The Prospective Daughter-in-Law's Welcome Ceremony (1)
"We've arrived."
"...I-it's... huge..."
The imperial palace, with its white base and gold accents, was undeniably vast.
The gardens, tended daily by more than twenty gardeners, were planted with every variety of flora from across the empire and boasted scenery of breathtaking beauty. The countless treasures displayed throughout the palace were beyond any price, and the grounds themselves were so enormous that anyone setting foot here for the first time could easily lose their way.
"This way, please."
"Y-yes..."
I had already sent a messenger bird ahead when we left Galardision's residence, so the Emperor would be waiting for the Goddess in his private audience chamber.
Escorting her as she kept gasping in wonder at the palace, we made our way there.
"You may go in from here."
"...Aren't Evan and Yekaterina coming in?"
"No, my lady. You will meet with His Majesty alone. Perfect soundproofing and barrier magic have been laid over this chamber, so you need not worry about a single word of your conversation escaping."
"Is that sooo... Thank you... for coming with me today..."
"On the contrary, it was our honor to escort you, my lady."
Creeeak—thud!
With that, the Goddess pushed open the massive doors and vanished inside.
She would likely be speaking with the Emperor about the empire—what the gods of heaven found displeasing about it, the reason for her descent, and the like. Matters I would never learn in a lifetime.
"Well then... my shift is over for the day. I'll take my leave."
"...So you're off until three days from now?"
"Yes. I'll need to use some of my leave this time. Her Highness's escort will probably fall to Sera."
"I... see. All right. Until next time."
"Yes. Take care."
Starting tomorrow, negotiations and arrangements regarding the marriage with House Lailia were scheduled, so things would get a little busier.
A marriage between a marquisate and a duchy—I would need to drip a little information into high society early so I could blend in faster, and at such a turning point in life, a union of man and woman, we would need to learn more about each other as well.
Violet seemed to like me well enough, and I liked her, so there probably wouldn't be any great trouble on that front.
Where should we hold the engagement ceremony? A quiet spot in the countryside? Or at House Lailia? Or maybe just the two of us by some lakeside, exchanging rings—that wouldn't be bad either.
At last the engagement I had long awaited was drawing near, and I couldn't help feeling a little giddy.
Creeeak—thud—
"I'm home."
"Ah, welcome back, young master. The master is waiting for you upstairs."
"Ah, right. Thanks, Delran. Busy, are you?"
Delran was the butler who had served House Parcion since I was a child. Once an ordinary butler, he had been appointed head butler in recognition of his abilities.
Behind him, butlers and maids were bustling about, carrying things and cleaning.
"Yes. Tomorrow is the day the acting head of House Lailia is due to visit, after all."
"...I know that. Still, this seems a bit much..."
"...I agree. But the staff were terribly excited when they heard the news about you. As they say, the more the better."
"There's also a saying about too much of a good thing..."
The maids in charge of cleaning had polished the corridors to such a shine that people moving about were slipping and falling, while the butlers were decorating every corner of the estate with lavender—House Lailia's emblematic flower.
...A little excessively.
"...Who paid for those flowers?"
"We pooled our own money for them. We've been so worried about you, young master."
"Haa... Do as you like. Just keep it within reason... within reason..."
Delran answered my words with nothing more than a bright little smile.
...Even if I had remained unmarried until twenty, I didn't think I'd ever shown myself to be that unreliable.
"Hello, young master!"
"Right... What are you doing right now...?"
"Hm? Your portrait just wasn't good enough! What if the Duke of Lailia sees this and runs away?"
A maid named Fedelin was touching up the portrait a painter had done of me at my father's request when I was fifteen, her brushwork elegant and sure.
The features were a little sharper than the original I remembered, and she had adjusted the overall tones so the atmosphere came alive—leaving me with no real grounds to complain, which was thoroughly frustrating.
"Thaaat... don't overdo it..."
"Overdo it? I was sure you'd never marry and die lonely and alone! This is our last chance, so of course I have to give it everything I've got!"
"Th... haa... Thank you."
"Yes!"
You can't spit in a smiling face—I couldn't bring myself to scold Fedelin as she beamed at me, golden hair swaying, and climbed the stairs toward the study.
"...."
The corridor leading to the study was a spectacle in its own right. The pottery I had made at a ceramics workshop at eight years old and gifted to my father—which he had gratefully displayed in the hall—had been transformed into something grotesquely human-shaped. The carpet, once the bright sky-blue of House Parcion's colors, had somehow become a pale purple.
And as if there were still more to change, maids and butlers streamed endlessly in and out of the corridor.
Every last one of them was smiling from ear to ear, which made it rather hard to say anything.
What has Father been doing while the house turned into this...?
He might have been so buried in work that he had no idea what was going on outside. I would have to go tell him myself if this fuss was ever going to stop.
Creeeak—clunk—!
"Father, the butlers outside are—huh..."
"Hm...? Evan. Come in."
Contrary to all my hopes, even Father's study was dotted with purple lavender, and the desk and chair of a man who normally prized neatness had been swapped for furniture of a design women would love.
Beside him, Sylvia—who seemed to be helping with his papers—was not wearing her usual form-fitting Western-style leggings, but a light, fluttering purple dress.
"...This is far too much fuss."
"Is it? Why do you think that? Isn't it pretty?"
"...It is pretty, but... it's overkill."
Most of the estate was now painted in purple of one kind or another and smothered in lavender.
The garden that normally grew only blue and white flowers now had purple ones planted among the blue, and half the family's blue roof had been overpainted a pale violet.
What was even more absurd was that it all looked as if professional interior designers had been involved—none of it clashed. Everything harmonized and flaunted its beauty.
"This is an opportunity, Brother. What do you think the head of House Lailia will think when they see this?"
"...Yes, I wonder what they'll think."
If I were Violet, I would probably be flustered.
"Why? Isn't it nice, Evan? I rather like how fresh it feels."
"Even you, Father... No—why are you going this far in the first place?"
"You don't know? Because of your ability, of course."
"Well... that... is true, but..."
Among the bloodline houses that inherited special abilities—House Parcion included—anyone who failed to produce an heir before their twenty-fifth birthday would be unable to pass their power on.
Of course, having a child did not make the ability vanish, nor did remaining childless cause it to disappear. But the blood of ability-bearing houses ran so strong that conceiving or being conceived by them was extremely difficult.
As a result, having more than three children before twenty-five was rare, and marrying early was naturally the better course if one hoped to pass on one's power.
"House Lailia's Bloom is a formidable ability as well, so you and the Duke of Lailia will likely find it very hard to have a child."
"That's true, but..."
"You'll probably have to sleep together every single day, won't you? And even then, managing one child would be tough..."
"Hey... you..."
"I'm not wrong, am I? It's not like you're marrying some ordinary person like me."
"She's right, Evan. Your mother and I had no easy time bringing you and Sylvia into the world."
"No... I..."
I really had not wanted to learn the secrets of Sylvia's and my births today...