40 The Sought-After Elusive Hear (1/2)
[This is the wedding day and the reception party through Princess Nia's eyes.]
***
NIA was amused by the number of nobles that attended Lady Prescott's wedding despite her recent dispute with the other noble ladies.
[Are they curious about the real score between Lady Prescott and Captain Kiho?]
It wasn't like she didn't understand.
When the High Priest announced the prophecy about Captain Kiho's future son, her brother chose Lady Prescott to fulfill the divination with the captain. Duke Maverick Prescott, as a loyal subject of the royal family, accepted the order without even consulting his daughter. And of course, as a knight, Captain Kiho couldn't and wouldn't refuse the emperor's ”request.”
To simply put, everyone in the empire knew that it would be a political marriage between Lady Prescott and Captain Kiho.
[I thought so, too.]
But Captain Kiho's shameless display of affection for Lady Prescott caught everyone off-guard. Who knew that the stoic ”monster” and cold-blooded assassin would slay giant sea monsters just to get his lady a fine pearl for an engagement ring?
Not only that.
The captain of the Black Serpent Knights also stood by Lady Prescott's side during her scandal with Captain Denver.
[Even if Lady Prescott didn't call the reporters, I'm pretty sure that she'd be proven innocent either way. After all, Captain Kiho would have probably murdered anyone who dared to speak gibberish about her.]
The emperor quickly brushed it under the carpet but she heard that Captain Kiho went to Baroness Alphonse's mansion and froze her knights.
[Aku treats Captain Kiho like his younger brother so I knew he'd protect his reputation.]
The emperor even arranged an interview for Lady Prescott and Captain Kiho for the pearl engagement ring. Her brother did that to distract the people from the previous scandal involving the two.
[Thanks to that, I wasn't able to touch Lady Prescott and Captain Kiho for the meantime.]
And thus, the peaceful wedding between them right now.
”What are you thinking so deeply about, Nia?” Aku, who was sitting next to her in the balcony of Eclis Church, asked her. ”You've been silent since we arrived here.”
They were watching the wedding from the top so they wouldn't steal the spotlight from Lady Prescott and Captain Kiho. After all, they were surrounded by knights. Captain Sherwood and Lahara were the only 'visible' guards behind her and her brother.
But that didn't mean there were only two knights around.
The others were simply in ”stealth mode.”
”I find their relationship amusing,” Nia said. She was watching Lady Prescott and Captain Kiho in the altar listen to the priest who was officiating the wedding. Everyone below was quiet since the ceremony was wedding. But they were in the balcony and there was a protective barrier around her and the emperor. In short, no one could hear them talking. Well, except for Captain Sherwood and Lahara. ”It started as an arranged marriage but look at them now. I never thought that the stoic captain can make a face like that.”
Captain Kiho's face would soften up every time he would turn to Lady Prescott.
”He lost,” she continued in a light tone. ”The captain lost because he fell in love first.”
Aku laughed heartily. Good thing they were required to put a protective barrier every time they were outside the palace. If not, everyone would have heard the emperor laugh in the middle of a solemn wedding ceremony.
[He can be so immature sometimes.]
”That's true,” Aku said. ”It seems like I should welcome Kiho to the ”losers' club.””
”Why are you calling yourself a loser, Aku?”
”You said it yourself, Nia. The first one who falls in love with their partner is the loser,” he said playfully. ”That makes me a loser, right?”
Nia smiled even though she wanted to puke inside. ”Aku, behave,” she lightly scolded him. ”We're supposed to focus on the newlyweds instead of ourselves, remember?”
”Alright,” Aku agreed, then he turned to the main couple of the hour. ”We should make our wedding grander than this.”
***
”THEY really spent a fortune for this,” Nia said while admiring the beach side where Lady Prescott and Captain Kiho would ”exchange vows.”
The floral arch was beautiful, and so were the arrangement of seats.
But it wasn't just the stage that looked pretty.
The makeshift pavilion made for her and Aku was also wonderful. They even had a table before them. The menu prepared for them was also different from the one served to the guests.
On either side, there was a long table filled with a wide variety of food. Most of them were seafood. When she checked the menu earlier, she was surprised to see some unique choices like ”bite-sized lobster rolls.” Majority of the food presented were finger food and easy to eat.
The selection of refreshments was surprising as well because tea and coffee weren't included. Instead, they got water and different flavors of juice to choose from. She'd say they were good choices because even though it was autumn, the weather today was hot.
[It's especially warmer here in the island.]
Also, the array of desserts looked delectable. They were colorful and the presentation was cute, probably appealing to the ladies.
When she asked the chef who decided the menu, he said it was mostly Lady Prescott.
That quite surprised her.
[I didn't know that Lady Prescott is this good at organizing events. Even though she's a duke's daughter, she never hosted a tea party of her own. I thought it was because she can't be bothered to use what little amount of creativity that she has. But looking at the beautiful setup of this reception party, I guess I'm wrong.]
But when did Lady Prescott become a responsible adult?
”Nia, Lady Prescott and Kiho just keep on breaking traditions for their wedding, huh?” Aku said in amusement. Like her, the emperor was also admiring the whole setup. ”Usually, the reception party is held at the newlywed's manor.”
”Yes,” Nia agreed. ”But it's not like they're breaking any rule.”
”That's true,” the emperor said with a soft laugh. ”I bet this kind of reception party will be the next trend among the nobles.”
She nodded in agreement.
Tilly could see that every guest was very satisfied. After all, they were pampered from the start. Even boarding the ship was a delight. Aside from the trendy and chic clothes that were prepared for them, the snacks served in the ship were also very delicious.
”Lady Prescott has just set the bar high for reception parties,” Nia said. ”But as the royal princess and the so-called ”Queen of Social Circle,” I can't lose.”
Of course, she just said that because she knew the emperor wanted to hear that from her.
”Spoken like a true Moonchester,” Aku said with a smile. ”I'm looking forward to our own reception party, my dearest Nia.”
***
NIA didn't expect that she'd get emotional listening to Lady Prescott and Captain Kiho's exchange of vows.
Their promise with each other was obviously genuine and filled with love.
Watching the newlyweds made her feel like there was a hole in her chest.
[I envy you, Lady Prescott. You were able to marry your beloved. Not everyone who has the same status like you has the freedom to do so.]
Now Nia wanted to destroy Lady Prescott's happiness even more.
***
AFTER the exchange of vows, Nia was once again surprised by what Lady Prescott and Captain Kiho prepared for the guests.