Chapter 57

"Aaaaaah, what should I do? Aaaaaah, what should I do?"

For the past while, he has been repeating the same thing, and the preparations for the banquet have not progressed at all. This is my master, the 4th Prince of this country, Prince Zinklett.

He groans as he slips his arms into his jacket, groans as he buttons it up, and groans as he picks up the ceremonial sword. I've hit him several times because he's so noisy, but he doesn't even realize it and continues to groan. It's serious.

I know the cause. Just a while ago, Lord Zin proposed to his beloved, Lady Seina. Immediately after confessing his feelings, he seemed to be in high spirits and said things like, "It's up to Seina-chan's heart. Let's wait for her answer," but as time passed, he started to groan and clutch his head.

"Lord Zin, have you always been such a wimp? Even when you were called a monster enthusiast, you were a bit better, weren't you?"

"Aaaaaah, what if she refuses because she hates the royal family? What if she says she'll reconsider if I give up my royal status? What if she says she doesn't like older men or red hair? What if she says she hates the idea of being my wife or that she has another man she likes? What if she says Sirius is better? What if I have to beg on my knees to get her to nod?"

"Are you really not listening? You wimp! Hurry up and finish the preparations for the banquet. Even if she refuses now, you can always propose again, can't you?"

Irritated, I helped the large man stand up and got the banquet preparations in order. Once he was dressed in formal attire and his hair was combed, there stood the perfect Ice Prince, Zinklett Marita. With his fiery red hair, clear blue eyes, sharp and handsome features, and well-built, imposing physique, he was a man who received admiring glances from beautiful women at banquets and from soldiers on the battlefield. Now, however, he was groaning and clutching his head.

I sighed, thinking it was no wonder. Lady Seina's appearance was truly beautiful. I understood that she was an adult, but I still thought of her as young. I never imagined that just dressing up could change her so much. I finally understood why the maids always lamented about wanting to polish Lady Seina.

She had always had a cute face, but with just a little grooming and makeup, she had become even more alluring. The whiteness of her neck and the area from her collarbone to her chest, even I was at a loss for where to look. The fact that she had been carried and held on the lap by Kiril made sense. I could understand why Kiril glared. That was something that shouldn't be done.

"Here, Lord Zin. The preparations are done! Let's go! Seina-sama is meeting Prince Said for the first time, so she might be nervous. Don't you want to be by her side?"

On the way back from the Kingdom of Naris, Prince Said had grilled me about Lady Seina. She had saved the city of Cairo, healed Prince Alan and many soldiers, and cured Prince Lute's arm. She had expanded the possibilities of Zaros, solved the food crisis, and even developed new seasonings. Lady Seina had almost single-handedly resolved the problems that had been casting a dark shadow over the Kingdom of Marita. It was hard to imagine that anyone would have a bad impression of her, but the story was so unbelievable that even I, who had seen and heard it all, still thought it might be a dream. For Prince Said, who only heard the story, it must have been hard to believe. In any case, it was better to be by Lady Seina's side as soon as possible.

"Seina-chan? Right. What are you doing, let's go, Barry!"

I wanted to say, "You're the one who kept us waiting!" but the wimp was already gone, so I swallowed my anger and followed him.

When we arrived at the room where His Majesty and the others were waiting, the royal family had gathered. Among them, I almost shouted when I saw a small flower called Shurak decorating Lady Seina's hair. Lady Seina was wearing Shurak! Did she accept Lord Zin's proposal!?

Has she already made her decision? I thought it would take more time, and I was sure she would refuse. Lord Zin had never shown Lady Seina his cool side. He had only shown her his pitiful side, his clingy and heavy-handed obsession, and his wimpiness. I wondered what she saw in him. Are you sure you won't regret it, Lady Seina? I had thought a lot about what approach to take next to get her to accept his proposal and how to keep her in the Kingdom of Marita. Was all that unnecessary? To be honest, Lady Seina's taste is quite unique.

When I looked at Lord Zin, he was wide-eyed and breathless. He stumbled over to Lady Seina, and... Hey, he's crying. Do something. I prayed to the goddess from the bottom of my heart that Lady Seina wouldn't change her mind.

In contrast to the pitiful Lord Zin, Lady Seina was so dignified. She declared to His Majesty that she would make Lord Zin happy. I took her word for it. No returns allowed. I will follow her and Lord Zin, so please take care of us, Lady Seina.

Lady Seina also understood the hard work of me, the civil servants, and the soldiers. I was a bit moved and almost cried. It was tough, but the effort was worth it. Lady Seina is amazing for having such a perspective. Many nobles don't even notice the efforts of the common people.

Kiril was shedding happy tears. Seeing Lady Seina happily leaning on Lord Zin, beautiful tears streamed down her face. I was happy for Lord Zin's happiness, and she must have been happy too. Especially since she had served Lady Seina, who had been in a harsh environment for five years, and protected her.

In the Kingdom of Daido, after a bit of investigation, it seemed that the Glass Forest expeditionary force had withdrawn not long after Lady Seina's exile. Despite a significant increase in soldiers and mages, they were unable to defeat high-level monsters and had suffered many casualties. The expeditionary force was overwhelmed by the monsters due to the lack of Lady Seina's presence, and high-level monsters began appearing on the roads.

The Kingdom of Marita is protected from the harm of monsters thanks to the monster repellent, but what is happening in the Kingdom of Daido, which has no such defenses? It will take time for that closed and proud country to seek help from other countries. The burden will undoubtedly fall on the powerless people.

If that shameless and ungrateful country realizes the existence of Lady Seina and the skilled Kiril, they might demand that we hand over our criminals along with the benefits they bring. They are foolish.

Therefore, this engagement is meaningful for protecting Lady Seina. With this, the Kingdom of Marita can stand behind her no matter what the Kingdom of Daido says. As His Majesty put it, "Do you have a problem with my bride?" Kiril would never hand her over either. Most importantly, she will be my wife. If they make such a demand, I will crush the Kingdom of Daido with all my might.

Just now, while working with Kiril, I noticed that her attitude had softened, just as Lady Seina had said. She listened quietly to my words and even smiled from time to time. It was a significant improvement from her usual poker face. This means she will become my wife soon! The outer defenses are completely secured. All that's left is to take the castle.

Serving Lord Zin and Lady Seina as a couple is my current goal.

At that moment, I was very elated. So elated that I was distracted. Later, I made an irreparable mistake and was almost beheaded, but Lady Seina saved me. That's a story for another time.