Our trip to Diamant took place a half year after we had initially planned it. It had become a big event that all of us were looking forward to, so it was a struggle to find a date when everyone could go. But now that the day had finally come, we were all excited about our first trip in quite some time.
Parfeil had been getting ready for it since early that morning.
“Milady, you’re taking this dandelion-colored dress, right?”
“Yes, thank you, Parfeil.”
Van had picked out this dress for me—one with a cute color and an abundance of frills and ribbons. Even though I thought that such a girly, frilly outfit wouldn’t suit me, Van had insisted that I would look good in it, so here I was, trying it on.
“Parfeil, how do I look?”
“It suits you shockingly well, milady!”
“Really?” I asked. “That’s great, then.”
I combed my hair and put on a hat with a big ribbon on it. I looked at myself in the mirror. Perhaps it was because Parfeil had said it suited me, but I didn’t feel bad about my outfit at all. My white squirrels applauded me, seemingly approving my dress. When I showed myself to Van, he bent over and covered his mouth. I thought he was going to be sick, but when I went over to check on him, he only mumbled, “My wife is so cute. I might die...”
Van had his hair tied up in a ponytail. He was wearing a jacket and a pair of trousers—a combination that made him look like a dapper young man.
“I don’t think anyone would see us as the Dragon Duke and Dragon Duchess consort when we’re dressed like this,” I commented.
“You’re right. It makes us look young.”
“That just makes you sound like an old man.”
We left for our trip in high spirits.
We were finally setting out on our first excursion in a long while, so we were all over the moon. Even though all of us were adults, we were all as excited as kids on a trip.
Lady Opera and Roche were actually looking forward to this trip the most. They had just recently gotten engaged, so they were both quite elated. On the other hand, the newlyweds—Madeleine and my brother Glacé—were quite relaxed. They didn’t look like a newlywed pair, perhaps because they’d been engaged for a long time. Instead, they seemed more like an old couple that had been married for several years. Apparently, they wanted to take it easy on their honeymoon.
As for me and Van, our previous trip to Diamant hadn’t felt like a honeymoon at all and we wanted to make up for that with this trip. Unlike that time, we were heading to Diamant in a wyvern carriage instead of on dragonback. Riding in a carriage with tamed wyverns was a much more comfortable experience compared to riding on dragonback. I had traveled like this once before, and I was surprised at how little it rattled and shook during the ride this time.
A wyvern carriage station had been built right on the capital’s outskirts. There, carriages came and went, and there was a line of people waiting for their rides. There were stalls, food carts, and souvenir stands to keep those waiting in line occupied. The scene was almost like a miniature town in itself. Bringing in the various stores and stalls had been Madeleine’s idea, and she’d come up with that after hearing feedback that waiting in line was a bore.
Parfeil seemed to have noticed something and let out a small shriek. “Eek!”
“What’s wrong?” I asked her.
“Milady, look at that! There’s a line for a stall that’s selling wyvern meat on a stick!”
“That’s a wild delicacy they’re selling here.”
“It looks like they’re not selling actual wyvern meat. It’s just giant lizard meat on a stick.”
“Does it taste good?”
“I-I don’t know...”
Other than that, there were stalls selling various foods like bread in the shape of a wyvern’s tail, candies that looked like a wyvern taking flight, and cotton candies in the shapes of clouds that could be seen during the flight. Besides food, there were also novelty items like wyvern stuffed toys, wyvern-themed hats, and wyvern glasses. The funds generated from the sales of these items went directly toward raising and keeping the wyverns.
The wyverns’ situations had changed greatly after they’d been trained to fly customers for travel. They were being given as much meat as they wanted as rewards for safe and comfortable flights. As a result, their faces and natures had become noticeably kinder and gentler.
We had only looked away from Lady Opera for a moment, but before we knew it, she was holding a stuffed wyvern doll close to her chest. She was also wearing a wyvern hat and glasses.
Van grumbled at the sight. “Roche, you spoil her too much!”
“Let them enjoy their day,” I said.
“Mille-Feuille, you’re also spoiling her too much!” he complained again, and he started marching toward Lady Opera.
Lady Opera, in turn, approached Van and pointed at the line for the wyvern candy stall. She put her hands together and appeared to be begging Van for something. The next moment, Van was getting in line at the stall.
“Aren’t you the one who’s spoiling her the most, Van?” I whispered, and Parfeil nodded in agreement beside me.
It was finally departure time, and our wyvern carriage was being prepared. We were going to ride in an eight-person carriage that was exclusive to nobles. The carriage body was black and lined with gold plating, making it a hit with the nobles. The seats inside were lined with elegant velvet, and our feet rested on a long, fluffy carpet.
Once all of us were seated, Roche signaled to the driver to depart. The wyvern flapped its wings and slowly ascended into the air. The carriage body was equipped with magicstones that let it float, easing the burden on the wyverns.
It was my brother’s first time riding a wyvern carriage, and the experience seemed to be full of surprises for him. However, part of his nervousness seemed to stem from the fact that he was riding with Van and Lady Opera. Madeleine seemed to realize this, and she gently held my brother’s clenched fist in her hand. That finally seemed to ease the tense expression on my brother’s face.