Chapter 24
Thanks to Levi’s ridiculously matter-of-fact declaration, by the very next morning, a surprisingly decent wedding venue had been set up in the garden.
Somehow, overnight, they’d also managed to find a slightly big but undeniably cute white dress and a pair of shoes for me.
W–what’s with this lightning-fast development…?
Was the duke’s household really going to be okay with this?
I mean, sure, I was the one who pushed things in this direction, but I was still completely flustered. Why was everyone acting so natural—except me?
Also… wasn’t it a little inappropriate to hold an engagement ceremony right in the place where blood and flesh had been flying just yesterday?
As I stepped across the noisy garden, I kept glancing down at my feet—not because of the shiny shoes, but because I couldn’t shake the feeling that there might be a few skeletons buried under the grass.
That’s when a sharp voice called out to me.
“What are you doing?”
“Vivi unni.”
“The girl getting engaged today is just staring at the ground.”
“About that…”
I glanced around and leaned in to whisper to her.
“I know it’s not really my place to say this, but… isn’t this all kind of weird?”
“You’re right—it’s really not your place to say that.”
“No, but seriously—since when do people arrange an engagement just because some snot-nosed kids said a few words?”
“It’s really not your place to say that.”
I knew, I knew, but still—this was weird, right?
Vivi, however, dismissed it with a shrug.
“Well… it’s Bastion.”
I suddenly had a feeling that one day I’d develop a neurosis every time I heard those words.
And sadly, my bad premonitions were never wrong.
Still, I decided to push that aside for later. Even if I felt uneasy, it would be a waste not to enjoy the moment. So I turned to Vivi and put on my prettiest face.
“By the way, how do I look today?”
Vivi crossed her arms with a huff and muttered under her breath.
“…Passable. At least decent.”
“Just admit I’m so cute you want to bite me.”
“Wh–who said I want to bite, lick, and squish you?!”
Oh, so she did want to bite, lick, and squish me.
But I had an owner now, so that was off-limits. A friendly hug, though—that was fine.
I wrapped my arms around Vivi, whose nose had turned just a little red, and whispered warmly.
“My dear Vivi unni.”
“Mm.”
“Let’s start respecting our positions now. I’m the fiancée of the young duke.”
“…You sly thing.”
“Tsk tsk.”
We locked eyes in a mock glare until I suddenly said—
“Do something pretty.”
“Hm?”
Vivi, reacting instinctively, flipped her hair and batted her eyelashes.
Wow. I’d always been confident in my own charm, but this was on another level.
Seriously, how did she create that perfect petal-soft backdrop? It amazed me every time.
I stepped back and, as if testing a camera, gave her instructions.
“Now, give me a smile.”
“Hehe.”
“Make it wicked.”
“Fufufu!”
“I bet you can’t cry on command.”
“Sniff…”
Oh my god. A perfect, jewel-like tear rolled down her cheek instantly.
This—this was it. Absolutely flawless.
I was still in awe when Wolfgang strolled over.
Hiding one hand behind my back, I blurted out quickly,
“Can I fire this maid?”
“What? This is unjust treatment!”
Wolfgang glanced between us and shrugged.
“Do as you please.”
“How could you…!”
Vivi shook with betrayal, while I shivered with delight.
Ahh, so this was the intoxicating taste of dirty, privileged power.
With a theatrical gesture of heartbreak, Vivi stormed off, looking like a fragile magnolia shedding its petals.
Yes. I definitely needed to fire her.
Determined, I grabbed Wolfgang’s trouser leg.
“I heard there’s a famous art academy in the south.”
“So?”
“Please sponsor her as my engagement gift.”
I pointed shamelessly at Vivi, though honestly, I was a little nervous.
Would he think it was a waste? Would he be reluctant to let go of a maid he’d trained?
But Wolfgang simply repeated, calm as ever—
“Do as you please.”
“…Really?”
“The lady of the house handles domestic affairs.”
Wow. It was welcome news, but… what gave him such blind trust in me?
Even though things were going far better than expected, I still felt uneasy.
Was I doing the right thing? Or had I traded one problem for an even bigger one?
Shoving away the thought, I looked up at Wolfgang and changed the subject.
“Well, starting today, you’re no longer my picky eater father-in-law candidate.”
“And you’re no longer my short daughter-in-law candidate.”
“I look forward to working with you, Father.”
Grinning, I said it playfully, and he gave a short laugh.
“Likewise, daughter-in-law.”
Then he handed me something he’d been hiding behind him—a bouquet of pink peonies.
“Oh—”
I fumbled to take it, my nose suddenly tickling. Was I getting a pollen allergy?
Hiding my face behind the bright bouquet, I spotted my friends by the edge of the venue—the Calendar Wolf Pack and the Queensberry family.
It looked like there was some subtle tension between the two groups—species differences and all.
When the wolves started prowling closer, Mrs. Queensberry stomped her foot as if to say, What are you looking at?
…Eh, maybe I didn’t need to worry too much.
Clap clap!
Just then, Hugo, who was overseeing the setup, clapped his hands.
The bustling servants split apart, revealing Levi in a tailcoat, walking toward me.
It was the textbook entrance of a little groom.
“You look cool.”
Levi lowered his gaze just slightly.
I knew that look now—that was his shy face.
Grinning, I spun in place, my white dress flaring out like a puff of dandelion seeds.
“How do I look? Pretty too?”
“…Yeah.”
“Too slow. In moments like this, you need to answer within 0.1 seconds. Got it?”
“Yeah.”
So much to teach my little groom.
With the bouquet in one hand, I held out my other to him.
“Hold my hand.”
Sacred power grows stronger just by being near its wielder, but physical contact boosts it even more. I figured magic might work the same way.
Which meant skinship was a very good thing—it strengthened our bond and our lifespans.
Levi obediently clasped my hand, and gasps of oh my! echoed all around us.
Sweet? Cute? Sure, that’s how it must have looked.
But for the record, my hand was still bandaged.
It probably felt to him like holding a baseball.
I looked around: Benjamin beaming proudly, the kind maids and footmen, even Sanche and Mr. Tony wiping tears from their eyes.
Everyone whistled and showered us with colorful petals.
“Wishing you a happy—!”
Crash!
Like a closet door bursting open, something spilled out near the back hill.
Ice.
Then, as if a bell had rung, people started shoving it back in.
It happened in an instant, but I saw it—bloodied arms and legs.
“Alright! Again, again!”
“Wishing you a happy life together!”
The servants’ faces were pure innocence, as if no corpse pile had just tumbled out.
…Smiling faintly, I raised my Doraemon hand clasped with Levi’s and thought—
Well, we’re screwed.
And so, on a fine spring day, I formally set foot in Bastion—not sure if I’d made the best choice or the worst.
An engagement right after we’d spoken of it… and then, right after the engagement, parting ways.
Having finally cut my bandages down by half, I clung tightly to Levi’s hand, reluctant to let go.
Better keep as much contact as possible until the last second. The farther apart we are, the less we can suppress each other’s power growth.
I had Wolfgang as a backup, but Levi didn’t have that luxury.
As my fiancé, an early death was absolutely unacceptable.
With all the concern in my heart, I told him—
“Always be careful. Whether it’s assassins or whatever.”
“Yeah.”
“Study hard and stay healthy.”
“Yeah.”
“And never cheat on me.”
“…”
“You have to answer.”
“…Yeah.”
“I’ll write you letters.”
At that, Levi gave his biggest nod yet, replying clearly—
“Yeah.”
“Even though I can’t read much yet.”
“…”
“I’ll still write short ones and send them.”
“Yeah.”
“Alright. Go on now.”
I glanced to the side, thinking, These two aren’t going to be able to part at this rate.
Facing each other like us, Queensberry and Ignite were also in tears—well, Ignite was crying a river while Queensberry looked increasingly annoyed.
“Well, summer vacation’s not far off anyway.”
I said it loudly enough for them to hear, and this time, Levi didn’t just say “Yeah.”
“We’ll do it then.”
“…Do what?”
“The wedding.”
With that short statement, Levi hopped onto Ignite’s back and ran straight out of the estate without looking back.
Knights appeared from who-knows-where and galloped after them.
In the rising cloud of dust, I opened my mouth… then just coughed.
Ahem. That kid’s got guts.
…I think my heart skipped a beat.
It was annoying to admit, but true. For a little groom to throw such a fastball at me like that… Still, it wasn’t a bad feeling.
It just meant I’d reeled him in nicely.
Humming under my breath, I caught someone watching me.
“What? What are you looking at?”
“Pffft.”
“Don’t laugh at me like some nosy neighbor in the hallway.”
Avoiding the snickering Queensberry, I dashed back into the mansion.
Smiling awkwardly and waving to the bowing servants, I made my way to Wolfgang’s office.
It was neat and tidy now, nothing like the chaos of yesterday.
“You’re terrible, Father!” I burst out.
“What now, daughter-in-law?”
“You didn’t even come to see him off!”
How could he just vanish right after the engagement ceremony?
“Wouldn’t matter—I’d be invisible to him now anyway.”
Wolfgang muttered it like he was speaking from experience, giving me a quick once-over.
“…Why are you back in a maid outfit?”
“Hehe, I thought you might feel lonely otherwise.”
I wrinkled my nose playfully, and he gave me a look that said Cut the nonsense.
Geez, he took that as serious? Honestly…
“It’s because all the clothes you bought are a bit big, so the sewing room girls are altering them.”
Including the engagement dress and all those expensive outfits that appeared overnight out of nowhere.
They more or less fit, but apparently the seamstresses were dissatisfied and took them all away to fix.
…Hopefully they weren’t going to “alter” them with poisoned needles.
Wolfgang stared down at me.
“You’re nine, right?”
“Me? Yeah.”
“Didn’t we order for someone around eleven or twelve, just to be safe?”
Benjamin, catching Wolfgang’s gaze, gave an awkward smile.
“Yes, but… I think Lady Asha is just smaller than average.”
True, I’d put on some baby fat recently, but not much else. Having grown up malnourished, I was still short and slender.
Benjamin tried to reassure me.
“Lafidem will be back in the capital soon, so just wait a little.”
“Lafidem?”
“Bastion’s exclusive boutique.”
…Do they work here voluntarily?
I swallowed the question before it escaped.
