Chapter 38 – The Knight’s Vulgar Taste

The wedding ended in great success. Of course, there were a few issues before the ceremony began…

“No, Aleph, who are you blocking now? Is the name of Langele a joke to you?”

“I swear on Ingram’s name, I will not let today’s insult to my daughter go unanswered. Move aside at once!”

The young ladies who had been thrown out of the ceremony, and their fathers who arrived later unaware of the situation, protested fiercely.

Aleph, the aide, gestured to the two dukes who were the most intimidating and whispered quietly.

He explained exactly who their daughters had insulted.

“…What?”

“That can’t be… Why are they here now…!”

“Shh.”

Before the identities of the distinguished guests could be revealed, Aleph warned dryly,

“There’s no need to wait. Tonight, His Majesty will attend the Raymore Dukedom’s reception personally. You can confirm then and lodge your complaint afterward—it won’t be too late.”

“…….”

Thus, the commotion was settled without further trouble.

When the dukes suddenly fell silent, the other nobles of lower rank also quieted down.

Still, unable to quell their anger, they gritted their teeth and arrived at the reception hall.

“His Imperial Majesty Isaac, Sun of the Great Asherit, and honored guests Crown Prince Adrian and Crown Princess Leira of Selbreed, are entering.”

“Cough, cough!”

“Who, who did you say…?!”

A completely reversed entrance.

No matter how noble the dukes were, it was astonishing that the Emperor himself attended the wedding of a knight and a librarian from the Imperial Library—but then the sudden appearance of the foreign Crown Prince and Princess left everyone speechless.

Enjoying their shocked reactions, the Emperor spoke grandly.

“It’s a joyous day, and we have guests from afar. It’s also a surprise gift for the future Duchess Raymore. Ha ha ha, isn’t it even happier when you celebrate with good friends on a good day?”

“Ah…! Your Majesty, your grace is overwhelming.”

Aisha covered her mouth, bowing her head with an emotional expression. The Emperor smiled, satisfied. He had no idea that Aisha’s reaction was not from being moved by the unexpected gift, but from relief—‘My friends didn’t get caught!’

Behind them, Adrian and Leira whispered.

“He only granted entry, but now he acts as if he personally invited us from the start.”

“Shh. Mind your expression. You promised Crown Prince Servante, remember?”

“I know.”

Servante, in exchange for overlooking their breach of etiquette, demanded that the foolish young ladies not make an issue of their rudeness and instead go along with whatever the Emperor said. Adrian and Leira, who had acted independently in a foreign country, accepted the condition without complaint. Of course…

“H-huh?”

Leira didn’t forget to smile openly at a few familiar young ladies. She wore her original thin, clear glasses instead of the thick ones used for disguise, displaying her intellectual and proud beauty.

Her face aside, the sight of her violet hair and her rounded belly left the young ladies on the verge of fainting.

“Kyaa, Lady Langele…!”

In fact, one actually collapsed.

‘He said not to make an issue of it, not to ignore them completely.’

Leira turned her gaze away from the young ladies who either fled at eye contact or were dragged away by their parents, and hurried toward Aisha, leaving her husband with the Emperor.

“You look so beautiful, Aisha…! Who picked out your second dress? The wedding dress earlier was wonderful, but this one suits you so well!”

“Th-thank you. But calm down a bit, please.”

Aisha, now dressed in a softly glowing pearl-colored gown, laughed as she held Leira’s shoulders to steady her. Leira, noticing Aisha’s gaze drifting to her belly, chuckled.

“It’s fine. Both I and the baby are perfectly healthy. I get regular checkups from the accompanying physician.”

“That’s a relief… But I heard from my mother earlier that something unpleasant happened.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.”

Leira, having just enacted a bit of revenge, waved her hand lightly.

“That’s nothing—compared to what our Selbreed girls can do, it’s like baby pigs squealing for food.”

“Cough…!”

A soft cough came from behind Aisha. All eyes turned to the fifteen-year-old girl, Kanie, who seemed flustered at first but soon elegantly lifted her skirt and curtsied.

“I greet the Crown Princess of Selbreed. I am Kanie of the Raymore Dukedom.”

“Ah…! Nice to meet you. I’m Leira. I’ve heard a lot about you from Aisha.”

Leira returned the greeting with equal elegance, winking lightly through her glasses.

“It’s our first meeting, but I feel like we’ll get along very well. I hope we meet again someday.”

“…Yes. I hope so too.”

One was the current Crown Princess, the other a future Crown Princess. The meeting of women who would one day wear the crown of Empress in their respective countries drew subtle attention.

‘Ah, this makes me feel more at ease.’

Having been the center of excessive attention all day as the new bride, Aisha felt she could breathe between these two.

‘I want to return to my usual life. My library, my books, my peace…’

Just then, Tristan, Servante, and Adrian approached.

Each spoke to their partner, and Tristan reached out to Aisha.

“Aisha, shall we dance?”

“…Of course.”

Peace was still far away. The hosts had to open the reception themselves. As Aisha resigned herself and moved toward Tristan, Leira stopped her.

“Aisha.”

“Hm?”

“Do you remember the gift I gave you earlier today?”

Leira whispered softly in Aisha’s ear.

“Open it later when you’re tired. And do use it.”

“…You didn’t give me anything weird, did you?”

“No, it’s the latest trend in Selbreed.”

“…Alright.”

Still feeling uneasy, Aisha nodded and took Tristan’s hand, heading to the floor.

“What were you talking about?”

“Oh, just that I should open the gift later… But will I even have the energy tonight?”

“Exactly.”

Standing in the center of the floor, Tristan smiled as he placed his hand gently on her waist.

“We’ll be very busy tonight.”

“…”

His hand on her back felt incredibly warm. Even before the dance began, Aisha’s cheeks flushed.

***

Time, which seemed especially slow, finally passed, and the reception drew to a close.

Guests who had enjoyed the food, drink, and music began to leave one by one. The Emperor, after his grand entrance and seeing everything he wanted, was the first to depart, followed by Servante, who behaved as an exemplary Crown Prince.

Soon after, Kanie, looking somewhat exhausted, retired early due to her age, the Lindberg family returned home, and Adrian and Leira went back to their guest accommodation provided by the Imperial Family.

Only after the last guest left did Tristan and Aisha finally find freedom as hosts.

“Sir, your bath is ready.”

“Thank you. You may all go rest now.”

“Yes.”

Escorted by Tristan, Aisha staggered up the stairs, already feeling her eyes grow heavy.

‘If I take a bath, I’ll probably fall asleep right away… What should I do…’

She wasn’t uninterested in their wedding night, but she was just so tired… She’d been awake since dawn and tense all day, so it wasn’t surprising.

‘If I just fall asleep… he might be disappointed… huh?’

Suddenly, she was lifted up.

Aisha’s eyes snapped open in surprise as Tristan, carrying her like a princess, looked at her with concern.

“You might trip, Aisha. I’ll carry you—if you’re tired, just sleep.”

“Huh? Is that… alright?”

“Of course.”

He kissed her forehead.

“You don’t have to go back anymore. Sleep comfortably.”

“Ah…”

A memory surfaced.

“I wanted you to stay here with me…”

It was the man who, seeing her asleep in his bed, wished every morning could be like this, and went straight to her house to propose without a second thought.

He always hated letting her go.

Aisha laughed softly and murmured,

“You’re right. We really are together now…”

“Yes.”

Held in his arms as he climbed the stairs at a steady pace, Aisha’s drowsiness quickly returned. She half-closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest, muttering,

“Just… let me sleep a bit. Wake me in a little while… I need to… change clothes… and remove my makeup…”

“Just sleep, Aisha.”

Step, step.

His voice and the steady sound of his footsteps sounded like lullabies. As she drifted off, Aisha thought,

‘Ah, my husband really is so gentle…’

But she didn’t realize…

“I’ll take care of everything.”

That her gentle husband’s tastes were always a bit vulgar.