I would’ve liked to go with him, but something else required my attendance. “I have to go to welcome Mrs. Molière. Could you give the mayor my regards?”
“I will.”
Julietta de Molière was Gabriel’s kindhearted aunt who had helped me buy everything I needed for my marriage back when I had still been in the capital.
Gabriel offered to teleport me so that I could return home without him. “I’ll see you later, Fran.”
“Yes.”
Just as he was about to cast the spell, I heard a voice from afar.
“Fraaa! Wibble will go with youuu!”
The slime had become all muddy from playing with the children. Gabriel washed it with a water spell, and after shaking the droplets off, it jumped into my arms.
“Fra, let’s go home!”
“Wibble, I’m your master.”
“Are you sure?”
“What did I do to deserve a slime like you?!”
“Tee hee, Wibble is blushing!”
“That wasn’t a compliment!”
Gabriel heaved a sigh before sending me and Wibble to the castle. The scenery around us changed in an instant, and we were now in my room, where the triplets—Nico, Rico, and Coco—were cleaning.
“Welcome back, Lady Francette!” said Nico.
“Thank you.”
Nico was the cheerful one of the three. Rico was the bespectacled one giving a stoic bow, and Coco was the one with the slightly reserved smile.
Rico stepped forwards and whispered in my ear, “Lady Francette, Mrs. Molière has arrived.”
“Oh my, she’s already here?!”
“Due to the increase in wyvern flights to and from the capital, it appears that she was able to come one flight early. She is currently engaged in conversation with Lord Gabriel’s mother, though, so there is no need to hurry.”
I changed from my outdoor attire to a tea dress for entertaining visitors. I also had my makeup done and my hair arranged. Once I was ready, I headed to the parlor.
“It’s been a while, Mrs. Molière,” I greeted her.
“Oh, Miss Francette! I’m glad you’re doing well.”
“I’m happy to see that you’re in good health.”
She giggled. “There’s no need for those stiff formalities. We’re family, aren’t we?” she asked, giving me a big hug. Her warmth made me feel warm and fuzzy inside too.
“Julietta, Miss Francette won’t know what to do if you hold on to her forever like that,” my mother-in-law said when she realized her sister wasn’t letting go.
“R-Right. We haven’t seen each other in a while, so I couldn’t help but feel emotional.” Mrs. Molière released me and peered into my face with a smile as bright as a sunflower. It was mysterious how being with her always filled me with cheer.
Wibble came in after me and greeted her. “Oh, it’s Juli!”
“Why, if it isn’t Wibbly...I mean, Wibble!”
“Yep, that’s right!” Wibble was happy to see Mrs. Molière again too. “Why are you here?”
“Oh!” Mrs. Molière exclaimed, remembering the purpose of her visit. “As promised, I brought the dress! Look!”
She unveiled a mannequin with the bridal gown I had ordered when we were buying my marriage necessities. The shiny, pure-white garment was gorgeous despite not having a single embellishment.
“What do you think, Miss Francette?”
“It’s stunning.” I was captivated at first sight by the dress’s ephemeral beauty—I almost doubted whether it was real. It moved me to tears. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Molière.”
She giggled. “All I did was bring it over from the capital.”
That wasn’t true at all. Back in the capital, I hadn’t wanted to further impose, so I had said that I would be fine with a ready-made wedding dress. The marriage had been decided hastily, after all. But Mrs. Molière had exclaimed, “No!” and insisted that I have it made to order. As a result, I now had my own one-of-a-kind dress. My heart was so full of happiness that it overflowed in the form of tears.
My mother-in-law and Mrs. Molière looked at me with kind expressions, knowing how I felt. This was no time to stand here and be emotional, though—the dress still needed an important modification. In our country, tradition dictated that a bridal gown must be embellished with the cooperation of one’s family. Normally, it was embroidered or decorated according to the theme of the wedding.
“Miss Francette, have you decided on a wedding theme?” Mrs. Molière asked.
“Yes! We did just a little while ago.”
“Ooh, what is it?”
“Ah, you finally decided,” my mother-in-law said.
“Yes.” I announced it to them. “The theme of our wedding is the people of Triste. Gabriel and I want to invite everyone who has been supporting this land, so that they can have a good time too.”
“Oh my, what a lovely idea!” my mother-in-law exclaimed.
“Yes, it’s perfect for the slime duke family!” Mrs. Molière added.
I was relieved that they were receptive to the idea. To be honest, I had secretly been nervous about it.
Mrs. Molière and I held hands and rejoiced.
“We don’t have time to celebrate,” my mother-in-law admonished us. “We have to think about the wedding favors and the dress decorations.”
“Oh, right,” said Mrs. Molière.
While I did feel that Triste’s staple bonbonnières would make good wedding favors, perhaps there were other options to consider. I’d have to think it over again.
“Miss Francette, do you have any ideas for the dress?” my mother-in-law asked.
“Um, well...I was thinking it would be nice to express a connection with the people of Triste, or something like that.” It was only a rough concept; I didn’t have any exact decorations in mind.