Jeanette’s father, Baron Clement Roussel, sitting in the front row, was already bawling his eyes out. Once he’d heard that his daughter was getting married, he’d made a mad dash back home from the Voltaire Empire. Sara was next to him, crying just as loudly. Her face was smeared with tears and snot.
Staring at Sara with utter disgust was Jeanette’s stepsister, Ariel. The girl had put on a little more muscle since Jeanette had last seen her, and the diamond ring upon her finger shone brightly.
On the other side of the church, where Claus’s relatives were, Kyuriakris was sitting quietly. He was smiling, though his expression had a note of defeat in it.
A little further back, Duke and Duchess Pablo were watching the ceremony with their hands clasped together. They looked at Jeanette and Claus with such kindness and warmth it was as though they were looking at their own children.
The priest’s low, resonant voice reverberated throughout the church.
“Claus Guivarch. Do you take Jeanette Roussel to be your wife? Do you vow to love her, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”
“I do,” Claus said, smiling softly at Jeanette. She stared back at him fervently.
“Jeanette Roussel. Do you take Claus Guivarch to be your husband? Do you vow to love him, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”
“I do,” Jeanette said, her vivid green eyes sparkling.
“Then I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
The two of them smiled at each other, then exchanged a gentle kiss under the warm, watchful eyes of the guests.
✦ ✦ ✦
“So you and Jeanette got married a mere two days after you left the palace?” Meltia asked sulkily. She was sitting in the parlor of the Guivarch estate. Rather than wearing a negligee like she did at home, today she was wearing a typical everyday dress worn by noblewomen. It was a delicate gown in the shade of lavender, and it was obvious at a glance that it was of high quality. Of course, the item had been arranged for the princess by Jeanette.
“Yes. After all, one of us could be kidnapped again at any moment. If anything, I think we put it off for much too long. You must strike while the iron is hot,” Claus replied with a smile, entirely undisturbed by Meltia’s sullen attitude.
Meanwhile, Jeanette’s entire focus was on Meltia’s dress.
“Ahhh!!! It’s just as beautiful as I imagined it! I knew going with the Tatotah weave was the right call! You look both elegant and adorable! What a win!”
Meltia’s frown deepened.
“Gosh! Why are you two always like this?! I can’t believe I actually bothered to come here in person only to find out you’re already married! How pointless!”
“Oh, it’s not pointless at all. I mean, aren’t you here to see Matheson Trading’s latest work, Your Highness?” Claus pointed out briskly, at which the princess fell silent.
Indeed, that had been the excuse she’d made in order to visit House Guivarch. Usually, she would’ve demanded that Claus and Jeanette visit her at the palace, but this time she’d insisted that she’d go to them instead. The king had been baffled but allowed her to leave despite his trepidation.
“It’s all right!” Jeanette reassured Meltia spiritedly. “I’ve prepared some items I believe will suit your tastes! I have high confidence in them!”
“That’s not what I’m talking about!” the princess huffed. “Do you really think I’m just here to see your goods?!”
“Um... Are you not...?” Jeanette, who’d just been about to fill the room up with exquisite items, asked with a heartbroken expression.
“The answer should be obvious! Why are you so obtuse only about these kinds of matters?! Are you just acting stupid on purpose?!”
“N-No!” Jeanette responded, shocked by the accusation.
Oh no! I thought I finally learned to read the room, but I guess not?! And apparently Her Highness isn’t here to see Matheson’s goods...
Her shoulders drooped in disappointment. Claus drew her in gently.
“I love this side of you too, Jeanette,” he told her.
“Could you stop flirting right in front of me?!” Meltia grumbled while glaring at them sharply. “If you think I’ve given up just because you’re married now, then I have some news for you!”
Claus cast the princess a dubious look.
“What are you scheming this time?”
“I’m not scheming anything! But the love between you two can’t last forever! There’s still a chance you could have a fight and divorce!”
Claus sighed deeply.
“You’re something else... Are you really bringing up divorce on the third day of a newlywed couple’s marriage? You’re certainly bold.”
“Of course I’m bold! I’m a princess!”
“That wasn’t a compliment—it was sarcasm,” Claus clarified scathingly.
Jeanette giggled while watching this exchange. Sara, who was next to her, whispered into her ear.
“Are you okay with Her Highness saying something like that, milady? In fact, don’t you hate that she came here in the first place?”
“Not at all. Besides...” Jeanette paused. “These days, whenever I look at Her Highness, I’m reminded of Ariel.”
Meltia and Ariel were very similar in the way they both used abusive language and acted arrogantly without any regard for others. Perhaps that was why instead of hating Meltia for being her love rival and trying to steal Claus, Jeanette felt a sense of fondness for her.
And I bet no other noblewoman would agree to practice karate with me other than Her Highness!
“Oh... Yes, I can see her resemblance to Lady Ariel...” Sara nodded in agreement. “But I think it’s incredible for you to forgive your love rival who kidnapped your fiancé over something like that...”
“Is it?” Jeanette asked with a chuckle. She turned back to the other two. Claus was still giving Meltia a suspicious look.
“First of all, Jeanette and I won’t divorce in this life or the next. We won’t be apart even if we’re reborn into another life, so please give up.”
However, Meltia held her ground.
“But there’s still a chance that Jeanette might come to hate you, Lord Claus.”
“Ugh!”
This time it was Claus’s turn to take a mortal blow. He pressed his hand to his chest and replied with pain in his voice.
“S-Surely not... Or at least that’s what I’d like to think. But on the off chance it does happen, I still have no intention of giving up on her. I will chase her to the ends of the earth and recapture her.”
That’s a bit scary, Lord Claus... Jeanette thought while gulping.
“Goodness, Lord Claus... You’re shockingly tenacious,” the exasperated princess murmured under her breath.
“Right back at you.”
Jeanette laughed again.
“You two are like very close siblings,” she opined.
“What?!” Meltia spluttered. “Are you saying you don’t think of me as an enemy because he doesn’t even see me as a woman?!”
“Huh?” Jeanette flinched with surprise. “That’s not what I meant!”
“That was a great provocation, I’ll give you that! However...” Meltia pointed her index finger at Jeanette. “The church might have acknowledged you, and so have my mama and papa, but I definitely won’t! So don’t you forget it!”
“How absurd...” muttered Claus.
“She might be even more ridiculous than Lady Ariel...” Sara added quietly. Both she and Claus looked fed up.
On the other hand, Jeanette answered innocently.
“Okay! But if you won’t give up, then what do you intend to do from now on, Your Highness?”
Meltia shrunk back at that question. She hadn’t expected such a rejoinder.
“Um... Uh... Right, what indeed...?” For a while, she deliberated silently, until finally her face lit up with an idea. “I’m going to come here every single day!”
Jeanette frowned slightly.
“That might be a bit of a nuisance, so please don’t...”
“Wha—?! N-Nuisance?! Are you implying that having me, the princess, visit you will be a nuisance?!”
“Yes. If you come every day, I won’t have time to do my job...”
Meltia groaned in frustration.
“Th-Then I can just join you! I want to know what kinds of things ordinary people do too!”
“Wow! That’s a wonderful idea!” Jeanette rejoiced. “Yes, by all means, please come with me! Doing business is so much fun! I’m sure it’ll become helpful knowledge for you. Oh, I know! Let’s practice karate together during breaks!”
“Excuse me? I still have to practice karate?!”
“Yes! Persistence is a powerful tool! And I really enjoy our practice sessions, Your Highness!” Jeanette explained with a sweet grin.
For some reason, that caused Meltia to fall silent. Her long hair was done up in a ponytail today, and she fiddled with it while glancing at Jeanette.
“H-Humph... Fine then. I’ll play along,” she said at last. “And stop being so formal with me. Instead of ‘Your Highness,’ you can call me Tia too, you know?”
“Oh!!! Thank you so much!!! Then from now on, I’ll call you Lady Tia!” Jeanette replied elatedly.
Meltia looked somewhat satisfied at that. Sara observed her and Jeanette, and then whispered to Claus.
“Um, Lord Claus... Could it be that Her Highness said that she’s here to see you as an excuse, while actually wanting to visit milady...?”
“Yeah. To be honest, I had a feeling that was the case. She’s not exactly an upfront person.” He chuckled. “But this is still troubling. I have plenty of methods for dealing with Lady Tia’s affection for me, but her becoming my rival is another matter. As a man, I’m not sure how to deal with a female rival for my wife’s affection.”
Sara laughed at his earnest grumbling. Jeanette and Meltia continued making plans and having fun all the while.