The Archduke’s Gorgeous Wedding Was a Fraud

“So, it’s a castle on the outside and a maze on the inside?”

“That’s right!”

“Kids will love this one, too.”

The castle was all pink and purple.

Just looking at the exterior walls would make your eyes sparkle and fall in love with it.

Being located in the center of the amusement park, it was an essential facility that would serve as a landmark for all paths.

“Then… Please take good care of me, Lacius.”

“Of course.”

It’s really reassuring to have him here. At least I won’t be shivering in the cold.

I gently brushed the picture with the palm of my hand and infused it with power.

The feeling of a huge whirlwind rising within me is now familiar.

The rapid drop in my body temperature was no longer surprising.

“Phew.”

Even though it was a warm day, it felt like steam was coming out of my mouth.

I trembled and moved my hand.

Behind me, Lacius stood strong and unwavering.

“I’ll keep your body warm.”

“T-Thank you.”

My teeth chatter from the cold.

I shivered as if the frost was only around me.

I felt like someone who’d stepped out barefoot in the middle of winter when it was obvious there was snow on the ground.

A terrifying sensation ran up my spine, and the moment I thought I was gonna lose my sight due to dizziness.

“It’s… done.”

The maze castle was safely summoned.

Thud. 

With a heavy thud, the maze castle settled into its place, and only then did I relax from my body.

But Lacius didn’t let me go.

Instead, he held me tighter in his arms.

“I hope I can be a lifelong help to you.”

Um, could you please turn on the blinkers before you make such fluttering statements? It’s not good for my heart.

I calmed down my heart and pushed open the entrance to the maze castle.

Then Lacius peered into the cute and charming interior of the castle.

“Are we going in here too?”

“Yeah, of course. If something goes wrong and we aren’t able to escape the maze, we will have to demolish it.”

I hope such a sad event never happens.

I prayed silently to El-Laum, the god of this country, and took a step forward.

Please let it be as I imagined.

The first thing that caught our eyes were four doors.

Some large, some very small doors awaited us.

“No matter which way you choose, there will be an exit, so it won’t really matter which one you choose.”

“The big one, then.”

The small door is actually only big enough for a child to fit through, so it is not suitable for adults.

Even more so, if you’re Lacius, you won’t be able to get through it at all.

I felt a little sorry for Lacius, who had to bend his waist even though it was an adult-sized door.

I should have drawn it a bit bigger.

“So the way to go from here is, ummm… Left!”

“You don’t really know the correct answer; you’re just guessing, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. I actually don’t know which way leads to the exit and how to navigate it.”

If the creator doesn’t know, who will know?

It may sound absurd, but Lacius came up with an even more absurd conclusion. Brushing his chin he then said,

“Then let’s go hand in hand. If we lose each other and fail to find the way out, it’ll be a big problem.”

How did it come to that, sir?

But the look on Lacius’s face made his point sound so valid.

He was very serious, as if we would surely lose each other if we didn’t go hand in hand.

“Well, if that’s the case…”

I said softly and held out my hand.

Lacius firmly grasped my hand, slipping his fingers between mine.

“They say you only need to turn left in a maze.”

“I’ve heard that too. Shall we try it?”

It’s designed for kids, so it shouldn’t be too hard.

Besides, the colors of the flowers attached to the maze walls changed at regular intervals.

“Red, yellow, blue, purple, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Now this is orange… Oh, there it is.”

Neither of us was directionally challenged, and both of us had good memory as well.

Moreover, with our tall heights, we took long strides, so it only took us about three minutes to finish the maze.

At the end of the maze, there was a spiraling staircase, but apart from that, we couldn’t see any other exits.

“Looks like we should go up here.”

“It’s like an observatory deck.”

Children would have to climb up for a while, but we skipped three steps at a time.

After a while, we reached an unobstructed view.

“You can see the entire amusement park from here!”

Since the drawing emphasized safety, all sides of the observation deck were made of glass. 

It’s reassuring to know that no one will fall from here.

Lacius stood a little behind me and looked around the amusement park carefully.

“It is beautiful.”

“They haven’t even planted the flowers yet.”

“Still. The fruit of your hard work here is beautiful.”

He has a way with words, no matter who he’s talking to.

I hummed with pleasure and stretched my arms out.

“You know, I’m going to build a giant changing facility at the entrance where people can rent clothes that are as good as aristocrats usually wore, so everyone can enjoy their fantasy here.”

“Are you saying that there will be no discrimination between children of nobles and children of commoners?”

“That’s right. Rich or poor, you should be equally happy in Evershal. Using your title to cut in line, or calling several servants to stand in line for you will not be tolerated here.”

Since this world’s society is based on social status, I have already considered everything that could happen.

The nobles might strongly object, but the amusement park wasn’t meant to cater exclusively to the nobility.

That would be a disaster. 

Everyone should be able to come here. And everyone should play without feeling self-conscious.

If they didn’t want to leave their title and status behind, they could just rent out the whole of Everseal for a day

“If they mistreat a commoner, it will simply look like they don’t have enough money to rent the whole Evershal, and that would be a humiliation to them.”

“It’s an effective measure considering the aristocratic habits.”

“Right?”

Of course, the daily rental fee for the amusement park will be ten times of its normal daily revenue.

To afford such expenses, one would need to be at least from a viscount family or higher

A family with at least one successful business under their name.

It was never forgivable for someone to act recklessly in other people’s businesses simply because they carried the title of nobility.

“Shay, aren’t you feeling cold?”

“Well, you’re here. I think it would be fine for me to summon one painting per day.”

“That’s fortunate.”

The warmer weather also seemed to play a part.

I adjusted my fur coat and looked at the dreamland I had created.

Seeing it gradually taking shape filled me with indescribable emotions.

Flowers wither, so they will be planted last.

The lake would be filled with water and fish would be released in it. 

I looked at the artificial lake, its ripples shimmering, and opened my mouth.

“Maybe I should hire a separate secretary.”

“You have a lot of work.”

“Yeah, I’ve had a tremendous increase in the number of people I need to pay salaries to.”

I counted with my fingers with a proud expression.

“Cleaners, facility managers, food and beverage vendors, and even a boutique staff that makes dresses and boys’ formal wear. I’ve already hired all of them.”

“It’s quite a lot.”

“Isn’t it?”

At this point, even if things don’t work out with Lacius, I have enough to make ends meet.

I could have a second life as an entrepreneur.

Now that I think I’ve made all the necessary preparations, I finally feel relieved.

All that was left was the grand opening ceremony of the long-awaited amusement park.

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