and that was quite enough for one lifetime.
“Well,” I continued, “you don’t need to keep playing the stand-in villainess. It looks like there are plenty of young ladies around who’d gladly take over the role for you.”
“Eh?”
Right on cue, June had somehow gotten herself entangled in a conversation—no, a confrontation—with another noblewoman.
A closer look told me that the one confronting her was none other than Princess Bistona, Princess Lysonna’s younger sister.
Would Bertia really be okay with this?
“Oh my! That’s Princess Bistona, isn’t it? I see, I see! Of course, she must have volunteered to play the villainess for her dear sister, Princess Lysonna!”