Chapter 59

"Prince Leonhardt, I have kept you waiting."

As Cordelia approached the meeting place, Leonhardt was standing there in formal attire.

His tall, slender figure was accentuated by the white tuxedo. The deep red accents on the collar and cuffs exuded elegance, and the gold trim added a touch of grandeur. His golden hair, more dazzling than the gold trim, fell over his forehead, and his long, blue eyes shone with a calm yet resolute light.

No matter how many times she saw him, he was truly a beautiful sight. Cordelia's heart quickened, and her feet felt heavy.

It seemed as if a radiant light surrounded Leonhardt, making her hesitant to stand beside him. She had thought she was finally getting used to the luxurious attire, but at this rate, she might never be able to remain calm in front of Leonhardt.

"Cordelia, what's wrong?"

Leonhardt stood beside her and leaned in to look at her face. Her cheeks turned red, and she turned away.

"...Just before I came here, I was harassed by a soldier from the Ertoria Kingdom."

"By a soldier from the Ertoria Kingdom?"

Leonhardt's voice grew low.

"I see. That explains the veil."

"...Is my veil and hair still messy?"

Worried, Cordelia reached up to adjust her veil. She had thought Hannah, her maid, had fixed it, but perhaps she had been too optimistic.

"I'm sorry. I must look ridiculous. I'll fix it right away, I—"

Suddenly, Leonhardt's fingers touched her head. His gentle touch was ticklish and made her feel uneasy.

"Only a few strands near your part are sticking up. You wouldn't notice unless you looked closely from above. I'll fix it for you, so please stay still."

"Making you trouble yourself like this..."

"Don't worry. I used to fix Femina's hair when she was little, so I'm used to it."

"...Yes."

Cordelia was impressed. The prince was such a good older brother. She tried to hide her embarrassment.

(Now that I think about it, wait a moment. I've petted the prince's head many times when he was in his lion form, but he never seems to blush. Does his sense of touch change when he's a lion?)

As Cordelia pondered this simple question, Leonhardt's fingers moved away.

"There, all done. You look even more beautiful now. I could stare at you like this forever."

"...Thank you."

This time, Cordelia couldn't hide her blush. Just being near him made her heart race, and Leonhardt always complimented her directly. Each time, she could only turn red.

(Calm down, calm down...)

Cordelia composed herself and entered the welcoming ceremony hall with Leonhardt.

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The welcoming ceremony began at the scheduled time.

At the far end of the spacious throne room, Leonhardt's father, King Liorberne, was seated. Leonhardt stood to his right, and Cordelia was positioned two steps to the right and one step behind, indicating her near-official status as Leonhardt's fiancée.

(What a grand sight.)

In front of the king and Leonhardt, over a hundred people were lined up. Since it was a welcoming ceremony for the Ertoria Kingdom's resident military officers, most of the attendees were military personnel.

On the right side of the throne were the military and civil officials of the Liorberne Kingdom. On the left side were the military personnel from the Ertoria Kingdom.

Among them was François, whom Cordelia had just had a confrontation with. He stood with his golden bowl cut, looking composed, as if nothing had happened.

(François is indeed the deputy commander of the Ertoria Kingdom's resident force, the First Battalion. So the person standing in front of him, with brown hair, must be the commander of the First Battalion.)

Cordelia matched the names and ranks she had heard with the faces she saw. The Ertoria Kingdom's resident military officers were divided into three battalions. The main character of the welcoming ceremony, the new resident military officer, seemed to be the commander of the Third Battalion.

As Cordelia reviewed the information, the ceremony progressed, and the main character entered the hall. The throne room was spacious, and the entrance was quite a distance away. Cordelia couldn't see the person clearly yet, but she could feel the buzz in the hall.

She squinted to observe the figure approaching.

(...Ah, I see. No wonder everyone is buzzing.)

Cordelia nodded to herself.

The new resident military officer was a very beautiful young man. He had silver hair that flowed to the sides of his face, revealing a high, prominent forehead. He was tall, probably about the same height as Leonhardt.

His features were delicate, more suited to carrying flowers than a sword, but he looked very good in his white military uniform. He seemed to have well-defined muscles.

The young man walked with his cloak billowing and stopped at the designated position in front of the throne, saluting.

"I am Bernaldo Gramwell, resident military officer of the Ertoria Kingdom. I swear by my sword and name to undertake my duties in your country from today."

With a clear and resonant voice, the young man announced his name. He stood tall and straight, even in front of the king.

Bernaldo Gramwell. The second son of a ducal family, and the brother of Letitia, the Ertoria Kingdom's crown prince's fiancée. His family was illustrious, and Bernaldo himself was a young hero who had achieved military success in the conflict between Ertoria and its neighboring country two years ago.

Thank you for reading.

The following is a bit of additional information that is not directly related to the main story.

As I mentioned in the afterword before, this work is set in a different country in the same world as my ongoing novel on Narou, "I Was Abandoned in My Reincarnation, So I Cook with the Fluffy Ones."

Both stories can be read independently, but some side characters appear in both, and sometimes the relatives of characters from the other story may appear.

Bernaldo, who appeared in this story, is the brother of Letitia, the protagonist of "I Was Abandoned in My Reincarnation, So I Cook with the Fluffy Ones." The timeline of this story is about two years before the first chapter of "I Was Abandoned in My Reincarnation, So I Cook with the Fluffy Ones," so in this story, Letitia is still the crown prince's fiancée.

I will write about the interactions between Bernaldo and Cordelia in this story, and about Letitia's story in "I Was Abandoned in My Reincarnation, So I Cook with the Fluffy Ones." I hope you enjoy both stories.