C 173
"Did you hear? I heard it was the young matriarch of the Etham family who created that hair dye or whatever it is that's so popular nowadays."
"Really? Are you talking about the dragon?"
"Yes, I heard that besides that, they're also working on a pet products business."
"That's not strange, is it?"
"I tried it too, and it was really good. Look at this hair. It dyed really well."
"Oh...? Now that I think about it, the color of her hair seems to have become a bit more vibrant."
The ladies gathered, discussed, and chatted among themselves. The voices speaking at the grand banquet that had been held for the first time in a long while were filled with excitement.
Colorful hair was everywhere, making the banquet more colorful than ever.
"It's been a long time since a banquet was held at the Etham Duke's house, hasn't it?"
"That's right."
"Maybe... dragons aren't so scary."
"That's right, actually, the cat they breed enjoys that treat among the cat food. It really likes that. You don't know how wild it is."
"Uh, actually, I... bought and used it before I knew it was a business run by the Etham family, and I'm satisfied!"
"I just thought dragons were scary... But that didn't seem to be the case. Nothing happened."
That ladies awkwardly raised the corners of their lips and smiled.
The influence left by the star guardian still remained, albeit faintly, but that was all.
While Eirin worked, the world was slowly changing.
"But my goodness, I didn't know that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would also attend this party."
"There's also the next lord of the magic tower..."
"Also, Lady Lillian Daisy, the fiancée of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince..."
"I can also see other direct descendants of the Etham family."
"Oh, the former head of the Etham family has also come. I heard he went down to another territory they had received..."
As the crowd filled the massive banquet hall, people were busy looking with wide-open eyes.
Perhaps it was natural, as the banquet was filled with people who rarely appeared.
The banquet hall was bustling.
This was because the celebrity-filled banquet hall was filled with warmth and excitement.
At that moment, the tightly closed door opened.
"Matriarch Eirin Etham, former patriarch Erno Etham, and High Priest Lucilion are entering!"
With a loud voice announcing their entrance, the three individuals walked slowly on the red carpet.
In an instant, the crowd fell silent. Silence fell in the crowded banquet hall.
Her beautiful pink hair hung down. The golden decorations and embroidery on the dark blue dress that resembled the night sky made her fair and pure skin stand out even more.
Her beautiful golden eyes, seemingly filled with honey, were round and charming.
She looked so beautiful that it was hard to believe she was a dragon. The person standing next to her was Erno Etham, who had become more serious with age.
He was entering, lightly holding his daughter's right hand.
His radiant smile remained as beautiful as ever, captivating the hearts of many noble ladies who gazed at him, causing their cheeks to flush.
Not only that.
To the left was a beautiful silver-haired man with bright blue eyes and a gentle smile, his beauty was truly blinding.
No one could take their eyes off the golden embroidery on the pure white priest's uniform.
It was natural that the ladies in their prime blushed when they looked at Lucilion.
And everyone opened their mouths to see Eirin being escorted with both hands held by the two men.
"My goodness, was that young lady always this beautiful?"
"When I saw her before, she seemed like a girl who knew nothing about etiquette..."
Now, she was wearing impeccable etiquette.
Eirin walked slowly and stood on the podium.
"Thank you for coming here to wish me a happy birthday. This is my first banquet since I became the matriarch of the family. I hope you enjoy it comfortably."
Eirin said with a smile.
---
"Stay away from my daughter, brat."
"I've also grown into an adult, father."
"Who's your father?!"
Escorted by the two men, I just laughed. I mean, I laughed because I couldn't bear to cry.
This was because these two men, who had been holding my hand before entering the banquet hall and throughout the entrance, had been arguing incessantly with a skill that was almost like ventriloquism.
"It's truly incredible."
In fact, no one knew that these two were arguing because their facial expressions were extremely bright.
"The business went well... Thanks to the success of my business, I even got rid of the snow leopard... And thanks to everyone's hard work, I made a pile of money..."
The relationship with Lucilion remains ambiguous.
It's been 2 years.
That's how long it took for me to tell the story of the star guardian to my father, start the business, expand it, and establish it to this point.
And not long ago, Lucilion made an explosive announcement in front of my father.
"I want to marry Eirin. Father."
As soon as he finished speaking, dad drew his sword and pounced on Lucilion, splitting the garden in half.
"...Did that really happen?"
Even thinking about it again, it was an incredible outcome.
"Hmm..."
Thinking about the budget spent on the restoration makes me cry.
Anyway, after that, every time we made eye contact, Dad would look at Lucilion with great fierceness.
Today, Lucilion had been courting me for a whole week, asking me to be his partner, but my dad came out, and I ended up being escorted by two people on the same day.
"Eirin."
"Yes?"
When I turned my head, Lucilion's face was right in front of me.
As he was so close to my nose that I could almost feel his breath, I could see his bright blue eyes entirely in my own.
"He has really beautiful eyes."
It was like some kind of jewel.
"Here's something."
His hand lightly brushed my eyelids.
"Oh, thank you..."
"What are you doing now?"
"I had some dust, so I just removed it, Father."
"Then who's your father? I've never approved of you."
"Yes, I'm calling you in advance because you'll admit it soon. I want to be a good son-in-law so that Eirin can feel comfortable."
The words said with a bright smile seemed to have thorns sticking out of them.
Perhaps those were truly innocent words, but they really angered my dad.
"Eirin."
"Yes?"
"I like you."
"......"
Lucilion tilted his head and whispered softly. My face instantly turned bright red.
"Ah..."
"It's okay; it seems you want to die. Yes, if you want to..."
I reached out and gently stopped my dad from drawing his sword.
"Dad, please. Lucilion, you too, be careful out there."
"Yes, I will be inside."
That's not what I meant.
Every day was a day when my heart skipped a beat from the moment Lucilion started openly pursuing me.
"Not good for my heart."
He really was a devil disguised as an angel.
As I sighed, someone approached the platform where Eirin was.
"Eirin."
"Richard."
It was a face I hadn't seen in almost two years.
I sent letters several times, but Richard never showed his face, except for a reply saying he was fine.
The face I found again had become more mature. I felt like he had grown into an adult without me even seeing it.
"Happy birthday."
Richard handed me a well-wrapped gift.
"... Thank you."
"Yes, it's good to see you after a long time. How have you been?"
"Good, and you?"
"I've been fine too. Although it's annoying to deal with old people every day. Nowadays, my father complains every day and asks why I don't come home."
The grumbling voice was the same as before. It probably took a lot of effort to make it that way.
"I think I'll become the Lord of the Magic Tower soon. I'll invite you to the succession ceremony, so make sure to come."
"Of course."
"Yes, let's see each other often."
"I want to talk more, but there's a line behind me."
Richard grinned mischievously and pointed to the people gathered behind him.
"To be honest, isn't something like this a priority for the royal family?"
Enosh was at the front, still grumbling.
"Happy birthday, Boll-... No."
Enosh, who was speaking comfortably, cleared his throat a little, squinted his eyes, and raised his chin.
"Happy birthday, matriarch of the Etham family. I hope you can become a great matriarch and contribute to the Empire. I'm also very impressed with your recent business."
He was putting on a solemn voice, but somehow, I felt it didn't suit him.
I held back the laughter that was about to burst out and nodded my head slightly.
"Oh, thank you. Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
"This may be a small gift, but it's a gift from my fiancée and me to you, our future vassal."
When Enosh nodded, the attendants lifted a large box and placed it by my side.
"It's nothing special, just a sacred relic. I heard dragons like sacred relics."
"Thank you."
When I responded with a broad smile, Enosh crossed his arms, cleared his throat, and turned his head slightly.
It was clear he wanted to provoke something, but he couldn't open his mouth because he was thinking about the eyes around him.
"Eirin! Happy birthday!"
"Get out of my way, Sharnae. I'll hug Eirin first..."
"What are you saying, idiots?"
As soon as Enosh moved away, Sharnae ran and hugged Eirin tightly. As soon as I saw her, she had turned into a fine lady.
"Thanks to you, I graduated safely. Eirin took care of me, didn't she?"
"..."
I just asked Terem to make sure no one ignored Sharnae before going back to sleep.
"Thanks to you, I learned what I wanted to learn and had fun. This is my gift."
Sharnae lightly kissed me on the cheek, then put a necklace around my neck and walked away.
"Ah, Eirin. We're here too!"
"That's right."
Callan and Silian quickly joined and handed me a gift.
"Darn. When did you grow so big?"
Callan blew his nose with bright red eyes as if he was about to cry. I was speechless for a moment when I saw him biting his lip and turning his head.
"Sorry, he's been like that lately. It's scary because it seems like you're getting further away as you grow up or something."
"Silian Etham!"
"Anyway, happy birthday."
Silian gave a simple greeting.
He pushed the backs of Sharnae and Callan, who were trying to stay close to me, and dragged them away.
After that, many people, including Chronos Etham, congratulated me on my birthday and gave me gifts before leaving.
"Phew, I'm tired."
As I lowered my head from fatigue, a glass of cold drink touched my cheek.
I was surprised for a moment and turned my head to see Lucilion smiling.
"I feel like your gaze keeps wandering slowly; should we go outside and rest for a while, Eirin?"
"Oh, yes."
Lucilion casually put his hand on my waist as he handed me a cold glass.
He escorted me out to the terrace like a bodyguard and closed the door.
A cool breeze passed by my cheek. As I leaned on the railing and laughed lightly at the pleasant air, Lucilion lightly stroked my cheek.
"Eirin."
"Yes?"
"I don't think I can say anything anymore due to our father's interference."
"What?"
When I heard Lucilion's laughter and looked at him curiously, Lucilion took a step back in front of me.
The moonlight gently fell, making his silver hair shine even more. Lucilion knelt down and lightly took my hand.
"Eirin, would you marry me?"
".....Lucilion?"
"I like you. I'll cherish you more than my own body for the rest of my life, and I'll give you the rest of my life and the life after Eirin..."
"......"
"Please, give the rest of your life to me as well."
A ring of white light floated above the back of my hand, like a bright white ring.
It was as if it were the moment of the final choice.
