My sister was able to prevent the incident from escalating further, and the imperial crown prince gained a full understanding of the event after several discussions with Gabriel and Prince Axel. I also heard that Emilie formally apologized to the imperial prince and my sister. Her uncle and cousin were in the knights’ custody for the time being. They would likely face a domestic trial later on.
Everything had been settled, but I was only afforded a brief respite before it was suggested that the imperial prince attend our wedding. The Empire didn’t want it to look like their crown prince had impulsively flown to Triste by himself without any real thought. The prince agreed, and thus, our wedding day was slated to have quite the impressive lineup of guests. It also meant that security had to be tightened—a large number of knights came to Triste from the Empire to serve that purpose. They were accustomed to setting up camp during expeditions, so we didn’t need to provide food or shelter for them. Not only did they take care of themselves, they even exterminated wild slimes in their free time. I couldn’t thank them enough.
Surprisingly, the imperial prince seemed to be enjoying his stay in Triste. Apparently, he was treating it as a honeymoon trip with my sister, since they hadn’t been able to have one when they’d gotten married. We obviously couldn’t let him attend the festival, but we set up a duck racetrack in the mansion’s yard and held a simplified version of the tournament for our honored guests. Naturally, Alexandrine did her part in wowing the audience with her feats of speed. The imperial prince predicted the winner correctly and was rewarded with an assortment of the Lakeside Duck Bakery’s sweets. He seemed happy to have a souvenir to bring back to the Empire.
The imperial prince also showed interest in Gabriel’s slime products and expressed a desire to adopt them in the Empire. With both him and the delegation here, our nations were brought much closer together. It helped that the imperial prince had apparently showered Gabriel’s inventions with praise.
Gabriel murmured that he thought he must have been dreaming, so Wibble and I hugged him to show that this was still reality. With that, he finally understood that the imperial prince’s recognition hadn’t been a dream.
The rest of the enjoyable week passed by in the blink of an eye, and at last, it was our wedding day. I’d worried that I wouldn’t be able to get any sleep the night before, but after drinking with my sister, I’d easily dozed off.
In the morning, Nico, Rico, and Coco came to congratulate me.
“Lady Francette, the weather is splendid today—perfect for your wedding,” said Nico.
“We’ve been so eagerly awaiting this day,” said Rico.
“You have our heartfelt congratulations,” said Coco.
“Thank you so much,” I replied. “I’m so happy.”
Their words really made it sink in that I was finally getting married to Gabriel. How many times had I dreamed of this day?
“Lady Francette, it’s sure to be a long day,” said Nico. “Please have a hearty breakfast so you don’t collapse!”
“Thank you, Nico.”
Nico’s cheerfulness and ever-present smile always brightened her surroundings. Thanks to her love for animals, Alexandrine had been able to live comfortably at all times after moving to this unfamiliar land.
“We’ve had all of your favorite dishes prepared today, Lady Francette,” said Rico.
“Thank you, Rico.”
Rico was the most levelheaded of the triplets. I knew I could trust her to handle any task I assigned. There were many times I sincerely appreciated having her by my side.
“Lady Francette, um, it’s not much, but I made this small portrait of you and Lord Gabriel to celebrate your wedding,” Coco said, hesitantly showing me her painting. It depicted Gabriel and me holding hands and smiling, like a moment of happiness forever recorded on canvas.
“This is amazing, Coco! Thank you.”
Coco had considerable artistic talent, to the point where a noble from the capital had once offered her enough money for a lifetime of luxury if she became their exclusive painter. However, she had chosen to decline and continue to serve the slime duke family. She had said that it was to repay me for discovering her talent, but I didn’t want her to be beholden to that. One day, I’d have to prepare an environment where she could paint to her heart’s content.
“Nico, Rico, Coco, it’s thanks to you three that I’ve been able to live so comfortably in Triste. I’m truly grateful.”
The triplets’ eyes were moist with tears.
“We’ve had so much fun every day ever since you came,” said Nico.
“All of the other workers have had brighter expressions too,” said Rico.
“It’s all because of you, Lady Francette,” said Coco.
The three bowed in unison.
I’d had no idea they felt that way. My heart was filled with warmth.
“Oh no,” I said. “The ceremony hasn’t even begun, but I’m already about to cry.”
“Us too!”
Letting my tears fall would make my face swell, so I had to rein in my emotions. When I suggested talking about something fun, Nico mentioned that the Alexandrine dolls and masks at the Fowl Knight Festival were very popular with the children.
After an enjoyable breakfast, Constance brought me my postmeal tea.
“Lady Francette, congratulations on your marriage,” she said. On the table next to the tea, she placed a vase of flowers—den-phal orchids. They symbolized “a perfect couple.” I couldn’t help but think it was a very Constance felicitation.
“You’ve helped me so much ever since I arrived here, Constance. I couldn’t have come so far without you.”
“I am undeserving of your praise.”