Chapter 228
The dinner party came to a merry end, and the Bern delegation dispersed to their lodgings in Jarla. Other than the guards who were on sentry duty, the rest were getting ready to enter dreamland and embrace the coming of the next day.
As the representative of the delegation, I was prepared to share my reflections of the day with Beogio, Sumaru, and the rest. After that, we would fine-tune our plans for the next day’s activities and beyond. Before I could get on with this task, Queen Seribea approached me with King Sigbert and Selina for a brief gathering.
Needless to say, it was finally time. I gulped down a bated breath as I buzzed with nervousness. From this moment forth, I would be meeting my in-laws, not as the aide to the baron of Bern, but as a prospective partner for Selina.
Selina seemed equally tense by the look on her face. She was about to ask her parents, who showered her with love, to let her leave her birthplace.
It would be a complete disaster if I was caught up in my own nerves and neglected Selina’s feelings right now. Hence, I composed myself and stepped into the mentioned room with Selina.
This building had been the residence of Jarla’s queens for generations, and this particular room was located in a rather private part of the abode. Clearly, it was a place where the queen could put down her title and rest with her family. The fact that I had been summoned to this room indicated that Seribea and Sigbert sought to speak with me as Selina’s parent.
There were no guards or attendants outside the room, and there was only the presence of two people inside.
「Excuse me. Queen Seribea, King Sigbert, I’m Dran. Selina is with me.」
「Please come in.」
Queen Seribea’s reply came from inside the room, though her voice was gentler than when she was speaking to me as the queen.
Fumu, she’s clearly in mother mode now, not the queen.
When I opened the door and entered the room, I noticed several rugs piled up in the center of the small space. Queen Seribea was seated on a large cushion meant for Lamias, with her long lower body stretched out. King Sigbert sat next to her on a chair, gazing at me kindly.
Across from Queen Seribea and King Sigbert, there was a cushion for Selina and a chair for me. Queen Seribea gestured for us to take a seat with a smile, and we sat down as instructed.
Selina and I were clearly jittery, but we were determined to get through with this wedding proposal without a hitch. Hence, we braved the greatest enemy of all time… No, it would be more appropriate to compare them to a wall. We faced this wall standing in our path.
「Sorry for calling you over so late. Is it about time you went to bed?」
As expected, Queen Seribea was speaking more casually than before. Similarly, we adopted an equally relaxed mode of speech with them.
「Not at all. It has been a really fulfilling day, and I stayed up to share my thoughts with everyone on the wonderful things I’ll be telling Baroness Christina.」
「Oh dear, I’m sorry you had to make time for us. We even made you stay up late. If you’d like, we can do this on a different day.」
「It’s no trouble at all. Rather than rearranging a different date, I’ll be far more glad to speak with you today.」
「I’m happy to hear that. I should’ve informed you much earlier, but tonight’s chat will be a private affair. Mr. Dran, I’m speaking to you not as the queen of Jarla, but as Selina’s mother.」
I wondered if addressing me by my name instead of my title as the aide indicated a change in her stance as well. After Queen Seribea’s reply, King Sigbert followed with a composed tone. Right now, he was facing the man who had come to steal his daughter from him.
「As Seribea mentioned, I’m speaking to you as Selina’s father today. Our conversation here will not affect our negotiations with the barony of Bern. With regard to official matters, I promise that we will adopt a fair and unbiased standpoint. I’m sure you’ll be unable to speak with us frankly if you feel uneasy about our interactions right now.」
King Sigbert probably mentioned the negotiations with Bern in a bid to allay any worries I had. Perhaps it might have also been his attempt as a father to draw out my honest thoughts at all costs. If it was the latter, then I would have to do my very best to gain his approval.
「If this is a private meeting, then I know that I should be frank in expressing my sincerity. However, I’m not sure whether my answers will please you both.」
Well now, what would happen from here on out could only be left to my speculations. I mused inwardly as I sat down in my chair. Selina, too, settled down on the cushion. Rather than coiling up her lower body, she let it stretch out like her mother.
I glanced at Selina’s profile, and it was clear that she remained strung up even before her beloved parents.
Since I was the reason for this defiance of Jarla’s customs, I could not help but feel apologetic. In any case, I would do my best to prevent any discord between parents and child due to my actions.
「Mr. Dran, we’d much prefer to hear the painful truth than pleasing falsehoods. I have to say this once again, but I’m relieved that our darling Selina managed to return safe and sound. Welcome home.」
「Seribea is right. Welcome home. That’s what I should first say to you. I’m very glad to see you more sprightly than you were when you left the village.」
「Yes, Mama, Papa. It’s taken my some time, but I’m home.」
For the first time since entering the room, a radiant smile finally spread on Selina’s face in response to her parents’ kind words. Her beautiful eyes, blue like the full moon, seemed to be blurring up with tears.
Fumu, fumu. Parental love sure has its charms.
「I’d love to praise you for realizing the aim of your journey and bringing back a partner, but I had no idea that my dear daughter would drag back the greatest problem in Jarla’s history with her homecoming. Wait, perhaps it should be called a challenge instead. I never imagined that you would bring back such a challenge for us. Don’t you agree, Mr. Dran?」
「I don’t know what to say, considering that I’m part of this challenge. Of course, I tell myself every single day that I have to be a man worthy of being Selina’s partner, and I do my best to achieve this.」
「Is that so? As a mother, I’m delighted that you think so highly of our daughter. Right, Sigbert?」
「Yes, we’re very proud of her. I’m sorry if this sounds rude, but that’s all the more reason it is upsetting to hear that you will be marrying into our family instead of taking Selina’s hand in marriage.」
「I sincerely apologize for behaving in a manner offensive to the both of you and Jarla for my proposal to Selina. However, I do not plan on giving up Selina. She is a wonderful woman, one that is too good for me. Hence, I won’t let any other man take her from me.」
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I’m sorry if this sounds rude, but that’s all the more reason it is upsetting to hear that you will be marrying into our family instead of taking Selina’s hand in marriage.
^-isn’t he doing the exact opposite of that?