Side Story 1

[Sienna Meltain Dearrut, selected as this year’s Debutante Flower, emerges as a contender for the position of future Crown Princess.]

[Prince Alvin Pentaum begins serving as regent, standing in for the Emperor who has collapsed due to chronic illness.]

[Duke Dearrut, who cleared out the bandits disturbing the western border in just two days, declines the Imperial victory celebration and returns to his duchy.]

[Duke Dearrut, known as the Sword of the Pentaum Empire, proudly admits to rumors that he rejected the victory celebration because he missed his wife.]

Three days later, invitation cards arrived at the residences of the Pentaum Empire’s high nobility.

These invitations came from the Dearrut Duchy, unquestionably the empire’s most powerful house.

The protagonists of the invitation were Alice Dearrut and Kylus Dearrut, already a married couple, yet no one found this strange.

Everyone knew that while they were a famously loving couple, the beginning of their relationship had been somewhat unconventional.

So rather than being surprised by the sudden wedding ceremony, high society buzzed with anticipation.

Setting aside the fact that they were from a ducal family, Kylus Dearrut was a hero chosen by the divine—how magnificent would their wedding be?

Whenever people gathered, conversation inevitably turned to the Dearrut wedding, to the point where the guests might have been looking forward to it even more than the couple themselves.

Around the same time, in a gazebo in the Dearrut Duchy’s garden.

More precisely, on the soft sofa beneath the gazebo, Alice and Kylus, the protagonists of the invitation, were examining the invitation cards they had personally written.

[You are cordially invited to the wedding of Alice Dearrut and Kylus Dearrut. Imperial Year 981, November 7th, noon.]

“How is your handwriting so perfect? It makes mine look terrible in comparison.”

As Alice pouted, staring at the portion Kylus had written, he rested his chin on her shoulder and murmured softly.

“To my eyes, Lien’s handwriting is far more beautiful.”

Alice turned her head slightly to look back at him.

“Oh, come on, they’re completely different… Isn’t your love-blindness a bit too severe?”

“Love-blindness?”

Kylus lifted his chin to look at her with a puzzled expression, as this was a term he’d never heard before.

Alice realized her slip and hastily explained.

“Ah, it’s a phrase I used in my previous life. It means… being so deeply in love that everything the person does looks beautiful to you… something like that.”

Kylus smoothly raised the corners of his lips into a smile.

“A term that perfectly describes my feelings. I quite like it, love-blindness.”

His eyes crinkled as he continued.

“As Lien says, everything about you looks beautiful to me. Your gaze, your voice, your hair, even this adorable handwriting. It’s incomparably more beautiful than my stiff handwriting, so please don’t worry about it needlessly.”

If you don’t believe me, I’ll frame your handwriting and hang it in my office.

Kylus whispered in her ear. And Alice knew he meant every word.

She knew better than anyone how deeply Kylus loved her.

Alice covered his eyes with her hand, noticing his intense gaze that suggested he might actually frame her writing right away.

“I believe you, but please spare your office. What sin has Tessiri committed to have to look at that every day? And I’d rather not make the front page of the newspaper again because of your blatant expressions of affection.”

“If that’s what Lien wishes, I’ll reluctantly restrain myself.”

Alice lowered her hand. Immediately, her gaze met his dark eyes.

He had been staring at her the entire time, even while she covered his eyes.

Really… he loves me too much.

Alice spoke while forcing her rising cheeks to maintain composure.

“Hmm, shouldn’t you be heading to your office soon? I think it’s almost time for your meeting…”

“It’s fine. No one would dare complain if I’m late.”

Well, that’s true, but…

Alice suddenly thought how fortunate it was that Kylus wasn’t the Emperor.

If he had been, wouldn’t she have been branded as a notorious enchantress who bewitched the Emperor and ruined state affairs?

As Alice drifted into this random thought, the hand around her waist tightened.

Kylus had noticed she was thinking of something else.

“Lien.”

When Kylus called her softly and saw her golden eyes return to him, he lowered his eyes.

“Do you perhaps dislike being with me?”

Alice didn’t fall completely for his act as she might have in the past. She knew his fox-like side too well by now.

Of course, her heart still raced at his melancholic gaze.

“If I said yes, would you let me go?”

She could counter him at least this much now. Kylus instantly replaced his wistfulness with a deep smile.

“Of course not. I’ll simply try harder. So that Lien won’t dislike me.”

How could he ever let her go? To Kylus, she was more precious than his own life.

Alice chuckled and turned her body slightly to the side. She leaned her face against his shoulder and said:

“You don’t need to try. I’m already completely smitten with Kail.”

“I love you, Lien.”

He spoke those words of love that never grew tiresome no matter how many times she heard them, and kissed her forehead.

Alice smiled and looked back at the invitation card, still in his embrace.

Well, she had been writing the invitation while in his embrace from the beginning, so nothing had really changed.

In her previous life, she might have found it embarrassing to be doing this in broad daylight in the middle of a garden.

But this was her home’s garden, and the servants had been dismissed long ago, so there was nothing to be self-conscious about.

Alice hummed a tune as she read through the completed invitation again, checking if anything was missing.

This invitation was special, unlike the others.

It was an invitation written personally by Alice and Kylus, and it was going to Alice’s family home.

“Now we just need to fold it and put it in the envelope.”

Kylus, who was looking at the invitation from behind her, said.

However, Alice let out a hesitant sound.

“Is something wrong, Lien?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it… Are you really not going to tell me where we’re getting married?”

That was it.

The invitation only had their names, the date, and the time written on it, but no location.

She didn’t know where the venue was either.

A venue that only Kylus knew about. He had only said it was a special place, but hadn’t revealed anything more to her.

Honestly, it was quite unreasonable from a bride’s perspective, but she trusted Kylus enough to wait patiently.

But with only three days left until the wedding…

Kylus gave Alice an enigmatic smile.

“You’ll find out soon.”

“Where on earth could it be…”

“I’m sorry, Lien. I wanted the venue to be given as a direct gift, so…”

A direct gift?

This was the first hint she’d heard about the venue.

But a gift? Hadn’t Kylus prepared it himself? Or was someone else arranging their wedding venue…?

Just as Alice was opening her eyes wide in curiosity, hurried footsteps echoed through the garden.

It was Tessiri.

“…Your Excellency. Please attend the meeting now. Everyone has been waiting for three hours already.”

“Three hours?”

The one who responded in surprise wasn’t Kylus but Alice.

Alice abruptly straightened up from where she had been leaning against Kylus.

“Wasn’t the meeting supposed to start at two! Oh my goodness!”

Smack!

The sound of Alice’s hand hitting Kylus’s back rang clearly through the garden.

And I thought we finally had a day without appointments.

But Kylus only regretted the loss of warmth that had escaped from his embrace. After all, today’s meeting wasn’t particularly important.

It was merely new vassals assigned to his newly granted territory coming to pay their respects.

Along with uninteresting talk about how they planned to manage the territory.

In other words, they were simply an annoying crowd gathering to make an impression on Kylus.

I should have told them not to come. Or perhaps I should still send them away…

But Kylus’s thoughts were cut short.

Because Alice called him in a low voice.

“Kail. People have been waiting.”

Alice was smiling. But her eyes were not.

Kylus stood up and straightened his clothes as if he had never been dawdling, accompanied by a smooth lie.

“My, I must have lost track of time. I can’t keep the guests waiting any longer. Are you heading straight to the temple, Lien?”

Alice rolled her eyes at him, but her lips eventually curled upward at his charming smile. She was still very susceptible to beauty, after all.

Alice nodded.

“Yes. I should. It’s only proper to deliver it in person.”

Alice folded the special invitation, put it in an envelope, and picked up another invitation that was on the table.

Kylus’s gaze settled on it.

“What’s that invitation for?”

“Well… my fam—, no, it’s a secret.”

“A secret?”

“You wouldn’t tell me about our wedding venue, would you?”

Ah…

Alice flashed a bright smile at Kylus, who let out a sigh, and said:

“By the way, I have somewhere to go today, so I won’t be coming back. I’ll see you tomorrow, Kail.”

“What?”

Kylus’s gaze sharpened, but Alice pretended not to notice and quickly left the gazebo.

“Where I’m going is also a secret. See you later, Kail.”

“Lien!”

She heard Kylus calling after her urgently, but Alice left the garden first with light, happy steps.

“That’s what you get for lying.”

It was a small revenge for his smooth deception.

As soon as she left the garden, Aileen, who had been waiting, greeted her.

“Aileen, the carriage?”

“It’s been ready for a-ges.”

Alice nodded with a satisfied smile and said:

“Good. Let’s go to my family home.”