Book 4: Chapter 13

Rules of Aristocracy

The day of the wedding reception arrived.

It will be held in the largest city of the county of Silveray. 

There’s a restaurant that’s my favorite in that city, and I frequently went there since long ago.

They have a garden annex that’s set aside for parties, and this will be our venue for the reception.

Even if you say reception, it’s nothing formal, just a stand-up feast where folks from both sides of the bride and groom converse with each other.

Tina and Leaffa had to wear dresses, so they haven’t arrived at the venue yet.

My classmates will also attend a bit later.

I went to the venue earlier, so I could greet the guests that arrived.

Glendale’s receptions generally begin at noon and continue on until the next day.

However, most of the time, the bride and groom leave midway.

The feast continues even when the newlyweds are gone. Everyone just wants to have fun in the name of celebration.

You can eat and drink all you want at the venue, so there are others who attend just for that, too.

However, the invitations to the reception were limited to the nobility, as well as our acquaintances, so I don’t think guys like that will come.

Father was talking to the Duke.

I’ll go greet him and show my face a bit.

The Duke of this country is someone who possesses power that’s two levels below that of the King.

He’s a really distinguished person. That’s why Father had to entertain the Duke himself, so it’s up to me to go around and greet the other guests.

“Halt, you’ve got such luck. I’m shocked that there’s somebody who is willing to get married to a dude like you.”

I was talked down to with a super sarcastic tone.

The person I hate the most in the whole Glendale came. It’s the Marquis’ second son, and he’s a guy the same age as me. He flaunts his parents’ influence, and he’s a piece of trash that causes trouble everywhere.

“Thank you very much,” I replied curtly.

He has a higher social standing, so even if he’s rude to me, I need to deal with him politely.

The Marquis’ second son opened his mouth to shoot off more sarcasm, but he was cut short by the cheers rising in the place.

Tina and Leaffa arrived at the venue.

Tina wore a light blue dress.

Leaffa wore a dress the color of verdure.

Almost everyone in the venue had their eyes glued on both of them.

Those two came walking toward me.

“Halt-sama, I apologize for making you wait.”

“Halt, what do you think of this dress?”

“Both of you look divine.”

They were wearing pure white dresses when we held our wedding at Alheim. 

They were also beautiful that time, but the dresses they wore today matched their image colors, and it suited them perfectly.

“Fufu, thank you so much.”

“H, hey! Halt, are they your marriage partners!?”

The second son of the Marquis grabbed my shoulder and shook me.

“Yes, that is correct. They are the rare existences that are willing to marry me. Aren’t they gorgeous?”

That’s a comeback for your sarcastic remark earlier.

“It’s a waste for such beauties to be with Halt. Alright, I’ll accept you!”

Huh!? W, what are you blabbering about?

While I was dumbstruck, the Marquis’ second son called out to his father.

“Father, I‘ll marry this Elf.”

So saying, he pointed to Leaffa.

“Hmm, her face is not bad; she suits you.”

The Marquis didn’t stop his second son. Rather than that, he even ogled lecherously at Leaffa.

“It will be difficult for a Count’s third son to take care of you both. Isn’t it a relief that my son favors you?”

After saying that, the Marquis pulled Leaffa’s hand and tried to take her with him.

“H, Halt!”

“Please stop!”

“What? Do you have any objections to me, a Marquis, you lowly third son of the Count?”

“No, but—“

In this world, there are very rare instances when a higher-ranked aristocrat fancies and snatches the bride of a lower-ranked aristocrat, as is, during a wedding reception.

And no matter what, the lower-ranked nobility can never protest against the higher-ranked aristocrat.

If you go against them, the whole family will be deprived of their peerage, and the person who protested will receive a death sentence.

All the people aside from the Marquis turned down their gazes, and their expressions show their plea that they have nothing to do with this.

“Halt…”

Leaffa’s eyes brimmed with tears when she saw that I couldn’t move against the Marquis.

I won’t forgive that Marquis.

It’s been a while since I had such an unpleasant feeling.

I didn’t want to do this, but let’s use Youko’s brainwashing magic.

It’s a bother maintaining coherence, so let’s just brainwash everybody here with the exception of my family.

Not a single aristocrat bothered to extend a helping hand, so I don’t have any reluctance in brainwashing all of them.

Let’s brainwash them and end today’s reception safely and without a hitch.

I now bear a deep hatred against the nobility.

Well, since before, I don’t have a good impression regarding aristocrats aside from my own family.

I tried to call Youko via telepathy.

“What commotion is this?”

“Outsiders should go shut their trap— Your Majesty!?”

The King of Glendale came, flanked by my elder brothers Cain and Leon, and followed by a few Imperial Guards.

The King noticed the Marquis’s grasp on Leaffa.

“Marquis, release your hand. That person is the princess of Alheim Kingdom. She’s not someone you can touch so casually.”

“What!?”

As soon as the Marquis let her go, Leaffa rushed toward me and hid behind my back. Her hands were trembling as she clutched the hem of my clothes.

I’m sorry. I let you have such a disagreeable experience.

The king inquired about what happened, so I briefly relayed what occurred earlier.

The Marquis face is turning bluer by the minute.

“Is that so… So he was trying to break our good relations with the Alheim Kingdom. Alright, I will mete out an appropriate punishment. Guards, take him away!”

At the king’s order, the Imperial Guards took the Marquis and his second son out of the venue.

The Marquis looked crestfallen, and his second son was in tears, and that made me feel a bit better.

“Leaffa, I’m sorry I wasn’t able to rescue you right away.”

“I thought if it’s Halt, you would be able to do something about it.”

Yeah, I will definitely do something.

The method of that something is—well, I planned to use a powerful technique called brainwashing, though.

“Thank you very much, Your Majesty.”

I expressed my gratitude to the king.

Thanks to him, all the aristocrats were saved from Youko’s mind control.

And Cain looks smug about something.

Don’t say, did he notice Leaffa’s in a bind with his [Extreme Intuition], so he led the king toward us?

“All is well. Rather than that person, Halt, who is the younger brother of the Captain of the Imperial Guards and is wed to the Heroine Tina, as well as being the one to foster good relations between Alheim, is obviously more important for this country.”

“Thank you for your gracious words.”

“Let’s leave it at that. Tina, you look so lovely.”

The king stared at Tina.

“So, how about it, would you like to become my princess?”

Eh!?

This time around, it was the King who proposed to Tina.

“What, Your Majesty.”

“You’re jesting again…”

However, Cain and Leon don’t seem to be worried.

Maybe the king isn’t serious.

Both of them perceived.

Hmmm… What to do?

Tina also understood, but she’s pretending to be in trouble—probably because she was watching the near abduction of Leaffa earlier.

Is my love for Tina being tested?

Alright, if that’s the case, then let’s do this.

Even if I’ll be against the whole kingdom, I’ll proudly show that Tina and Leaffa are mine. 

—— 

T/N: Good going Halt, though I still wish you’re standing up for only one gal ;D