Chapter 221
The story continues off the page
The Last Dance Before Midnight
A masked dragon asks the lanternwright for one slow dance
“When did you decide to hold your wedding, Lyudmila?”
As this marked the day when a man and woman formally became one, it was Valdrova’s greatest concern.
Lyudmila answered Valdrova’s question.
“We’re planning to have it this fall. We chose that time because we thought it would be nice to hold it once things had settled down.”
“I see.”
“It would be an honor if Your Highness could attend. Will you have time?”
Count Consilius’s domain was not far from this castle.
It was close enough that Valdrova could rush there and deal with anything immediately if trouble arose in the Demon Lands, so attending would be possible at any time.
“Yes. I’ll attend.”
“Hehe, then I’ll make the invitation lavish and send it to you first.”
“Okay, I understand.”
She smiled broadly and let out a playful sigh.
“Sigh, by then I’ll be wearing a wedding dress with a belly like a mountain… I just hope no one whispers that he’s marrying a fat woman.”
“Come to think of it, you’re pregnant, right? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Whenever I try to move around a little, they make a huge fuss, saying I’ll lose the baby. Honestly, I can’t tell which of us are the girls.”
Lyudmila laughed heartily.
Valdrova gazed quietly down at Lyudmila’s belly.
“Speaking of which, Your Highness Valdrova?”
“Hmm?”
“It looks like our baby will be born around the beginning of winter, so may I ask you one favor before then?”
Valdrova quietly nodded, and Lyudmila asked,
“When the baby is born, I’d like Your Highness to bless it yourself.”
“M-me?”
Valdrova was flustered.
“But I don’t know any magic… Odo Grasa would probably be better at something like that….”
“The Golden Dragon may be a symbol of faith, but the Golden Dragon is a complete stranger to me, you know? And you don’t need to use magic for this.”
“Then what do I have to do?”
“Just kiss the baby on the forehead so it can grow up healthy.”
“Oh, th-that’s all?”
That was nothing she couldn’t do.
Valdrova nodded.
“Okay. I’ll bless the baby when it’s born.”
“Thank you! I already feel so reassured.”
As their conversation was drawing to a close, Lize quietly joined in.
“Would it be all right if I went to bless the baby as well?”
“Oh, Lize?”
“It’s a wondrous moment when new life is born and sets foot upon the earth. High Elves can’t let such joy pass us by. And I’ve never seen a human child born, so I’d like to see it….”
When Lize smiled, Lyudmila’s face brightened.
“Of course. I’d be truly delighted if you did!”
Then she playfully pouted and patted her belly.
“A child born under the blessings of a great dragon and a beautiful elf. Could my own child really be this cheeky? I’m jealous.”
“Then how about receiving a demon’s blessing too?”
Penelope tactlessly joined in.
Lyudmila’s gaze turned cold for an instant, and Penelope made a pitch for herself.
“A demon’s blessing includes enhanced brain development, improved night vision, and priority access to prestigious posts in Hell after death, you know?”
“I’d rather our child go to Heaven if possible.”
“Then am I useless?”
“Hmm… I don’t think that’s the case.”
Lyudmila thought for a moment before making her a suggestion.
“Then could you serve as an evil ward at the Autumn Festival?”
“You want me to be hung on a cross and burned?”
“I think burning a real demon would be more effective than burning a doll.”
“You mean I’d die??”
“I’m joking. Just wish for the child to grow up healthy.”
Lyudmila hadn’t been joking at all.
She laughed it off and cast a glance toward Valdrova.
“I seem to have talked only about myself. What about you, Your Highness?”
“Hmm?”
“I was wondering whether anything has progressed with Regent Ferda.”
Lyudmila’s eyes glittered.
The most interesting topic was always romance, and the best kind was the romance of someone close to you.
At that, Penelope snorted.
“What progress could there be? That tongue-tied man cherishes Your Highness so much that he probably hasn’t even dared lay a finger on Your Highness.”
“Mr. Ferda doesn’t seem like that kind of person to me.”
“Hehe, that’s only because you don’t know him, Miss Lyudmila. There’s a lecherous little brat hiding inside Ferda, you know?”
Ferda had a cool-headed and unshakable personality.
It was impossible to picture someone like that acting like a pervert.
“Don’t speak ill of Ferda.”
“Oh dear, my apologies.”
She appeared somewhat repentant.
That lasted only a moment.
“But it’s true!?”
“No, that’s not true. We’ve made progress!”
“What kind of progress?”
Lyudmila’s eyes shone again.
“What did you do?”
“Well….”
Valdrova trailed off, her face flushing.
Lyudmila’s face brightened considerably.
Whatever it was, something had definitely happened.
“Mr. Ferda….”
After finally managing to get the words out, Valdrova brought both hands to her cheeks.
“Mr. Ferda touched my cheek.”
“……Pardon?”
“What?”
“What does that mean…?”
Their reactions were as though cold water had been poured over them.
Even Lize, who had been listening silently, was flustered.
“When you say he touched your cheek, how exactly…?”
“He touched my cheek like this….”
Valdrova cautiously pulled at her own cheek.
The hopes Lyudmila and Penelope had held that some romance remained were brutally crushed.
Valdrova was now genuinely flustered.
“Isn’t this… how humans show affection?”
“No!”
“That’s treating you like a child!”
Lyudmila and Penelope strongly protested.
“Good heavens. If there’s a girl he likes, he pulls her cheeks?”
“We thought our regent had finally gone from herbivore to carnivore, but instead he’s got a cockroach in his mouth?”
“I-is that how it is?”
Valdrova, who had still thought it might count as an expression of affection, looked awkward.
“So that wasn’t progress after all….”
“Apart from pulling your cheeks, how far did you get?”
“So… we hugged each other… that’s about it?”
“For a man his age, there’s no way it would end there….”
Although Valdrova thought that was already quite a lot, Lyudmila still looked gloomy.
Lyudmila gave Valdrova a once-over.
She had two menacing horns, but her overall impression was gentle.
She was a beautiful woman with a voluptuous figure that one could never tire of looking at.
“This won’t do.”
Lyudmila made up her mind.
“For the sake of our Grand Duchess’s happiness, I, Lyudmila Purity, shall take action!”
Lyudmila sprang to her feet and declared.
The sheer force of it made Valdrova’s shoulders droop slightly.
“H-how?”
“You want a more intimate relationship, don’t you?”
“Yes. I do… right?”
“There’s only one way to handle a situation like this.”
She said this while holding up her index finger.
“Pounce on Regent Ferda!”
“Oooh!!”
Penelope clapped and chimed in.
Valdrova did not know what that meant, but Lize, sitting beside her, turned bright red.
“P-pounce on him? Why would you do something like that…?”
“Because he’s being so frustratingly slow, of course! Do you know how rigid Arwen was before I pounced on him? He was so tongue-tied that he even stammered when trying to say he loved me!”
“Really?”
“Now he can’t even live without me! That’s what you get from boldly taking a step forward! So for the sake of your relationship, the two of you need to be bold!”
“Hmm….”
Valdrova began seriously considering her words.
“I-I’m against this!”
Lize jumped in to stop the madness.
Lize was about as welcome as a fly in the ointment.
“You are engaged to Regent Ferda, and until you are formally married, it would be better for you to get to know each other, spend time together, and maintain a wholesome relationship—.”
“What a stodgy thing to say!”
“Goodness, does Lize think this is some world that has only just crawled out of the primordial age?”
They began ganging up on Lize, casting strange looks at Lize.
Penelope actively countered the argument.
“Culture, by its nature, advances! The idea that men and women must be kept apart is old-fashioned now, and the trend is toward greater openness!”
“What does this ‘openness’ mean?”
“Well, if you’re asking what it means—.”
“Ladies.”
Just as Penelope was about to make a vulgar gesture, Luri cut in.
“During an elegant tea time, please use elegant language.”
Her tone was extremely businesslike, but Luri’s eyes said otherwise.
They were filled with the determination to kill Penelope if she did not move that finger out of the way.
Penelope withdrew her finger, naturally not wanting to die.
“Since it is teatime, why don’t you talk about tea?”
“Tea….”
Penelope lowered her gaze into her cup before speaking.
“Let’s talk about tea, then. Lize?”
“Yes, let’s.”
“Her Highness Valdrova is thirsty. Would it really be right to keep her waiting?”
Lize knew that the question was not simply about ‘tea.’
“With the finest tea leaves, clean water, and proper tea ceremony, tea achieves its finest flavor.”
“Would that be enough to make the great Red Dragon wait?”
“Even so, if you wait just a little….”
“She’ll die if she doesn’t drink tea right now??”
“Y-yes??”
Penelope steamrolled forward with sheer force, while Lize panicked.
“I-if it’s that urgent, she should drink water rather than tea….”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying!”
“Y-yes??”
“Her Highness is thirsty right now! What good is the finest tea in a situation like this? The water she can drink immediately would taste sweeter!?”
It was true, but Lize could not admit it.
After much thought, Lize came up with a good rebuttal.
“Just a moment. Water that merely passes over tea leaves for a moment can’t be called tea.”
“What did you say?!”
“Besides, if you do that, it will actually be an even more unpleasant experience than drinking water.”
“Hmm….”
That was true as well.
When Lize calmly insisted that the tea needed to be brewed, Penelope glared at Lize in displeasure before speaking.
“Then?”
“Yes.”
“What if you put the tea leaves in your mouth, pour hot water straight in, and drink it?”
“……What?”
“Isn’t that actually the best way? You’d get to taste the aroma of black tea steeping in your mouth in real time, right? It seems like you could enjoy every flavor, essentially.”
“You’re a complete genius!”
Lyudmila gave her a thumbs-up.
Penelope’s logic was beginning to make Lize dizzy, while Lyudmila hadn’t given it any thought at all.
She was simply enjoying this situation far too much.
“Everything has its proper time. There is a season for flowers to bloom, a season for fruit to ripen, and a time to eat it. I only wish for Her Highness Valdrova to enjoy the happiness that comes at the right time—.
“Begone!”
Penelope shouted, unable to endure any longer.