Chapter 1
A church in Solalitika hosted our wedding. We exchanged rings and a kiss to seal our wedding vows. After the ceremony, I left Lucas’s side, touched up my makeup, and headed outside. Kiki, who was holding a sun umbrella for me, was bawling her eyes out, her face red.
“Waaah! Lady Iris, you look so beautiful! Waaah!” she wailed.
“Kiki, you’ve been crying a bit too much since this morning,” Ray said.
“B-But… She’s just so… Waaah!”
Ray and Rusk, my two maids who helped me get dressed today as well, wearily tried to console Kiki. The maids were all dressed in special attire for the occasion—an apron wrapped around their light blue dresses that resembled the sky, and flowers adorned their chests. Like the other maids, Kiki was wearing a three-quarter-sleeve dress. She had been able to take some medicine to treat her bruises from the blue flower drop disease, and the marks had gotten much lighter. If she wore some thin fingerless gloves and stockings, her marks were almost invisible under the sun.
“My lord is waiting for you at the carriage,” the girls informed me.
“Right,” I replied.
My maids were beautiful, like angels, as they guided me to the carriage. When I arrived, Lucas, who was already waiting for me, couldn’t help but be taken aback.
“Whoa,” he said. “Kiki, what’s wrong?”
“She’s just feeling emotional today,” Rusk explained.
“Urk… Lord Lucas, you look so wonderful, too… Waaah!” Kiki sobbed.
“Oh dear… She’s crying again,” Ray said, wiping the tears from Kiki’s face.
I exchanged a look with Lucas and we smiled. He wore a white tuxedo made from the same material as my wedding dress. The collar was luxuriously embroidered with gold thread, just like his yellow hair.
Lucas looked at me sternly and said, “As I get another good look at you, you’re absolutely breathtaking. The dress suits you very well.”
“Thank you,” I replied. “You look quite dashing yourself, Lucas.”
“If I wear white and stand beside you, your face will look brighter than ever.”
“Go on, you two!” Ray encouraged. “If you’re gonna stare into each other’s eyes, do it after you’re in the carriage! Everyone’s eagerly waiting for your procession!”
“Ha!” Lucas chuckled. “You’re right. Since we went all out to look this flashy, we need everyone in town, including rival merchants and nobles, to see us in all our glory.”
Lucas escorted me inside the carriage. Unlike the usual black vehicle that I was used to, this carriage had an open roof and was a dazzling shade of white. Hundreds of flowers decorated it. After we were settled inside, it slowly clattered over the cobblestones from the church and into the city. The ocean breeze was refreshing as it whisked us off to our destination. Cheers arose from the streets, a touching reminder of how well-respected Lucas was in this city.
When I glanced at him, he was waving at the people, a kind smile dancing on his lips. I’m so glad he looks happy, I thought. My heart swelled with fulfillment as we returned to our manor on the hill. A party was already in full bloom in the estate garden.