Chapter 74: Rules of Aristocracy

The day of the wedding reception arrived.

It was to be held in the largest city of the county of Silveray.

There’s a restaurant in that city that’s my favorite, and I’ve frequented it for a long time.

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

Despite being called a reception, it’s nothing formal—just a stand-up feast where folks from both sides of the bride and groom can mingle.

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

My classmates would also attend a bit later.

I arrived at the venue earlier to greet the guests who had already arrived.

In Glendale, receptions generally begin at noon and continue until the next day.

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

The feast continues even after the newlyweds are gone. Everyone just wants to enjoy the celebration.

You can eat and drink all you want at the venue, so some people attend just for that.

However, since the invitations to the reception were limited to nobility and our acquaintances, I don’t expect anyone to attend solely for the food and drink.

Father was engaged in conversation with the Duke.

I decided to go greet him and show my face for a bit.

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

He’s a very distinguished person. That’s why Father had to entertain the Duke himself, leaving me to greet the other guests.

“Halt, you’ve got such luck. I’m shocked that someone is willing to marry a guy like you.”

I was greeted with sarcasm.

The person I dislike the most in all of Glendale had arrived—the Marquis’ second son, who is my age. He flaunts his parents’ influence and is a troublemaker everywhere he goes.

“Thank you very much,” I replied curtly.

He holds a higher social standing, so even if he’s rude, I need to address him politely.

The Marquis’ second son opened his mouth to spew more sarcasm, but was interrupted by the rising cheers in the venue.

Tina and Leaffa had arrived.

Tina wore a light blue dress.

Leaffa wore a dress in a shade of verdure.

Almost everyone in the venue had their eyes glued to them.

The two of them walked toward me.

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

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

“Both of you look divine.”

They had worn pure white dresses at our wedding in Alheim.

They were beautiful then, but the dresses they wore today matched their colors perfectly and suited them beautifully.

“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’s correct. They are the rare individuals willing to marry me. Aren’t they gorgeous?”

That was a comeback to his earlier sarcasm.

“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.”

He pointed to Leaffa.

“Hmm, her face isn’t bad; she suits you.”

The Marquis didn’t stop his second son. Instead, he leered 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 grabbed Leaffa’s hand and tried to pull her away.

“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, it’s very rare for a higher-ranked aristocrat to attempt to snatch the bride of a lower-ranked aristocrat, especially at 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 entire family can lose their peerage, and the person who protested could face a death sentence.

All the guests, aside from the Marquis, turned their gazes away, their expressions pleading not to be involved.

“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 felt such a strong sense of displeasure.

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

Maintaining coherence is a bother, so I’ll brainwash everyone here except for my family.

Since no aristocrat offered to help, I have no qualms about brainwashing them all.

I now harbor a deep hatred for the nobility.

Well, I’ve never had a good impression of aristocrats aside from my own family.

I tried to contact Youko via telepathy.

“What commotion is this?”

“Outsiders should keep quiet—Your Majesty!?”

The King of Glendale arrived, flanked by my elder brothers Cain and Leon, and followed by several Imperial Guards.

The King noticed the Marquis grasping Leaffa.

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

“What!?”

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

I’m sorry for allowing you to have such a disagreeable experience.

The King inquired about what happened, so I briefly explained the situation.

The Marquis’ face grew progressively bluer.

“Is that so… He was attempting to damage our relations with the Alheim Kingdom. Very well, I will administer an appropriate punishment. Guards, take him away!”

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

The Marquis looked crestfallen, and his second son was in tears. That made me feel somewhat better.

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

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

Yes, I will definitely take action.

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

“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.

Did he notice Leaffa’s predicament with his [Extreme Intuition] and guide the King to us?

“All is well. Rather than that person, Halt, who is the younger brother of the Captain of the Imperial Guards, married to the Heroine Tina, and has fostered good relations with Alheim, is obviously more important to this country.”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

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

The King gazed at Tina.

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

Eh!?

This time, it was the King proposing to Tina.

“What, Your Majesty?”

“You’re jesting again…”

However, Cain and Leon didn’t seem worried.

Perhaps the King isn’t serious.

Both of them seemed to sense it.

Hmmm… What should I do?

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

Is my love for Tina being tested?

Alright, if that’s the case, then I’ll make it clear.

Even if it means opposing the whole kingdom, I’ll proudly show that Tina and Leaffa are mine.