Cklek, I opened the door in front of me and immediately arrived inside the hall.
Many guests had already gathered inside, and I could see that only a few seats remained unoccupied.
All of them were dressed in luxurious clothing—suits and gowns that glittered so brightly.
Perhaps this was understandable, since they were all guests invited to attend the wedding of one of the royal princesses.
Just imagine if the guests came wearing simple clothes and still attended this event.
They might be considered rude and thrown out of the ceremony.
—
As I had expected earlier, the hall was immediately filled with the sound of their voices.
They were all chatting with one another while enjoying the food that had been prepared.
As for the drinks, the chefs had prepared the finest wine owned by the palace.
And it seemed the guests were enjoying that wine very much.
Luckily, I was already wearing the suit given to me by Vern-san. That way, I wouldn't look too plain.
Even though their suits looked more dazzling, at least I was dressed the same as they were.
——
I turned around to look at Vern-san, just in case she wanted to approach the guests directly.
Vern-san was also already wearing a long black gown, making her look just like one of the invited guests.
I approached her and spoke softly near her ear.
"Vern-san, what should I do now?" I asked.
Could it be… my job now is just to watch this wedding until it's over?!
"Later, you'll help the princess enter this room."
"Your task is only to lift the princess's veil as she walks in," Vern-san continued.
That's right. When I saw Rosa-chan earlier, her veil was indeed so long that it nearly touched the floor.
Not too long, but definitely enough to be a problem when she walked into the hall.
"It's not a big deal if it's just that—" I said.
Suddenly, Vern-san pointed at someone with her right hand.
The person she pointed at was a young man wearing a suit almost identical to mine.
But somehow, he looked far more striking than the other guests.
Even now, many people were gathered around the man Vern-san had pointed out.
It seemed he was a nobleman of very high rank, since he drew so much attention.
Or maybe… he's the king? No, impossible—the king must be much older by now.
I turned and looked toward the round table at the very front, the one closest to the small stage.
No one was sitting there yet—perhaps they would enter later.
"Where are you looking?" asked Vern-san, gazing sharply at me.
"Look at that man," she said again, pointing at the young man, and I was forced to look at him.
"That's Luis Van Milhert, the man who's going to marry the princess tonight."
"So before the ceremony begins, you can serve him first," Vern-san continued.
"Huh? Why me—" I asked, still in disbelief.
Vern-san pushed me from behind, making my legs move forward.
Before I realized it, I was already standing behind the crowd of people.
It was no wonder everyone had gathered near this man. He was, after all, about to marry a royal princess.
Besides, the Milhert family had strong connections with the palace.
Naturally, many nobles would want to interact with him.
—
Without realizing it, both Luis and the nobles around him were now looking at me.
Honestly, my legs were trembling—I felt like I didn't belong standing among them.
Well, I was just acting a little anyway. I wanted them to see me as someone weak and easily frightened.
The simple reason was… I didn't want to get involved with people like them.
If that ever happened, my life would never be peaceful—they'd constantly bother me.
One of them suddenly placed a hand on my trembling shoulder.
"What is this kid doing here—" the man said.
But Luis immediately grabbed the man's shoulder with a glare that, to me, looked terrifying—almost like a threat.
The man began sweating and quickly withdrew his hand from my shoulder.
Then Luis took his place, putting his hand on my shoulder instead. He looked at me and smiled.
"My throat's dry… could you get me a glass of wine?" Luis said, staring straight at me.
I knew that if I refused, something bad might happen to me. So I chose to obey his request.
I quickly went to the table at the back and took a glass of wine.
I turned around, ready to bring it to Luis, but Vern-san stopped me.
"The ceremony's about to start, don't cause any commotion, okay?" asked Vern-san.
I just nodded quietly and hurried back to Luis to give him the wine.
Once I reached him, I handed him the glass.
He drank it all in one gulp, emptying the glass completely.
It seemed he really enjoyed the wine I had brought.
He placed the glass back on the table and wiped his mouth with a cloth.
"All right… the ceremony's about to begin… we'd better take our places," he said.
The people around him immediately dispersed, as if commanded by their leader.
They quickly sat down in all the available seats, and the hall fell silent in an instant.
I'll be honest about what I thought of Luis.
From his appearance alone, I couldn't say he was someone suitable for Rosa-chan.
I didn't really mind his attitude toward me, since my duty was to serve him first anyway.
What I didn't like was how he acted like a ruler.
Just now, when he said the ceremony was about to begin, everyone around him immediately dispersed and took their seats.
It felt like every guest here regarded Luis as their leader.
But Luis was still going to marry Rosa-chan, and there was nothing I could do about it.
Maybe, when he's with Rosa-chan, he can become the kind of man worthy of protecting her.
——
A pastor stood in the middle of the small stage, holding a fairly thick book.
He must be the one leading the wedding ceremony—it was obvious just from his presence.
Luis stood at the entrance of the hall, waiting for his name to be called so he could step onto the stage.
At the round table in the front, I could see several people seated there.
Perhaps they were the king and queen, along with Luis's parents, representing the Milhert family.
In short, they were all the guardians of the bride and groom at this wedding.
The clothes they wore were so luxurious and dazzling that they almost hurt my eyes.
Meanwhile, Vern-san and I stood near the dining table, since that was where we were stationed.
Our task was simply to make sure the event went smoothly while serving the guests when needed.
Once Luis walked up onto the stage, I would immediately leave the hall and go to Rosa-chan.
To help lift her veil, just as we had discussed earlier.