The morning of the engagement ceremony dawned bright.
“Where is the hair ornament? Miss Jasmine brought it!”
Regina rushed around frantically.
“Here it is! I took good care of it!”
Fiona also moved busily.
“Ah, I definitely took good care of it, but where is it?”
Fiona rummaged through the pile of items on the table. Then, Ruo silently handed her a box.
“You found it! Thank you Ruo!”
Fiona hurriedly passed the box to Regina. Regina squeezed through the people preparing Elise.
And upon seeing Elise with the final touches, she opened her mouth wide.
“Miss……”
“Is it strange?”
Today, Elise wore the traditional Tetris dress.
A red dress tightly hugging her figure’s silhouette with a white fur draped wrapped around her.
Elise asked with concern.
The engagement ceremony was the first time she would greet the people of the Tetris Kingdom.
She wanted to look beautiful to the people of the kingdom and do well.
“No. You look so beautiful.”
Regina choked up like she was overwhelmed. Elise blushed.
“Regina, you tend to see me too favorably.”
“Don’t you believe me? Ask the others. Isn’t our Miss pretty? Isn’t she beautiful?”
“Yes. You are angelically beautiful.”
“There is no other goddess.”
The court ladies of Karan who had become comfortable with Elise joined in Regina’s words.
“Everyone is just teasing me sincerely.”
Elise smiled wryly.
“Teasing? I am telling the truth, Miss Elise. I have been doing makeup in this palace for years, but you are the first person I’ve seen whose skin glows without makeup.”
“Me too! It’s the first time I’ve seen hair as nice as yours, Miss Elise. I want to learn how you take care of it.”
After Regina started the compliments, others chimed in with their own. The compliments continued until Elise’s ears turned red.
“That’s enough.”
Just as Elise was starting to feel awkward, Rosh entered. She tapped the floor with her staff.
“Has the Count arrived?”
Ruo bowed deeply in greeting. As someone who once wielded a sword, Ruo respected Rosh. Rosh nodded slightly in return and approached Elise.
Even she paused upon seeing Elise’s beauty that was almost blinding.
“Rosh? Is it already time to go?”
At Elise’s call, Rosh suddenly came to her senses and smiled.
“Yes, you must go out now.”
Rosh was in charge of Elise’s protocols again today. Elise willingly extended her hand. Despite Rosh’s inconvenient leg, she steadily helped Elise stand up.
Behind the two standing side-by-side, Regina, Ruo, Fiona and several of Karan’s court ladies took their places.
“Are you nervous?”
Feeling Elise’s stiff hand, Rosh asked. Elise gave a faint smile.
“A little.”
She thought she wouldn’t be nervous. The engagement ceremony was just a formality, so to speak.
It wasn’t a wedding, and it wasn’t the first time.
Still, her heart felt like it would jump out of her mouth.
“Shall we walk slowly?”
Rosh suggested, to give Elise time to calm down. But Elise shook her head.
“No. Let’s go quickly.”
Once the engagement ceremony was over, Elise would officially become a Tetris citizen.
Elise wanted to remove the “Bedrokkan” label as soon as possible.
There was another reason she hurried her steps toward the engagement hall.
‘I want to see His Highness.’
How magnificent would he look?
Without realizing how fluttering her own thoughts were, Elise headed to the engagement hall.
****
The Tetris engagement ceremony is divided into two parts. First part is a ceremony held in the palace’s banquet hall used by the king, in front of family, nobles and guests.
Second part is a ceremony held in the plaza, where the engaged couple greets the citizens and offers them food.
For the second part to proceed smoothly, the first part had to go according to plan.
“You’ll be entering soon.”
As Elise arrived at the waiting area, Regina reported back on the situation.
“The hall?”
Even after repeatedly confirming it until yesterday afternoon, Elise couldn’t help but ask again.
“Perfect.”
Regina gave a thumbs up. The tension on Elise’s face eased a little.
The engagement ceremony was Elise’s test stage. The nobles who had looked down on her would evaluate her abilities based on the ceremony.
She wanted to do well. That’s why she wanted to proudly take her place by Karan’s side.
A long trumpet sounded. Majestic and magnificent music fit for an inauguration played.
It signaled Karan’s entrance into the hall.
The heart she had barely calmed began pounding violently again.
“Miss, it’s time now!”
Regina, peeking her head out from outside the tent, gestured to Elise.
The entrance music changed to a smooth, elegant tune. Elise stood up. Rosh tightly grasped Elise’s hand.
The tent opened wide, letting in blinding light. Elise slightly bowed her head and stepped out of the tent.
People’s gazes converged on Elise. Over the gentle music, the sound of held breaths could be heard.
“Everyone is entranced by Miss Elise’s beauty.”
Rosh softly whispered, leaning slightly. Elise dismissed her words as an exaggeration and raised her head.
On either side of the long extended carpet, the flags of Lysandro and Tetris embroidered with gold thread fluttered. The grandeur of the luxurious flags Elise had specially made culminated in the golden flagpoles.
Elise believed the path she walked would lead Lysandro and Karan to glory.
She wanted others to see this path she walked as one of abundance.
So she spared no expense in decorating the path leading to Karan.
The second aspect she paid special attention to was gifts. Elise put particular effort into the return gifts for today’s attendees -Jasmine’s accessories said to be difficult to obtain even in Bedrokka.
She had previously spread through Regina and Fiona that even Bedrokkan nobles found it hard to obtain jasmine accessories.
That even Iris could not obtain them was just extra.
For those once famed as warriors, she prepared weapons made of skeleton bones as gifts.
Elise prided herself that it would be an engagement ceremony satisfying to all and wanted to observe their reactions.
But Elise could not. The moment she set foot on the carpet, her gaze was riveted to one place.
Seeing Karan standing upright, looking at her, her heart tightened.
Even though Regina had lavished compliments on how pretty she was, for a moment Elise worried she might look plain.
That’s how magnificently the man groomed from head to toe could make even enemies swoon.
The neatly buttoned up to the collar shirt, the leather belt cinched around his toned abdomen, the silver wolf pelt draped over his shoulders, and the gold cord serving both functional and decorative purposes.
The traditional Tetris attire accentuated his solid, strong physique.
Not overly ornate, yet dazzlingly bright. Elise wanted to only look at Karan.
‘What was I just thinking?’
Elise was startled by her own possessiveness.
She thought only fools were swayed by a man’s looks, but she was as well.
Elise regained her composure. Then she heard the surrounding whispers.
“They suit each other well.”
“Her looks are no less than our Highness’.”
“The hall looks grand too. More than anything, it’s good she doesn’t act arrogantly unlike other Bedrokkans.”
Praise for the engagement ceremony lined up.
“Trying to turn me into a murderer on our engagement day?”
A gruff voice came with an outstretched large hand. Looking up, it was Karan.
Elise had not heard him speak, too focused on watching his approach.
Unable to wait until she arrived, he had walked back nearly halfway.
“That’s far enough, Count. The Count can step back now. You’ve worked hard.”
Letting out an “ugh”, Rosh looked at Elise. Instead of answering, Elise withdrew her hand and placed it on Karan’s arm.
The music changed again, evoking the jungle.
As Karan and Elise moved forward, Karan’s warriors came onto the carpet. Those wearing inverted silver wolf masks stomped their feet, following behind.
Taking the stage, Karan and Elise exchanged vows of oath.
Then Tyllo came out and bestowed a small golden name plaque to Elise.
It was a plaque guaranteeing her status, holding symbolic meaning.
The ceremony neared its end. All that remained was the two to kiss.
“Do we really have to?”
Standing close to Karan, Elise asked.
“Yes.”
The tradition of kissing at the end of the engagement ceremony was not mandatory. But after conceding everything else, Karan insisted they must do this ritual.
Karan brought up a Tetris superstition.
That those who kiss at their engagement ceremony live well together.
Of course, that was a blatant lie, but Elise believed Karan.
She figured she could not know Tetris as well as those born there, despite studying it diligently.
Many small superstitions are passed down orally, after all.
Yet actually kissing in front of everyone made her feel embarrassed.
“Elise, everyone is anticipating it.”
Anticipating what? Us kissing?
Elise thought there was no way. But looking around, she changed her mind.
Everyone’s eyes were sparkling. Gazes anticipating something happening.
Elise could easily deduce that something was the two of them kissing.
“Elise, you stay still.”
Karan always told her to stay still in bed. But he never just left her be.
This time would likely be no different.
Elise let out a low sigh. And before Karan could kiss her, she took the initiative and pushed her lips out first.
Karan’s startled eyes closed softly.
Those watching gasped. Not once, not even Hartbin attending right beside him, had they seen such a gentle smile.
Having seen it often, Elise simply smiled back and closed her eyes.
Karan’s kiss was not gentle. He roughly parted Elise’s lips and entered. Hot breaths rapidly flowed in.
Coughs and throat clearings arose here and there. Many were fanning themselves.
Why were they feeling so heated from a kiss seen at any engagement ceremony?
Those anticipating the kiss turned their heads away, unable to watch to the end.
But amidst it all, one person could not take his eyes off the two–Chase.
He watched their kiss through to the end. Until Elise and Karan’s lips parted and the trailing strand broke, until the very last moment.
‘Elise, live by your own rules for now. It will soon become difficult.’
He watched with a smile, his fist clenched so tightly the veins bulged.
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