Chapter 95
Spring has come. New sprouts are budding, and a series of fresh days filled with birds chirping every morning has arrived.
However, in my heart, a northern cold wave was raging.
“Sir Marion, are you ready?”
“Sigh…, Madam Marchioness. Do we really have to do this?”
“Oh my, what are you saying? A pre-wedding meeting with the families is essential!”
That’s right. A pre-wedding family meeting.
I, who had lived thinking I was an orphan for life, ended up having such a meeting.
Last winter, after Kaiden proposed to me, our marriage proceeded quickly. Since we had already gone through the marriage process once, I thought it would go smoothly like this….
“Marion. Shouldn’t we bring up the marriage to Marquis Fernandi?”
“Ah, that’s right. We should, shouldn’t we? He sometimes sends letters…. Shall I send him a wedding invitation?”
“…Just the invitation?”
“Yes. Why?”
In response to my question, Kaiden fell silent for a moment and then reminded me of a fact I had forgotten.
“Hmm. Marquis Fernandi is your grandfather. So, I think it would be good not only to send the invitation but also to have a gathering with our families.”
“Ah…! You’re talking about the pre-wedding family meeting, right?”
“Yes.”
Up until then, my heart was filled with excitement. To have a pre-wedding meeting with family connected by blood! How dreamlike this was.
“I hadn’t thought about it at all. I’ll mention it to the Marquis.”
“Yes. And….”
Kaiden paused for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.
“Shouldn’t we also contact the Demon King?”
“……”
According to Kaiden at that time, my expression apparently looked more crumpled than a crumpled piece of paper. The instinctive rejection came because I unconsciously thought about showing the Demon King to Kaiden’s family.
“…Is it really necessary? He probably wouldn’t be interested in something like a human marriage.”
“That might be true for other humans’ marriages, but he would be very interested in yours. And there’s the promise he made when he saved my life.”
“……”
That’s right. When Kaiden was in a coma, in exchange for the Demon King saving him, they promised to ‘exchange greetings only in special circumstances.’
Marriage was a special circumstance. A very big one….
In fact, the Demon King often sent letters. Since he was staying at the Marquis Fernandi’s residence, they often came together with the Marquis’s letters.
However, the person I always replied to was only the Marquis. That was because… the content of the letters sent by the Demon King was mostly like this.
[I am looking at Charles’s portrait. I want to see your face too.]
Without any simple greeting, it ended with those two lines. When I first received the letter, I worried about how to reply and ended up ignoring it. That piled up and piled up, exceeding ten letters.
“My parents are planning to attend then as well, so how about meeting everyone together?”
Kaiden asked while watching my reaction. His uncharacteristic behavior was a bit cute, but hearing that his parents would be there too made me even more anxious.
The two of them know nothing about the Demon King, so is it okay to have them meet? Can I expect basic etiquette regarding the pre-wedding meeting from the Demon King? He seemed like he would speak informally or snap curtly.
A headache came on.
“Marion.”
Kaiden called me in a soothing voice while gazing at me intently. I hesitated, let out a small sigh, and nodded.
“…I’ll try writing the letter.”
“You thought well.”
And so time passed….
“Ahem. Ahem.”
Awkward clearing of throats. Air filled with tension. Somewhat awkward faces.
The pre-wedding family meeting began.
In the grand banquet hall of the capital’s Archduke’s residence, each family sat around a huge dining table.
At the head seat was nominally the eldest, the Archduke, to his right were Kaiden’s parents, and to his left were Marquis Fernandi and the Demon King.
Kaiden and I also sat at the ends of our respective families. Bled was on my shoulder.
As it was an important occasion, everyone was dressed formally. The men and I wore formal uniforms, and Kaiden’s mother wore a dress.
The Archduke started the conversation.
“Hmm, first of all, thank you all for coming a long way. This side is Marion’s grandfather who found his lost granddaughter, Marquis Fernandi.”
The Marquis gave a light bow.
“This side is my son and Kaiden’s father, Bastian.”
Kaiden’s father similarly bowed.
“This side is my daughter-in-law and Kaiden’s mother, Lilian.”
Kaiden’s mother also bowed.
“And this side is….”
The tension was driving me crazy.
To the time bomb-like Demon King sitting next to me, I had earnestly begged in the letter ‘You must never speak informally and please observe basic etiquette.’
I even asked the Marquis separately to educate him so he wouldn’t say anything nonsense, but since the opponent was the Demon King, I couldn’t know how things would turn out.
“Marion’s father who found his lost daughter, the mercenary Damian.”
The Demon King slightly nodded his head. Seeing that, I felt a momentary relief.
We had agreed to disguise the Demon King’s identity as a wandering mercenary for Kaiden’s parents who knew nothing about his existence.
I was very worried about what if the Demon King disliked it, but he just said “Do as you wish.” with an indifferent face.
“Lastly, Marion’s friend, the dragon Bled.”
Bled flapped his wings and flew in the air to greet so that others could see him well.
When the introductions ended, Kaiden stood up from his seat.
“I am grateful to the family members who came running at the news of my and Marion’s marriage. I hope this becomes a comfortable gathering where we eat and get to know each other.”
After his greeting ended, servants came in and began serving food. As delicious smells wafted, the atmosphere softened a bit more.
The Archduke asked the Marquis.
“How is the territory these days? Are there no monsters appearing?”
“As you know, the person staying at the Marquis’s residence is quite….”
“Ah.”
For a moment, awkward air passed between the two.
I glanced sideways at the Demon King, worrying if his mood was upset. Fortunately, he showed no particular reaction and just looked down at me with an expressionless face.
Then Kaiden’s mother Lilian said.
“I’m really glad that Marion found her lost grandfather and father.”
The Marquis replied.
“Thank you. It’s truly like a dream.”
He looked at me with a distant face. Whenever Marquis Fernandi looked at me like that, I felt burdened and subtly hid my body using the Demon King as a shield.
Lilian continued to ask about my well-being.
“Marion. Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes. Recently, my aura has returned as well.”
“Oh my, that’s a relief. In fact, hearing about your pregnancy and … the news afterward, my heart felt like it was tearing apart. I should have taken care of you, but at that time my health was so poor….”
She conveyed her regret in a girlish voice. Hearing the old fabricated story again made me flinch, but I shook my head and reassured her.
“No, Madam. I’ve become healthy enough to train all day, so you don’t need to worry.”
“That’s a relief. But from now on, call me Mother. We’re family now.”
I was inwardly surprised and happy. After hesitating for a moment, I spoke.
“Yes, I will.”
“Yes. I’m so relieved to welcome such a healthy child as my daughter-in-law. Isn’t that right, dear?”
“Of course, dear. Try this.”
“Oh my, you too.”
Kaiden’s father Bastian seemed to have only Lilian in his eyes, eagerly trying to feed her. Then Lilian blushed and shyly acted like a girl.
Seeing the two, the Archduke shook his head, and Kaiden remained calm as if it was everyday.
After taking a small bite of food, Lilian this time asked the Demon King a question.
“So, Damian found the lost Marion after more than 20 years?”
The tension skyrocketed. Looking at the Demon King with a nervous face, he met my eyes for a moment and then opened his mouth.
“That is correct.”
Phew. He didn’t answer informally and safely passed. I was relieved, but his following words made my body stiffen for a moment.
“I am only sorry that the child has grown so much that I couldn’t recognize her.”
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