Chapter 143

Caldeon’s excessive self-love and arrogance were descriptors that naturally followed his name, so there was no need for any particular surprise. However, hearing those haughty words directly from his own mouth was, in many ways, undeniably flustering.

“It’s truly a miracle that a fellow like that has managed to function in society all this time,” Tearen muttered with a sigh and a shake of his head.

Rahar furrowed his brow and corrected him. “Let’s get the facts straight. Even in society, he was superior all on his own.”

Rahar went on to ask if Tearen had forgotten the time during a group field exercise when Caldeon had gone deep into the Monster Forest entirely on his own authority and encountered a high-ranking monster. Even then, Rahar noted, Caldeon was possessed by an incorrigible vanity.

At that, Enria’s gaze instinctively drifted to Caldeon’s eyebrow. As she looked at the faint scar from that injury, Caldeon gave her a tender smile.

“Regardless, I’m against you passing that arrogance and pride down to Hayden,” Rahar said.

Belona nodded in agreement, and both Roseanne and Tearen chimed in, saying that would be for the best.

“He’s still a child who knows nothing, so if we teach him well from now on, he could become a more benevolent and kind person than anyone—”

“Who knows nothing? You seem to be forgetting that my son is a part of God,” Caldeon interrupted, the corner of his mouth curving upward.

Instead of Roseanne, Tearen countered him. “Even if he’s a part of God, right now he’s a child who still has much growing to do. Look, your earth spirit is teaching him because he doesn’t even know the rules of chess.”

“That is likely because God has zero interest in chess.”

Tearen followed up by saying that if that were the case, then God didn’t know everything about the human world after all. He argued that if they taught Hayden step-by-step starting now, he would surely grow up to be a child with a better character than his father.

“I have no idea what you think is wrong with my character that makes you want to raise Hayden differently, but…”

“The fact that you don’t know is the most shocking part of all.”

“What?”

As Rahar spoke with a look of utter disbelief, Caldeon’s eyebrow twitched instantly. Enria gently pulled on Caldeon’s arm, making him look at her.

“I also hope Hayden grows up to be a respected person.”

“Most of the people in the North respect me.”

“I know, I know, but…”

“The nobles don’t.”

“Exactly. Most of the nobles shudder at your arrogant and haughty personality,” Tearen and Rahar countered.

Caldeon’s eyes, already sharp with displeasure, grew even keener. Just then, Roseanne let out an “Ah” and turned to Caldeon.

“By the way, Lord Caldeon, shouldn’t you be starting the wedding preparations with Enri in earnest now?”

At that, Enria’s eyes widened slightly. In truth, she had been inwardly wondering when the topic of the wedding ceremony would come up. Though she had never had a wedding before, she knew the preparation period was quite long and that there were more things to worry about than one would think.

“I must prepare. I’ve already spoken with Dale, and he mentioned that the wedding attire takes the longest, so it’s best to prepare that first.”

Enria’s heart began to thump at the fact that Caldeon had already discussed their marriage with his most trusted butler.

“Oh, a wedding dress!”

“You’ll look so beautiful in a wedding dress, Miss Enria.”

Roseanne and Belona’s eyes sparkled at the mention of a wedding dress. It seemed that for most women, a wedding dress carried a certain romantic ideal. As Enria thought of this, the concept of bridesmaids suddenly crossed her mind. In her original world, the role had evolved somewhat, but she had seen many instances in foreign cultures where the bride’s friends wore dresses and served as bridesmaids.

Not knowing for sure if such a custom existed in this world, Enria asked tentatively: “Rose, Miss Belona, would you two be my bridesmaids?”

At her question, the eyes of everyone in the room—including Caldeon, Rahar, and Tearen—widened.

“Bridesmaids?”

“Bridesmaids? What’s that?”

‘Ah, as I thought, that custom doesn’t exist here.’

Enria thought for a moment and decided to frame it as a custom from another land.

“Ah, it’s a custom from a small country across the Southwestern continent. I read about it in an old book when I was young.”

Enria explained that the wedding customs of that country had stayed with her since childhood and that she had always wanted to try it herself.

“The people there believed that evil spirits would be jealous of a beautiful bride and try to bring her misfortune. So, on the wedding day, they had bridesmaids wear similar dresses and stand around the bride to confuse the spirits so they wouldn’t know who the real bride was.”

She added that while that was the origin, it had evolved into an event where close friends served as bridesmaids to celebrate and be happy together.

Roseanne and Belona looked at each other, saying it sounded like fun.

“I think I’d be really happy if you two were my bridesmaids at my wedding.”

Then, she turned to Caldeon. “Is that okay, if Rose and Miss Belona agree?”

“Whatever you want, Jagi.”

When Caldeon nodded and spoke, the faces of Rahar and Tearen distorted with irritation simultaneously.

“What did I just hear?”

“I heard it too, so you didn’t mishear it.”

Both men stared at Caldeon in horror at the term of endearment that had come out of his mouth. Ignoring them completely, Enria looked at Roseanne and Belona and asked, “Can you do it? Will you?”

“Of course, Enri!”

“It would be an honor if you’d entrust me with such a role.”

“Yay, I’m so glad. I really wanted to try it.”

In truth, a wedding with bridesmaids hadn’t exactly been a lifelong dream. It was just a thought that had occurred to her because of the bond she had built with Roseanne and Belona after meeting them in this world and going through so many things together; she simply wanted to share a special moment with them.

Regardless, now that Roseanne and Belona would be participating in her wedding, her anticipation grew twofold. Roseanne and Belona also seemed full of excitement about the unfamiliar role of bridesmaids.

They began to chat excitedly about the dresses—from deciding that the three of them should go look at dresses together, to searching for a skilled designer who could make custom clothes, noting that it was polite for the bridesmaids’ dresses to be less flashy than the bride’s.

Caldeon, who had been silently watching Enria’s flushed and happy face with a tender gaze, turned to look at Rahar and Tearen, who were still wearing expressions of disbelief and asking if they had truly heard that pet name correctly.

Leaning his chin on his hand with his arm resting on the sofa’s armrest, Caldeon raised an eyebrow as if to ask what the problem was—the very image of the word ‘arrogant.’

“Why are you calling Enria that? No, I mean, you can call her that; you’re going to be her husband. But do you have to call her that in front of us?”

As Rahar shook his head in incomprehension, Caldeon replied with a twitch of his eyebrow. “Why should I care what you think when I’m calling my Jagi, ‘Jagi‘?”

“It’s not that we want you to care… Wow, he said it again.”

“……To think such a term would come out of your mouth. One truly has to live a long time to see everything.”

Beside the horrified Rahar, Tearen muttered with startled eyes.

Caldeon told the two not to make such a fuss over a simple pet name, asking if they thought they wouldn’t use them either. At that, Rahar and Tearen’s eyes simultaneously shifted toward Belona and Roseanne.

Caldeon let out a smirk as he watched them. “In the end, men in love become fools. Of course, I’m not a fool; I’m simply using a name that makes my Jagi happy.”

Despite the fact that Enria had never specifically asked for a nickname, it had already become a title used ‘for her sake.’ If Enria had heard him, she would likely have been as horrified as Rahar, but she was currently preoccupied discussing wedding and bridesmaid dresses with Roseanne and Belona.

When Enria told Roseanne, who was looking into custom designers, to find one who was also good at making children’s formal wear—as she planned to have Hayden be the flower boy—the hand of Hayden, who was playing chess with Graum nearby, faltered.

Hayden turned his head briefly to look at Enria, who was still absorbed in the dress talk, and then quietly asked Graum: “What did Mama just say?”

“Enria? I’m not sure, what did she say?”

[She said she’s going to make you a flower boy or something.]

Panz, who was in Hayden’s arms, spoke up instead of Graum, who had simply shrugged and turned away. As Hayden looked down at him, Panz let out a long yawn.

Watching Panz, Hayden tilted his head slightly and asked, “Flower boy? That’s the one who has to walk and scatter petals from a basket… It’s Mama and Papa’s wedding, so I guess I have to do it even if it’s a bother.”

“Since it is your parents’ wedding, you must endure the bother as your duty as a son. That is only natural,” Graum said firmly.

Panz sat up and spoke to Hayden.

[You have to walk? Then why don’t you just ride your pet cat?]

At that, both Hayden and Graum’s eyes widened slightly.

“Do you mean Windel?”

When Graum asked, Panz nodded once.

[If you climb onto that big cat’s back and scatter petals or whatever, it’ll be a sight to see and it won’t be tiring for Hayden.]

Hayden’s pitch-black eyes sparkled vividly as he quickly looked around.

“Where’s Windel?”