We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
The Royal Conspiracy
“Defendant, Elnea Eris. Step forward.”
“…Yes.”
I have committed a grave sin.
Crimes against the state. That is my charge.
I attempted to overthrow the Armēdo Kingdom using a legendary magic beast.
What a sinful thing I have done.
Dragged by stern gendarmes, I am brought to the witness stand.
“That’s not true. There must be some mistake!”
“No, there is no mistake. Defendant Elnea Eris is sentenced to death.”
“N-no, it’s not true!”
*Haa*, I regained consciousness.
Apparently, it was just a dream.
I was covered in an unpleasant sweat all over.
To calm my rapidly beating heart, I took slow, deep breaths. Then, I reassessed reality.
I am currently under house arrest.
The capital city was in quite a uproar because I hadn’t explained about Teruru-chan. It can’t be helped.
Teruru-chan came at my request.
It was to have her participate in our wedding ceremony.
However, it’s not the scheduled date yet.
So why did Teruru-chan appear so early? It was so that everyone could get used to her appearance.
Teruru-chan is a legendary magic beast, on par with the Shōjō. She is as large as a mountain, and her countless legs, which are the origin of her name, are unsettling and frightening to those who don’t know her.
Even dragons would flee in panic at her presence. That’s Teruru-chan.
But, at the wedding ceremony, I want everyone to celebrate us with kindness.
Therefore, the plan was to have her appear in advance so that everyone could become familiar with her.
Incidentally, the reason we had her appear at the Wyvern Hunting Ground was:
If she came to the capital city, it would cause a complete commotion.
Well, because I didn’t explain it, a commotion of nearly the same magnitude did occur…
I was scolded.
Mistral and the others knew Teruru-chan was coming beforehand, but I was the one who forgot to explain.
As a result, I am now under house arrest to take responsibility.
At this very moment, everyone must be busy mediating between Teruru-chan, the dragons, and the people.
Thanks to taking several deep breaths, my palpitations have subsided.
I surveyed my confinement room anew.
A high ceiling. A canopy bed. Luxurious furnishings and beautiful ikebana.
No matter where I looked, it was a lavish room.
Hmm, am I really being confined?
This wasn’t my room. Moreover, it wasn’t even my family home.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Sera-sama, good morning.”
“You seemed to be having quite a nightmare?”
“Yes. I had a nightmare that I was sentenced to death for summoning Teruru-chan.”
“Oh my, that truly must have been a nightmare.”
Sera-sama, who was sitting by the bedding where I had slept, let out a delicate chuckle.
It was a mystery to me why Sera-sama, Yufilia and Nina’s mother, was in my confinement room.
While her being in the room itself was a mystery, her presence in this building was not an issue.
Yes, this was the Royal Palace.
I had come to the Royal Palace to explain about Teruru-chan directly to the King. Once the explanation was finished and he understood, I was immediately put under house arrest.
“Uh, how long will I be under house arrest?”
Still, I couldn’t stay confined in a lavish room forever.
I’ve left Teruru-chan entirely to Mistral and the others, and I still need to move forward with preparations for the wedding ceremony.
In response to my question, Sera-sama, while preparing breakfast, replied, “You’ll have to ask His Majesty about that.”
Since I am under house arrest, I cannot leave my room.
That’s why meals are also eaten in the room. But why is Sera-sama preparing the meal? And why are there plates for several people laid out?
Following Sera-sama’s instruction to change clothes for now, I changed from my sleepwear to my regular clothes.
As I was fixing my bed hair in front of a large mirror, the people for whom the dishes were prepared arrived at my confinement room.
“G-good morning…”
Sereia-sama, Seefina’s mother. Sphira, Cerise-chan’s mother. And the King.
Two more beautiful women entered the room.
It’s the mothers of the First Prince Rubion and the Second Prince Rudoriado.
Seeing the King and all the Queens gathered like this, I thought, “How magnificent.”
…No, no, that’s not it.
Why are you all trying to have breakfast in my confinement room as if it were the most natural thing in the world!?
“Come, Elnea. Please, be seated.”
Prompted by the King, I nervously took my seat.
To the King’s side.
I believe my tolerance for authority figures and dignified individuals is at its highest thanks to Old Man Sleigsta and the Giant Demon Lord.
But this is different.
The King and Sera-sama are, in a sense, my future father-in-law and mother-in-law. Just the thought of having a meal with them now makes me strangely nervous, and Yufilia and Nina, who would mediate, are not here.
What’s more, all the other Queens are here too.
Could it be that I’m nervous about this?
Sera-sama and the others smiled at my awkward movements.
It seems there are no servants coming, so Sera-sama took the lead in serving breakfast.
“Well then, let us eat.”
“Thank you for the meal…”
Despite the luxurious meal, I can’t taste anything.
I started to wonder if this was some new form of torture.
“There’s no need to be so tense. Officially, you are under house arrest, but no one is blaming or reprimanding Elnea.”
The King said.
“You have been of great help to Elnea regarding the matter of our daughters, among other things. I imagine the days have been very busy since last year?”
I have reported many things to the King, including the events of the past year since my departure.
Swallowing the thinly sliced meat that had no taste, I replied, “You know, it has been very busy.”
“Take some time to relax once in a while. You have the wedding ceremony to consider, but don’t overwork yourself.”
“That’s right. If you experience too much hardship from a young age, you’ll go bald.”
“…Your Majesty is quite full of hair?”
“Hahaha. Hardship is the role of a vassal, after all.”
“You don’t work enough.”
“Indeed, Rubion was complaining.”
“I wonder where you went playing the other day?”
The King, who was supposed to be offering me advice or encouragement, dug his own grave and was being reprimanded by the Queens.
It’s a lively meal scene, just like my own family.
I find myself comparing the King, who is being chided left and right, to myself.
I see, if I don’t behave myself, that’s the kind of treatment that awaits me.
Looking at the King and the others, my tension had dissolved without me realizing it.
“Hmm, you finally have an expression befitting Elnea.”
“Did we perhaps cause you unnecessary concern?”
“Children should be children and act as they please.”
Is it alright? For the groom of your precious daughter to be a childlike child? I won’t say such a thing.
I filled my stomach with the breakfast that I could finally taste.
As I was drinking my post-meal tea, Sereia-sama, Seefina’s mother, leaned towards me.
“So, how did you meet that demon beast?”
“What kind of adventures have you been on?”
Sphira, Cerise-chan’s mother, also moved her chair closer.
“Well, I can’t tell you the exact location, but…”
Even though they are royalty, they are truly an adventurous family.
It seems they want to hear all sorts of adventure stories from me.
No, no, no way.
I wasn’t confined in the Royal Palace for this purpose, was I?
They captured me under the guise of house arrest to hear stories.
I’m scared they might actually do something like that.
I told the King and the others about my adventure in the Demon Race’s Country, which was triggered by an intruder at my family home, and about my mysterious encounters and experiences in the Forbidden Territory.
The King and the others listened to my stories with eyes sparkling like adventurers.
In the end, my house arrest period was lifted after five days.
During that time, I was interrogated extensively about various things, and conversely, I asked many questions.
Released from confinement, I was given a ride on Revalia and finally reunited with Teruru-chan.
It seems Revalia and the dragons had grown accustomed to Teruru-chan while I was under house arrest.
The Wyvern Hunting Ground, which once caused all living creatures to flee, was more lively than usual when I visited.
That’s a relief. That’s a relief.
With this progress, it should be alright for Teruru-chan to participate in the wedding ceremony.
I breathed a sigh of relief, successful in my plan to have Teruru-chan come in advance.
And then, for me, now that I was free, a new mission lay in wait.
“Elnea, we should be going soon.”
“Yeah. Madrine-sama, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
Why did it turn out this way? I want to ask Louisine, a fellow member of the clergy.
Why is Madrine-sama taking the lead in taking care of Teruru-chan?
According to Madrine-sama.
“If the Head Miko gets along well with Teruru-chan, won’t the believers feel relieved?”
It’s not wrong, but by what process did they arrive at that conclusion?
Madrine-sama was busy traveling back and forth between the Armēdo Kingdom and the Yorttenitos Kingdom.
It seems she is primarily involved with our wedding ceremony.
We, her family, are convinced that she is enjoying riding with the Wyvern Knight Order to shorten her travel time.
Prompted by Mistral, I left Madrine-sama and Teruru-chan, who were practically dancing with joy, and mounted Revalia’s back.
Revalia, after letting out a roar that seemed to rival Teruru-chan’s, took to the sky towards Dragon Peak.
We are heading to Mistral’s village.
Just as Laira had her costume fitting in the Yorttenitos Kingdom, Mistral is going back to his home village for the final touches on his wedding attire.
We, especially I, cannot see the brides’ outfits until the wedding ceremony, but I have other duties.
The invitations have all been distributed.
What we will be doing on Dragon Peak is:
Searching for ingredients to be served at the wedding ceremony. This includes hunting beasts and gathering wild plants, fruits, and nuts.
The King told me to relax once in a while, but for now, I have no choice but to be busy. I can relax after the wedding ceremony is successfully concluded.
Thus, we headed straight for Mistral’s village.
Revalia flew slower than usual.
From behind, Fiorina and Rim flapped their wings diligently, chasing after us.
Revalia, who was once feared as a tyrant…
I smirked at the sight of the doting aerial ruler of Dragon Peak.
Revalia proceeded smoothly through the late summer sky of Dragon Peak. And in the early afternoon, we arrived at Mistral’s village.
As usual, we landed fiercely in the plaza.
The villagers were accustomed to it and made space, but observed from a distance.
Only those unfamiliar with Revalia, perhaps tourists or those with business at the Dragon Shrine, screamed and fled.
We dismounted from Revalia’s back after landing and exchanged greetings with the villagers.
This village is as usual.
Everyone cooperates and lives in harmony.
It seems that when a Dragon Race member marries someone from another tribe, they both join one of the spouses’ tribes. There doesn’t seem to be a rule about joining the husband’s or wife’s tribe; they decide which tribe to live in after discussion.
However, it’s a little different when I, a human, marry Mistral of the Dragon Race. I, a human who doesn’t belong to any tribe, will apparently join Mistral’s tribe without needing to discuss it.
But there is no compulsion to live in Mistral’s village; we are free to live in human society or anywhere else. I was told this custom for those marrying outside their race by the tribal chief, Koa.
I haven’t decided where I will live yet.
But no matter where I am, from now on, I am part of the same tribe as these people; we are companions.
“Why are you grinning like that? It’s creepy.”
“Zan. Hello!”
While I was in the Forbidden Territory and the Demon Race’s Country, Zan had been guarding my family home. After I returned, he had returned to the village with the caravan.
I ran towards Zan with a smile to greet him.
However, Zan’s lips were tightly pressed together.
And when I approached him.
He thrust his fist towards me.
“Elnea, fight me.”
“Huh!?”
“If you lose to me, you will give up on Mistral.”
Not only I, but everyone in the village was shocked by Zan’s sudden challenge.
