Before the Ceremony

"Dawoo."

"Aayee."

Cute voices from tiny little mouths.

"Ohh... They're so cuuuute!" I exclaimed.

"They certainly are," agreed Carla.

We smiled as we watched the babies moving around in their crib.

Cian and Kazuha were both about four months old, with their necks

firmly set in place, and they could play while on their tummies now, too.

Maybe because they were twins, it was hard to tell their faces apart, but

in terms of personality, they were becoming quite different people.

Cian tended to stare off into space and didn't cry often.

He was a quiet boy who didn't cause trouble, but he froze up a lot when

introduced to a new situation. That was apparently a sign of shyness, and

when an unfamiliar face came near him, his face would stiffen and he

would look away. Even if they tried to circle around in front of him, he

would turn his head and avert his gaze again.

When his eyes had first opened, he'd refused to look at either Aisha or

me for a while.

That wasn't the case anymore, but the only ones he'd smiled for from

the beginning were Liscia, Lady Elisha, and maybe Carla. It made me feel a

little lonely, as a parent.

Meanwhile, Kazuha was a bundle of energy, always smiling, and always

crying.

She didn't object when someone held her, and she would keep on crying

regardless of who sang her a lullaby. From the moment she was laid down,

she would swing her arms and legs energetically. She never calmed down.

Because she moved so much, she would accidentally slap Cian, who was

beside her, so we'd considered separating the two a little so he could get

some rest, but when we'd tried to move her to another bed, she had thrown

a fit.

Maybe because they were twins, Kazuha felt most at ease when her

other half, Cian, was close by.

Even though she still slapped Cian from time to time.

Hang in there, Big Brother.

While looking at those adorable twins, I whispered, "Honestly... Why

are my children so cute?"

"Master, you're too much of a doting father. You're repeating yourself."

Carla sounded exasperated, but cute was cute, so what could I do?

Oh! Kazuha was clapping her little hands and smiling again.

Cian was looking at Kazuha, and maybe he lost his balance, because he

fell over.

Oh, geez! How cute were they?

I could watch this forever.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you when you're so happy, master, but do you

have time to be wasting here?" Carla asked. "This is an important day for

you, is it not?"

That pulled me back to reality, and I let out a sigh.

"...Well, yeah. The girls take longer to prepare, of course, so they're

already getting ready. I'll have to go pick them up soon."

No sooner had I said that than there was a knock at the door.

With a simple greeting, Prime Minister Hakuya came in. "Your Majesty.

It's about time for you to begin preparing."

"I know." I shrugged in exasperation, then clapped a hand on Carla's

shoulder. "Okay, Carla. I'm counting on you to look after Cian and Kazuha

for a while."

"Yes, sir." Carla saluted. "Leave it to me."

"Ayee!" Kazuha imitated her by raising both hands above her head in

the banzai position.

Was that a cheeky response?

Meanwhile, Cian looked at me blankly, like he was saying, "Are you

going away somewhere?"

If he could be so easygoing on a big day like this, he was going to be big

when he grew up...

Wait, I can't go on acting like a doting parent forever.

I hit myself in the head to get into a new frame of mind, and then

followed Hakuya out of the room, leaving the children behind.

◇ ◇ ◇

— 1st day, 4th month, 1,548th year, Continental Calendar —

Today, beneath clear blue skies, we would be holding my coronation as

the King of Friedonia, as well as my wedding to Liscia and the others.

I, who had kept calling myself the acting king and the provisional king,

would formally ascend to the throne as king, and I would also become the

husband of Liscia and the others.

They would, from today forward, not be my fiancées, but my primary

and secondary queens.

We were already a family, though, so it felt a little late for all this.

For us, our big day would become a festival the likes of which the

people of this country might only see once in their lives.

There was an unprecedented number of people gathered here in Parnam

today to see the coronation and wedding.

When people gathered, that invigorated the merchants, and there were

stalls and street performers livening up the city.

Dece the warrior and his party were there in that festive city, too.

"Whew, things have gotten so exciting, there's no comparison with any

ordinary festival," he commented to his party members.

"Well, that's to be expected," Febral the priest answered. "If the new

king is formally ascending the throne and getting married, that's something

the whole country has to come together to celebrate. For a celebration in the

capital, this isn't overblown."

Augus the brawler took a swig from the bottle of wine he had bought at

a nearby stall and laughed boisterously. "Let's not sweat the details. We're

adventurers, traveling from country to country. It doesn't matter what the

country's celebrating so long as there's good food, and good drink, am I

right?"

"This country certainly does have good food," said Julia the quiet

beauty. "Public order is good, too, so we've really settled in."

Febral shrugged in response.

Augus called out to Juno the thief, who was walking ahead of the group,

a skewer of meat in one hand. "Hey, Juno! You agree, right?"

"Hm? Me?" Juno put a hand on her hip and thrust out her meager chest.

"I'm celebrating the king's coronation and wedding, like I should."

"Huh? Why?" Augus asked.

"What do you mean, 'why'...? What's it to you? I can celebrate for

whoever I want."

Juno looked away peevishly.

Her comrades didn't know that the one controlling Mr. Musashibo was

the king of this country. They didn't know Juno had been meeting with that

king and his queens for secret late night tea parties, either.

He's just finished putting down monsters up north, and as soon as he

comes back he has a coronation ceremony? He must be busy. Ignoring her

bewildered comrades, Juno lifted her skewer up toward the blue sky.

Congratulations, sir... no, Your Majesty! I'll come play again sometime

soon, so don't go treating me badly just because you're married now!

While she was thinking that, a salute of cannons was fired, and the birds

took off.

◇ ◇ ◇

"It looks like things have really livened up," I commented.

Looking down on the castle town from a certain room in Parnam Castle,

it was possible to tell the city was packed from even this far away.

No, but seriously, the last few days leading up to this were super busy.

The arrangements for setting up the site and placing personnel had been

a lot of trouble.

That was because, thanks to Roroa's plan to have weddings all across

the city, the key retainers we could normally have used were indisposed

because they were preparing their own weddings.

The key members who would be getting married the same day as us

were Ludwin, the commander of the Royal Guard, to Genia the

overscientist; Halbert, the commander of the Dratroopers, to Staff Officer

Kaede and Ruby the red dragon; Ginger, the principal of Ginger's

Vocational School, to his maid-secretary Sandria; and Poncho, the Minister

of Agriculture and Forestry, to Head Maid Serina and Komain, the former

second-in-command of the refugee group. All of them were faces that

represented this country.

In particular, the inability to use Ludwin, who had been tasked with the

security of the capital as the commander of the Forbidden Army, and

Serina, who was in charge of managing the castle's maids, left a big hole.

It had taken a lot of effort just to establish a chain of command for the

day of the event.

We had managed to get several veteran members to send skilled

personnel to assist: Excel, the commander-in-chief of the National Defense

Force; Owen, the retired general; and Herman.

Prime Minister Hakuya, who was popular with the ladies but remained

single, would direct them on the day of the event, but everything would be

helter-skelter until then.

I had naïvely thought holding the two events simultaneously would cut

down on costs, but I would have to think things through a little more

cautiously in future.

"Now, then..."

Having finished changing with the help of the maids, I was standing in

front of a full-length mirror.

"Hahaha... Looking pretty white today, huh," I said without meaning to

as I looked in the mirror.

The design of the outfit itself was extravagant, making use of goldthread embroidery. Aside from the tailcoat, it wasn't that different from my

usual black military uniform, but on the whole, it was very white.

During the ceremony, I was going to wear a cape, like the former king

Sir Albert had, on top of this.

When I saw how regal I looked, it made my cheeks twitch just a little.

"Ha ha ha... If I wear this much white, it hides my black heart," I

muttered.

"Now, that's not true!" Tomoe objected. "You look really cool, Big

Brother."

"Really? I think the outfit overpowers him, you know?" Yuriga shot

back.

...I'd received two comments that were polar opposites.

"It feels too much like he's being forced to wear it," Yuriga went on.

"He doesn't live up to it."

"Murgh, that's not true! Big Brother looks great in these clothes."

"My brother Fuuga would look more dashing."

Ichiha was also in the room, trying to get them to settle down and stop

arguing.

"Now, now, you shouldn't fight on a happy day like today."

""Hmph!"" Tomoe and Yuriga both looked away peevishly.

Good grief. The three kids were up to their usual antics today, too, huh.

All three were dressed to the nines today, though.

That was because Tomoe would be attending the ceremony as my little

sister, while Yuriga and Ichiha would be there as guests from Malmkhitan

and the Duchy of Chima, respectively.

In the case of Yuriga and Ichiha in particular, they were acting as envoys

for Fuuga and Duke Chima, respectively, and would say a few words of

congratulations each during the coronation ceremony.

"Urgh... I have to speak in front of a large number of people, don't I?"

the youngest of the three, Ichiha, said nervously. "I'm getting all tense."

He shuddered at the thought.

Tomoe took Ichiha's hand, and wrote the kanji for "human" on his palm.

"Listen, Ichiha, Big Brother told me before that, at times like this, you

write the character for 'human' on your palm like this, and then pretend to

eat it, okay?"

"'Human'? That's how you read this?"

"It's read that way in Big Brother's world."

Yuriga, who was beside her listening, furrowed her brow.

"Do you mean a human in the sense of mankind? Or in the sense of the

human race? Would celestials like me be included in the 'humans' you're

writing and eating?"

She was really focusing on the details there. It was just a little charm to

calm you down, so I didn't think there was any need to think so deeply

about it.

With a grin, Tomoe said, "Oh? Could it be you're getting tense, Yuriga?"

"Nwah?!" Yuriga's face turned red, and she pinched Tomoe's cheeks.

"Why are you such a cheeky little kid?!"

"If you're mad, dosh that mean I'm right?"

"Shut up, shut up!"

"Shtop, your shtretching them."

"Um, Yuriga, isn't it about time you let go?" Ichiha asked nervously.

"Tomoe, you too. Don't tease Yuriga so much."

Those three kids sure made a racket. They really were lively.

Hold on, Yuriga's people were called celestials? I felt like I'd missed

that up until now, so it surprised me.

Then there was a knock at the door, and a maid came in and bowed.

"Your Majesty, the princess and the others are prepared, so please come."

It was time already, huh?

I told the three kids, "Well then, you three, I'll be counting on you at the

ceremony."

"Yes, Big Brother!"

"Count on me. I've got this."

"I-I'll do my best."

Having heard their three responses, I went to go see Liscia and the

others.

Liscia and the others were being dressed in the castle's great hall in an

area divided by screens.

Because this had become a major event, we were perpetually

shorthanded, and this allowed the maids and the makeup and dressing staff

go back and forth from one to another.

When I took a peek inside, it was so full of stuff that it reminded me of

being behind the scenes at a drama club event, but if they were done

preparing, the room had likely been cleaned up a little.

Before heading to the great hall where Liscia and the others would be

waiting, I headed to another room nearby.

I knocked and then entered. In that room were several people sitting

around a long table chatting: Liscia's parents, the former king Sir Albert

and former queen Lady Elisha; Aisha's father, Sir Wodan; Roroa's

grandfather, the old general Herman; and finally Juna's grandmother, Excel.

Basically, this was where the families of the brides were gathered.

At one end of the table, next to Excel, a blue-haired man and woman

were sitting there looking very small.

These were Juna's parents. From what I had heard, they were merchants

who operated the main Lorelei singing cafe back in Lagoon City. I was

going to be marrying their daughter Juna, so they had needed to be invited

as a matter of course, but even if they were related to Excel, being in a

room with the former royal couple, generals, and nobles had to be difficult

for them.

I might need to show some more consideration here.

While I was thinking that...

Sir Albert noticed me. He stood up and spread his arms, then patted his

upper biceps lightly. "Ohh, son-in-law! You look so manly, I scarcely

recognized you."

The others stood up, too, looking at me with peaceful faces.

I bowed my head deeply to them. "Fathers, mothers, and family. Thank

you for coming today."

"No, no." Wodan shook his head. "I am very happy to have lived to see

this wonderful day. When I saw Aisha in her dress earlier, she reminded me

of her late mother. The reason that crude glutton became so beautiful must

be that her meeting with you made her want to be more feminine. I wish my

wife could have seen," he finished sadly.

It seemed Aisha's mother had died of a pandemic when Aisha was still

little. Even the long-lived races could get into accidents, and die of serious

illness. If they were incautious, it was entirely possible they would live

shorter lives than humans did.

Taking care to remember that, I thought about the people I hadn't been

able to invite here.

"Yeah... I wish Grandpa and Grandma could've seen, too," I said. "I

would've liked them to see the way I've 'made a family,' like Grandpa told

me to that day."

"Hee hee," Excel giggled with a relaxed expression. "I'm sure they're

watching over you together. The dead live on in the memories of the living,

after all. You can easily imagine those precious people in your memories

watching over you, right?"

Those words must have come from her having lived five hundred years,

experiencing many meetings and partings.

It was true, if I imagined what Grandpa would think if he could see me

now... I could see him smiling.

Sir Wodan wore the same sort of smile. "Yes. I think my wife is happy."

"I wonder what faces my family would make," Herman mumbled, his

arms crossed.

If it was Roroa's family, that meant Julius... and Gaius VIII.

Julius was one thing; we had fought together in the Kingdom of

Lastania. But remembering the devilish look on Gaius's face, I shuddered.

We'd fought to the death in a war, so he must have hated me.

I broke into a cold sweat. "I'll bet he's glaring at me from the hereafter."

Herman let out a little laugh. "Heh, well, you'll be fine. As long as my

little girl is with him on the other side, that is."

"Your little girl... Do you mean Roroa's mother?" I asked.

Roroa's mother had passed away while she was still young.

"Her mother was much like her: bright, cheerful, and spirited. If Sir

Gaius had kept up that sour face during his own daughter's wedding day,

she'd have slapped him upside the head. You're the one who saved Sir

Julius from his crisis, too, after all."

I tried to picture the scene of a mother who looked like Roroa slapping

Gaius upside the head.

"The idea that Gaius was whipped like that... I can't see it," I admitted.

"I can only say this now, and you may not believe it, but Sir Gaius

wasn't always so stubborn." Herman narrowed his eyes, as if thinking of

fond memories. "He inherited a grudge against the kingdom, but when my

daughter was there, that was never all there was to him. My daughter's

personality brightened the castle, and supported Sir Gaius. But when she

passed away, Sir Gaius only had revenge left. If I look back on it now, it

just shows how important she was to him."

I was silent.

He'd lost the woman he loved, and had only revenge remaining... huh.

Hearing that really changed my impression of Gaius.

"The reason that he got along so poorly with Roroa was because he

couldn't bear to see her becoming more like her mother with every day.

That's what I think, nowadays." Herman laughed in a self-effacing manner.

"Ha ha... but forgive me, I shouldn't be saying this in front of people from

the kingdom."

"No... Thank you for telling me." I shook my head.

Unlike the boisterous Owen, Herman was always so quiet. If he was

speaking so passionately about this, there had to be something in it he felt

he needed to convey to me.

"Roroa would never talk about this sort of thing," I went on.

"She gets that from her mother," Herman told me. "You would think

she'd be good at letting people indulge her, but the truth is, she's stubborn

and unwilling to show weakness."

"You're right..."

"I am letting you, the man taking her as your wife, know about Sir

Gaius, because I hope you will learn a lesson from him." Herman looked

me straight in the eye. "When you marry my granddaughter, you will also

be becoming king. As king, I am sure you will put the country first.

Because you believe that will protect your wives, and the children they will

give birth to. Because you value 'family,' you will put that family second or

third, for their own benefit."

I had no words. That was exactly the kind of problem I might fall into.

"When that happens, I want you to remember Sir Gaius," Herman said.

"While you put them second and third, before you realize it, that family

may be gone. All that will be left is a country without those important to

you. Could you remain a good king like that?"

"...I'm not confident I could."

If I was being honest, I didn't think it was possible. But in my position, I

couldn't come out and say that. If a king showed weakness, the people

would be uneasy, and would cease to follow him.

Herman nodded. "I cannot fault you for that. So I want you to look at

your family as you look at your kingdom, and protect them the same as you

would it. If the king builds a peaceful family, that is for the good of this

nation, too."

"Yes. Thank you for the lesson."

Building a peaceful family is for the good of the nation. Let me carve

that sentiment into my heart.

I bowed my head to Herman, communicating my regards for the former

princely couple of Amidonia.

Then Herman bowed his head to me. "I've spoken too long, but in the

end, there is really just one thing I wanted to say. Please, make my

granddaughter happy. That is all. So that, even when I'm gone... that girl

can always stay as bright and cheerful as she is now."

"Yes, I'll see to it, grandfather."

The other parents watched this exchange between Herman and me with

gentle eyes.

Except for two pairs of eyes, which looked to have frozen up with

tension. It went without saying that those belonged to Juna's parents.

I walked over and bowed my head to them with a wry smile. "I'm sorry.

I've put you in an awkward situation."

"Oh! No... We're well aware how out of place we are here," Juna's

father said hastily, glancing around the room.

It must have been hard to relax with important figures from around the

kingdom, including the former royal couple, here.

This man was Excel's son, a handsome middle-aged fellow with blue

hair.

He was human by race, so he looked older than Excel, but he must have

been quite the looker in his youth. Next to him, Juna's mother was every bit

as beautiful as you would expect a descendant of loreleis to be.

Still, these two looked relatively plain compared to their current

company.

"Because I wanted to marry the primary and secondary queens at the

same time, I've put you two through a lot of trouble," I said.

"Oh, no, Juna seems happy, and that's good enough for us," her father

said quickly.

"That's right," her mother agreed. "Please take care of her, until death do

you part."

These were common blessings from common people. They made me

more happy than anything.

Juna's folks were wonderful people. Though Juna resembled Excel, her

good nature and kindness must have been their influence.

Her father, in particular, was such a fine man, I couldn't believe he was

Excel's son.

"...You're thinking something rude, aren't you?" Excel demanded

suspiciously.

"No, not at all..."

Excel narrowed her eyes at me, and I looked away.

Of course, a veteran like Excel was going to be sharp.

Then Lady Elisha, who had been watching our exchange, burst into

giggles.

"Hee hee hee! Now, now, son-in-law. Don't spend all your time with us;

go and be with Liscia and the others. I'm sure they're waiting with bated

breath."

Ah! That was right.

"Yes, Mother. Now then, everyone, I will see you later."

I bowed to the parents and family one last time, and then left the room.

The grand hall where Liscia and the rest were waiting was right next to

the waiting room where their families were.

There were guards standing on either side of the large doors, and they

saluted me as I approached.

I stood in front of those doors, reached for the handle... then froze up.

On the other side of the door were Liscia and the others in their bridal

clothing. The moment I thought that, my body refused to move. If I opened

this door, our relationship would change. From engaged to married, from

regent to king, from candidate to queen.

The fact was, I felt like Liscia, who had become a mother, had already

changed. Having gained Cian and Kazuha, who were more important than

her own life, she was even more stable than before, and would not be

shaken easily.

What about me, though? Cian and Kazuha were more important than my

life, too. But if you asked whether I had changed, I wasn't so sure.

In my old world, I had heard talk that women's values changed when

they gave birth, but men never stopped being children.

Was it possible for me to grow in a way that was equal to the way Liscia

and the others no doubt would?

When I thought that, I hesitated to open the door.

Looking at me as I stood motionless, as if time had stopped, the younger

guard worriedly spoke to me.

"Um, Your Majesty? Is something the—"

"Shh. Get a clue." The middle-aged guard standing across from him

brought a finger to his lips and silenced the young one.

Then, with a sage look, the middle-aged guard nodded at me.

Because, in the chaotic period after I first assumed the throne, I had

spoken to everyone in the castle to use them as much as I could, and I had

been eating with the guards and maids in the cafeteria, some of them would

readily strike up a conversation with me. That trend was especially strong

with the middle-aged guards and the granny-type maids.

They were polite, of course, and they wouldn't do it when anyone who

liked to go on about the dignity of my position was around. But this man

was one of those middle-aged guards.

"You must be feeling uneasy, am I right?" the middle-aged guard asked.

"I can understand. This is a path any man who decides to have a family

goes down, after all."

"Is that how it works?" I asked.

"Yes. I went through it when I married my wife. Though, that said,

you've already long since prepared for this, right, sire? The only thing

stopping you now is sentimentality."

"Sentimentality...?"

Sentimentality. Being sentimental. He had a point.

It went without saying that my relationship with Liscia and each of the

others would change over time. There was nothing I could do about that,

and I had long since accepted it.

I could only say that the reason I was still hesitating to go forward was

that I was basking in sentimentality. It was a waste of time to think about it,

you could say.

With a wry smile, I put my hand down on the middle-aged guard's

shoulder. "You've got a way with words. It's not like being indecisive now

is going to change anything."

"Yes. Besides, if you dawdle too long, your pretty wives are going to get

mad, you know?" He smirked.

Just as he said that, there was a shout from behind the door.

"Souma! You're there, aren't you?! Get on with it, make up your mind,

and get in here!"

"Y-Yes!"

I stood up ramrod straight at the sound of Liscia's voice, then hurriedly

opened the door and rushed in. The guards immediately closed the doors

behind me.

The glimpse of the middle-aged guard I got just before the doors fully

shut, with a look on his face like, They'll have him whipped in no time,

irritated me.

But when I turned around...

The sight of Liscia, Aisha, Juna, Roroa, and Naden, all in wedding

dresses, hit me with a shock so hard that it rattled my brain.

First, there was Liscia. She had her hair down today. She wore a pure

and cute long dress with white as the main color, but a pink lining that

peeked out from the hem. The sash around her waist was the same color as

her military uniform, giving her a dignified beauty that was both gorgeous

and very true to who she was as a person. She looked fit to represent all of

the queens.

Aisha's pure white dress was a stunning contrast with her brown skin.

The ribbons on her head were also white, and it reflected her innocence. I

had a strong impression of Aisha as a warrior, but she had a good figure,

and was very attractive to me as a woman today.

On top of her white dress, Juna wore a blue corsage and sash that

matched the color of her beautiful hair. The dress had a light blue tinge to it,

too, reflecting her nobility, which was like the moon reflected in the water,

and her enveloping kindness.

Roroa's dress had a white base color, too, but the hem and sash shone

with a light lemon yellow to match her cheer and youth. The dress gave off

the same charm and cheer that she herself did, and even though it had a

long skirt, she looked like she might start running around in it at any

moment.

Naden's dress was a little shorter compared to the others. She was the

only one with a tail, so that had likely been a decision to keep her from

looking weird. The front was knee-length, but I thought that was a lovely

representation of her flexibility and free spirit.

Five different women, five different dresses. All of them beautiful, all of

them suited to the person wearing them.

They looked so brilliant in their wedding garb, I just stared at them,

entranced, for a while.

As I stood there speechless, Liscia shyly asked, "Aren't you going to say

anything?"

"R-Right... You're pretty. All of you. You left me without words."

I was stammering for some reason, but everyone grinned.

"M-Me, too?" Aisha asked. "I'm taller than all the others, but is that still

okay?"

"Hee hee hee, oh, Aisha," Juna giggled. "You're slender, but shapely. I

think you're very pretty."

"Shapely... I'm not sure how I feel about Big Sis talkin' about that,"

Roroa griped. "How about you, Nadie?"

"I wish I had cleavage. Pretty desperately."

"Don't pout on such a happy day," Liscia tried to mollify them.

"Besides, I think you two look lovely and wonderful in your dresses." I

fully agreed with her.

Roroa and Naden were even more gorgeous than usual today, but in a

pure way, feeling like true princesses.

Of course, Aisha and Juna, with their feminine sexiness were wonderful,

too, and Liscia, who had the best parts of both camps, was marvelous in her

grace.

"Hahh..." Looking at those five lovely ladies, I let out a sigh.

"What's wrong, Your Majesty? Have we done something to offend?"

Juna asked with concern.

"Could you not sigh in front of us?" Naden snapped in a prickly tone.

I hurriedly shook my head. Obviously there was nothing wrong with

them, and I couldn't possibly be dissatisfied.

"It's just... I have such lovely brides, so when I think we can't just have

a normal wedding... Well, I'm pretty disappointed."

"Ahh, I went and planned this whole thing, and even I'm thinkin' that a

bit," Roroa agreed with me.

The weddings in this world weren't significantly different from Westernstyle weddings on Earth.

In a church, the bride and groom pledged their love before a priest or

pastor.

That was the sort of ceremony Ludwin and Hal were likely having.

The sort of wedding where, though the ceremony also held the meaning

of tying two houses together, it was a syrupy sweet time where the brides

and grooms only had eyes for each other.

But our marriage ceremony was different.

It would be broadly classified as a wedding, but as the wedding of a

king, it could not be devoted solely to the brides and groom. The main goal

was to introduce the queens to the people, and make clear the ranking

between them.

The coronation and wedding would, of course, be broadcast over the

Jewel Voice Broadcast, and every person in the country would be able to

see it.

Our people wouldn't be the only ones watching the ceremony, either.

It was going to be broadcast over the jewels we used for broadcast

conferences with the Gran Chaos Empire and Republic of Turgis, so

Empress Maria and Sir Gouran, the head of the republic, would be

watching, too.

In a marriage ceremony watched over by so many people inside and

outside the country, we would have to keep alert constantly, and there

would no room for the brides and groom to enjoy some sweet time to

themselves.

"It may be disappointing, indeed." Aisha crossed her arms and looked

gallant, despite being in a wedding dress.

Juna put a finger to her lips and went, "Hmm?" questioningly. "But it's

every girl's dream to have a big, gaudy wedding at a place like the castle,

isn't it? We're the ones to be envied here, surely."

"Ahaha! That kind of jealousy is pretty common, right?" Naden smiled

with nostalgia.

She must have been remembering her time in the Star Dragon Mountain

Range. Naden had harbored a complex about Ruby, who was a normal

dragon, while Ruby had felt jealous towards Naden, who was an unusual

ryuu.

The grass is always greener, they say.

Roroa smirked. "Hmm. So, what you're sayin' is, if we sell wedding

packages at the castle, we'll turn a profit. Even if it's out of reach of the

common people, the nobles'd pay a pretty penny to—Ow!"

When Liscia retorted with a light chop to her head. "Roroa, don't tie

everything back to making money."

Roroa laughed. "Nyahah!"

"Honestly," Liscia said, putting her hands on her hips, but she seemed

more gentle than exasperated. "No matter what shape it takes, as long as

we're happy with it, isn't that good enough?"

We all nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. Right now, I'm happy," I said.

"Hee hee, then let's hear a word from you, as the head of the

household," Liscia said teasingly.

I scratched my cheek. "Head of the household...? What house is this,

anyway?"

The fact was, even if we got married, we weren't going to have a single

last name.

That was because the mother's family name changed based on the

position her children would be in.

I was inheriting the names of both the House of Elfrieden and the House

of Amidonia, so I would become "Souma A. Elfrieden."

Liscia and Roroa would pass their names to their children, so they would

remain "Liscia Elfrieden" and "Roroa Amidonia."

Because she was becoming a primary queen with right of succession, it

might have been best for Roroa to take the name Elfrieden, but we were

maintaining a clear separation to agitate the people of both countries as

little as possible.

Liscia's children, Cian and Kazuha, carried the name Elfrieden.

If the two countries continued to stay reconciled, it might be possible in

the future to establish a House of Friedonia, but that would be up to how

things went from here.

The second primary queen, Aisha, would become, "Aisha U. (Udgard)

Elfrieden."

The Udgard name was being kept to promote harmony with the dark

elves, who had only just begun to make contact with the outside world.

As for Juna and Naden, whose children would have no right of

succession, after talking it over, we'd decided they would take the family

name "Souma," and become "Juna Souma" and "Naden Delal Souma."

Naden had no family name.

Delal was a part of her name, as was the case with her friend, Pai Long.

Because of that, she needed a new family name, so I'd decided to have her

use my family name, Souma.

It had become my given name now, but Souma had originally been my

family name.

After that, Juna had asked to use the Souma name, too.

Because the children of secondary queens often inherited their mother's

family, many of them kept their original family names, but Juna's father,

that man who seemed too kind to be Excel's son, had told me, "I do not

want to claim excessive ties to the royal family!" and "My mother's name

already makes me stand out badly enough. Just the thought of any more

makes my stomach hurt!"

In the end, Juna was taking the newly established Souma family name,

and if they wanted the children to inherit the House of Doma, they could be

adopted into it later.

Given all that, our names were all different, so what was it that we

should call our house when we were all together?

While I was thinking about it, Liscia shrugged. "It's a name we're using

among ourselves, why not just be the Souma family? It's our husband's

family name, after all."

Liscia said that with a smile, and no one objected, so it was decided.

Now then, moving on...

"Erm... I was asked to say something, but I don't know what to say, so

suddenly..." I began.

"What don't ya just try sayin' whatever popped into your head, darlin'?"

"...Okay. Well then... Today, on this day, we will become a family. I

hope that we will continue to support one another, as we have before, even

more in the future. Let's laugh, cry, and sometimes fight, as we spend time

together."

I hugged Aisha and Naden first.

"Aisha. I'll live as long as I can, so I want you to live with me."

"Yes." Aisha nodded firmly. "Let's live together as long as we can."

"Naden, you, too. It may only be for a short time in your long life, but

give me your time."

"Hmph," she snorted. "It's a bit soon to be making this a memory. This

is where we start making memories, not where we look back on them."

I let the two of them go, then hugged Roroa and Juna next.

"Let's build a home where the smiles never stop, Roroa."

"Even when we cry, I'll be smilin'!"

"No matter what kind of bashing I receive from the people for it... Juna,

I'm making you mine."

"Yes, forever," she smiled.

Then, finally, I hugged Liscia.

"Just two years ago, I was saying I'd throw away the crown, and tear up

our engagement, too."

"Two years ago, I stormed into my father's room, mad he'd gotten me

betrothed without my input."

"I'm not letting go anymore," I told her. "Not of you, and not of this

kingdom where Cian and Kazuha live."

"I won't let you go, either. Not away from this world, and not away from

me."

While we were feeling one another's warmth like that, there was a

knock at the door.

It seemed like the time had come.

I let go of Liscia. Then, looking at each of them, I said, "All right... Let's

go, everyone."

"""""Okay!"""""

We were going to become the king and queens of this country.