After the parade, we arrived at the castle and went to the garden near the royal family’s living quarters. I was now at the tea table with Lord Endo and Lady Kobayashi, who were sitting close together.
The two of them had informed me that despite being called gods here, they were mere commoners in their own realm. Upon entering the castle, they had been extremely nervous.
“You called it your garden, but it’s actually a huge garden in a grand castle. I feel cheated,” Lord Endo said.
I felt sorry I hadn’t properly set their expectations. The pair had also seemed uncomfortable with the guards and servants, so I had all of them leave after getting the tea party set up.
After a while, Lady Kobayashi asked softly, “Hey, Sieg, are you sure you wanna spend your wedding day having tea with us?” She had finally stopped trembling, but her face was still pale.
Next to her, Lord Endo nodded. “Isn’t this the time for welcoming the foreign leaders who came to your wedding? I feel bad for interrupting your official duties, or whatever that falls under. I really think you should go do that. You don’t have to worry about us.”
For some reason, he spoke in a whisper. Well, it was likely because he was still intimidated by the atmosphere of the castle.
The two of them looked at each other and nodded in agreement, still shrinking back in their seats.
I smiled. “My parents are taking care of that, so please do not worry. Besides, there is no person in the world, noble or royal, who would want to be prioritized over gods. If we were to leave you in order to greet our guests, they would only feel ashamed.”
“Hey, Sieg, you’re being all stiff and formal again,” Lady Kobayashi complained.
I felt bad for upsetting her, but at the same time, I was relieved that she had regained some of her usual pep.
“Ah, sorry.” I lowered my head.
“Wait, your parents are the king and the queen, right?” Lord Endo said. “We should feel ashamed for causing them trouble...”
“Gods of foreign realms are held in very high regard, though. After all, even I, the crown prince, need to make a conscious effort to drop the formalities with you. What’s more, Lieselotte and I owe our marriage to you, and today may be our only chance to speak with you face-to-face. It’s only natural we would prioritize you over all else, isn’t it?”
The two of them nodded in response to my words of persuasion, but their faces remained uneasy. Then—
“I hear the Goddess Lirenna will be attending that party. The Goddess of Creation—who has not appeared in our world for a very long time—is far more important to the foreign ambassadors than the crown prince and his wife, who they can meet whenever they visit this country. A tea party with the Goddess is such a momentous event, they’ll forget they came here today for our wedding ceremony. They may not even notice we aren’t there.”
The dignified voice coming from behind me made Lord Endo and Lady Kobayashi’s faces light up.
“I see,” Lord Endo said. “I dunno if that’s a good thing, but I’ll take the peace of mind!”
“Liese-tan! You finished changing!”
I turned around to see the recipient of Lady Kobayashi’s cheerful waving. It was my beloved fiancée—no, wife—Lieselotte, who had changed into her dress for the tea party.
“I love it! You were super pretty in the wedding dress too, but with these clothes, you really look like the Liese-tan! I never thought I’d get to see this with my own two eyes!” Lady Kobayashi was beside herself with excitement.
Lieselotte, who was wearing the dress she usually wore to school, blushed and lowered her head slightly. “Th-Thank you...”
Yep, she’s adorable. Really adorable, but...
As she took her seat next to me, I looked at her with mixed feelings. If I had uttered Lady Kobayashi’s words, Lieselotte would have scolded me, saying, “Don’t say that in front of others!”
Yet here she was, accepting the compliment and blushing cutely. The sadness and jealousy I’d been stricken with when she had decided on this dress was threatening to flare up again.
“Careful, Sieg. In the game, you always had a perfect, princely smile, but ever since you started hearing our voices, you’ve been making some pretty funny faces.”
Lord Endo’s exasperated words of caution made me hurriedly massage my cheeks back into my usual “princely” smile. At least, I think so. It’s probably fine.
I mean, although I want to tense up at the sight of Lieselotte and Lady Kobayashi in their own little world, with my wife embarrassed yet happy from the goddess’s enthusiastic praise, I’d say I’m good at controlling my facial expressions. It was part of my education. Yes.
Then again, I do suspect some of my ways of conduct have fallen apart ever since I was shot through the heart by Lieselotte’s cuteness.
“I think it’s better this way. He feels more alive! Now that I know the current Sieg, the one in the game feels too diplomatic and dry, especially early on. I bet Liese-tan also prefers this expressive Sieg over the one who gives everyone the same unreadable archaic smile, right?”
Lieselotte flinched at the sudden question regarding me. “Huh?! Well, Sieg’s careful diplomatic expression is the result of his hard work, so I think it is deserving of respect. However...perhaps...I feel a little happy...at the thought I can make that expression crumble.”
“Liese! Yes, my love for you overpowers my control over my expressions. You’re the only person in the world who can move my heart like this, Lieselotte.”
“E-Enough! Please do not make that lovestruck face! It harms your dignity!” she exclaimed, blushing and looking away. The rest of us smiled.
Indeed, she is utterly adorable. When we’re alone, she’s a bit more honest with her feelings, and I do love that sweet side of her very much, but her prickly side is also delightful.
Now that she had officially transitioned from the daughter of a marquis to the crown princess, she didn’t have to speak formally to me in front of others, yet she still did. She was serious to the point it was awkward, and I thought that was adorable too.
Not just I, but Lord Endo, Lady Kobayashi, and even the Goddess of Creation Lirenna had all told her she could be more casual with us, but she had maintained her formal air nonetheless.
“Liese-tan’s cute this way, so I guess it’s fine,” Lady Kobayashi had said.
She was right.
“Hey, Sieg, you said there was gonna be a ball tonight. Will both of you be changing outfits for it?” Lady Kobayashi asked, interrupting my moment of appreciation for Lieselotte’s “tsun” side, which I felt like I hadn’t seen in quite a while.
“Yes, we’ll be changing into the clothes we had prepared for the ball. Well, as a man, my outfit won’t be considerably different. Since we will be dancing, however, Lieselotte will be wearing a different type of dress than before. Her evening dress is white like her wedding dress was, but the extensive gold embroidery gives it a very different feel.”
“Oh, that’s your color! Yep, you guys are totally in love. Is the gold going to sparkle in the light? That sounds like it’ll be really pretty. Oh, and you’ll be dancing together! The ball itself sounds like it’ll be amazing too... I hope we can stick around that long...” Lady Kobayashi’s mood changed from excited to sad as she spoke.
Lord Endo gently rubbed her shoulder. “It’s a miracle we’ve been able to stay here so long in the first place. If there’s a time limit, we’ll just have to accept it, right? From the sound of it, Lirenna didn’t just bring us here; she created an opportunity for us to have a nice, long chat with Sieg and Lieselotte.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m really grateful to Lirenna. I get it, but I can’t stop wanting more...and I can’t help but think that if I say my wishes out loud, they might come true.”
“Well, you have a point. We’re gods, after all! We made cherry blossoms grow before, so maybe we’ll be able to get a glimpse of the ball too!”
“Yeah! C’mon, god powers! Even if Lirenna’s strength isn’t enough, let us hold out until the evening ball!”
They laughed as they joked around, and Lieselotte and I found ourselves laughing along.
“By the way, there’s something I’ve been curious about for a while now,” Lord Endo said, perhaps wanting to change the subject to something less likely to turn solemn. “Is the thing in Lieselotte’s hands Lieselotte’s Memoir, by any chance?”
“Hm? Um, yes, it is my diary, although it does not have such an official-sounding name. Lady Kobayashi mentioned wanting to reminisce, so I brought it, thinking it would be useful for retracing past events,” Lieselotte said, placing the book on the table.
Lady Kobayashi’s eyes widened in astonishment. She stood, her chair rattling, and went up to Lieselotte and the book.
“Oh my gosh, it’s...it’s the real thing! It’s L-L-L-Lieselotte’s Memoir! Which means it’s a version that covers the Happy End to End All Happy Ends, right?! It’s different from the ultra-dark and depressing Lieselotte’s Memoir that was released in our world! Oh man, I wanna see how much has changed!”