Chapter 44 - 44 Cyril and Aila's Wedding
Preparations for Cyril's wedding, with Marquess Earhart taking the lead, were proceeding smoothly.
Many nobles had received invitations, and naturally, invitations arrived at House Archibalt as well. Two of them, in fact.
One was addressed to the couple, Brian and Abigail. The other was for Steve and Christina. If there had been only one, likely only Brian and Abigail would have attended, but considering the circumstances of how Cyril had reached his current position, there was no option but to invite Steve.
Furthermore, it was specified that he should be accompanied by his fiancée.
Since Christina had not made preparations, she had no dress to wear to the wedding. House Archibalt lacked the connections to place a rush order, so they ended up relying on the connections of her parental home, the house of Earl Mackintosh.
Steve acted as Christina's transport, moving to her family home via Teleportation to have clothes tailored for himself as well.
At the house of Earl Mackintosh, the two received a warm welcome.
"It has been a long time. Father, Mother."
When Christina greeted her parents, Earl Mackintosh made a sour face.
"Chris, this may be your family home, but in terms of the order of greetings, the Dragon Wing Medal recipient comes first."
"That is right. My apologies."
Christina, having been cautioned, looked dejected.
In terms of status, Steve and Earl Mackintosh were equals. Christina was Earl Mackintosh's daughter and Steve's fiancée, so she sat one step below them.
However, Christina was still a minor, and her guard naturally dropped when meeting her parents.
Of course, Earl Mackintosh inwardly wanted to be kind to the daughter he hadn't seen in a while and spoil her, but he could not tolerate the possibility of people laughing and saying the education of the Mackintosh family was lacking when she eventually married and became Steve's wife, so he deliberately chose to be strict.
Resetting the mood, Steve offered his greeting.
"It has been a long time, Your Excellency."
"Thank you for always taking care of my daughter. Since you have pulled even with me during the time we haven't met, please call me Lord Mackintosh instead of Your Excellency."
"I am not used to that, so could I ask you to let me continue as before?"
"You will get used to it eventually, but if that is what you wish, shall we do so? You may call me whatever you like."
Steve was far younger in age, but since their rank as nobles was equal, Earl Mackintosh treated him as an adult.
However, since Steve wasn't used to it, they decided to keep things as they were.
"I am sorry for the sudden, unreasonable request. We simply did not expect to be invited to the wedding at the house of Marquess Earhart. At our age, we didn't have formal attire for attending weddings ready, and I had no leads for someone who could make outfits for both the Young Lady and myself in such a short time."
"Nonsense, I have been receiving preferential treatment from Lord Archibalt regarding the educational toys, so if I do not repay the favor at a time like this, I will never have the chance."
Regarding the popular educational toys, Steve had been prioritizing orders from Earl Mackintosh. In particular, when a new product was finished, he would deliver the initial lot even without an order.
This was the result of Steve being quite considerate, not wanting to leave any openings for later criticism since it was his fiancée's family home.
Earl Mackintosh had also sensed that consideration.
"That is just how relatives get along. Speaking of relatives, I have brought a new product to sell."
As Steve said this, he held out a dragon figure.
The item he was gifting to Earl Mackintosh this time featured the coat of arms of the Mackintosh family drawn on the flag held in the dragon's mouth.
The brilliance of the nickel made the Earl hesitate to touch it with his bare hands. He immediately gave instructions to bring a stand, then questioned Steve.
"This is?"
"A dragon statue. It uses a special metal; though it is iron, it will never rust. This metal is currently being researched at the Royal Research Institute and is not available to the general public. Selling only toys would lead to a decline, so I prepared high-end items like this as well. Since it is me, I can even depict coats of arms using dragon motifs. Furthermore, by engraving the Dragon Wing crest on the soles of the feet, I prove that this is my work."
Coats of arms using dragons were restricted to the royalty alone, but many nobles had attempted to bypass that regulation in the past. Therefore, it was decided that even if a coat of arms was drawn on a flag held in a dragon's mouth, it would not be considered a crime. In short, the coat of arms and the dragon must not be one and the same.
Steve's creation made this possible. To prevent anyone else from forging Steve's work and selling things they made themselves, he engraved the Dragon Wing crest on the dragon's soles.
It was a strategy that killed two birds with one stone: preventing forgery and making it acceptable to depict a noble's coat of arms.
"From what I hear, I can tell this is an incredibly expensive item, but you are giving this to me?"
"Of course. I have no intention of taking money from my father-in-law."
From here, Christina spoke to the Earl on Steve's behalf regarding the things that were difficult to say.
"However, if you boast about this, Father, Lord Steve's business will also flourish."
"I see, so that is how it is."
In other words, Steve intended to use Earl Mackintosh as a billboard to spread the figures among the nobility. Since that was hard to say, Christina spoke for him.
For the sake of his daughter, Earl Mackintosh decided to contribute greatly to the promotion and readily accepted.
Thus, while tailoring their outfits for the wedding, they also managed to pitch the new product, and Steve and Christina returned home having achieved their goals.
Upon returning home, Steve expressed his gratitude to Christina.
He had endured until now because he didn't know who might be listening outside.
"Thank you, Chris. With this, we are one step closer to achieving His Excellency's request."
"I am also to be Lord Steve's wife. I wish to be of even a little help."
Yes, the gift of the dragon figure to Earl Mackintosh was more significant as a stepping stone to corner the Dronne Trading Company than as a pitch for a new product.
Steve had revealed that plan to Christina and asked for her cooperation.
And Christina had happily accepted. As a member of House Archibalt, Christina strongly desired to leave behind some achievements.
In reality, she played a very important role in things like the cooking methods for Soba, contributing to profitability far more than the Sherry, but due to her naturally serious personality, she felt her contribution was still insufficient and aimed higher.
However, Steve felt uneasy about her working too hard and wished she would follow the Sherry's example and cut corners appropriately. Still, seeing Christina's devoted efforts, he couldn't bring himself to say that to her face.
Finally, the day of Cyril and Aila's wedding arrived. Due to the large number of nobles invited, the venue was the Royal Capital. In the Royal Capital, nobles would have townhouses, or those who didn't would stay at inns. If this were held in the Marquess Earhart territory, the lodging facilities would be overwhelmingly insufficient.
They couldn't have nobles stay at commoner inns, and if that happened, Marquess Earhart's reputation would suffer, so the ceremony was held in the Royal Capital.
While waiting for the bride and groom at the Great Cathedral in the Royal Capital, Aurora and Leo approached Steve.
"Good day to you, Your Excellency. One might lose track of who the protagonists are today."
"Oh, no one would complain if you and the lovely fiancée beside you became the protagonists. Perhaps a flashier outfit would have been better?"
As Aurora said, Steve and Christina wore modest designs. In contrast, Aurora had arrived in a flamboyant dress based in red and scattered with more jewels than one could count, looking as if she might stand out more than the main attraction.
"No, no, we are just like extras. There is nothing good about standing out."
"Considering the circumstances leading up to their marriage, you are hardly extras. If you are an extra, then there is no reason for anyone else to be invited. Though, this feels more like a display of Marquess Earhart's faction's power than a celebration for the bride and groom. When I think about being dragged into that, I lose the desire to congratulate the young couple."
"Now, now, it is a celebration, so let us leave aside calculations of profit and loss."
"You certainly have a good upbringing. Even though there is maneuvering even in places like this. Though, behind those words, I am sure you are doing what needs to be done. Your fiancée's father seems to be incessantly boasting about a dragon statue. I would certainly like to see that statue for myself once."
"If that is Your Excellency's wish, I can show it to you at any time."
Aurora took Steve's words as a social pleasantry, but a desire to be a bit mischievous sprouted within her.
"Oh, then could I have you show it to me today?"
"That is quite sudden."
"Indeed. Once you hold a certain amount of power, you are always targeted by enemies. There is no guarantee you will see tomorrow's sunrise. There is always the possibility of poison being slipped into tonight's meal."
"Understood. If that is the case, I shall show it to you today."
Aurora was taken aback by Steve's response. She had thought he would look a bit more troubled, so it was unexpected that he promised so easily. And she felt a tiny bit frustrated.
From there, the ceremony proceeded smoothly, and after the religious rites ended, the participants each offered their congratulations. The order for these was all decided, starting from the royalty and proceeding in order of peerage rank.
Steve's turn came quite early, following Aurora.
Prompted by the master of ceremonies, he stepped forward in front of Cyril and Aila. In his hand, he held a beautifully wrapped box.
"Congratulations on your marriage. As a junior, I have nothing to say to my senior in life, but I have brought here a piece of the Chief Engineer's research given form."
Saying so, he handed the box to Cyril.
"Your Excellency, may I open it here?"
When Cyril checked with Steve, Steve nodded.
With Steve's permission, Cyril opened the box and checked the contents.
"This is—"
Cyril pulled out a dragon statue that glittered as it reflected the light.
It was identical to the one presented to Earl Mackintosh, the only difference being that the coat of arms was that of House Earhart.
"This is a statue made using the new alloy that the Chief Engineer is researching. As proof that it is my work, I have placed the Dragon Wing crest on the soles of the feet."
A stir arose in the venue due to the craftsmanship of the statue and Steve's explanation.
In the midst of that, Steve stole a glance toward Aurora.
It was a smug face that said, 'I have fulfilled the promise from earlier.' Aurora seemed satisfied and returned a smile to Steve.
The congratulations continued after that, but they were very long, making it hard on those waiting. Food was served, but the time was spent centered more on conversation than the meal.
A crowd formed around Steve and Earl Mackintosh, and explanations were sought regarding the dragon statue from earlier. Since an identical model to the one Earl Mackintosh had been boasting about had appeared, it served to supplement the parts that words alone couldn't cover.
The nobles who had heard the story beforehand thought it was an exaggeration, but seeing the actual object, they realized it was not.
Also, partly due to the Caligula Effect—the desire to do what is forbidden—the urge to possess a statue designed with their own family's coat of arms held by a dragon was ignited in many nobles. After the barrage of questions from those nobles ended, Steve was called by Aurora.
"What is it?"
"It seems you ended up standing out more than the bride and groom after all. Was that as intended?"
"Hardly. I have no intention of ruining the wedding of my friend, the Chief Engineer. What was unexpected was the reaction of the nobles."
"You do not deny that you intended to use this venue, then."
Aurora looked exasperated with Steve. However, that was not her true feeling. Rather, she would have been more exasperated if he had acted here without thinking of anything.
"It is to carry out Your Excellency's request."
"Which means unveiling that statue was very important."
"Yes. Without this piece, we wouldn't be able to deal a major blow to the Dronne Trading Company. Now that we have this, I suppose the next step will be for Your Excellency to host a party?"
"Do you intend to use me for free?"
Aurora threw a sharp gaze at Steve.
Steve continued the conversation without minding it.
"How about that statue from earlier as compensation?"
"I would like to rejoice and say thank you, but I suppose that is also part of the scenario?"
"You saw right through me."
Steve stuck out his tongue.
In the past, doing such a thing to a superior like Aurora would have been a major problem, but now that they were equals, he would not be punished.
Furthermore, Aurora was not the type to get angry over something of this level.
"I have a general grasp of the situation from Valier's reports. As the client, it is unsettling to leave everything entirely in your hands."
"That is only because it is you, Your Excellency. Normally, once a request is made, one simply waits for the result."
"That is exactly the behavior of the incompetent. If it looks like it might fail, one should devise a secondary plan; if it looks like it will succeed, one should aim for even greater profit. That is why I evaluate you highly. You bring results beyond the tasks I give you, and even if I try to gain further profit, the margin for that is so small it makes thinking enjoyable."
That was Aurora's honest, unvarnished opinion.
Ever since she became involved with Steve, the difficulty of crafting schemes had increased, but that had become very enjoyable.
"I am honored to be evaluated so highly. Then, let me tell you the script I would like Your Excellency to perform."
Steve then relayed the upcoming plot to Aurora.