A Summer Filled with Sweat and Sweets
The wedding ceremony unfolded without a hitch, though I did catch René tensing up for a moment under the weight of all the curious eyes and attention directed our way. I quickly patted her shoulder to calm her down, and she managed to finish her duties as flower girl beautifully. Once it was over, I handed the empty basket to a waiting servant with a smile.
“You both worked so hard. Thank you.”
We returned the smile to the kindly woman who praised us, then hurried over to the empty seats beside Mother so we could watch the rest of the wedding. The bride walked slowly down the aisle scattered with pure white petals, took her place beside the groom, and an elderly priest—whom the head butler had personally invited to officiate—proceeded with the ceremony, a gentle smile on his face.
“…And so, from this day forward, these two are bound as husband and wife. To everyone who has graced this occasion with your presence, I ask that you offer your heartfelt support as they walk side by side through the rest of their lives.”
Having officiated many weddings before, the priest kept things clean and concise. The ceremony ended smoothly, without a single dull moment, sealed by the couple’s kiss in front of all the guests.
“Whoa!”
“Oh my…”
As the newlyweds, who had entered separately, now walked out together, colorful flower petals fluttered down over their heads like something out of a painting. Everyone—men, women, young and old—let out gasps of admiration and smiled warmly, offering their congratulations and well-wishes for the couple’s future.
“Congratulations on your marriage, Irina. Or rather, congratulations, Lady Lorelei.”
“Oh come on, don’t be so formal. Treat me like you always have.”
“But how could I possibly…”
“Are you really going to be like that?”
A little while later, at the reception where the couple had changed into more comfortable clothes, everyone laughed and chatted, sharing in the joy. We even ran into the little troublemakers from the pond earlier, but unlike before, they were quick to read the room and slipped away quietly to avoid causing a scene.
“Should’ve done that from the start.”
I snorted at the sight, then gathered some of the sweet pastries prepared for the reception. I slipped away to a quiet corner and called out Alraune, handing the treats over to her.
“You did a really great job.”
Hmph, you can praise me a little more, you know.
“You didn’t even do it for free… Ugh, fine. You did amazingly well.”
When I saw Alraune puffing up proudly only to then pout, I panicked and quickly showered her with more compliments to match her mood.
“René. Never mind Alraune—you need to eat too.”
“Ah, yeah. Thanks.”
“What should I bring you next?”
For some reason, René stuck unusually close to my side the whole time, constantly looking after me. I figured she was just grateful for my help during the flower girl part and didn’t think much of it.
After that, the rest of the day passed without any further incidents or accidents. Once everything was successfully wrapped up, Irina—now a member of the Lorelei family rather than Lady Shelton—helped us see off the guests who had come with our family.
“Please take good care of us from now on.”
At Baron Shelton’s final request before leaving the estate, Mother and Father replied that they would treat her like their own daughter. After the baron left, they hugged the tearful Irina and comforted her.
“Isn’t this the part where the husband should step in?”
“…I missed my timing.”
It was a heartwarming sight, but when I pointed out that this was supposed to be the husband’s job, Arlan gave an awkward laugh and scratched the back of his head. When our parents finally let go of Irina, I gave him a little nudge from behind. He quickly moved to her side and tried to earn some points, even if it was a bit late.
“Ahem. The room you two will be using hasn’t been fully prepared yet… so for the time being, you’ll have to use the one we readied in the annex.”
“We’re truly sorry about that.”
“You really don’t have to worry so much…”
That evening, the newlyweds easily caught on to what our parents’ awkward consideration actually meant. Their faces turned bright red, but they accepted the implication without protest. After dinner, the two of them hurried off toward the annex, looking so adorable that I couldn’t help but chuckle. When René tilted her head in confusion, I brushed it off as nothing.
“Here, this is a bonus for doing such a good job today.”
Oh yeah!
With so many things happening in one day, the fatigue had really piled up. Sleep came earlier than usual, but before heading to bed I replayed that picturesque scene in my mind one more time. I gave Alraune some extra candy as a bonus and called it a day.
“S-sorry for being late.”
“It’s fine. These things happen.”
“That’s right. The annex is quite a walk from here, after all.”
The next morning, Arlan and Irina were late to breakfast, but our parents simply smiled kindly and treated it with mature understanding. The couple bowed in apology and quickly took their seats. When they saw René giggling and me smiling softly beside her, they could only offer awkward smiles in return.
“We usually eat light breakfasts… Is it not enough for you?”
“Not at all. I usually eat lightly in the mornings too, so this is perfect.”
The meal ended in a warm atmosphere. While we were enjoying dessert, our parents carefully suggested to the couple that they take a trip to the villa, combining a honeymoon with some relaxation.
“If it’s the villa, then I want to—”
“Not this time. You can’t come along.”
When René said she wanted to go too at the mention of the villa, I quickly covered her mouth with my hand to stop her. I smiled at the wide-eyed couple and told them it was my way of repaying René for all the help she gave me yesterday, then fed her a piece of pancake.
“Father and Mother haven’t been able to rest properly. We can’t just go and enjoy ourselves alone…”
“She’s right. Why don’t we all go together…”
Our parents gave them a wry smile when the two hesitated to accept the kindness outright. While I kept René quiet, they gently persuaded Arlan and Irina by adding various reasons until the couple gradually changed their minds. In the end, the two were convinced and agreed to spend this summer at the villa.
“René. Why did you stop me earlier?”
“Because that was the right answer.”
“…What do you mean?”
“You’ll naturally come to understand one day.”
On the way to study after breakfast, I gave René—who was still complaining about me blocking her from joining the villa trip—a vague answer about how some things were just like that, then continued the day as usual.
“René. At this rate, will you really build up any proper strength?”
“Ugh… Stop teasing me and go away.”
“Teasing? I was just giving my little sister some helpful advice… Ack.”
“Young Master Arlan. Seeing that you still have energy to spare, it seems we should increase the intensity a bit more.”
“W-wait, no…”
In the mornings I studied various subjects, rested a little after lunch, and spent the afternoons doing physical training with Arlan. While I kept myself busy every single day, René must have decided she needed to do something too. She suddenly asked Mother to let her learn painting.
Considering that in the original story René’s only hobbies had been studying and reading, this was something I welcomed wholeheartedly. I went with Alraune to cheer her on.
“Wow… Is this really your first time drawing? This is amazing!”
“D-don’t tease me, René.”
“Tease? I’m saying it because it’s genuinely impressive.”
René got shy from the encouragement, but whether it was thanks to the support or because she had natural talent, her skills improved by leaps and bounds every day. Even the invited tutor was left in awe. When the teacher seriously suggested she could pursue this path, René proudly declared that she finally had something she was good at.
“René. Why don’t you quit sword training and learn painting with me instead?”
“I haven’t even picked up a real sword yet, Mother.”
“In that case…”
“I’ve come this far. I have to learn it. If I quit now, I’d feel so frustrated I wouldn’t be able to sit still.”
“…I see.”
Mother had asked me just in case after seeing René, but once she confirmed I had zero intention of quitting, she backed off. The days flew by in the blink of an eye, and soon the day came for Arlan and Irina to leave for the villa.
“We’ll be going now.”
“Yes, go and rest comfortably, the two of you.”
“Yes, Mother.”
With everyone seeing them off, the carriage carrying the couple and their escorting knights left the estate. René looked a little disappointed that she wouldn’t get to meet Undine this year, so I picked up Alraune and handed her over for comfort.
René. I am not a doll….
Alraune protested at being treated this way, but the matter was instantly resolved when I handed her a few pieces of candy and snacks.
“Hmm. At this point, it looks like you can start handling a real sword.”
“Finally…”
A few days later, after grueling physical training, I was finally allowed to hold a sword—even if it was just a training wooden one. It was shaped similarly to the rapier I would eventually learn, so it wasn’t particularly cool-looking, but the moment I gripped a weapon in my hand, the fading masculinity from my previous life reacted strongly.
I had started with the rapier in mind, but I got lost in thoughts of someday wielding a cool longsword like climbing a staircase. Before long, I was hit with even more physical training disguised as “learning the basics,” and I swallowed tears of regret.
“Miss René. You mustn’t let the tip of the sword waver.”
“My arm hurts, that’s why!”
“If your arm is already hurting from just this much… It seems we’ll need to put even more emphasis on physical conditioning for a while.”
“Aaaack!”
Watching the knight teach me with such serious intensity and without the slightest mercy, I finally understood why Arlan had been so strangely weak only against him. This became the hardest summer of my second life.