It was a childish retort, but Sigrid quickly countered, "I love you more."
"No, I love you more, more."
They both laughed. Beramund whispered:
"Actually, I've already gotten the marriage license."
"Already?!"
Wouldn't it usually take at least two weeks for a marriage license to be issued? Generally, it's a month?
"I poked Serios in the side."
Beramund grinned slyly, as if to say this is what power is for. Sigrid lightly smacked him in reproach but didn't say anything more.
Instead, she simply kissed him once more.
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A letter arrived from the Lunatil ducal family stating:
—As you're marrying into a count's family, please allow us to handle the wedding preparations on our side.
After so deliberation, Sigrid replied, "Understood. Please let
know if there's anything I can help with."
She had no idea how to prepare for a wedding, after all.
The first to arrive by carriage was the Duchess Lunatil.
"Hello, I'm lodian Laduree Lunatil. My friends call
Laduree."
Sigrid quickly placed her hand on her chest and returned the greeting in knight's fashion to the duchess who greeted her elegantly.
"I'm Sigrid Ankertna. It's a pleasure to et you."
"I've co to discuss the wedding. Do you have ti?"
"I'm free until lunch. After that, I have duties as Vice-Captain."
"I understand the importance of state affairs. Then, may I borrow a mont of your ti?"
Ti with the duchess flew by. As Laduree was leaving after dropping off a pile of catalogs, she said:
"Please at least decide on a concept."
"Yes, I'm sorry."
"It's alright. But the sooner, the better."
"Yes."
After the duchess left, Sigrid glared at the pile of catalogs. A typical bride would be imrsed in these, poring over them multiple tis to realize her dream wedding, comparing and striving. But Sigrid was soone completely unrelated to such things.
Her wish was to keep it as simple as possible, sohow.
In fact, she wanted to just invite a few people around her for the ceremony and be done with it. Truthfully, Sigrid didn't have many people to invite anyway. But from what Laduree said, it seed that nobles couldn't have weddings like that.
Sigrid narrowed her eyes at the catalogs for a mont before calling for her maid.
"I'd like to send a ssage to Marie-Chez."
So Sigrid decided to call in soone qualified to handle this task in her stead.
Marie-Chez ca running as soon as she heard the news. Sigrid began with "If you have ti—" and Marie-Chez nodded eagerly.
Marie-Chez looked at the mountain of catalogs, smiled contentedly, and began to focus on them. Sigrid fled to her workplace as if escaping.
Awen swallowed hard. He looked up at the man who was much taller than Sigrid, then lowered his head.
"I'm sorry. What I did was wrong. I apologize. It won't happen again."
There was no response for a long ti, and Awen kept his head bowed. Beramund looked down at the small crown of his head, swallowed a sigh, and knelt on one knee to et his eyes.
"Do you truly think what you did was wrong?"
"Yes."
Awen nodded deeply. His eyes were filled with anxiety. Beramund spoke slowly:
"Siri forgave you, but I don't think trust that's been broken can be restored so easily. Can you imagine what would have happened if sothing had really happened to ?"
Awen shook his head, then opened his mouth with a start.
"No."
"The Lunatil ducal family would have beco Your Highness's enemy. That would have put your position in danger. And it would have endangered Sigrid too, who swore to protect you."
Awen flinched and mumbled, "I, I didn't an to—" He glanced up at Beramund, but quickly lowered his head again when their eyes t.
The strange color of his eyes made him even scarier.
Beramund spoke in a low voice:
"But I think relationships can improve. If one tries to change, if one makes an effort to change oneself. Will you do that?"
"Yes, I will."
Awen nodded.
"Good. Then let's start by having you grant one of my requests."
"Request......?"
Awen tilted his head and looked up again. Beramund grinned and said:
"How about starting by being the flower boy at Sigrid's and my wedding?"
"Flowers?"
Isn't that a job for little kids? Awen frowned, then quickly smoothed his brow and nodded.
"I'll do it."
"Excellent."
Beramund stood up. He lightly patted Awen's shoulder and said:
"Then I look forward to working with you, Your Highness."
"I look forward to it too, Duke Lunatil."
"You can just call
Beramund."
"Okay, Beramund."
Awen replied in a brighter voice than before. Beramund chatted with him lightly and then returned to the Imperial Guard room.
Sigrid was still there like a built-in fixture. She was in the exact sa position as when he left earlier. Beramund asked, puzzled:
"You still haven't gone in?"
"I'm scared to go in."
At those words, Beramund burst out laughing. Sigrid's face fell as she said:
"Really, I'm not joking. I thought it would be fine to leave the task to the duchess, Marie-Chez, and Lowengrin. I don't understand why choices are coming back to ."
"But you can't just not go ho because of that. Isn't your work finished?"
"I'm escaping by saying work is too busy these days."
"Ah, so that's why sister-in-law......"
Beramund let out a groan.
Laduree had smiled at him sweetly while sharply asking, "Aren't you making the new bride work too much?"
"Still, you have to do what needs to be done."
"You're lucky, Beramund, having nothing to do."
"No, that's not quite true."
Beramund sighed deeply and approached Sigrid's desk.
"I t with His Highness."
At those words, Sigrid straightened up and asked:
"How did it go?"
"For now, His Highness has agreed to act as the flower boy at our wedding as a gesture of reconciliation."
"Is that alright?"
"Well, you are his guardian. It should be fine."
"I see......."
Sigrid nodded and smiled at Beramund.
"Thank you."
"I don't think you need to thank
for this particularly."
"Still."
"Hmm, then in return for that gratitude, forgive
for having to make one declaration. Siri."
"Yes? What is it?"
"Our wedding is in two weeks, right?"
"That's right....... Everyone's in an uproar saying it's too fast, though."
"So, sister-in-law and your friends strongly insisted that you need a vacation, and well..."
Sigrid's face turned deathly pale.
"No, no, no—"
"So we've decided to give you a vacation starting tomorrow. It's a long vacation of one month, including the honeymoon."
"Beramund Lunatil!"
Sigrid cried out like a scream. Beramund shook his head weakly.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have the strength to win against those won."
"But still, if I take a month-long vacation—"
"You've been overworking too much, so work is actually quite relaxed. Don't worry."
"It's not work I'm worried about!"
"Think of it as training and endure it, Lady Ankertna."
Sigrid groaned and buried her face in her hands. Then she lifted her head with a determined expression.
"Right. I just need to endure for two weeks. Once the wedding is over, it's done."
"Yes. That's right. Just two weeks. Exactly two weeks."
"Alright. Yes. Okay."
Sigrid stood up with a resolute face. Beramund thought he had never seen such a gallant expression on her before.
Sigrid picked up her half-cape, draped it over her vest, and said:
"Then I'll be leaving work now."
"Okay, then Siri, I'll see you in two weeks."
"In two weeks?"
"Yes. It's customary not to see the bride for a while before the wedding."
"Ah, right. That's a sha then."
As Sigrid's shoulders slumped, Beramund felt the beast in his stomach growl lowly. Ah, she's so adorably cute I want to devour her. She's lovely.
Beramund grabbed her shoulders and kissed her. Not the light kiss she liked, but a deep kiss that made her head spin slightly.
The kind of kiss that feels sinful to share during work hours.
Sigrid accepted the persistent probing of Beramund's tongue as it swept through her mouth and found her tongue, intertwining with it, while she panted lightly. By the ti the kiss ended, her heart was racing.
"Then I'll look forward to our wedding night."
"Beramund!"
"Let's go. I'll take you ho."
Beramund chuckled as he opened the door. Sigrid grumbled as she walked out. When they arrived in front of her mansion, Laduree, Marie-Chez, and Lowengrin were waiting.
"You did give her a vacation, right? Young master?"
"Of course, sister-in-law."
Beramund felt like he was handing over a prisoner as he transferred the stiff-faced Sigrid.
"Then I'll see you next ti."
"Yes."
Beramund said goodbye and mouthed 'hang in there' to Sigrid before leaving her mansion. Marie-Chez put her hand on Sigrid's shoulder.
"Now we can finally talk a bit."
"Actually, there's no ti to talk now either."
Lowengrin sighed. The schedule until the wedding was already hellishly tight, and they hadn't been able to do anything with Sigrid, the actual person involved.
Laduree said:
"Well, every minute and second is precious, so let's go in quickly."
Sigrid chose to walk in on her own two feet with dignity rather than being dragged in. And for the next two weeks, she ate strange-tasting food called "beauty als" and experienced all sorts of beauty treatnts. While enduring this, she had to make decisions.
For example, while lying face down receiving a massage, Lowengrin and Marie-Chez would take turns coming in and out, asking questions:
"Green? Or light green?"
"Wouldn't light green go better with white?"
"Siri, which do you prefer, lace or ruffles?"
"Silver buttons? Gold buttons? Or jewel-encrusted?"
Sotis Sigrid didn't even know what she was deciding on. At first, it was awkward to be completely naked and entrust her body to others, but as she experienced it repeatedly, it wasn't a big deal. Of course, it hurt a bit when they removed all the hair from her entire body, but other than that, it was bearable.
As Sigrid was having fragrant oil liberally applied to her hair and having a fitting done, Morris ca in. He looked at her and said with a smile:
"You look pretty."
"Thanks. To be honest, I can't tell anymore if this is pretty or not."
Morris looked at Sigrid with gentle eyes. It would be a lie to say it didn't hurt at all anymore, but it would also be a lie to say he didn't like seeing her happy.
"I investigated what you asked."
Sigrid's eyes darted to him.
"How did it go?"
"You were right. He killed many and is still killing. Mostly serfs or slash-and-burn farrs."
Marie-Chez closed the sample book with a thud and said:
"We're preparing for a wedding here, you know? Can we save the bloody talk for later? Like after the ceremony, for instance?"
"Marie-Chez, just a mont, ouch—"
"If you move, you'll get pricked."
The maid doing the fitting replied in a nonchalant tone. Sigrid sighed deeply and said:
"The Imperial Guard doesn't have investigative authority. That's why I specifically asked Morris from the Imperial Knight. So? The trial?"
"The verdict is out. It's—"
Morris rolled his eyes, looking around, then moved his finger. He drew a line down and then a circle. He was clearly drawing a gallows.
Sigrid smiled.
"Thank you, Morris. I owe you one."
"Keep it on tab. I'll cash it in later."
"Alright."
Sigrid nodded, and Morris grinned. He asked Marie-Chez:
"And this is my wedding gift."
He handed an envelope to Marie-Chez. Marie-Chez said "You're late" but still accepted the envelope. Morris shrugged and said:
"It was hard to get."
Marie-Chez opened the envelope, checked the na of the gift, and burst out laughing. She said:
"Oh, really, Morris Deforest."
"What? Siri will like it."
"Well, she'll certainly like it."
Sigrid, curious, asked:
"What is it? What is it?"
"A horse from the Vindalu Plains."
"Oh my—!"
Sigrid looked like she wanted to cheer, and Lowengrin burst out laughing. Of course, horses from the Vindalu Plains were considered the best. Not only for their beautiful appearance but also for their endurance and speed.
But giving a horse as a gift to a bride getting married?
It could have a double aning.
Either 'Ride away and escape!' or 'Now you'll be riding your husband at night'...
Of course, since it's Morris giving the gift, the forr aning is probably stronger than the latter. Sigrid said with sparkling eyes:
"Thank you, Morris."
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