Chapter 13: A Mushroomy Wedding
IT was finally time for the wedding.
Agnes was in the waiting room of the cathedral, dressed in pure white. She stroked Ciel beside her and sat dreamily in a chair, gazing out the window.
First, she was engaged to Philip, who called it off. Then she met a mushroom fanatic…so much had happened since then. Just thinking about it all was making her emotional.
A knock disrupted her reverie, and Benoit entered the room. He took one look at her and began to weep, stammering out, “Oh, Agnes. You look so beautiful. I wish Josse and Elise could see this…” between breaths.
Kevin followed close behind and rolled his eyes at the sight. Even Therese wore an amused smile. “Dad, it’s too soon for the waterworks. The wedding hasn’t even started yet.”
As if agreeing with Kevin, several mushrooms popped into existence. The peach-colored Russula violeipes provided a hint of pale pink on Benoit’s white suit as the yellow-brown spherical Calostoma japonica gave a splash of reddish-orange with its star-shaped hole on its cap.
Kevin plucked the new guests off Benoit’s arm. Was he…planning to give those to Claude?
“B-But Agnes looks so beautiful.”
“Oh, for crying out loud.” Kevin reluctantly whipped out his handkerchief and started dabbing at Benoit’s weeping face.
“Oh, Father, please calm down,” Agnes said. “Look, look. The lacework is all mushroom-themed. It would be embarrassing to cry over me in a dress like this, right?”
Even her gown’s more cringe-worthy details didn’t stop his tears.
“With you looking this beautiful, Agnes, who cares if things are mushroom-themed?” Benoit wept.
“Goodness…”
Crying was all well and good, but Agnes was concerned about how Benoit would get through the ceremony at this rate.
“Woah, she wasn’t kidding. I didn’t notice at first since it’s all white, but there are mushrooms. Amazing,” acknowledged Kevin, fiddling with the lacework and looking impressed.
It was amazing, all right. No doubt the manpower and expense that went into making the dress was considerable. It was the design choice itself that was questionable.
“Wait, what?! All the accessories are mushroom-themed, too! I’ve never seen bridal mushrooms before. And you’re all mushed out too, Ciel,” continued Kevin.
Ciel had a blue ribbon tied around his neck, fastened with a pink mushroom brooch.
“Rawr,” he cried out proudly, but Agnes sighed.
“I wasn’t able to stop him with my powers. The mushroom influence is too strong…” she lamented.
“I doubt anything could stop the prince from loving mushrooms. At least he reined himself in with the all-white dress, though.”
Agnes had to agree with her brother. In her worst nightmares, she’d thought about the possibility of a red and white polka dot dress. As long as it was all-white, it was fine with her.
“You know, I can feel my own prejudices against mushrooms lowering,” she admitted.
“Well, it’s your mushrooms that make you part of the whole package. Why not embrace being Mrs. Mushroom?” Kevin teased.
Mrs. Mushroom. AKA the Mushroom Princess. AKA the Queen of Mushrooms. Maybe there was to be no escaping mushrooms in the life of Agnes.
“Oh, right. I can’t keep Ciel with me during the ceremony, so will you take care of him?” Agnes picked up Ciel and handed him to Therese when a sky-blue Entoloma virescens appeared next to the brooch with a popping sound.
“Oh, what a cute mushroom. It suits you, Ciel.”
“Rawr!” Ciel preened as Therese stroked his soft fur.
“I won’t be able to enter the cathedral, but I will happily be able to attend the post-wedding party with the rest of the guests. I’ll keep Ciel safe until then,” Therese said.
A normal wedding might have been different, but this was a royal occasion. Prince Claude was second in line to the throne. As expected, the church was to be filled with the country’s major aristocrats, and there would be no way to get a seat for Therese.
Agnes felt a little sad, but she was grateful that Claude had arranged it so Therese could attend the reception.
“Now then, Ciel. Be a good boy, okay?” she stressed.
“Rawr!”
Benoit seemed to have recovered from his tears, and Kevin handed him a fresh handkerchief with a grin.
“Wel then, it’s time. Come on, Sis.”