While Claus watched her and chuckled, Jeanette forced some words out.
“U-Um, uh, err... Right, the ceremony! Let’s discuss that!” she pleaded, doing her utmost to get the topic back on track. “I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, and I can’t decide how I’d like to go about it...”
“Really? Then how about you discuss it with me? We can decide together,” Claus suggested.
“O-Okay!” Jeanette calmed her breathing and began listing her ideas. “Um... To be honest, I did think about having a quiet ceremony with just the two of us, since getting married is a little embarrassing. But at the same time, I’d like to invite everyone who’s helped us...”
Claus nodded.
“Right. There’s Duke Pablo and Lady Christine. And I don’t know if he’d come, but I want to invite Kyuriakris so I can show off—ahem, I mean, receive his blessing.”
“If possible, I’d also like everyone from Roussel Corporation and Matheson Trading to attend...”
“With all these guests, it won’t be a small ceremony anymore. With just the groups you’ve mentioned, there’d be over a hundred people, and that’s a conservative estimate.”
“Right. And if our employees are to be there, I thought it might be good for us to incorporate the latest wedding ceremony trends and make it educational for them.”
“Oh? Such as?” Claus inquired.
Jeanette’s eyes lit up.
“The other day, on a certain island, a queen attended her wedding dressed in a pure-white gown! Her pure and sweet appearance struck a chord with everyone! I predict that we’re about to have a white wedding dress boom!”
“Huh. Usually, people wear dark-colored dresses for their weddings, like green or black. But a white one... Yes, I think it’d definitely suit you, Jeanette. You should wear one for our ceremony,” Claus said with a pleased smile. Perhaps he was picturing her wearing such a dress.
“The fabric needed for white dresses is expensive, so this might only be a trend among the nobility for some time,” Jeanette added. “But if we find a way to mass-produce white dresses, I think they might take root in our culture!”
“Mass production, hmm? The craftsmen’s handiwork is great, but there is a lot more we could do if we could produce the dresses en masse.”
“Anything that becomes fashionable with the nobles can quickly become a trend throughout the whole capital! If we ride that wave, we can rake in even higher earnings!”
“Indeed, there’s always more money to be made,” Claus agreed with a smile. This had become their motto of sorts. “But we’re getting further and further off track here, Jeanette.”
“Oh!” Jeanette exclaimed. My bad habit strikes again! she thought with a groan.
Claus chuckled at her.
“Still, just talking with you about the wedding is fun. I honestly don’t mind whether we go with a quiet ceremony or an extravagant one. At the end of the day, what matters is that I’m marrying you,” he told her, gently pressing his forehead against hers. “You’ll make the most beautiful bride in the world. I still can’t believe I’ll get to hold your hand and swear my love to you.”
Claus looked happy from the bottom of his heart as he spoke, and Jeanette’s heart throbbed at the sight.
“Lord Claus... I feel the same way,” she confessed with blushing cheeks. “To think I’ll become your bride... It still feels like a dream.”
“Does it?” Claus giggled.
Jeanette grinned along with him.
“Yes! Um... I know you’re my fiancé, but you always felt like an unattainable man, someone I could only yearn for from afar...!”
“Unattainable? You’re exaggerating. I’m here now, and I’ll always be by your side.”
“R-Right!”
“I’m sure we’ll be happy together, Jeanette.” Claus’s hand clasped hers tightly.
“Yes...!” Jeanette felt lightheaded from all the sweetness, as if she were having a lovely dream.
Yet right at that moment, House Guivarch’s steward showed up, holding a tray with an envelope on it.
“My apologies for the interruption, Lord Claus. You have a letter from His Majesty.”
“His Majesty?” Claus echoed, exchanging a look with Jeanette.
The king? What could it be about? she wondered.
Claus took the envelope and opened it. As he read the contents of the letter, his brows creased.
“What does it say, Lord Claus?” Jeanette asked.
“His Majesty has asked me to arrange a performance of The Princess’s Matrimony in the royal palace.”
“In the palace?” Jeanette blinked. The Princess’s Matrimony was the title of the play about Duke and Duchess Pablo. Jeanette and her companions had used the play as a pretext to advertise their diamond rings on a large scale. Sales were still going strong. The rings had become their own brand and were the main source of income for the company.
“I suppose the play’s garnered a high reputation,” Claus remarked.
Jeanette nodded.
“We did perform it for free in lots of places, since it’s a form of advertisement,” she observed.
They had created simple stages across the royal capital and staged the play many times over. There had been no admission limit, so everyone regardless of status could watch the drama.
“But it’s amazing that we can perform it in the palace now!” Jeanette went on. “I’m sure all the actors will be so happy to hear that they can meet His Majesty!”
“Yeah...” Claus murmured. He seemed to be lost in thought.
“Lord Claus?” Jeanette asked in confusion.
“Actually, His Majesty won’t be the one watching,” he clarified.
“No...?”
We’ll be performing in the palace, but His Majesty won’t be the audience? What’s going on?
While Jeanette pondered, Claus spoke up again. “The one who wishes to see it is...Princess Meltia.”
“Princess Meltia?” Jeanette blinked once more.
Meltia was the first princess of the country. Her parents were the present king and queen, and she had turned sixteen this year. She was the youngest of three, with two older brothers. Meltia was famed for her beauty and apparently looked as adorable as a fairy. People often referred to her as the “Fairy Princess.”
“The invitation may have come from the king, but it’s the princess who will be meeting with us,” Claus clarified.
“Isn’t it incredibly rare for her to grant an audience like this?!” Jeanette exclaimed excitedly. “I feel like I haven’t even heard about her for a very long time!”
“Me neither,” Claus replied with a puzzled look. “Apparently, she’s very frail, so she doesn’t make public appearances.”
Jeanette and Claus were both shocked. After all, though the princess was famous for her beauty, her weak constitution was just as well-known. She seemed to have some kind of incurable illness, so she never attended things like tea parties, plays, or ceremonies. Glimpsing her for even a moment was considered a turn of incredible good fortune.
“What a valuable opportunity!” Jeanette said. “I can’t believe Princess Meltia will watch our play!”
“According to the letter, she requested that she be the only spectator. And since I’m the organizer, she wants to have a chat with me afterward.”
“Really?! So you’ll not only get to see her, but you’ll also get to talk to her?! I wonder what she’ll say...?! Please tell me all about it, Lord Claus!” Jeanette begged enthusiastically.
Claus seemed to deliberate something.
“In that case... How about you come with me, Jeanette?” he proposed.
“Huh?” Jeanette’s eyes grew wide. “I’m not sure if I should. Only you and the theater troupe have been invited.”
“The play is sponsored by Matheson Trading, which means you’re one of the involved parties. Besides, nowhere does the invitation mention that I’m not allowed to bring my fiancée,” Claus pointed out with a confident smile.
That’s pretty far-fetched reasoning...! Yet in spite of her thoughts, Jeanette nodded in agreement. Even as a member of high society, she could count on one hand the number of times she’d seen Princess Meltia, and those had just been glimpses from far away.
Claus could easily read how she felt, and he smiled at her.
“You want to see the Fairy Princess up close, don’t you?”
“Well... Yes! I’d love to meet her!” Jeanette admitted despite her complicated feelings on the matter.
Holding the letter in his hand, Claus grinned.
“Then it’s decided.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“It’s been so long since I’ve been to the palace! The hall is so spacious!” Jeanette exclaimed with great emotion. She was observing as the troupe set up the stage inside of the palace’s large dance hall.
Today was the day they’d be performing for the princess. Set designers, lighting crew, costume supervisors, and lead actors had all gathered in the hall first thing in the morning in order to begin preparations. Jeanette and Claus were watching over them together.
“You haven’t been here since your high society debut, right?” Claus asked her.
“That’s right!” Jeanette nodded.
In this country, a person was permitted to participate in high society once they turned fourteen. The custom was that once the young ladies and gentlemen turned the appropriate age, they visited the royal palace and greeted the queen. Jeanette recalled coming to the palace to do so together with her stepmother Leila, who had looked extremely reluctant.
“I remember that Her Majesty looked at me with great surprise!”
“Your stepmother used to decide your makeup at the time, didn’t she...?” Claus asked, smiling dryly.
At this, Jeanette gasped.
“Wait! If I’ll be meeting the princess, should I have done that kind of makeup?! It might be rude of me to meet her with this little makeu—”
“No. You’re fine like this,” Claus interrupted firmly. “I’ve already told you many times, Jeanette. I like the light makeup you wear these days. Your clear eyes glitter like the morning dew, and your cherry-red lips look vibrant and delicious. Your cheeks are plump and lovely too, just like a fairy.”
Jeanette blushed upon receiving Claus’s rapid-fire compliments.
“Th-Thank you...”
Am I imagining it, or has Lord Claus become even more of a poet than before?!
While she was busy being bashful, the time came for the play to begin. A male servant stepped forth.
“Her Highness Princess Meltia!” he announced in a clear voice. Then, the dance hall’s doors slowly opened.
“Wow...!” Jeanette cried at the sight of the girl who had stepped inside.
Princess Meltia was the most beautiful girl Jeanette had ever seen. Her pale, billowing hair was almost white in color, flowing in gentle waves all the way to the floor. Her eyelashes were the same shade, framing her eyes like wisps, and her crystal clear aquamarine irises seemed to see through everything. Her skin was so pale and translucent that it almost looked pure white, and she had a well-shaped, round forehead. She had a small, oval face, and her slender hands peeked out from the sleeves of her white dress. Her beauty was almost otherworldly, befitting her nickname as the Fairy Princess.