The Married Couple

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.”

Sweat beaded on the coachman’s forehead as he soothed the horse that was stomping its feet and snorting.

The usually calm and gentle horse, befitting its role of carrying noble passengers, was unusually excited today and couldn’t calm down.

‘Well, I suppose this is the first time this fellow has encountered such an incredible procession.’

The coachman wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand as he looked at the long line of carriages stretching out before him.

“Even royal events wouldn’t be this grand.”

“Hey, watch your words.”

The coachman was startled by the words from another carriage that had approached right next to him, and he lowered his voice to scold.

“What’s the harm? Who’s going to hear? The noble guests are all inside their carriages, and the royal family has already gone inside.”

“Still…”

The coachman looked around nervously before finally letting out a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, the horse kept shaking its head left and right, excited by the unfamiliar environment.

“Whoa, whoa… Just a little more patience, you.”

The coachman calmed the horse again, then raised his head and let out a small whistle.

What the other coachman had said wasn’t entirely wrong.

Having served his master for a long time, he had been to many places, but this was the first time he had seen a wedding of such grandeur and scale.

The royal family, high-ranking nobles, nouveau riche, and even journalists gathered to cover the ‘wedding of the century’.

They had all gathered early to attend.

“…Well, at least I’ll have plenty to tell my wife and kids when I get home later.”

The coachman shrugged his shoulders, feeling proud as he thought of his family waiting for him at home.

Then he drove the horse again, following the gradually diminishing procession.

“Has he still not returned?”

“No, butler.”

Bushin couldn’t hide his anxious expression as he quickly asked the head maid as soon as she entered. Then, upon hearing her answer, he slumped as if he had just heard the news of the world ending, and grabbed his graying hair with both hands.

“The wedding ceremony will start soon… No, more importantly, His Highness the Crown Prince is waiting.”

Oh dear, what should we do? The old butler, uncharacteristically, stamped his feet in place, showing his anxiety.

‘Oh my, how unseemly.’

The head maid slightly lowered her eyes at his loss of composure, pretending not to see. Then she furrowed her brow and sighed with an anxious look.

In fact, although not as much as Bushin, she too was just as worried.

‘Where on earth did they go to be this late?’

She frowned and looked at the butler again.

“Did the President give you any hint about where he was going?”

“If he had, I wouldn’t be this distressed. He didn’t say anything specific. He just said he had somewhere to go for a moment. But he said he would return before the wedding ceremony…”

Bushin shook his head as he answered the head maid’s question.

“…I didn’t expect the new bride to be with him as well.”

While it’s one thing for Master Lucas, the young lady should have returned quickly. After all, doesn’t the bride need more time to get ready?

The butler rubbed his wrinkled mouth vigorously with another anxious expression.

“The young lady isn’t here? But didn’t the President come early in the morning and leave with her?”

When the people from the Anticia baronial family arrived, they were so surprised. The middle-aged woman who claimed to be the bride’s nanny even asked if her young lady wasn’t here.

Along with the words that Lucas had come early in the morning, driving his own car, and taken her away.

“Where on earth could the bride and groom have gone together right before the wedding…”

We need to know where they went so we can send someone to find them.

Bushin ran his palm over his now haggard face and sighed.

Just then, there was a sound of a cat meowing “Meow” from beyond the door, and then the door opened.

“Dr. Fernan! Has Master Lucas returned?”

“Meow.”

The one who opened the door and entered was Fernan, Lucas’s personal physician and friend. Seeing the butler and head maid’s gazes focused on him, he made an awkward expression before laughing, “Haha.”

“I actually came to ask that myself… I guess he hasn’t returned yet.”

“Meow.”

Elizabeth, the cat in Fernan’s arms, meowed in dissatisfaction as if annoyed by his touch. The butler’s gaze finally turned to the cat in Fernan’s arms.

Thanks to the maids’ diligent care over the past few days for this day, the cat’s fur was gleaming.

Moreover, with the ribbon from the atelier that made the bride’s wedding dress, it looked quite cute.

Anyone would doubt it was originally a street cat.

“Even the cat is all prepared for today’s ceremony…”

It was frustrating that there was no news from the actual people getting married.

“Don’t worry too much, butler. Lucas isn’t a child, he’ll come on time, won’t he?”

“That’s the problem! It’s not okay if he comes right on time! Not just Master Lucas, but the future madam should come early to prepare… Besides, we can’t leave His Highness the Crown Prince alone like that. And we can’t ask someone from a branch of the Taylor family to entertain His Highness either.”

One trouble after another. Bushin sighed deeply, like the ground was about to collapse.

* * *

“Everyone must be worried.”

Giselle murmured anxiously after glancing at the clock. But Lucas’s expression remained utterly calm.

“We still have time.”

“That time is tight. I need to change into the wedding dress and redo my makeup… The same goes for you, not just me. It’s not like I’m getting married alone.”

Giselle’s voice naturally sharpened, annoyed by his seemingly relaxed demeanor compared to her own state.

He turned his head to look at the woman walking beside him. Her expression was too complex to be simply attributed to the urgency of time.

“Shouldn’t we at least greet my mother before the wedding?”

“…What greetings can a dead person receive?”

Giselle retorted after a beat, then stopped in her tracks. Despite her previous impatience, she clearly hesitated to take another step.

But Lucas neither urged Giselle nor asked why she had stopped. Instead, he simply stood by her side, watching quietly.

Chirp chirp.

The sound of birds chirping could be heard from somewhere. The bird sounds were cheerful, as if enjoying the bright weather.

As if this place were a park, not a cemetery.

“…We don’t necessarily have to pay our respects, right?”

“That’s true.”

“Then let’s just go back…”

“But since we’re already here, wouldn’t it be better to stop by briefly? It’s just a little further.”

Lucas interrupted, seeming to sense Giselle’s wavering heart. She let out a deep sigh at his words, then turned her gaze forward again.

It was only a few steps to the grave where her birth mother was buried. Perhaps it would be better to stop by briefly since they had already come this far, as Lucas suggested.

No, anyone would think that was the rational decision.

…But for Giselle, it wasn’t as easy as it seemed.

She sighed again and lowered her head. She could see dust settling on her shoes, which seemed glued to the ground.

Her shoes had gotten dirty during the walk deep into the public cemetery.

“…It seems they hardly maintain this place.”

Giselle suddenly spoke while quietly looking down at her feet. Lucas nodded and replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

“I suppose public cemeteries that aren’t owned by specific families tend to be neglected in that aspect.”

Even if not nobility, most families have their own graveyards. Respecting and honoring ancestors was a force that sustained and continued family lines.

It was also an outward display of pride, so people often poured a lot of money into maintaining their family burial grounds.

The behavior of the Anticia family, who sold even the land where their ancestors were buried because they couldn’t handle their debts, could be considered exceptional.

She held back a bitter smile that was about to escape her lips, then looked ahead again.

Trees that had grown wild without proper pruning blocked her view. But she knew her mother’s grave was beyond them.

‘…Although I’ve hardly ever visited.’

Giselle turned her gaze back to Lucas. He was still waiting for her with a leisurely appearance.

As if he couldn’t imagine that she might turn around and leave right now.

‘He’s really doing as he pleases.’

Giselle pouted, recalling the man who had come to find her early in the morning.

It was her wedding day, and she had gotten up early to prepare with the help of her nanny.

「…Lucas?」

She was startled by Lucas’s sudden appearance before she had even finished her makeup.

Not just her, but everyone in the Anticia household was shocked.

Even her new mother, who had been sprinkling pearl powder in her hair while wearing a gorgeous dress as if she were the protagonist of the wedding, jumped up the stairs in alarm.

「I’ve come to pick you up, Giselle.」

Lucas said calmly to Giselle, who was startled, wondering if something had happened.

「But I’m not fully prepared yet…」

「We’ll get ready there. You’ll have to redo your makeup to match the wedding dress anyway.」

She should have noticed something strange then.

She should have been suspicious of him hurrying despite there still being plenty of time until the wedding ceremony.