SONATA WAS easily fascinated as she was easily pissed.
She didn’t want to admit this, but Diether was correct when he said she had a nasty temper despite having a calm façade.
[No, it’s more like I hold grudges?]
That was why she memorized all the faces of the ladies who wore dresses close to white to her wedding.
Of course, Princess Mikaela was number one on her list.
[And I already know how to punish that brat.]
“I, Seymour Lomello, king of the Zerua Kingdom, now pronounce you husband and wife,” King Seymour, who officiated the wedding, said cheerfully. Then he looked at Sonata and Diether with sparkling eyes. “Diether and Sonata Hexford, I invite you to seal your marriage with a kiss.”
[The king is enjoying this, isn’t he?]
Sonata smiled and nodded politely to the king before she faced Diether.
She immediately checked if her husband looked like he would throw up again just like how he looked during their failed engagement.
Much to her relief, the commander looked fine.
[Thank goodness.]
Diether looked hesitant at first, but it only lasted for a few seconds. “Here I go, Sonata,” he said softly as he carefully lifted her veil again. “May I kiss you?”
Pfft.
Sonata was highly amused by Diether’s red face and shy expression. “Only if you do it the way I asked to earlier, Commander.”
Diether’s face turned a deeper shade of red. “As you wish, Lady.”
It was so fascinating to look at Diether’s awkward expression as he leaned down towards hers. Sonata had to think of the day her father-in-law discovered her identity because she needed to get annoyed to keep a straight face. Otherwise, she would have burst out laughing already.
“Don’t laugh,” Diether scolded her in a low and embarrassed voice as his face inched closer to hers, his hands touching her shoulders lightly. “And this is the part where you’re supposed to close your eyes, Lady.”
Sonata whispered back. “But you look so fascinating right now, Commander.”
This time, even his ears had turned red. “Sonata.”
Pfft.
“Fine,” Sonata said, then she closed her eyes. “Happy now?”
Diether didn’t respond verbally, but his hot breath fanning her face already told her why he couldn’t speak at the moment.
And then it happened.
Diether pressed his lips against hers, lightly at first. But then he probably remembered their conversation earlier, so his lips began to move– urging her to respond.
But Sonata didn’t move an inch to tease him.
Pfft.
Diether, obviously impatient, growled low as he nibbled her lower lip.
[Okay, this is enough show for Princess Mikaela.]
Sonata smiled against Diether’s lips, then she finally responded to his kisses.
Her first kiss wasn’t as exciting as she thought it would be.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
It didn’t even make her heart flutter.
But Sonata thought it was fun because Diether’s awkwardness was everything.
[I’m going to tease him about this for the rest of our lives.]
“I told you to seal your marriage with a kiss, not to flirt and make out with each other,” King Seymour teased them in a very joyful voice. “But you’re making this uncle of yours happy, my dear nephew and precious niece.”
Pfft.
Of course, the king of a small kingdom would be delighted to have someone like Sonata as his “precious” niece-in-law.
***
DIETHER was relieved that the guests had finally left after having a sumptuous lunch prepared by the famous chefs of House Hexford.
Everyone seemed to be satisfied, especially after the wedding favors were distributed.
[Good. With this, the nobles would be quiet for a while. They can’t look down on Sonata despite our rushed wedding. After all, they received expensive and rare gifts that only House Hexford could afford to give away for free.]
“Are we going to have tea with our family after this, Commander?”
Diether turned to Sonata who was standing next to him, her hand on his arm.
They were standing by the door of the greenhouse to thank the guests who had attended their wedding ceremony as they bid them farewell.
Sonata only spoke to him after the last guest had left.
“We should change into comfortable clothes first before the tea party,” Diether explained. He had to since Sonata was a foreigner. “In the Zerua Kingdom, it’s normal for a newly married couple to have a private tea party with their families after the wedding ceremony.”
Sonata didn’t have a family.
But King Seymour volunteered to attend the tea party as Sonata’s family. And the king also brought the direct members of the Royal Family with him.
[It’s a miracle that His Majesty has convinced the queen to come out today.]
“Argh,” Sonata complained lightly. “That means we’re forced to tolerate His Majesty again.”
Pfft.
That was funny.
To be honest, Diether was relieved that Sonata was still acting as she usually did.
She didn’t even blush during their kiss, and she didn’t make a big deal out of it.
That made him realize that they were truly in the same boat– that this marriage was just nothing but a business contract to them.
“Why are you looking at me like that, Commander? You’re not going to tattle on me for talking behind His Majesty, are you?”
“Lady, the Avari Temple teaches that marriage is a holy union between two people chosen by the goddess to be together forever,” Diether said, speaking what was on his mind because he felt comfortable enough with Sonata. “But we only married each other because my father and the king chose you for me. What kind of marriage do we have then?”
Sonata laughed softly, as if he had just asked a silly question. “An unholy marriage, of course. What else?”
Unholy marriage?
Diether smiled. “I like the sound of it.”
Sonata let out an exaggerated gasp. “The commander of the Avari Holy Knights shouldn’t be proud of committing an unholy act against the teachings of the temple.”
“You’re not going to tattle on me, are you?”
His wife just smiled and acted like she was sewing up her mouth.
[Wait… did I just refer to Sonata as my wife? I mean, legally, she’s now my wife. But how come I accepted it easily?]
Had he gone mad?
“Commander, can I take a quick nap before the tea party?” Sonata asked sleepily. “I need to rest a bit.”
“Did using Mana exhaust you?”
“Mana?”
“You were the one who controlled the magic gems earlier to make the entire place dimmer, weren’t you?”
“…”
“Everyone who knows me also knows I both have Aura and Mana in me,” he said when Sonata remained silent. “I developed Aura because I was raised a Swordmaster. On the other hand, I possess Mana because a person born with divine power has to have a Mana Container. After all, the divine power is usually located in the heart of the wielder. And in order to protect it, a Mana Container is needed.”
Mana referred to a person’s magic power, and Mana was everywhere.
[It’s not easy to learn how to see and use the Mana around you, though.]
On the other hand, a Mana Container was a storage system within the user’s body.
Diether’s Mana Container would automatically absorb the Mana around him in order to keep the divine power in his heart protected, and that was the extent of his ability to wield Mana.
“But just because I have Mana doesn’t make me a Mage,” Diether said. “My ability to perform magic is limited to the basic stuff like turning a mundane object into a weapon, or creating a small flame. Hence, I’m only known as a Swordmaster. However, there are people who could both wield Aura and Mana equally. There are only a few of them, but they exist. As a fellow knight, you should know what I’m talking about, Lady.”
Sonata smiled as if it was none of her business. “A person who could wield Aura and Mana equally is called a Knight Mage, if I remember correctly.”
“A Knight Mage is rarer than a Swordmaster.”
“Are they?”
“I also heard Knight Mages are good at hiding both their Aura and Mana, hence most people wouldn’t be able to tell they are Knight Mages unless they wish to reveal their identity. And most Knight Mages enjoy their privacy.”
“Oh, really?”
Diether smirked at Sonata’s funny attempt at playing dumb. “From now on, I’ll take your threats seriously, Lady.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Commander. But that’s a wise decision,” Sonata said playfully. “I don’t want to be a young widow, after all.”
***
NOTE: I'm just happy that