Chapter 144

“I don’t like that idea.”

Enria looked flustered at Caldeon’s firm tone. Until now, he had been fine with everything—having bridesmaids, making Hayden the flower boy—but he had drawn the line at her going to see dresses alone with Roseanne and Belona.

“Wh-why?”

“What do you mean ‘why’? I should be the very first person to see you in your wedding dress. And yet, you’re planning to go see them with the three of you?” Caldeon raised an eyebrow, insisting that the first look belonged solely to him.

“No, it’s not like I’m going there to put on the finished wedding dress. We’re going so that we can coordinate the bridesmaid dresses to match mine while still being different…”

Enria blinked rapidly, still unable to fully grasp why he was being so stubborn. It was already startling enough to have a husband who insisted on being the first to see the dress, but now he was acting pouted over a simple design consultation.

“The wedding dress is meant to be worn alongside my formal attire. Therefore, we should pick them out together.”

“Of course, that’s true. But the outfits for me, Rose, and Miss Belona need to have a similar feel while remaining distinct, so we need to check that part first… Ah.”

Enria cut herself off as she realized exactly what was bothering him. Since this was a once-in-a-lifetime wedding for Caldeon as well, he naturally felt he had a right to be part of the selection process.

‘No, not just a right… it’s a privilege.’

She chided herself for her narrow thinking and looked at Caldeon. “I’m sorry, Lord Caldeon. I wasn’t thinking clearly.” She apologized for acting as if it were a given that he should just match whatever she picked, when he surely wanted to choose his own attire too.

Caldeon shook his head.

“Choosing my own outfit doesn’t really matter. I’ll match whatever dress you want. What I don’t like is the fact that the first people to see the dress you’ll wear wouldn’t be me.”

In short, he hated the idea of Roseanne and Belona seeing her wedding dress before he did. As Enria blinked at this surprisingly possessive reason, Caldeon continued with a dissatisfied look.

“Regardless of what it is, I want to be the one to see it first.”

Enria finally nodded. She understood now that he was curious and wanted that ‘first look’ moment. And she realized this probably applied to more than just Caldeon.

“I’m sorry I didn’t consider that. Then Lord Calde—no, Jagi, you come with us too. And…” Enria took both of his hands and looked at him. “Just as you feel that way, I’m sure Lord Tearen wants to see Rose’s dress, so let’s all go together. Rahar can come along too.”

Caldeon’s eyes slowly widened.

***

Ultimately, Caldeon, Rahar, Tearen, and Hayden all accompanied the ladies to the boutique to coordinate the wedding dress and bridesmaid outfits.

Silri and Eva also came along as Hayden’s guardians. Claiming they had a better sense of human fashion than the other spirits, they both stepped forward, insisting on being the ones to take charge of Hayden’s formal wear.

The boutique madam, personally chosen by Roseanne, widened her eyes at the sight of the empire’s famous Grand Duke, Marquis, and the son of a Count, before quickly shifting into high gear to sell them custom attire.

“Since you’ve all come together, it would be lovely to coordinate the outfits by couples,” the madam suggested, seizing the opportunity. She urged Rahar and Tearen to get formal wear that complemented Roseanne and Belona. At Enria’s remark that it sounded like a good idea, the process began to move at lightning speed.

First, the women looked through catalogs to decide on dress shapes, and then the men would match their attire accordingly. Enria, who had originally planned to put her head together with Roseanne and Belona, now sat with Caldeon, trying to find a design that satisfied them both. Whenever she asked his opinion on a design, Caldeon simply looked flushed and told her she’d look amazing in it. While he wasn’t exactly ‘helpful’ with technical details, she felt giddy knowing he genuinely thought she’d look beautiful in anything.

Roseanne and Belona were also busy sitting with Tearen and Rahar, poring over catalogs. Since their dresses had to be less flashy than the bride’s but still harmonious when the three stood together, there was a lot to consider.

“What about this design?” Enria asked, pointing to a dress in the catalog. Since Caldeon usually liked everything, she didn’t feel the need to keep asking, but she checked this one because the neckline was quite deeply plunged.

Caldeon looked down at the book. Enria was about to flip the page, expecting another “you’ll look great,” but Caldeon’s brow furrowed instantly.

“Not this one.”

“…Why?”

“What do you mean ‘why’? This part is too open.”

“It is, but… the overall design is so pretty…”

“No matter how pretty it is, ‘exposed’ is out of the question.” Caldeon shook his head, his eyebrows twitching.

Enria was about to argue that it wasn’t that exposed, but seeing his dead-serious expression, she was going to tell him not to worry and that she wouldn’t wear it. Suddenly, Caldeon asked: “Then how about wearing this in the bedroom?”

“Pardon?”

“I think it would suit you. It’s a waste to leave it, so let’s buy this one too.”

As Caldeon raised his hand to call the madam, Enria frantically grabbed his hand. “No, why would we buy it? It’s a waste! And who buys two wedding dresses…?”

“One for the ceremony, and this one for when it’s just the two of us.”

Enria’s jaw dropped at his nonchalant tone.

While they were debating over buying two dresses, the other side of the room was hectic with Hayden’s outfit. Due to the constant clashing between Silri and Eva, Hayden sat there blankly, not even having put a single arm through a sleeve yet. Panz lay sprawled on Hayden’s head, yawning with total indifference, while Windel sat nearby watching the bickering like a bored spectator.

“I’m telling you, white suits him much better! Since Hayden has black hair and eyes, the tuxedo should be white…”

“Because his hair and eyes are black, a black tuxedo is what suits him! Caldeon is wearing black, so he should wear black too!”

“He’s going to arrive riding on the back of a Wind Spirit, right? White is the way to go!”

“Windel is a white tiger, but his stripes are black, so black will look much better!”

The conflict was so relentless that the boutique staff stood there awkwardly, holding a white tuxedo in one hand and a black one in the other, glancing back and forth between Eva and Silri.

[When are we going back to the castle? I’m starting to get hungry,] Panz said to Windel, yawning for the hundredth time.

“How should I know?” Windel replied, letting out a massive yawn of his own.

[How much longer are those noisy things going to keep at it?]

“I said, how should I know?”

[You go grab the one you like and just put it on him.]

“Me? If anyone’s doing it, you do it,” Windel said, raising his eyebrows. Panz looked back as if Windel was talking nonsense.

[If I did that, those two would pluck every single scale off my body until nothing was left.]

“And you think my fur would be safe?” Windel remarked that they’d both try to pull out his whiskers.

Panz looked down at Hayden. Windel did the same, and Hayden’s eyes widened slightly.

“Don’t you want to go back to the Duke’s castle quickly, Hayden?”

[If you step in, at least your hair will remain safe.]

Windel and Panz urged Hayden to just pick one and get it over with. Hayden, who had been sitting in a daze, stared at the two tuxedos held by the staff. They were identical in design, differing only in color. Hayden rolled his eyes, trying to find even a slight preference.

But choosing was hard for him too. If he picked the white one Eva suggested, Silri would be hurt. If he picked the black one, Eva would be hurt. Since both were so kind to him, it was difficult to make a cold-hearted choice. Even as a part of God, he was still the child of Caldeon and Enria and had formed deep bonds with these spirits.

“I’ll just wear both.”

Ultimately, Hayden chose both. Windel and Panz looked at him as if that wasn’t possible. Hayden argued that he could wear one when entering and the other when leaving.

[How are you going to change in the middle of it?]

“I can ask Mama to dress me.”

[In the middle of her own wedding?] Panz asked, sounding incredulous. Hayden thought for a moment before changing his mind.

“Not Mama. Silri and Eva.”

Windel nodded, thinking that actually sounded like a good idea. Panz also agreed, thinking it was the fastest way to mediate the two stubborn spirits.

However…

“But… which one do I wear first?”

Hayden had hit yet another roadblock.