🌻 🌻 🌻
I’D never known this tidbit until I started preparing for my wedding, but commoners usually said their vows at a church, filed the necessary paperwork at a government office, and were seen as a married couple. It was as simple as that. Of course, some regions would host a lavish celebration involving the entire village, or at times, the lord of the land would also offer his blessings. However, here in Solalitika, many citizens worked away from home. It was unrealistic and impractical to gather every family member for celebrations. So, it was most common to have simple parties. An employee of the Stock Trading Company had told me as much.
However, matters weren’t so simple for wealthy merchant families or the nobility, which thrived off socializing with others. A luxurious and elaborate party needed to be hosted after the wedding, and the union of the newly married couple would be highly publicized.
Lucas followed tradition and spent the past few months renovating the manor and its garden to host a splendid banquet and invite numerous guests for this occasion. When we departed from the church with the carriage, rode through the city, and returned to the manor, many people had already gathered in our garden, waiting for us, the main event for tonight.
Tom, the gardener, and I worked hard to tidy the garden, incorporating the latest trends and accounting for the warm climate of Solalitika. We transformed it into the perfect place for a spring wedding. My aunt, Countess Miazea Klaus, was in charge of tonight’s party so I wouldn’t have to be so busy. She worked in tandem with Coldola, who won the favor of my aunt, and the pair reliably managed the occasion.
After we sat under the roof of a beautiful terrace and gave our toasts, numerous people swarmed to our side, hoping for a chance to conduct business. From bank presidents to chairmen of trading companies and their wives to nobles I’ve met before, they were all crowding our table. We even had potential business clients and people from overseas visiting us.
Lucas and I greeted our guests, engaged in small talk, and enjoyed ourselves. When the initial excitement of socialization died down, I noticed a fluttering rainbow emerge in the corner of my eye. When I looked up, Leik was there. His pale, silver hair was reflecting the light and forming a lovely rainbow as he looked at me and unusually flashed an honest smile.
“Congratulations on your marriage, madam,” he said.
“Thank you, Leik,” I replied.
“I should be the one thanking you. It’s all thanks to you that my lord looks splendid and satisfied with himself.”
I followed his gaze and saw Lucas speaking with the president of a trading company. Leik and I squinted our eyes like he was too bright for us.
“He looks lively,” I observed.
“Indeed,” Leik replied.
“If I was a man, I would’ve loved to work by his side. I’d like to gaze at his working profile.”
“In his personal life, only you can monopolize my lord all to yourself. I’m rather envious of you as well, madam.”
“I suppose the grass is always greener on the other side.”
“Heh heh… I suppose so.”
As we smiled at each other, an energetic silver-haired boy jogged over to us.
“Sir Leik, I’ve got a report!” he said.
“I’ve got another eager pup on my hands…” Leik muttered.
The butler frowned ever so slightly. The young boy was slender and tall, and his long limbs looked fragile. With every move he made, it looked as though particles of light danced in the air. He was dazzling from the inside out and was a beautiful young boy. There was simply no other way to describe him. His name was Canopus Kudrya, or Cano for short.
He was one of the “dogs” we had sheltered following the incident involving House Streltsy. Lucas took the young boy in and hired him as a servant. Cano had apparently been used quite a bit for espionage within the faction belonging to the king’s older brother. He knew the latest secrets of high society and had been selected by Lucas for this knowledge. In the past, when Cano was still a “dog-in-training,” he had received guidance from Leik, and so the boy personally requested to become Leik’s subordinate.
“Ah, madam!” Cano gasped. “Congratulations! You look stunning!”
“How many times will you parrot the same compliment?” Leik asked sharply. “Hurry up and tell me your report.”
Cano bowed deeply toward me before standing upright to face Leik. “Pardon me!” he shouted. “We haven’t spotted anyone suspicious within or outside of the manor. We’ve finished dealing with reporters from three companies, and every letter or gift from our guests has been handed to Countess Klaus!”
“Very good,” Leik said.
“Ah, and earlier, I saw one of the madam’s former classmates getting lost in the garden, so I showed her the way!”
“I’m surprised you remembered who she was,” I replied. “Thank you.”
Cano smiled brightly. “I’m rather confident in my memory! Really, I am! If you tell me someone’s name, I can even tell you their current approximate location! For example—”
“Cano, stay focused. You’re in the middle of your report,” Leik interjected. He cleared his throat in warning. “Is there anything else?”
“I broke three plates!” the boy loudly exclaimed.
“Pardon?” Leik’s voice turned icy.
“I’m sorry!”
As Cano quickly lowered his head in apology, Leik looked down at him with a frosty gaze—not once had the butler looked at Lucas or me in that fashion.
“Cano, answer me,” he said coldly. “Why did you break the plates?”
“I threw them at a burglar who tried to climb our hedge, sir!” Cano reported.
“And the damages?”
“None, except for the plates! I asked Sir Toggio and his team to take over security as well!”
“Hmm… I’d predicted some losses since we’ve got quite the rowdy party on our hands, but if we think about the damages incurred, it looks like…” As Leik furrowed his brows and did some calculations in his mind, I shook my head with a smile.
“Now, now,” I said. “None of our guests seem to have noticed the burglar, and the incident was taken care of peacefully. Would you please forgive him?”
“You’re spoiling him, madam,” Leik replied as he turned to the boy. “Very well. You’ll have to write a report later. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir!” Cano shouted. “My deepest apologies! In the future, I shall use my bare fists to punch any intruders!” He quickly punched the air a few times and nimbly left our side.
Leik watched the boy head back to his post and apologized to me. “When this party is over, I shall shove Cano into a ship and make sure that he won’t be back for a good while,” he said.
“Let him off the hook,” I replied. “Unlike you, he isn’t allowed to carry any weapons, so surely you would’ve predicted him making do with whatever he had on hand.”
“Well, you’re not wrong.” He sighed as he gazed in the direction that Cano had left. “When I look at him, I get all restless inside. It feels like I’m looking at a young version of myself.”
It was very unusual for Leik to be thrown off, but as he gazed into the distance, I smiled in understanding.
“You’ve got those sorts of thoughts, too,” I mused.
“What?” Leik demanded. “You speak as though I’m shameless.”
“Hee hee… I just found it so funny to see you making those kinds of expressions.”
When Lucas told me why he hired Cano, he’d stated, “Leik’s workload is increasing a bit too much. Since I plan on putting him in charge of managing this entire manor one day, he should probably raise a few subordinates of his own.”
Lucas had gone out of his way to hire someone who had once belonged to an opposing faction. I could sense my husband’s boldness. On the flip side, if he didn’t take large risks, a former commoner like Lucas would find it difficult to make close friends he could trust.
While lost in my thoughts for a few moments, the wind carried people’s whispers to me. The guests were also curious about Cano, our new silver-haired servant.
“They have not only one but multiple silver-haired servants…”
“To think they can have several silver-haired dogs by their side.”
“The rumors must be true. They must’ve been involved with discovering the misdeeds plaguing the faction of the king’s older brother.”
People weren’t blind to the silver-haired subordinates by our side. A “dog” served as the right-hand man of the higher ranks and those who possessed a claim to the throne. The fact that Lucas, a new aristocrat with the support of the king’s younger brother, had several silver-haired people working under him implied that he was slowly crushing the faction of the first prince, who supported protecting the prestige of the old aristocrats.
Publicly, Lucas wasn’t granted credit for discovering House Streltsy abusing the blue flower drop disease for their gain. However, astute nobles were keenly aware of my husband’s work—they knew that he’d been toiling away behind the scenes with the assistance of the third prince.
The aristocratic society of Eizeria was undoubtedly starting to view Lucas more favorably. I was ecstatic to see him expand his market, his straightforward and bold nature shining for the world to see.
I looked up at Leik. “Tell me about your past someday,” I said. “I want to hear all about how you met Lucas.”
“You might get jealous if you know, madam,” Leik joked and winked at me. “Before you came, I was glued to my lord’s side, I’ll have you know.”
“Hahaha,” I chuckled.
“You’d better not be saying anything weird to her, Leik,” my husband said, joining our conversation.
“Lucas…”
His white tuxedo suited him well, and he was covered with numerous flower crowns and necklaces. He must’ve received them from various guests along the way to join us. He cast his butler a weary look.
“Iris, why don’t we take a short break?” Lucas suggested. “Let’s go inside.”
He received the sun umbrella from a smiling Kiki, who had been standing nearby, blocking the harsh sunlight for me. He then held the umbrella out to escort me under it. Leik squinted, as if blinded by Lucas’s calm and gentlemanly attitude, and quietly gave a low bow. I smiled at the butler and placed my hand on my husband’s arm.
“Please take your time,” Kiki said.
“The banquet isn’t over just yet, so please don’t completely retire to your rooms,” Leik added.