Has the knight lady who married into the countryside fallen into depravity today?

Ophelia kept her hands folded together.

Her golden eyelashes blinked rapidly a few times.

wedding.

These two words kept crashing into her mind, shattering the mental defenses she had built up.

His once upright back quietly softened.

The clasped hands suddenly lost their place and could only awkwardly clutch the hem of the clothes.

The composure that belonged to the Valkyries of the Empire has vanished completely.

"Is...is that so?"

She uttered a few illogical syllables.

"Okay...of course it's okay."

A blush quickly spread across her fair cheeks.

"I do."

The volume was extremely low, almost drowned out by the morning breeze and the chirping of insects outside the window.

A smile appeared in Klein's eyes.

He threw back the covers, sat on the edge of the bed, stretched, and his bones made a crisp sound.

"Then it's settled."

He stood up.

"I'm hungry, let's go downstairs for breakfast."

Ophelia remained seated, her gaze following Klein as he entered the restroom.

The sound of water could be heard.

She raised her hand and touched her burning cheeks.

She had to put on the dress that symbolized the bride and walk to his side in front of everyone.

My chest was swollen with unfamiliar emotions, a feeling that ached from the pressure.

……

The restaurant on the first floor.

The long dining table was wiped spotless.

Raymond stood to one side, dressed in a sharp tailcoat.

The white napkins were folded into perfect triangles, and the silver cutlery was arranged perfectly.

The aroma of toasted bread mingled with the savory smell of fried bacon filling the air.

Klein pulled out a chair and sat down.

Raymond immediately stepped forward and poured him some warm black tea.

"Young Master, did you sleep well last night?"

"not bad."

Klein cut a piece of bacon and put it in his mouth.

"Raymond, I have something for you to do."

He swallowed the food.

"I want to have a wedding ceremony with Ophelia."

Raymond paused for a moment.

He bowed slightly.

"Young Master is wise."

"Since it's a formal wedding, the preparations must be done to the best of our ability."

Raymond straightened up and offered his suggestion.

"I suggest you take the young mistress to town today to pick out a suitable wedding dress."

Footsteps came from the stairwell.

Ophelia changed into a set of casual clothes that were easy to move in and went down the stairs.

She happened to hear the last sentence.

"Choosing a wedding dress?"

She quickly walked to the dining table and sat down.

"No."

She instinctively refused, speaking very quickly.

"When I married into this family, wasn't I wearing a wedding dress gifted by the Empire?"

She looked at Klein, trying to prove that her proposal was very reasonable.

"Besides... going to town would be too conspicuous."

"If the people in town knew we were going to have a wedding ceremony, they would definitely come to watch."

His hands were on his knees, his fingers nervously twisting together.

As a knight, she was used to facing thousands of troops on the battlefield.

However, being surrounded by a group of civilians as a bride was completely beyond her tactical range.

Klein put down his knife and fork, picked up his black tea, and took a sip.

He had naturally seen the wedding dress that the empire had gifted him; it was made of extremely fine materials.

only……

"Ophelia".

Klein put down his teacup.

The porcelain clinked softly against the tray.

He looked directly at her.

"Wedding dresses are only meaningful when the two of you go out to choose them together."

"Right?"

Ophelia was stunned.

My heart started racing, and a warm feeling spread from my heart all the way to my fingertips.

"it is good."

She lowered her head and whispered her agreement.

Golden strands of hair fell down, covering her reddened ears.

"I'll listen to you."

Raymond stood aside and spoke up at the opportune moment.

"Young master, I will arrange your carriage for this afternoon immediately."

Klein nodded and stood up.

Aren't you coming with us?

Raymond bowed slightly.

"The Silverscale Merchant Guild will be here soon, and the security arrangements at the manor will need to be readjusted."

"Moreover, choosing a wedding dress is a private matter for you and your wife."

"I don't want to disturb you."

The answer was watertight.

Klein understood Raymond's principles of conduct and did not force him.

"The manor is now in your hands."

……

……

Outside the manor.

A black carriage was parked on the gravel road.

The two black horses had glossy coats.

Klein was the first to step onto the carriage via the foot pedal.

He turned around and extended his hand to Ophelia.

Ophelia looked at the hand.

Tall and slender, fair-skinned, without calluses from years of wielding a sword.

She reached out her right hand and placed it on top.

With his help, they boarded the carriage.

The carriage is spacious, and the seats are covered with soft velvet cushions.

The two sat facing each other.

The carriage started moving.

The wheels made a regular sound as they rolled over the gravel road.

Sunlight streamed through the car windows, casting dappled shadows on the floor of the carriage.

Ophelia turned to look out the window.

Keep your hands on your knees and maintain an upright sitting posture.

Her fingers, however, were unconsciously caressing the hem of her skirt.

She was nervous.

This tension surpassed that of her first encounter with a siren.

The siren's weakness is fixed; you can simply cut it with a sword.

But faced with the scrutiny of the town's residents, this was completely unknown territory.

Klein sat opposite her, his gaze fixed on her restless hands.

Those hands, which had once gripped a heavy sword and slain sirens, were now struggling against soft fabric.

He changed his sitting posture and rested his chin on his hand.

"If you tear this fabric, Lillian will be very sad."

Ophelia stopped what she was doing.

She quickly loosened her skirt.

There was already a noticeable crease on the fabric.

She looked down at the crease, wanting to reach out and smooth it out but afraid of making it worse.

In the end, he could only pull his hands back to his knees and sit up straighter.

"I didn't use any force," she whispered, her voice lacking conviction.

Klein leaned forward.

This brought the two of them closer together.

He reached out and covered her clasped hands, his thumb rubbing the knuckles on the back of her hands.

"Relax, Ophelia."

"We're just going to buy some clothes, not to fight a deep-sea monster."

"There are no high-level monsters hiding in the tailor shops in town, and the common people on the street don't mutate and bite people."

Ophelia looked up.

Her golden eyes met his gaze.

"I understand," she replied earnestly, "but..."

"But don't you know how to deal with those people who are staring at you?"

Klein completed the second half of her sentence.

She nodded.

"That's easy."

Klein withdrew his hand and leaned back in his chair.

"Just think of them as roadside tree stumps."

"Back when you were training with the Knights, you must have chopped down quite a few wooden stakes, right?"

Ophelia carefully considered the feasibility of this suggestion.

"The stakes don't stare at me or whisper to each other," she pointed out the flaws.

"Then treat it like a wooden stake that makes a sound."

Klein went along with it.

"No matter what they say, you only need to remember one thing."

"What is it?"

"You're there to pick out a wedding dress; you're a future bride."

Klein looked at her.

"The bride's only responsibility is to be beautiful."

"Leave the rest to me, the groom."

Ophelia lowered her eyes.

Her gaze lingered on the back of her hand where he had touched her.

"it is good."

She responded, her voice much steadyer than before.

His back was still straight, but his tense shoulders had quietly relaxed.