Chapter 3
After the impactful completion of our negotiations one year of being engaged passed and we married . Of course the matter about the contract is a secret to our families! A family that is too savage can cause anyone to faint . This is something only I can endure in the end . Originally the plan was to hold the ceremony after half a year, but apparently some kind of fishy movements occurred around the southern border region, and the military deployed . Of course the Lord Duke was dispatched too . Thus, a quiet year passed . I almost sent my memories of the engagement and the Lord Duke[1] flying into oblivion .
With that we return to the very start of the wedding ceremony .
We are having our wedding ceremony specially inside the royal palace . In the end I’m an idol[2] . . . . . . err, ahm, it seems it’s because this is the Lord Duke’s wedding . If you become *whew* the treatment sure changes!Being prepared at the duke’s home, I’m wearing a gorgeous wedding dress, generously made out of first rate silk . And also prince like handsome men are lining up across the Lord Duke . Nice nice, garments and accessories are fine, except the mediocre me . To be lined up with these sparkling and beautiful people, something must be wrong with the world . I sincerely acknowledge it, so can you not glare at me at every glance please? You noble ladies there . I feel their singing stares throughout my entire body . Can’t stop la jalousie[3] beams .
Somehow the death glares settled, to the esteemed priests oath I pledged with a lie in every word and at last I have to sign the marriage credentials . By signing this, the marriage comes into existence . Despite being so thin, with these letters it becomes such an oppressive scrap of paper . In general, once you pledge and sign the contract as it is, the esteemed priest brings the credentials inside the royal palace . Incidentally when divorcing, that credential has to be excavated out of the storage, since that is exceedingly troublesome it is extremely disliked . 『Aaー, it is good that our credential is kept in a well known place you know!』and afterwards, quietly wonder if that is really good . After the never faltering Lord Duke signed, he passed the feather pen into my hands . The sickly sweet smile that came as an extra shows he has great acting skills . You have to pardon my cramped smile . Receiving the pen I too signed .
With this we became『legally』a married couple .
But well, personally I would say this is something more like a『Super fancy business conclusion a . k . a . signing ceremony』rather than a『wedding ceremony』
The following wedding reception afterwards too, was as far as i am concerned, agony . Bluntly speaking, what kind of punishment game[4] is this? ... . . a punishment game for the sake of paying off a debt of course . Yes . I’m sorry . That is right, I have to resign to my fate . As usual my skin is being frizzled and grilled by the laser beam bombardment[5] from the noble ladies . Oh my, colleagues from work, superiors, subordinates . Oh my, and among them friends from high society, I greeted them with a forced smile . Finally I greeted the royal family the same way . Aaah, feels like a lifetime worth of socializing . I’m not proud of it, but so far I have mostly been shutting myself in![6]Did that outcry of my heart leak out?「Are you alright? Are you tired?」The Lord Duke inquired while showing a sickly sweet smile and embracing my shoulders . YES, beyond all imagination, you know!!Oops, I see, it has already begun, right? Almost made another blunder . 「No, I am quite fine . 」Returning a fragile smile to that beaming one . Yup, perfect score . 「Then Im relieved . 」Again, going up the Lord Duke returned the sparkling smiles with his own . The sugar content is increasing huh .
Geh-, too sweet .
Since that little skit repeated itself, I couldn’t get down even a single bite of the delicious food or dessert . *hangs head*
The endless skit like wedding reception ended at night . This is actually the first time I set foot into the house of the Physalis . The Lord Duke, no, now it’s actually dear husband, escorted me to the entrance hallway, where the servants greeted us standing in long rows . As expected from the rich, there are a lot of servants . And yet we had to somehow make do while being short on hands .
「「「Welcome home master, madam!」」」
Rustling with a zaza they vigorously lowered their heads . To be startled by that, I’m poor☆
Moreover『Madam』they said! This is embarrassing and stiff . But my dear husband[7] splendidly ignored the servants . 「From today on you will live here . I will guide you to your room . 」Saying that, he took my hand and guided me up the stairs to the second floor .
I was brought to a lovely and spacious room . There were properly things like a sofa, table and writing desk . And I wonder how many people can fit on that imposing bed . At least it could fit my entire family on it, right !!? There is also a canopy attached . While the on white based room itself was conservative, it was furnished with all sort of luxurious things . Until now I have never seen a house like the one of these people, I almost reflexively pinched my cheeks, but I came to my senses in the nick of time and stopped . Aah, in the first place, this the home of these people!While restlessly looking around suspiciously with a wry smile . 「This is the bedroom for married couples . Feel free to use it at your own convenience . 」Said my dear husband . Ohh, a bedroom for married couples is it? That said, since we are a fake couple and declaring that I can use it at my own convenience, in other words it is fine to think of this as my own『private room』 . Understanding that, I turned to my dear husband and nodded . 「Understood . Uh~m, where will you be staying dear husband . 」I don’t want to go too deeply into details, but not knowing the basic information will be troubling . 「I will stay in a separate building that is near the garden . 」「Miss girlfriend will be there too?」「That is right . 」「Understood . I will take care not to draw near it as much as possible . 」「......」For some reason he made a serious face . Did I perhaps say something strange?「Is something the matter?」「No . You just seem very unconcerned . . . 」
「Because we have agreed to it in the contract, no?」「That is so, isn’t it . Well then, I will leave now . 」「Yes, thank you very much for the hard work . 」 Once my dear husband left, I stretched myself with a long u~~~n . Today was a very tiring day, you know . There was the wedding ceremony and the wedding reception . As expected, till the end I couldn’t get used to treat him closely . The last guest even drew back . I would say we haven’t been found out though . With the help of the two maids who came in in the place of the dear husband, I finally got ready for sleep, and like that I dived into the bed☆ . Starting tomorrow my life as a decorational wife begins . Well, let’s think about tiring things tomorrow... . . guu . [1] She literally says the memories of his face and engagement . [2] ok, I’m like 80% sure that is a reference to a song called 「なんてったってアイドル」(nantettatte aidoru), but the song is older than the internet and interpreting lyrics of a song is a bit outside of my abilities . 20% that I’m reading too much into this . [3] The english -jealousy- is used here for comedic value, so I used the french one to preserve it, I hope . Also french because it’s the Fleur kingdom and all . In the future should I keep the english instead? [4] On the off chance you don’t know . Batsu games involve the loser of a bet/wager doing something embarrassing . [5] ビシバシ(bishi bashi): It is actually a sfx used to describe rapidly following events . Like a stream of negative critics or here a bombardment of jealousy beams . [6] ヒキコモリーヌ(hikikomoriinu): hikikikomori + ing form . Impossible to preserve the joke here . At least for me . But the tone is a comical one, very in line with her silly/light hearted personality . [7] I’m grateful for any suggestion regarding on how I should deal with dannasama . The translation I went for sounds kinda too endearing?