The Villainous Family Loves Me Too Much!

“Bonding ceremony?”

“That’s right.”

It was said that skinship is included in the ritual process, but it can’t be done simply by kissing.

Lucian was so attached to me that someone would mistake him for hugging me.

No matter from which angle you looked, it would seem like we were lovers. And in such a moment…

Bang!

“Brother!”

Sylonne opened the door and rushed in.

“Oh… Sister is here too. Why do I always end up coming in at moments like this? Ha-ha-ha.”

It was the same situation as in the room last time.

“That’s right. Sylonne, you should learn basic etiquette as the knight commander.”

Lucian adjusted his clothes without a hint of negativity.

‘Why do you say that? Sylonne seems to have entered at just the right time.’

I gave an annoyed look at Lucian’s response.

‘What, why are you smiling at me like that?’

The first expression you see when you are born. No angel in this world would be able to smile so prettily.

It was the first time I saw his boyish face.

“Um, yes. uh… Keep doing what you were doing, you two.”

Embarrassed, Sylonne scratched her head and slowly backed away. Then she went back the way she came in.

And I chased after Sylonne as if running away.

It was because I thought I wouldn’t be able to talk to Lucian in that atmosphere.

“It’s not like that! I’m coming too!”

I was following her behind, but Sylonne suddenly stopped walking.

“Sister.”

It was a calm and low voice, unlike the usual Sylonne who is always excited.

“Yes?”

I stood next to her, feeling nervous, waiting for her to speak.

But Sylonne just stood there for a long time without saying anything.

She held my hand after a while and spoke.

“Thank you.”

Whether it was because of her sudden, unexpected gratitude or the awkwardness of the situation, I felt embarrassed.

‘In fact, shouldn’t I be the one thanking you?’

I think I was able to get along well because I received countless help from Sylonne since I came to Felosite.

“I am more grateful.”

I replied sincerely, and Sylonne gave a small, genuine smile.

“Big brother is really lucky. He has got someone like you as his wife.”

“Right? It’s not just me who thinks that, is it?”

It started as a joke, and the tense atmosphere was finally broken as we all laughed.

“But Lucian has probably never… I mean, he’s never liked a woman since he was born, right?”

“Isn’t His Highness our Archduke not lacking in that aspect?”

He could be as unapproachable as a fortress at times and seem surprisingly vulnerable at others.

Sometimes, he seemed to like me, but at other times, he acted in a way that could be easily misunderstood.

At that moment, Sylonne’s eyes sparkled, and she playfully punched my arm.

“Surprisingly, His Highness did have a first love, though.”

* * *

“Damn, I can’t believe this.”

The human who blushed so red at the thought of first love.

-For you and I to undergo the bonding ceremony.

No, how can you say such a thing casually?

I grumbled as I absentmindedly touched a small fallen leaf on the ground for no reason.

I didn’t know who it was, but he wanted to kiss me while thinking about his first love? Only for the bonding ritual?

“What’s wrong, Your Highness? Is there something that doesn’t please you?”

The newly appointed manager for Marquis Lloyd and Alexi’s wedding asked, looking for signs from me.

“Oh, no. Everything seems perfectly prepared.”

It wasn’t a slip of the tongue or improvisation to cover up. It was the truth.

The image of the reception hall I had initially imagined was faithfully recreated with the Marquis Lloyd family as the background.

Although it was smaller in scale compared to the Felosite Palace, I had taken that into account when preparing, and there were still plenty of interesting things to see with different themed areas in each section.

“Wow! Sister, this place is amazing!” 

“That’s right, Your Highness! Can we play with whipped cream here without a problem?”

After Jonathan had helped with the healing, Larry and Jonathan had become friends and often hung out together like kids of the same age.

Maybe it was the heavy burden they both carried as heirs to their respective families at such a young age that formed a strong bond between them.

“Sure, Larry. Today, you can forget that you’re nobles!”

Watching the excited kids, my anticipation for this wedding soared.

“Great! Jonathan, should we start somewhere in a little while?”

“Even if we act all noble, let’s start with the tea party and… finish with whipped cream!”

A tea party, a place for conservative aristocrats similar to the existing classic banquet hall concept, a macaron forest decorated with sparkling sugar jewels and macarons, a small lake of chocolate that can be scooped up and marshmallow swans floating on it, edible too. Even fresh cream was made from natural milk.

To make sure nothing was lacking, each detail had to be checked thoroughly.

The place I had dedicated myself to the most was the whipped cream mountain.

To make it possible to play and eat, cleanliness was more important than anything else. So, to use the whipped cream mountain, everyone had to wear special clothing, and we prepared appropriate dressing rooms and makeshift shower rooms.

After checking everything, I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Well, let’s go see the bride now…”

I was about to say this to go check with Alexi for the last inspection an hour before the wedding, but just then, someone’s familiar backside passed by me.

“Gabriel…?”

I didn’t get a good look at his face, but he had mint-colored hair just like me and was of a similar height to Gabriel.

“Gabriel!”

I called out to the back of his head, but he didn’t turn around.

‘Of course. What the hell am I thinking?’

Because that person can’t be Gabriel.

“I’m sorry, I’m out of my mind. Now let’s go see the bride.”

* * *

“It was truly a wonderful wedding ceremony, sister!”

“Words can’t describe it, child. It’s the first wedding like that I’ve witnessed in my life.”

“This old geezer even forgot his age and rolled around in the cream mountain, hahaha! It was so fun!”

“When grandpa started rolling, all the nobles joined in too. The guards didn’t know what to do – it was hilarious!”

From the morning, the previous day’s wedding was the hot topic at the Felosite family’s dining table.

As the one who created that wedding ceremony, I felt quite proud yet embarrassed.

“I’m relieved you all enjoyed it. I was worried with so little preparation time…”

“Our new daughter-in-law is quite humble, isn’t that right, son?”

As always, our Archduke made no reply and simply cut and ate his ham in silence.

“Lucian helped out a lot. Thanks to him, Alexi’s wedding went smoothly.”

“That brat. As long as he didn’t cause trouble.”

Grandfather didn’t seem too pleased with his attitude, needlessly picking at him.

Tension arose again between Lucian and grandfather.

It happened every morning when we all gathered, but it wasn’t easy to get used to.

Without a word, Lucian rose from his seat, took an envelope from his pocket, and tossed it onto the table in front of me.

“It’s yours now, Delfia Merchants.”

Leaving just those words, the Archduke exited the dining hall.

“Tsk, as rude as ever, that insolent brat. Congratulations, sweetheart.”

With a fork and knife in both hands, grandfather gave me a terrifying congratulatory smile.

“Oh my, so our new daughter-in-law is now the guild owner! We must buy you a nice building soon. What do you say, child? Shall we go shopping tomorrow?”

“Sister! Now that the urgent matters are done, how about going for strawberry cake!”

While grateful to all, there was one important thing I had to do first.

“I… have something to ask you, grandfather.”