"The groom is allowed to kiss the bride," continued the pastor.
This is it, the moment I've been waiting for. This will be the sacred moment where the two of them will kiss.
Their lips will touch each other, allowing them to feel each other's warmth.
I... I'm not jealous, though. After all, I've already been kissed a few times before.
I don't want to bring up that incident again, but the point is, I've done it before.
But, because this time it's Rosa-chan who's going to be kissed, I actually don't want to see it.
So, I turn toward Vern-san. He clenches both his fists, perhaps feeling sad or maybe angry.
I can't deny that he's doing that. It's completely understandable for him.
Previously, Vern-san also said that he didn't really like Luis.
In fact, he even said that he hated the Milhert noble family.
Quickly, I grab Vern-san's hand and hug him.
I know that what I'm doing sounds too sudden. Like I'm just looking for an excuse to hug someone.
I also realize that maybe Vern-san will hate me for doing this.
But... I think it's better for Vern-san not to see what's happening on the stage.
—
Vern-san doesn't resist when I hug him; instead, he just stays silent.
But I can feel the front of my clothes getting slightly wet.
I turn to look at Vern-san again and see him shedding a few tears.
The tears he sheds touch the front of my clothes, making the fabric feel slightly damp.
Usually, if I were in this position, I might stroke his head to help him feel calmer.
But, I don't think that would be a good thing to do right now.
So, I just let him grip my clothes tightly. I'll let him pour out all the emotions he's feeling right now.
—
Luis pulls Rosa-chan's chin, making it easier for him to kiss her.
Their height difference is quite something — when they stand face to face, Rosa-chan's head only reaches Luis's shoulder.
Pretty far apart in height, isn't it?
Slowly, Luis presses his lips against Rosa-chan's. Finally, they kiss.
I can see the queen crying tears of joy, seeing her daughter who has grown up so much.
Meanwhile, the king looks the same as ever — as if he's seen this kind of scene countless times.
But I'm sure he's happy, too.
Luis and Rosa-chan both close their eyes as they kiss.
If they close their eyes, that means they're both enjoying the kiss.
Especially Luis — he must be overjoyed to be able to kiss Rosa-chan.
The kiss doesn't last long; Luis immediately pulls his lips away from Rosa-chan's.
They gaze into each other's eyes after the kiss.
But, whether my vision is just getting sharper or I'm imagining things, I feel like Rosa-chan's face looks a bit tired.
Well, I'm probably just imagining it. When she's with me, Rosa-chan always looks fine.
—
"With this, the marriage between Lord Luis Van Milhert and Rosalia Van Rolnette is declared successful," said the pastor, closing the ceremony.
The guests start to stand and applaud as a sign of congratulations for the two of them.
They all smile happily, seeing Luis marry Rosa-chan.
——
Even though the wedding ceremony is over, no one seems ready to leave yet.
The king approaches Luis and chats with him, looking very enthusiastic.
As for Rosa-chan, she's approached by several people I don't recognize.
Meanwhile, Vern-san releases my hug and wipes the tears from his eyes.
I can see the area around his eyes turning slightly red.
"Lotte, wait here for a moment," says Vern-san before walking toward Rosa-chan.
What's he going to do now? Is he going to join in celebrating the wedding?
Well, it's probably not that important. More than that, I've been tempted by the food on the table for a while now.
Most of them are luxurious meat dishes.
They all look so delicious, my mouth is practically watering.
But before I can take even one piece of the food, someone taps my shoulder.
Of course, that startles me. Maybe people like me aren't allowed to eat the food served on this table.
I turn around nervously, sweat forming on my forehead.
"What are you trying to do?" the person asks.
"V-Vern-san?! I-I was just looking at the food..." I reply.
The one who touched my shoulder is Vern-san, and he's looking at me with an expression that says he doesn't believe what I just said.
Instead of scolding or getting angry, Vern-san just sighs quietly.
"Hah... the princess said she wants to talk to you alone," says Vern-san.
Rosa-chan? Why does she want to talk to me? Do I have to help her again?
I look around, but Rosa-chan is nowhere to be seen. I swear, she was there just a moment ago.
"The princess is already waiting in the garden... hurry there, or she'll get mad..." continues Vern-san.
I don't answer, but I immediately leave the hall and head for the garden.
Why did Rosa-chan move so quickly? She was just calmly chatting with people earlier.
Was I daydreaming? Maybe... yeah, maybe.
——
(Rosalia side)
Don't...
He pulls my chin, bringing my face so close to his.
It feels like I'm a slave being forced to do something I don't want to do.
I... have no desire to press my lips against his. It feels so disgusting.
Maybe it sounds improper for me to say that, but... in my current situation, what can even be called proper anymore?
—
We... kissed.
I feel like my mouth is being forced to eat something.
Of course, his mouth is bigger than mine, making his lips touch almost up to my cheeks.
Honestly, my chest feels tight, and my eyes feel so hot... like I'm holding back something big.
I close my eyes, just to ease the burning sensation in them.
On the other hand, he seems to be really enjoying this kiss. As if he truly lives just to be able to kiss me.
My nose feels stuffy; I can barely breathe because of this kiss.
People often say that a first kiss feels sweet...
But for me... this first kiss feels painful and uncomfortable.
Once our lips separate, I want to drink water immediately, just to wash away the trace of his lips on mine.
If I push him away to end the kiss, that would just ruin the whole ceremony.
Father and Mother... they'd probably hate me if I did that.
So... I'll just endure it... until this kiss ends...
——
After the kiss ends, my mouth finally feels relieved again.
I pretend to smile, so that he'll think the kiss made me happy to be married to him.
After the ceremony ends, several nobles approach me.
Most of them are middle-aged women, probably in their 30s or older.
W-well, I can't ignore them... if I did, they might refuse to associate with the palace anymore.
So I choose to just listen to what they have to say.
They only congratulate me on the marriage, but every now and then they bring up... something else.
It's understandable — they love to gossip... but come on, in front of you is a thirteen-year-old girl.
At least, don't drag me into your circle like that.
——
In the middle of their conversation with each other (without me), I glance over and see Yukito-san.
I want to go to him and tell him how I felt up there on stage.
But what I see instead is Vern-san being hugged by Yukito-san.
Vern-san is also gripping Yukito-san's clothes tightly, as if he doesn't want to let go.
My mind goes blank, like I just witnessed something I shouldn't have seen.
—
After realizing that they're no longer hugging, I signal to Vern-san.
I just move my hand a little, as if telling him to come to me.
Luckily, he understands, and he immediately comes toward me.
He doesn't even care about the people standing around me.
I whisper something to Vern-san — basically, I'm asking him to tell Yukito-san to go to the garden.
I want to make sure about the relationship between those two. It may sound selfish, but I'll still do it.
If I try to talk to him here, people will just start asking what I'm doing.
So it's better to go somewhere quieter. And the only place I can think of is the garden.
No one ever goes to the garden at night; it's a very quiet and lonely place.
If I stay inside the palace building, I might get caught by the maids.
And of course, they'd immediately start interrogating me.
Fortunately, Vern-san understands what I'm saying, and he immediately goes back toward Yukito-san.
Quickly, I tell the ladies that I need to go to the restroom first.
As I hoped, they give me space to leave the hall.
I hurry away before Vern-san reaches Yukito-san.
Even though... I just got married to a man much older than me...
Right now, the one I'm thinking about is another man — someone whose relationship with me is nothing more than servant and master.