Chapter 10

In the church at the edge of the palace grounds, my wedding with Rira is taking place today.

Due to my position as the Grand Knight Commander and the Emperor's insistence of "I want to attend too!" the ceremony is being held in the church within the palace grounds.

When Rira, dressed in a pure white dress, entered through the open door, she was so beautiful that I thought she must be an angel, a goddess, or a fairy, or perhaps even a messenger of one of them.

Rira had said, "I'll save it for the big day," and stubbornly refused to show me her wedding dress until today, but when I saw her as a bride, I nearly fell to my knees in awe.

Even now, I can hardly believe that such a beautiful and delicate woman is really going to be my wife. Of course, I know now that Rira's charm lies more in her inner qualities than in her appearance, so it wouldn't matter what she looked like. However, the beauty of the bride still moved me deeply.

Inside, I am shedding tears of gratitude and kneeling to pray to God, but as the Grand Knight Commander and the groom, I can't afford to show a pitiful appearance, so I try to maintain a composed stance.

The Countess Saranje, sitting in the front row on the bride's side, wipes her tears quietly with a handkerchief as she watches Rira walk in, but among the guests from the Saranje family, there are some who look at me with strained faces.

Indeed, I am trying to keep the tears from flowing by tensing my eyes. To be feared even at a time like this...

I wish they would just admire Rira, who looks like a goddess, without worrying about me.

As Rira slowly approaches me, the light from the high windows shines down on her, making her seem to glow.

Our eyes meet through the veil, and Rira's smile is so gentle that it seems to envelop everything.

Could Rira really be a goddess? For a moment, I wondered if she was just an illusion, but I was brought back to reality by the Count Saranje's words.

"Take care of Rira."

"Y-Yes!"

I tried hard to keep my voice from trembling when I said the vows, but my hands were shaking with nervousness when I signed the marriage contract and lifted the veil. The kiss of promise was a moment of pure tension.

To be honest, I don't remember much of what happened after that.

I hope everything went well.

When we stepped out of the church, the sky was a clear blue, and it seemed as if God was blessing our marriage.

The bouquet Rira held was passed to a young girl watching from outside the wall, as part of a recent trend called the "bouquet toss."

This church is open to the public upon application, so the walls around the palace grounds are relatively low. However, only nobles can have their weddings here, and for commoners, noble weddings are a source of admiration, as they seem to be filled with luxury. Therefore, whenever a noble wedding takes place, commoners gather to watch the bride and groom, and this time, many people had come to the outside of the low wall, exclaiming in awe at the sight of Rira.

Seeing the girl's eyes sparkle as she looked at the bouquet that had fallen into her hands, I smiled at Rira. Receiving the bride's bouquet is said to bring a happy marriage, and I wish the girl will find her perfect match, just as I found Rira.

The reception was held in the garden of the palace, which is close to the church.

To prevent Rira from getting tired from socializing, we kept the reception small, inviting only close relatives from both families, acquaintances from noble families, and knights from my work. However, because the Emperor wanted to attend, the reception had to be held in the palace garden.

The House of Claudel, of which I am the head, is not very active in social circles, and the House of Saranje is also not very active in social circles, so we don't have many close noble friends. There are only as many guests as our house can accommodate, making it a small-scale reception even among the nobility.

It feels presumptuous to have a reception at the palace, but since it was the Emperor's wish, it made him happy. The Emperor looks much happier and more relaxed than I do.

"Valerio! Miss Rira! I mean, Mrs. Rira now! Congratulations!"

"Your Majesty, thank you."

Seeing the Emperor in a good mood as he raises his glass, I feel that it was a good decision to have the reception at the palace.

When the head of the leading ducal house, Antonio, and the duchess, Margaret, got married, it was a grand ceremony with a large number of guests. I attended, but I couldn't tell who was who.

At that time, the Emperor suggested, "Why don't we do it at the castle? I'll lend you the grand hall," but the church attached to the palace is not that large, so Antonio refused and the ceremony was held at the cathedral in the capital. As a result, the Emperor, who was concerned about security, could not attend.

When the Emperor learned he couldn't attend Antonio's wedding, he was very upset, saying, "After all these years as childhood friends! How could you exclude me?" It took a lot of time to calm him down, and Antonio had to deal with the consequences of the Emperor refusing to do his work.

This time, since the ceremony was within the palace grounds and many of the guests were related to the knights, the Emperor was able to attend. After it was decided that the Emperor could attend, he was in a good mood, and Antonio was grateful that his work was progressing well. It wasn't the reason we decided to have the reception, but it was a positive outcome.

It wasn't until we returned to the ducal house together that I truly felt we were married.

Even I, who had been turned down for marriage proposals, managed to get married. A beautiful woman, known as the "phantom flower" of the social world, is really my wife now.

Thinking about how we will now return to the same place makes my heart warm.

◇

"Lord Valerio, please calm down."

"……I know."

I take a bath and change into the new nightclothes that were prepared for me. Usually, I just put on the bottom part and go straight to bed, but today I won't be sleeping immediately, and from now on, I will be sleeping with Rira, so I put on the top part and a robe as well. I can't seem to settle down, and I keep pacing around, which draws a reprimand from Filio, who brings me some documents.

I know I need to calm down, but it's not easy.

Reluctantly, I read through the documents Filio brought and sign them. When the door is knocked on, I jump, and my signature shakes.

"Oh. I'll remake the document."

"……I'm sorry."

"Excuse me. Sir, Madam, everything is ready."

"O-Okay. You can leave now."

I tell the new maid assigned to Rira and Filio that they can leave, and then I head to the newly prepared marital bedroom. Since we are now a married couple, we will be sleeping in the same room under the same roof from today, but just thinking about it makes me nervous.

"Huh."

I take a deep breath and open the door to the bedroom that connects to my room. Rira, sitting on the sofa, turns to look at me. As I approach her step by step, I can see that she is also nervous.

Looking at Rira's face, I feel a strange sense of mission: "I can't be nervous. I'm six years older and a man, so I have to take the lead!"

When I sit next to Rira, a sweet scent wafts over. Her hair is loosely tied, and I can imagine the maids working hard to prepare her. It's a good thing we hired them.

"Um, do you want something to drink? Daria prepared various things, including alcohol."

"That's a good idea. Let's have champagne. Rira can drink it, right?"

"Sure. I'll have some too."

When we clink our glasses, which are filled with fine bubbles, a light "ting" echoes in the quiet room.

After taking a sip, I look at Rira, and our eyes meet. She is smiling, but her expression seems a bit stiff, probably due to the tension.

Rira, wearing a thin nightgown and a robe, looks so alluring that I feel an urge to sweep her off her feet.

However, if I act on impulse, I might end up with a reputation as a brute and a beast, so I can't lose my composure. I try to calm myself by shifting my gaze from Rira to my glass.

(No! Calm down! Stay calm, me!)

As I think this, Rira's hand covers mine, which is resting on my knee.

Her slightly cool hand makes me jump, and I look at her. She has a very serious expression. For a moment, I feel elated, thinking she might be "taking the initiative," but this expression doesn't seem to be about that.

(………?)

――――――Ah, maybe

Is she going to confess that she has a lover……

That's right. I thought that at first. A woman like this not having a fiancé and accepting a marriage with me, a less attractive noble, must have a reason.

The more time I spent with Rira, the more I felt that she cared for me, and I became too afraid to ask why she chose me.

Was my feeling that she cared for me just a convenient hope and a misunderstanding?

I don't want to hear that she has a lover now.

Even if she has debts and needs help, that would be better.

If she says she has a chronic illness and can't have children, I would still be okay with it.

Even if she has a child out of wedlock, I would be willing to be the father.

But I don't want to hear that she doesn't love me and has someone else.

I don't want to hear it.

I can't just brush it off and force myself on her.