I first heard the Voices of the Gods in spring roughly a year ago. These voices belonged to two deities from a foreign realm who had now become my friends: the Play-by-Play Caster Endo and the Color Commentator Kobayashi.
They had advised me on the inner feelings of my fiancée, Lieselotte, with whom my relationship had grown somewhat awkward, and the doom she would eventually meet if nothing were to change. In the future they had foreseen, the Witch of Yore had weakened Lieselotte, possessed her, and then she had attempted to destroy Fiene, our country, and the entire world.
Guided by these gods from another realm, I established a bond with Lieselotte, and with the support of my love (though it’s rather embarrassing to describe it as such), she was able to dispel the Witch of Yore’s darkness and revive the witch’s original form: Lirenna, the Goddess of Creation.
With the aid of Lord Endo and Lady Kobayashi, Lirenna successfully sealed away the evil god Kuon, who had been operating behind the scenes to capture Fiene. No one was lost in this regret- and sorrow-free Happy End to End All Happy Ends, achieved through the guidance of our two otherworldly gods.
Those were the events leading up to this auspicious day: the day Lieselotte and I were to be wed. Thanks to Lirenna’s Goddess of Creation powers, we were even joined by Lord Endo and Lady Kobayashi, who I hadn’t seen in quite a while—or rather, ever, since this was our first time meeting in person. In our hearts, it was a reunion between friends.
The schedule for the day was as follows: in the morning, we would exchange vows at the church. Then there would be a lunch break, followed by a parade from the church to the royal palace. We would then hold a tea party and wedding reception there in the afternoon.
Having just completed the ceremony at the church, we were about to make our way back to the palace with the parade when Lirenna requested to publicly bless our marriage—and show off her revival—by scattering flowers from the back of Lieselotte and my carriage. This required adjustments to the security detail and such, so Lieselotte and I were now waiting in the church anteroom.
On the other hand, Lord Endo and Lady Kobayashi, who I actually would have loved to have accompany us, requested to go to the palace as discreetly as possible, so a separate carriage was being prepared for them. It would likely take a while longer, so the two of them joined us in the anteroom for a pleasant chat.
“You know, there’s something I’m curious about,” Lord Endo said. “Some of the people cheering outside were going, ‘Happy birthday, Your Royal Highness!’ Did you hear it too?”
Lady Kobayashi’s eyes widened. “Wait, is today April 7th over here?!”
The answer to both of their questions was “yes.” Seeing the passion in their eyes as they asked, I was touched they knew my date of birth as if it were a matter of course. I nodded firmly. “Yes. The wedding was going to fall near my birthday, and since both are ceremonies the public will inevitably gather for, we decided to hold them on the same day.”
“So today is also Sieg’s nineteenth birthday,” Lieselotte said from beside me. She smiled at me. “Happy birthday again, Sieg.”
“Thank you.” I smiled back.
“Cool! Happy birthday, Sieg!” Lord Endo said.
“Yeah, happy birthday! Wait, but doesn’t this mean your wedding anniversary will always conflict with your birthday from now on? Isn’t it kinda sad you and Liese-tan won’t have the day to yourselves?” Lady Kobayashi asked.
I froze. Was it a bad idea? My birthday had always been made into a public event with a ceremony, a ball, and so on. It’d be difficult to spend that day alone with Lieselotte even though it would also be our anniversary. I started to worry I’d been inconsiderate.
“No,” Lieselotte said, reassuring me with a soft smile. “If we take into consideration the burden on the subjects and retainers, I believe this was the best decision. I, too, am becoming a member of the royal family, and I am aware that occasions which are typically spent with family will now be public events. If anything, I feel blessed our subjects will celebrate our special day with us.”
“Thank you, Liese. Nothing makes me happier than knowing you’re so prepared to be by my side.” I smiled back at her again.
“Wh-What? I-I’m only doing what’s expected of me.” She blushed and quickly averted her gaze.
“Whew, Liese-tan isn’t just adorable; she’s gallant! Man, Sieg really scored himself a great wife!”
“Shihono, I can’t tell if you’re acting like their mother, a relative, or a nosy neighbor.” Lord Endo gave his excited companion a strained smile. “Well, I do agree with what she’s saying. I’m happy for you, Sieg.”
I smiled bashfully at their warm words of congratulation.
Then, Lady Kobayashi clapped her hands together as if she’d just remembered something. “Oh, speaking of, on Liese-tan’s birthday last year, she said something about how she was gonna put a lot of effort into Sieg’s next birthday! I get it now. He got the cutest birthday present ever, huh?” Lady Kobayashi flashed a mischievous grin.
Lord Endo grinned too. “Yeah, she’s right. Receiving such a beautiful and capable wife is the birthday present to end all birthday presents.”
“N-No, that’s not true!” Lieselotte stammered. “Well, yes, I do belong to Sieg now, but that was decided over a decade ago! So, um...!” Her face had turned bright red, either from the gods’ compliments or from the thought of belonging to me.
I gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder to calm her down. “I’m very blessed to take Liese as my wife, but she is not a ‘thing’ to be given as a birthday present, nor do I feel that I have unilaterally received her. It’s a two-way relationship.”
“Sieg...” She murmured my name with tears in her eyes.
I was feeling sort of embarrassed at this point, but I disregarded it and looked straight into Lieselotte’s eyes. “Well, formally speaking, you have been received by the royal family. However, as husband and wife, even if we are bound to our hierarchy in public, we should be equals at home, no? If you are mine, then I am yours. So I’m not going to be conceited and say I ‘received’ you.”
“Man, this kind of relationship is nice.”
“It’s something to aspire to, huh?”
The sighing voices of the two gods, who Lieselotte and I had inadvertently forgotten about as we gazed into each other’s eyes, reached our ears. Not only had they witnessed our romantic exchange in all its glory, they had praised it.
“Wh— I— Th— Ughhh!” Lieselotte stammered in embarrassment, looking like she could burst into tears at any moment.
“Oh, right! So what did you end up getting Sieg for his birthday, Liese-tan?”
“I’m curious too. If only we’d known, we would’ve brought something as well.”
Lady Kobayashi and Lord Endo changed the subject in a rather obvious manner.
Wanting to boast about the gifts I had received from my wife, I answered in her stead. “Lieselotte gave me a pocket square she embroidered herself and a matching handkerchief for everyday use. Well, she also gave me a separate pocket square for evening parties and two spare handkerchiefs, so there are five pieces in all.” I took out the delicately embroidered pocket square tucked into my suit and unfolded it for them to see.
“Wow, it’s so pretty!” Lady Kobayashi said. “You did this by hand, Liese-tan? With needle and thread?! Are you a professional?! That’s our girl!”
“That’s some serious craftsmanship. You made five of these? You weren’t kidding when you said you were gonna put a lot of effort into your present.”
Lady Kobayashi and Lord Endo looked extremely impressed. It was only natural. I also felt I’d received something incredible.
“You did so much for me even though you had to prepare for the wedding as well,” I said. “I’ll be hard-pressed to find an adequate return gift. I really am happy, though. Thank you for the wonderful present, Liese.”
Lieselotte blushed and looked down, seeming terribly embarrassed. The gods’ praise had likely contributed to that.
“I-It’s not that amazing. This level of embroidery is nothing more than a lady’s pastime. It didn’t take that much effort...”
“She’s lying. Knowing Liese-tan, she spent three months making those.”
“Huh?!”
“There’s no way Lieselotte, whose love burns intensely even by Riefenstahl standards, would give her beloved Sieg something subpar,” Lord Endo said. “Remember the ribbon she made? How many practice runs do you think she did?”
“Huuuh?!?!”
“The ribbons had a fixed design and she already had some experience making her own, but it still took her that long to make yours. This time, it’s a new design, and she made five. It wouldn’t be strange if she started work on them right after her own birthday.”
“Waaaah?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!”