The promised one month.
When three days remained until the engagement ceremony with the Duke King.
Ruri pointed at the paper and pen with a face full of dissatisfaction and said.
"Please write one vow document to be used at the engagement ceremony."
"Isn't there a formal one used for that?"
"There is, but......."
At that moment, Ruri's throat bobbed.
She forcibly swallowed back the sigh that came out instead of a Breath down past her throat.
"Since it's an unofficial engagement ceremony, you wish to proceed without empty formalities."
"So?"
"You wish to substitute it by reading a personally written vow document."
Ferda listened to those words and nodded calmly.
"A Romanticist, huh."
"Romanticist my ass. It's worse than getting married in a stable. What is this? Writing a vow document personally...... is this some kind of playing house?"
Ruri grumbling.
In the end, she spat out what she had swallowed down into her small chest.
"Haaaaa......."
It's a Breath.
'A human engagement, yet a private engagement ceremony and even making each other write vow documents.......'
Even a Spawn who obeys a dragon couldn't help but accumulate emotions.
So it was understandable that she sighed like that.
'Still, she's loyal to Valdrova herself rather than the ruler's position.'
If she valued the former more, Ferda wouldn't be able to exist like this.
If she set her mind to it, Ruri could have attempted to kill Ferda or trapped him in a scheme to create a flaw.
But Ruri didn't use such low-grade methods.
'If anything, she helped instead.'
Ruri's complex feelings were felt.
She wished this engagement wouldn't go well, while simultaneously wishing for Valdrova's happiness.
'Trapped in that contradiction, no wonder she's so irritated.'
Truly a pitiful thing.
Ferda decided to throw her a glance of pity, if only for a moment.
"What's with those eyes?"
"Thinking how truly pathetic."
At the sincere pity, Ruri's face crumpled.
"I don't want to hear that from a human like you?"
"You're still a guest so I'll let it slide, but in three days I'll be the Prince Consort, so what happens to our relationship?"
"It won't be much different from now. I hope you're not under the delusion that you'll be able to give me orders."
"Of course. That's not why I asked."
"Still, if you ask me to hit you, I'll hit you without hesitation."
"That's a pass from my side."
"No need to worry. I'm confident in my strength. I control it well too."
"? Not needed."
Ruri raised her adorable fist.
That adorable fist smashed the bed and even broke the floor.
Even as a joke, the thought of saying such a thing didn't occur.
"Anyway, once the engagement proceeds, you'll need to bring in servants inside the castle from now on. You'll also need to elect ministers to lead the territory."
"Servants and ministers? Do I have to do that?"
"Yes. Since the Prince Consort will handle the territories and miscellaneous affairs under the Duke King Valdrova."
Ferda tilted his head at those words.
"You looked like you didn't like grabbing power? Telling me to grab power?"
"It's not that I dislike humans who grab power, I just dislike humans blinded by power."
The 3rd Prince of the Arken Empire was blinded by power and couldn't avoid death.
"Power is originally something that should be grabbed by those without interest in it. Because they don't desire greater power, they look after the people's livelihood. That's the kind of human needed right now."
Ferda tilted his head.
"Is the people's livelihood not good?"
"As you can see from the current lords, it's a total mess."
Ferda recalled the lords gathered at the council.
Fat bodies, dull beyond measure.
Their appearance trembling in fear of their necks being cut was just like pigs trapped in a slaughterhouse.
"Those who should be pillars are all busy fattening their own bellies. Since they're on the front lines, not knowing when they'll die, they frequent brothels and are busy eating expensive food. The complaints are being hushed up with frontline military power for now, but who knows when a massive riot might explode."
"Didn't know. That it was that kind of situation."
People's livelihood.
Hearing that word, Ferda felt one question.
"Doesn't the Duke King Valdrova wish for humans to be happy?"
"That's correct."
"If she personally steps up and says just one word, wouldn't almost everything end?"
"It would."
"Then why can't she do that?"
"......."
Ruri closed her mouth.
Her face was cold, and she was emitting Dragon Fear uncontrollably.
Like a dragon whose Reverse Scale had been touched.
"Regarding that point, I'll keep silent for now. You'll find out enough later anyway."
Ferda decided to take a step back at those words.
"Let's do that. Then I just need to write the vow document?"
"Yes. Then I'll take my leave."
Ruri bowed and went out the door.
Haaaaaa.
The sound of a sigh rode the floor and entered Ferda's ears.
Ferda recalled the words Ruri had said and picked up the pen.
'A vow document, huh.......'
They said the first half is the hardest, and Ferda got stuck on the first line.
Should I have asked specifically how to write it?
If I had, it would've been easier.
'Should I put it off for later?'
Instead of the vow document, Ferda decided to write a few letters.
He had once said this to the lords.
-I don't give a rat's ass what you guys do.
But now was the time to care more than a rat's ass.
That was the problem.
'I told the lords I had zero interest, so if I try to interfere, there'll be backlash.'
Ferda was aware his first impression wasn't good.
Since he ended up lying there, his image would get even worse.
He had no choice but to send a letter to each of them.
Content saying he might interfere in internal affairs.
He added a phrase like this at the end.
-If you don't like it, don't reply. Because I respect you guys.
And replies from all the lords returned that very day.
Engagement ceremony day.
Ferda showed his ability, and simultaneously proved there wasn't an inch of falsehood in his words.
Ruri, with nothing left to nitpick, quietly accepted the engagement ceremony.
"Your epaulettes are crooked. And you starched them nicely, so what do you mean wrinkling the pants?"
Instead, she started the day by nitpicking every little thing.
"If I had hands and eyes on your position, I'd be truly happy."
"Why don't you get yourself a pair?"
"You could do it."
Ruri took a step back.
Her two hands also slipped behind her back.
"I don't want to touch you. I'm just the valet serving my master, so don't expect too much."
"Hmm, really dog-like."
"Want to fight me? Just say the word. I'll fight you for real anytime."
"No, I mean it as a compliment on your loyalty."
Ruri growls, but Ferda accepts her nitpicking and processes her points one by one.
'Engagement ceremony, huh.......'
Something didn't feel real.
Getting married basically comes with one of two emotions.
Joy of getting married.
Or sorrow of being sold off.
Ferda felt neither of those two emotions.
'It's been like this ever since I returned to this day.'
A calm heart unbefitting an Owner of the Red Circle.
'Am I just going through with the engagement because I think I have to?'
He suspected it was just mechanical behavior faithful only to duty.
As the overwhelming anger and hatred disappeared, even other emotions became faint for Ferda.
'Is it okay to face Valdrova with a heart like this?'
A vague anxiety lingers in a corner of his chest.
'Vague anxiety, huh.......'
Ferda smiled faintly.
Vagueness is a human weakness.
'After all this, I'm still human.'
Right now, that's all that matters.
Ferda decided to just hold onto that fact.
The engagement ceremony was held in front of Valdrova's Lair.
Inside the Lair illuminated by hundreds of bundles of candles.
They decided to proceed with the ceremony with only about 20 steps left between the iron door where Valdrova was inside and the outside.
Ruri, having finished preparations for the ceremony, knocked on the door.
"Master, we will proceed with the ceremony."
Then the giant iron door opens carefully.
Air escapes from between them, dilutes with the outside air, and flows through Ferda's nose and mouth.
"Ugh."
Breath tightens.
Despite there being no killing intent from fighting monsters, that alone brought out the emotion of fear.
If Ferda were just a little weaker, his condition would've been bad enough to faint on the spot.
Ruri scanned Ferda's condition and said this.
"You must endure."
"I...... know."
"Then I will proceed with the engagement ceremony."
Ruri ignored Ferda's condition and began the procedure.
Since it was already discussed this would happen, Ferda focused on sitting properly and regulating his breathing.
"Mortal and Immortal become one today, weaving a golden thread that neither heaven's authority nor time's waves can sever."
Ruri places the bowl and liquor table she had set in front of Ferda.
Ruri carefully holds the liquor bottle, pours clear liquor, and recites the text.
"The Mortal becomes one by escaping the unknown and washing away fear."
As heard beforehand, Ferda receives the bowl and drinks the liquor.
Clean and clear taste matching its transparency.
'As expected, I can't handle liquor.'
Ferda, who never enjoyed liquor even as he aged, this was the first liquor in his life.
Ferda drinks the first cup, pours the remaining half into the bowl, and brings it before the iron door.
"The Immortal becomes one by erasing the transience of infinite flow."
Now it was Valdrova's turn to drink the liquor.
Sreureuk
What protrudes between the giant iron doors is a claw larger than Ferda's body.
The terrifying weapon that tore apart monsters' bodies.
That claw carefully lowered toward the bowl containing the engagement liquor, and
Clatterâ!
Knocks it over just like that.
"......."
An embarrassing silence flows.
The claw returns inside the iron door with a clattering sound.
Wondering if this is how it's supposed to be, Ferda glanced at Ruri.
"......We will proceed with the ceremony again."
It literally proceeded again.
Read the engagement text, Ferda drinks liquor first, and Valdrova's turn comes again.
Clatterâ!
Like that, the claw knocks over the small engagement liquor about 3 times.
Ferda started feeling a crisis.
'Drank a few cups and I'm getting drunk.......'
Ferda felt his head throbbing and his five senses' strings loosening.
Intuition says the next one will be the last.
Grindâ.
At that moment, a loud breaking sound came from somewhere.
Worrying if the cave was collapsing would be a stupid thing.
Unless Ferda misheard, it was unmistakably a sound coming from Ruri's body.
"Excuse me for a moment."
Ruri squeezed her body through the slightly opened gap.
Thinking she might prepare something separately, the moment he tried to wait.
"What are you doing right now, Master!"
Ruri's scolding voice flies out of nowhere.
Ferda's drunkenness instantly vanished.
"You're the one who made a fuss about marrying a mortal, and you're the one who said let's do the engagement. So what did this loyal servant Ruri do?"
The Breath she had been swallowing and swallowing for the past three days,
"I endured it!"
She began spewing it out passionately.
"The engagement ceremony that should've been publicly revealed as the Duke King was made private, so I endured it! And not facing each other and forming the engagement like this, I endured and endured!"
Voice growing larger.
Felt angrier than ever before.
"But you're scared to face your fiancé! Hiding like that! Interfering with the engagement! Just what! Does that! Fiancé! Over there! Become!?"
Rough breathing and Valdrova unable to make a peep.
What's heard beyond that is a deep sigh and Ruri's voice again.
"Come out proudly and greet your fiancé! If you knock over the engagement liquor one more time, I won't stay still either!"
Ruri, who had been roaring, came out again.
Her face was businesslike and expressionless.
Ferda unintentionally stared at her blankly.
And through Ferda's gaze, Ruri could guess what he was thinking.
"......Did you hear?"
"Probably even the other lords far away heard."
"......Haa. What can I do?"
Ruri sighed deeply with a troubled look and said this.
"As you can sufficiently infer from now, Master has anthropophobia."
"Anthropophobia means......."
"It means dealing with humans is scary."
"......."
"Anyone who heard would laugh. The Aspect who saved the world hiding because she's scared of mortals."
"Quite important information you're giving me."
"It's something you need to know anyway. You can't hide this fact forever just because you dislike it."
Her silver eyes glance down and she says this.
"Now you're becoming her partner. That means her weakness is also your weakness."
"Joint responsibility, huh?"
"Isn't marriage that kind of thing?"
Ferda quietly nodded at her words.
Marriage is joint responsibility.
For some reason, it wasn't all that welcome.
There wasn't a single time the word joint responsibility felt good.
Shortly after, the closed door opened again.
Thinking a giant claw would come out again, but what met his two eyes was a human form.
Ferda cast his gaze at the person who would become his partner.
"......Huh?"
He ended up exclaiming aloud in surprise.
'......Armor?'
Moreover, a person wearing full plate armor.
The helmet was in the shape of a dragon's head.
Despite being made of metal, it was so precise and imposing one might mistake it for a dragon for a moment.
Like what a dragon would look like walking on two legs.
The surprising thing isn't just the armor's detail,
'Incredibly huge.'
Above all, the height.
Ferda's height is 180cm, tall, yet he had to look up far past the top of his head.
Height alone is 240cm. Without armor, probably around 220cm?
'Dragon's Polymorph is said to be beautifully wondrous.'
If that beauty standard applies to humans, there's a 220cm beauty.......
Could what's inside actually be a man?
"We will proceed with the final engagement ceremony."
Before the ominous speculation could finish, Ruri proceeded with the ceremony again.
Ferda drank the engagement liquor he'd already downed 3 cups of again.
Eyelids heavy as lead from the alcohol.
Thought she might knock it over again, but that didn't seem likely.
Because Ruri grabbed the helmet itself and lifted it up so it couldn't be knocked over or spilled.
Ferda saw her appearance hidden inside the cold, hard shell.
Thus, the face of the Red Dragon, Valdrova, seen for the first time
"Ah."
Made him involuntarily let out an exclamation of admiration.