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The victory banquet was a tradition of the subjugation army. A day before returning, they honored their Lord, the knights, and the people who had worked hard. She was told that it was more of a festival than a banquet.
After thinking about what to wear for a while, she put on clean pants, a shirt, and leather boots. Amarion combed her hair, which was always tied up, and let it loose.
Mary couldn’t help but express her regret.
“It would be nice if you wore a dress. I heard that Lady Julianna has a good eye and owns many beautiful dresses.”
“I find this more comfortable. Besides, the people here have always seen me like this.”
Mary bit her lip in begrudging agreement. At first, everyone was surprised to see a lady in pants and leather armor, but now they had come to the point where they brought her a bottle of water instead of being surprised when she wielded her sword.
Mary wore the formal dress of healers. Together, they went out to the square in front of the castle.
The square was busy. Numerous tables were filled with meat, cheese, and wine, which was served out of oak barrels. The castle’s cooks were spit roasting a whole pig over the fire.
It was an exciting and festive scene. Mary explained succinctly.
“Everyone can come and eat. For those who can’t come, soldiers bring food personally.”
“That’s amazing.”
“It was said that this meat was also bought at a high price on purpose from the butchers and ranches. It will be difficult for all of them to make a living for a while.”
So this was also a kind of charity event for the poor.
Everyone would have been happy if Amari held a banquet like this. Of course, she didn’t have enough money, and there was no such thing as a whole beast to roast in the first place…
Without giving her a moment to sulk, Mary led Amarion to the table for knights. The knights were waiting for the start of the banquet, filling their stomachs with snacks.
“Mary! Madame!”
Knights greeted them as they sat down. Sir Raoul brought them the apple sweets and foods he had been enjoying.
“It’s so strange.”
Raoul took a bite out of an apple confectionery.
“I don’t really like sweet food, but strangely, I can’t stop eating it.”
“Right? I like it too.”
“Madame, you like everything when it comes to food, don’t you?”
Amarion glared at him, but she couldn’t deny it. Throughout their journey, she fought fiercely and ate sparsely.
Morte was a place where food was not scarce. It was fortunate that distribution was smooth. If it weren’t for that, they likely would’ve had to hunt and eat monster meat like in Amari.
She put an apple confection in her mouth. Sweet honey stuck to her tongue.
Before long, the entrance to the square became noisy. Seeing as people were applauding, the Fidelburgs had arrived.
Amarion smiled broadly when she saw the Count in a neat suit, Julianna in a beautiful dress, and Sir Leonard escorting the young lady.
They even got to see Leonard’s shy face!
The knights forgot their manners and banged on the table. Amarion clapped along with them, her mouth full of sweets. Half out of homage to the Lady who managed the castle perfectly in such a dangerous situation, and half to tease Leonard.
Amarion and Mary held hands and giggled, and then Victor appeared.
“Ah…”
‘My husband looks beautiful today.’
He was wearing a normal shirt and trousers because he didn’t bring a suit, but he still had a strong body and dreamy smile. Seeing him among the knights, she smiled.
Mary inhaled suddenly.
“Madame! Madame must not be here!”
“What? Why?”
“Even if this is like a festival, it’s still a banquet, so you should have followed the Count and entered with the Grand Duke! Get up, come on!”
Her maid hastily shoved her off the bench. Amarion stood up in a hurry, flustered.
‘Mary, forget etiquette! Wouldn’t it be weird to come in now?’
Amarion looked down at her hands in embarrassment. Her hands were covered in powdered sugar because of the apple confectioneries. Maybe her face was covered in it too!
She rubbed her mouth with the back of her hand. People’s eyes gathered on her at once.
“…”
It was terribly embarrassing.
The Grand Duchess, wearing a wrinkled shirt and munching on apple sweets, stood awkwardly. She must have looked very funny.
“Long live the Lady!”
But suddenly, applause broke out.
People cheered.
“Madame! Thank you!”
“Glory to the Grand Duchess!”
“Our Lady is a knight!”
Those who shouted loudly began to sing songs that she did not understand.
Victor approached Amarion, who was stunned and confused. With an alluring expression, he smiled brightly.
“You are very popular.”
“Victor, what is this…?”
“They are praising you. All of Morte is like this. You are probably the most popular hostess in the history of the Empire.”
Victor pulled her close and hugged her. The cheers grew even louder. Amarion pushed him away with a face red enough to explode.
“Victor!”
“Marion, my wife. I am so proud of you.”
Victor smiled sweetly.
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Behind him, the Count signaled to the band. With the sound of drums, the banquet began.
＊ ＊ ＊
A huge bonfire warmed the square all night long. Its heat blew away the cold of early autumn.
People ate, drank, and danced to their heart’s content. It was an informal dance unlike an aristocratic ball, so it was more enjoyable.
The knights also drank in a relaxed state. Mary socialized with the healers, and the knights held hands and spun around in a drunken mess.
Lady Julianna and Leonard were so friendly that they tickled the hearts of those who watched.
Occasionally, someone came to thank Amarion. Even though she didn’t take a sip of alcohol, her heart raced. She ate and danced with the villagers.
After the meal, the table fell quiet. After everyone filled their stomachs, they ran into the square.
Amarion sat next to Victor and watched him. Victor’s face was hazy. She asked with a smile.
“Are you drunk?”
“No.”
Come to think of it, he hadn’t drank today, as if he had something on his mind. He murmured.
“I was just thinking about how incredible you are.”
“What?”
“You can do so much, but I just grabbed at your ankles, worried that you would get hurt.”
A remorseful expression formed on his face.
Amarion squeezed his hand.
“It’s only natural because of what you went through.”
“Marion…”
“At first you were cold-hearted, but now I understand. You must have been very scared. Of course, I can’t compare myself to your older brother…”
Amarion closed her eyes.
What she realized as she listened to stories about Victor’s past was that Mortheon was a god in his eyes. Having lost his parents in childhood, Mortheon was his nurturer and recourse.
She had seen countless children who had lost their families, so she knew how precious family was. Because Victor couldn’t protect his person, he went crazy.
But Victor looked strangely thoughtful. He gently stroked the back of her hand.
“Of course, you are different from my brother. You are more important than anyone else, and you’re…”
Victor, who was silent for a moment, got up. Then he asked softly.
“Shall we go back to the castle together? It looks like you’ve finished eating.”
Amarion looked down at her empty plate with embarrassment and glanced around.
The banquet was still in full swing. In such a noisy atmosphere, it wouldn’t be strange if they left.
She nodded and took his hand. They headed towards the castle.
＊ ＊ ＊
Even while she washed up and changed clothes, there was a lot of noise outside. She put on comfortable pajamas and sat down on the bed.
Victor also returned quickly. He smiled softly.
“It’s been a while since you’ve dressed like that.”
“I don’t have to wield a sword at dawn anymore.”
Victor laughed softly and sat down next to her.
She looked up at him quietly. He was still preoccupied with his thoughts.
“…I keep thinking.”
He continued.
“I’ve never met anyone like you before. You’re my first. You’re not weak… Even my brother was a person I had to protect, but you…”
His eyes twinkled gold in the dim light.
“When I fought with you in the darkness, I was not afraid at all. I should have had a seizure from nightmarish memories, but I didn’t, because of you.”
“Victor…”
Before she left for subjugation, she would not have understood, but now she knew everything. He felt a sense of relief that someone similar to him was around. She even understood the loneliness he must have felt so far.
“You were my first, too.”
Amarion spoke as if entranced.
“I don’t have to worry about someone dying when I’m with you. That’s my biggest fear. I was more than happy with all the jewels and dresses you gave me.”
Victor shook his head. It felt like her body was going to burn wherever his eyes touched. It was still noisy outside, but she could only hear the sound of his breathing.
Hot and sweet.
His strong arms wrapped around her. His bare skin warmed her body.
“Marion, my wife. My miracle.”
They fell onto the bed together.
He was like a sculpture, wrapped around her body like a halo. His lips on the tip of her nose were incredibly soft.
“It’s very late, but shall we celebrate our first night?”
He whispered.
Her mind was clouded. She felt like her temples were going to explode, and her heart was beating so fast she felt it was going to burst. She was also a little scared.
But she gladly wrapped her arms around his nape, which smelled of musk.
“I like it. It’s good.”
Holding him tight, she replied again.
“Okay, Victor.”
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Huff.
The candle went out.
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New Kofi shop updated till chapter 88.