Ophelia remained in her posture with her hands folded.
Her golden eyelashes fluttered rapidly.
A wedding.
These two words struck her mind repeatedly, shattering her carefully constructed mental defenses.
Her originally upright back softened slightly.
Her folded hands suddenly lost their place, and she could only awkwardly clutch the hem of her clothes.
The poise of the Empire's Valkyrie vanished completely.
"Is... is that so?"
She uttered a few illogical syllables.
"Good... of course, that is good."
A flush quickly spread across her fair cheeks.
"I am willing."
Her voice was extremely soft, nearly drowned out by the morning breeze and the chirping of insects outside the window.
A smile appeared in Klein's eyes.
He pulled back the covers and sat on the edge of the bed, stretching until his bones let out a crisp popping sound.
"Then it is settled."
He stood up.
"I am hungry. Let us go downstairs for breakfast."
Ophelia remained seated in the chair, her gaze following Klein as he walked into the washroom.
The sound of running water echoed.
She raised a hand to touch her burning cheek.
She was going to wear that dress representing a bride and walk to his side in front of everyone.
A strange emotion filled her chest, swelling until it felt heavy.
...
First floor dining room.
The long dining table was wiped spotless.
Raymond stood to the side, dressed in a crisp tailcoat.
White napkins were folded into perfect triangles, and the silver cutlery was arranged with precision.
The aroma of toasted bread mixed with the scent of frying bacon drifted through the air.
Klein pulled out a chair and sat down.
Raymond immediately stepped forward to pour warm black tea.
"Young Master, did you rest well last night?"
"Not bad."
Klein cut a piece of bacon and put it in his mouth.
"Raymond, I have something for you to handle."
He swallowed his food.
"I want to hold a wedding for Ophelia."
Raymond's movements paused for a fraction of a second.
He bowed slightly.
"A wise decision, Young Master."
"Since it will be a formal wedding, the preparations must be perfect."
Raymond straightened up and offered a suggestion.
"I suggest you take the Young Madam to town today to choose a suitable wedding dress."
Footsteps came from the stairs.
Ophelia had changed into a convenient training outfit and was walking down the stairs.
She happened to catch the last sentence.
"Pick a wedding dress?"
She walked quickly to the dining table and sat down.
"There is no need."
She instinctively refused, her words coming out rapidly.
"When I married into this family, did I not wear a wedding dress gifted by the Empire?"
She looked at Klein, trying to prove her suggestion was perfectly reasonable.
"Besides... going to town is too ostentatious."
"If the townspeople find out we are holding a wedding, they will certainly gather to watch."
Her hands rested on her knees, fingers twisting together uneasily.
As a knight, she was used to facing thousands of troops on the battlefield.
But being stared at by a crowd of commoners as a bride was completely outside her tactical experience.
Klein put down his knife and fork and took a sip of tea.
He had naturally seen that wedding dress gifted by the Empire; the materials were exquisite.
However...
"Ophelia."
Klein set down his teacup.
The porcelain made a light clink against the saucer.
He looked directly at her.
"A wedding dress is only meaningful if the two people choose it together."
"Right?"
Ophelia froze.
Her heart began to race, and warmth spread from her heart all the way to her fingertips.
"Okay."
She lowered her head and agreed softly.
Her golden hair fell forward, hiding her reddening ears.
"I will listen to you."
Raymond spoke up at the appropriate moment.
"Young Master, I shall arrange the carriage for this afternoon."
Klein nodded and stood up.
"Are you not coming with us?"
Raymond bowed slightly.
"The people from the Silver Scale Chamber of Commerce will arrive shortly, and the manor's security arrangements need to be readjusted."
"Furthermore, choosing a wedding dress is private time for you and the Young Madam."
"It would be improper for me to intrude."
His response was flawless.
Klein knew Raymond's principles and did not push him.
"Then I leave the manor to you."
...
Outside the manor.
A black carriage was parked on the gravel road.
The two black horses had sleek, glossy coats.
Klein was the first to step onto the carriage.
He turned around and extended his hand to Ophelia.
Ophelia looked at that hand.
It was slender and fair, without the calluses from years of wielding a sword.
She reached out her right hand and placed it in his.
Using his strength, she climbed into the carriage.
The interior was spacious, with seats covered in soft velvet cushions.
The two sat opposite each other.
The carriage started moving.
The wheels made a rhythmic sound as they rolled over the gravel.
Sunlight shone through the window, casting dappled shadows on the carriage floor.
Ophelia turned her head to look out the window.
She kept her posture upright with her hands on her knees.
However, her fingers were unconsciously rubbing the fabric of her skirt.
She was nervous.
This feeling of tension exceeded the first time she had faced sea monsters.
A sea monster's weakness was fixed; one simply had to swing a sword and sever it.
But facing the scrutiny of the townspeople was an entirely unknown territory.
Klein sat opposite her, his gaze falling on her restless hands.
Those hands had held heavy swords and slain sea monsters, yet now they were struggling against soft fabric.
He shifted his posture and rested his chin on one hand.
"If you keep rubbing that fabric, Lillian will be very sad."
Ophelia's movements stopped.
She quickly let go of her skirt.
A cluster of obvious wrinkles had already formed on the fabric.
She looked down at the wrinkles, wanting to smooth them out but fearing she would only make it worse.
In the end, she could only pull her hands back to her knees and sit even straighter.
"I did not use much force," she defended herself in a small, unconvincing voice.
Klein leaned forward.
He closed the distance between them.
He reached out and covered her folded hands, his thumb brushing over the knuckles of her hand.
"Relax, Ophelia."
"We are just going to buy some clothes, not to subjugate a deep-sea behemoth."
"There are no high-level monsters hiding in the tailor shop, and the commoners on the street will not mutate and bite people."
Ophelia looked up.
Her golden eyes met his gaze.
"I understand," she replied seriously, "But..."
"But you do not know how to face those people staring at you?"
Klein finished the second half of her sentence for her.
She nodded.
"That is easy to handle."
Klein withdrew his hand and leaned back against the seat.
"Just treat them like wooden stakes on the side of the road."
"When you were training in the knight order, you must have cut down many wooden stakes, right?"
Ophelia seriously considered the feasibility of this suggestion.
"Wooden stakes do not stare at me, nor do they whisper among themselves," she pointed out the flaw.
"Then treat them as wooden stakes that make noise."
Klein followed her lead.
"No matter what they say, you only need to remember one thing."
"What is it?"
"You are there to pick a wedding dress, and you are the future bride."
Klein looked at her.
"A bride only needs to be beautiful."
"Leave everything else to me, the groom."
Ophelia lowered her gaze.
Her eyes lingered on the back of her hand where he had touched her.
"Okay."
She responded, her voice much steadier than before.
Her back remained ramrod straight, but her tense shoulders had quietly relaxed.
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