The plans for my and the Dragon Duke Vacherin’s wedding ceremony were becoming ridiculously extravagant.
“I want all of the Dragon Duchy of Éclair to see you in your bridal attire,” Van declared.
“Are you serious?” I said, unimpressed.
“Of course I am. However, I also feel like I want to keep the sight of you in a wedding dress all to myself... It’s quite a dilemma.” Van happily expounded on his ideas for my dress’s design. “I had about a hundred patterns drawn up. I hope you can find one you like out of all of these.”
“O-Oh, thank you.”
Normally, preparations for a wedding ceremony would be overseen by the bride’s mother. It was rare for the groom to be this excited about being involved in the arrangements. When I expressed this thought to him, Van became indignant.
“You mean to tell me the men of the world have been heaping all the responsibilities for such an important ceremony on their better halves?! This is a travesty! I will draft a law at once penalizing men who do not participate in wedding preparations!”
“You better not do that,” I chided him. After all, there were also brides out there who didn’t want their grooms butting in too much. Everyone had their preferences.
“Mille-Feuille... Do you mind me being this opinionated about our wedding?” he asked.
“No, of course not. In fact, I’m really happy that you are.”
Even though I thought he was being a bit of a pain, I would never be caught saying that out loud.
Mother joined in midway through our discussion and began running through options with Van. The two of them looked very excited, and I felt a bit left out.
I couldn’t help but feel that my attitude toward my wedding ceremony differed from other women’s. Wearing luxurious, eye-catching dresses had been nothing extraordinary in my previous life, and as Van’s fiancée in this life, I’d already been dragged around to all sorts of places. Dressing up and being the center of attention just didn’t excite me.
Of course, I was glad that I would get to marry Van, and wearing an all-white wedding gown was also a dream of mine. But I didn’t want to put the burden of preparing such an extravagant ceremony onto Van, especially when he was already busy with other work. It seemed that my mother had sensed my misgivings about the ceremony, and the plans started proceeding according to her directions. The discussion shifted from topic to topic, including transporting the guests to the wedding and reception, the catering, ordering celebratory dinnerware to be given to the duchy’s citizens, and so on.
Thanks to my mother, it seemed that Van’s dream wedding would become a reality.
I first saw my finished wedding gown on the day of the ceremony. I thought I was dreaming when I saw the five-meter-long train on the dress, but after pinching myself to check, I knew it was real.
Mother cried as she watched me put on the dress. “Mille-Feuille, you’re gorgeous!”
“Mother, thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
“Yes, of course, dear! I worked so hard preparing for this ceremony!”
I thought that she was crying at the sight of her beloved daughter on her wedding day, but it seemed that she was shedding tears for her hard work instead.
Meanwhile, Parfeil, my chief attendant, was sobbing at the sight of me in my wedding dress.
“Milady, seeing you on your wedding day feels like a dream!” she cried.
Parfeil, a rabbitkin, had been serving me since I was young. Though she looked like a little girl, her actual age was over two hundred years as she was a member of another long-lived race. She was crying so much that you’d think she was about to send her own daughter off to her wedding.
“I’m so happy to see you all grown up!” Parfeil sobbed.
“Oh, Parfeil, you’re exaggerating.”
Beside Parfeil was Madeleine, my teary-eyed best friend.
“I also feel like I’m sending off my own daughter!” Madeleine said.
“Oh, Madeleine, not you too!”
Madeleine was eighteen years old—a year older than me. She was an orthodox beauty, and her pure and innocent demeanor surely made her a better match for the Dragon Duke than me. However, her future partner in marriage was actually set to be my completely typical and average brother, Glacé. Their relationship was favorable, and their wedding was set to take place a year from now.
Will I also feel like a mother sending off her own daughter when Madeleine gets married? I thought about it and shook my head, dismissing the possibility.
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for the ceremony. Parfeil and Madeleine realized this and excused themselves. In their place, Van, wearing his white suit, entered the room and saw me and the train of my wedding dress.
Van was dumbfounded at the sight. Was the five-meter-long train on my dress too much after all? I worried.
“Mille-Feuille,” he began, “you are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on.”
“Th-Thank you,” I stammered.
Van’s long hair was done in a braid, which fell over his chest. His white suit looked like a military uniform, and it greatly suited him.
“I’ve dreamed of this day for so long,” said Van.
“Me too.”
Counting my previous life, I had waited for over a century. I was grateful for our miraculous meeting that had transcended my rebirth.
“I really want to keep the sight of you in that dress all to myself. What if we sneaked out and went on our honeymoon now?” he suggested.
“Don’t be silly. The crowd of people that you invited is waiting out there,” I reminded him.
“Ah, of course. Then, shall I go and brag about my beautiful bride to everyone now?” Van then took my hand and whispered into my ear. “Right now, I am the happiest man in the world.”
Abashed by his words, I merely nodded in reply.