Clang!
There was the sound of something breaking from the right side of the office.
The side door swung open and a brown-haired man poked his head out.
“I beg your pardon? Did you just say you’re getting married?!”
…It happened to be Nike.
“What do you mean the Princess’ wedding…?! It is worth celebrating!”
When Nike broke into the office, he forgot his duty as an aide and ran all over the place.
Whenever I thought of the commotions that he often caused, I wondered why Alan had him as his direct attendant.
‘The rumor will spread quickly…’
I gave up trying to keep things quiet.
Now that Nike had heard, the news of my engagement with Benny would spread throughout the world.
‘I didn’t mean to hide it, but Alan hasn’t given us permission yet…’
Then Alan growled lowly.
“Nike, shut up.”
A deep wrinkle crept into his forehead as if he was upset.
‘Well, it’s only natural that I marry a man with his daughter’s body.’
I approached the desk and hurriedly waved my hand.
“It’s not that I want to get married right now! I’m just here to ask for permission to be engaged.”
According to what I learned from the tutor, the order of marriage in the family followed the order of birth.
Since my brothers’ marriages were not decided, I couldn’t hold the ceremony first.
“Neither Brother Pedro nor Brother Hugo are married yet. So…”
“I will never do it for the rest of my life. Such a nuisance.”
I heard a familiar voice behind me.
I slowly turned around to face the door I entered.
Pedro’s lips were pursed as if he was intrigued, then Hugo’s rotten expression caught my eyes.
To make matters worse, even the twin maids were behind them, with shining eyes.
I felt dizzy.
Why did everyone show up when I didn’t call?
“…Wait. If I, the older brother, don’t get married, will Lily never get to marry that guy for the rest of my life?”
Hugo mumbled seriously.
He seemed to be genuinely contemplating, but Pedro slapped his brother in the back and canceled his plan to interfere.
“Congratulations on your engagement, Lily!”
Pedro walked over to Benny and me with a big smile.
“Don’t mind us. You can get married when you want to! I wonder if there is a narrow-minded person in our family who interferes with my little sister’s wedding?”
He didn’t pay any attention to whether or not Hugo looked at him with a murderous intent despite seemingly about to faint,
The larks slightly lifted their skirts and hovered around me and Benny.
“Congratulations, Princess!”
“It’s really good! I knew this would happen!”
The spacious office was suddenly filled with people. I could never understand this situation.
Then Alan stood up and answered my question.
“Everyone has gathered.”
It was an attitude that seemed to anticipate a noisy situation.
Apparently he had ordered the Bauner family and the main attendants to convene.
Pedro shrugged lightly and glanced at me.
“I was surprised when I first heard about this problem. Lily, you were like that too, right?”
“Problem…?”
I widened my eyes like it was strange that I didn’t know the reason for the call.
“Rebellion, rebellion! I heard you told father?”
“The Crown Prince said that. There’s going to be a rebellion in four years.….”
That’s what I said.
At that time, Alan seemed to have lost his spirit, but apparently he listened to me.
“I will set up a meeting with the Crown Prince soon.”
Alan tapped on the desk to get attention and gave us a firm warning.
“Until then, let everyone be silent about the rebellion.”
As soon as the head of the house finished speaking, everyone, including me, turned to Nike.
Nike shook his head in panic.
“No, I’m not that much of a gossiper, am I?”
I couldn’t trust him.
As our gaze did not fall, Nike began to protest more and more.
“Really, will I, who serves the Bauner family, talk about a serious matter? Don’t look at me with those eyes!”
He was sweating profusely as he turned the arrow of the story at me.
“Even if there are rumors, we have to spread the good news of marriage! Isn’t that right, Princess?”
It was equally difficult either way.
“It’s not a marriage, it’s an engagement. And I haven’t gotten permission yet.”
“You don’t have to care about my opinion.”
Alan intervened in a low voice. His words were generous, but somehow I felt a coldness in my heart.
“…Do whatever you want.”
With those last words, he left the office. The sound of footsteps faded away and silence fell in the office.
Pedro broke the awkward air by clapping.
“Good. Let’s have a banquet to celebrate your engagement!”
“Who would celebrate engagement, not marriage, separately?”
Unlike his bubbly brother, Hugo raised his glasses in annoyance.
It was not just my marriage with Benny, the plan for the banquet also seemed to make him dissatisfied.
“Everyone except you, a secluded loner.”
Pedro smiled brightly at Hugo, who had a vein protruding on his forehead, and approached me.
A hand as large as a tray rested on my head.
“Wow, to think you’re really getting married… Time goes by so fast.”
I looked at him blankly as he wrapped a muscular arm around Benny’s neck.
“You bastard, take care of Lily. If she cries, I won’t let you go.”
Pedro messed up Benny’s silver hair. It was a much more informal attitude than before.
Pedro seemed to have a one-sided affinity for Benny since he took care of me.
“…I can’t guarantee that she won’t cry.”
Benny muttered without acknowledging the joke.
Crack!
There was the sound of something breaking inside Pedro’s arm.
“What?”
Pedro’s face changed as quickly as flipping a hand. Unlike me, who was terrified that he might have his neck broken, Benny was always calm.
“There will be times when I will make the princess cry for a while. To make her happy.”
Pedro’s expression softened at those words.
He gave Benny’s skull a strong finger flick and let him go.
“I told you he’s a cheeky little thing.”
Before I could be relieved, a magic spear flew towards Benny.
The pure white magic disappeared like melted snow before it could reach him, but Hugo created the spear again and again.
“…As expected, I can’t admit it.”
The face with sapphire-colored eyes looked as though he was horrified to live.
I looked around at the mess and grabbed Benny’s hand.
“We’ve got permission, so we’ll just leave!”
I took Benny and ran away.
I went down the central staircase and ran all the way to the flower garden.
Benny followed without asking where we were going.
The one who took him out was me, but it was him who went along and matched my strides.
***
“Gasp.”
I didn’t stop running until we reached the flower garden.
Without breaking a sweat, Benny pulled out an old handkerchief and wiped my forehead.
Violet traces of purple flowers were evident on the white fabric. It was the handkerchief I gave him as a child.
“…Benny.”
I wiped my sweat and raised my head.
“I want to go meet them too.”
Benny’s eyebrows were raised like he didn’t know what I was talking about.
I made sure no one was around and whispered softly.
“Your parents.”
Benny’s lips, which had always remained still, flinched. He remained silent until the grassy summer breeze cooled my sweat.
“…I don’t know where my father’s grave is, and I couldn’t recover my mother’s body.”
Benny spoke as if it was someone else’s business.
I tensed my shoulders at the more harsh reality than I had imagined.
Although the marriage started as a deal, Benny still went to Alan to ask for permission to marry me.
So I also wanted to visit his parents.
On the surface, it was like the enemy’s daughter came to announce the marriage, but I thought it was better than ignoring it altogether.
Because I couldn’t keep pretending I didn’t know while living a life that was close to eternity.
“Why are you thinking like that?”
Benny really seemed to have no idea. I lowered my head sullenly and gave an obvious answer.
“I want to return as much as you gave me.”
Our marriage was definitely a contract that gave me to Benny.
And yet, as the days passed, Benny made more sacrifices for me. This didn’t fit.
Benny patted his lips and asked softly.
“If you want to give it back… How about coming to my home?”
“…Your home?”
If Benny was talking about his house, he would be referring to the mansion that Alan had given him right after the recapture of the Western Continent.
“Yes, I wanted to invite the Princess at least once.”
Benny looked at me while stroking the fine hair on his nape.
I thought for a moment and then nodded.
After all, his mansion was also in the ducal territory, so it was no problem to visit it for a while.
‘Come to think of it, I never visited Benny’s house.’
Benny would hide himself in the shadows and go to and from the Duke’s Castle like it was his own house.
The ignorant guards did not even notice the fact that he slipped in, and thanks to this, I was able to find him whenever I wanted to meet him.
“Thank you.”
Benny was visibly delighted and hugged me.
It seemed that we were going to run there instead of calling for a carriage.
He jumped into the air and headed in a completely different direction from the mansion.
***
“Ackkk!”
In the darkness, the evil spirits stuck out their long heads.
I had goosebumps on my spine, but Benny reached out in the direction of their presence as if he knew they would appear.
When Benny gestured with his finger as if playing a violin, the evil spirits twisted themselves and passed us right away.
Whoo, whoo.
Their mournful cries went away without resistance.
I patted my startled chest and looked around with my left eye that had become a reversed eye.
A wilderness that did not yield a single grass stretched out endlessly.
A shining tree lit up the land where there was no sun or moon, and countless evil spirits were standing around it.
It was a scene I had seen in my dreams, but this time it was reality.
Benny took me out of the barrier.
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