My name was Kirisana.
Kirisana Landrid Glitch.
I was the daughter of the House of Count Glitch.
Well, it might have seemed sudden—though it had actually been decided several months ago—but the time had finally come for me to get married.
Thank you for the well-wishes.
No, this was not a marriage of convenience for the sake of the house; he was a partner I had found entirely of my own volition.
He was a truly wonderful man.
His name was Lord Gol.
He was a member of the beastman race, and he held the somewhat unusual status of being "Equivalent to a Baron House Head."
"Equivalent to a Baron House Head" meant he was treated exactly the same as the head of a baronial house, so he was, naturally, treated as a noble. However, a mere baron was hardly a suitable match for the daughter of a count like myself.
That was likely why my father had been so opposed to the marriage.
Furthermore, my father took issue with the fact that I would not be his only bride; another woman would be marrying him at the same time. The woman joining me was Enderi, the daughter of Count Pugyal—a man my father viewed as his greatest rival.
Enderi was my rival, but she was also my friend. I never imagined we would end up sharing a husband, though.
To be perfectly honest, I was the one who had inserted myself between Enderi and Lord Gol. Given our parents' positions, Enderi and I were of equal rank, but I believed a modest wife should know when to take a step back.
Even though I made sure to keep that in mind, my father continued to oppose the union. I could have forced the marriage by simply ignoring him, but turning a count into an enemy was a tedious prospect, so I refrained. Personally, I also wanted my father to give us his blessing.
And so, we dueled.
Yes, a duel between my father and me.
He was every bit the man I expected. He wasn't convinced by a single match; we ended up dueling three separate times. My hands were terribly sore afterward.
Well, Lord Gol healed them for me later... tee-hee.
At any rate, Lord Gol successfully delivered his formal greetings to my father. I must also thank my mother for her hard work in keeping my father pinned in a headlock the whole time.
Yes, my family was a bit like that, but I hoped everyone would look upon us kindly. My father might have been like that at home, but he was quite reliable when it came to his work.
The real challenge, however, was for me to give my greetings to Lord Gol’s father.
I was told he was not Gol's biological father, but that didn't matter in the slightest. What mattered was that Lord Gol considered him his father. Besides, adoption was hardly a rarity in noble society.
However, I did wonder about the fact that the father of someone equivalent to a baron held no noble title himself and was simply a "Village Head." Should I have asked my father to pull some strings so the man could receive a title of some sort?
When I consulted Enderi, I found she had been thinking the exact same thing. As expected of her.
However, noble titles came with heavy obligations. There were many duties, but put simply, one had to be a member of the peerage who protected the realm. That was not a task just anyone could handle. There were even those who voluntarily returned their titles because they could not fulfill such duties. Perhaps Lord Gol’s father had declined a title for similar reasons.
Therefore, we decided to wait and see. Lord Gol often said that just because something made him happy didn't mean it would make others happy. Forcing things upon people was never the right path.
The arrangements were made in the blink of an eye, and the day finally arrived for us to meet Lord Gol’s father. Due to a one-day delay, I thought I had prepared myself mentally, but my heart was still pounding in my chest.
...
By the way, we were told to gather in the conference room of the royal castle, but was this really the right place? Wasn't this the room where important matters of state were discussed?
"Ah, Count Chrome. Good morning."
"Um, as for why I am here... Oh, you already knew?"
"I suppose you would. Since we are gathering in this conference room... um, will you be joining us, Count Chrome?"
"The transportation coordinator?"
"Using teleportation magic?"
"Count Chrome of the Four Heavenly Kings himself?"
No, I mean, I knew Count Chrome was close with Lord Gol, but wasn't his teleportation magic supposed to be a top-secret state asset?
"Lately, you’ve been using it once every ten days to send General Gratz to see his wife?"
Ahahaha. He had to be joking. Count Chrome’s teleportation magic was a vital tool for the Demon Kingdom’s diplomacy... and this was also considered "part of diplomacy"?
Is that how it worked? I wasn't entirely convinced, but I simply responded with a smile and said I understood.
For this formal greeting, in addition to Enderi and myself, Lord Sil and Lord Bron—who were like brothers to Lord Gol—were also getting married and would be traveling with us. Thus, the wives of Lord Sil and Lord Bron were beginning to assemble as well.
I had heard stories and met a few of them before, but this was the first time I had ever seen all nine of Lord Sil’s wives gathered in one place.
...
I felt as though someone was there who definitely shouldn't have been. Was I seeing things? Um, the person on the far right... wasn't that Minister of Financial Affairs Leg of the Four Heavenly Kings?
Providing transportation just like Count Chrome...? No, "Konegit"?
...
"I see. I understand perfectly."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Konegit. I am Kirisana. I look forward to our acquaintance."
Lord Bron’s wife, on the other hand, seemed... normal. It was incredibly soothing to my soul.
And then, Lord Gol, Lord Sil, Lord Bron, and the Demon King himself arrived.
...
"Why is the Demon King here?!!" I shouted before I could stop myself.
Several others shouted at the exact same time, so I didn't stand out too much. Thank goodness.
If I took a moment to think calmly, it wasn't entirely strange for him to be there. Lord Gol, Lord Sil, and Lord Bron were members of the baseball team that the Demon King managed, after all.
Hahaha. As if that made any sense at all!!
Oops, my composure slipped. That wouldn't do. I had to stay calm.
Even if they were members of the Demon King’s baseball team, that was a private relationship. Meeting at the royal castle carried a completely different weight.
In that case... was the Demon King showing consideration for my father or Enderi’s father? No, impossible. The current Demon King was powerful—so powerful he was called the strongest in history. He had no reason to worry about the opinions of our fathers.
If there was someone the Demon King would show consideration for, it would be Count Chrome or... Minister of Financial Affairs Leg!
That was it. There was someone there the Demon King felt obligated to support. I see, that made sense. Everything was clear now.
In other words, the Demon King had come to cheer on Minister Leg. That had to be it.
But Lord Demon King, you've got it wrong. Minister Leg’s husband is Lord Sil. Lord Gol is the husband for Enderi and me.
Please, stop getting so worked up talking about baseball.
The State of the Duel
Father: "I will not allow this marriage." Kirisana: "Then we duel."
Duel → Victory
Father: "Wait, you’re being way too serious! I—No, I’ll admit I was careless just now, but..." Kirisana: "Then, let us go again."
Duel → Victory
Father: "No, no, no! I can’t do this anymore! Hey, who just pushed me back out there?! And stop using healing magic on me!" Kirisana: "Do you still refuse to acknowledge it?"
Duel → Victory
Father: "Fine, I’ll acknowledge the marriage! Just help me purge my aides afterward. Those bastards were cheering every time I got hit!" Kirisana: "They were just cheering for me, weren't they?" Aides (in unison): "That’s right! Congratulations on your marriage, My Lady!"