💕 💕 💕
WITH the coming marriage of not only the crown prince but most of his closest aides as well, all of high society was buzzing with excitement. Young lords-to-be were announcing their engagements left and right, and those who were already engaged began planning their big days with renewed vigor. The palace bureaucrats were awash with declarations of engagement.
“Love drives the masses mad,” Father remarked with a smug grin, but as a man drunk on love for twenty years running, he wasn’t at liberty to throw stones.
He was wearing matching robes with Mother despite not having any rivals to intimidate, and I could tell the two trusted each other unconditionally, given how comfortable he was letting Mother handle all the kingdom’s official business while he was ill.
Elizabeth and I, however, were a different story altogether. While we had made definite progress in our relationship, we’d made no progress on practicing for the wedding kiss despite how close our wedding was.
Even now, Elizabeth and I were alone in a small room, solemnly standing facing each other. She was nervous but trying earnestly not to let it show—her back was ramrod straight, but her hands were clasped tightly before her chest, and she struggled to meet my gaze. Most notably of all, she seemed to believe she was being perfectly confident, which was endearing. It took every bit of resolve I had to keep up a strong front, and I was convinced she could tell what a nervous wreck I was.
I hesitantly stepped forward as she plaintively waited for me. She held out her hand, and I readily accepted it, peering into the depths of her eyes. She blushed, her smile widening.
My gods, she’s an angel… A literal angel!
Even now, I could envision her in her snow-white gown, with her makeup and hair done up to perfection. That meant the day of would be a far greater hurdle to address, and thus, I had to be able to overcome her everyday beauty with ease.
I mimed lifting her veil. As my fingers traced her golden curls, she breathed a sigh of ecstasy, eyes closing as she tilted her fine jaw up toward me. My hand alighted on her arm as I moved to pull her into an embr—
Nope, she’s too cute. I can’t do this.
If losing my memories had taught me anything, it was that I loved her with all my heart, to the point that even Plum ran out of mana when sealing her from me. Finally, those feelings were bearing fruit, and we would be wed soon. Her returning my feelings was nothing short of miraculous.
Thank you for being born, my dearest… and thanks to your family for taking such good care of you all these years.
I could feel my vision blur with tears.
Elizabeth finally opened her eyes a crack, then balked in surprise. “P-Prince Vince? Are you all right?!”
“O-Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just…when I thought about finally marrying you, I was so beside myself that I didn’t know what to do.”
I dropped my gaze, trying to hide how hard I was blushing. My embarrassment was contagious as she followed suit. While I could no longer see her face, the tips of her ears that poked up through her hair were bright red. Though we’d failed to kiss yet again, anyone could tell we were a loving couple at a glance—not that there was anyone else to see us, of course.
“I feel the same,” Elizabeth finally replied. “I can’t wait for the day we finally become husband and wife.”
“Liza…”
“But we’ll never get the practice we need as we are now… Could you please close your eyes, Highness?”
I suppose she’s right, as much as I hate to say it… What’s she planning to do, then? Slap me at full force? That’s a horrifying thought—or at least, it would be if I wasn’t so excited by it.
“Please don’t think me too crass,” Elizabeth muttered to herself, and I heard the rustle of her dress a moment later.
After a few moments of silence—something soft touched my lips.
What?!
My eyes sprung open, but she’d already pulled away and dropped her gaze, leaving me with only her red ears to tell me what she’d done.
“Was that…?”
“Consider it a good luck charm…something to calm your nerves, my prince.”
“Th-Thank you… I promise that when the time comes, I’ll see this through.”
My nerves were anything but calm, of course, but there was nothing now that could dampen my resolve.
✦ ✦ ✦
💕 💕 💕
ELIZABETH was growing more beautiful by the day, to the point where even the faintest smile forced me to look away in flustered embarrassment. We proceeded with preparing for the ceremony, reserving inns for the guests, and planning tours of the capital for our foreign visitors, with special attention paid to the diets and specialties of each guest’s home region. Mother was still at the head of the operation, but Elizabeth and I, as well as the rest of the palace’s residents, had no shortage of work to do.
In the busyness, I had hardly any time to spend with my bride-to-be. Worse, I had nobody to consult on the matter, as Harold had for once been absent for that tender day.
No… She’s trying to encourage me, not add weight to my shoulders.
Now that I knew what kissing her felt like, I could effectively do image training. I’d start with a thousand mental simulations of that critical kiss—and if that wasn’t enough, I’d make it ten thousand times.
With that, days turned into months, and before I knew it, the day of our ceremony had arrived.