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Chapter 15
“Now then, it’s time for dessert.”
Right on cue, Guillermo emerged from the kitchen, pushing a trolley toward the dining table. Neatly arranged on top were the dessert plates that had been prepared in advance.
Compared to the previous meal—when dessert and appetizers had been served at the same time—this was real progress. Since it was their first attempt, perfection had been impossible anyway.
Ibnia glanced at the clock on the wall and spoke.
“Sir Guillermo, you’re supposed to leave a bit more time here. If dessert comes out too quickly, important conversations can get interrupted.”
“Important conversation? Aside from the priest, everyone here has just been shoveling food like pigs.”
Guillermo tilted his head, clearly unconvinced.
He wasn’t wrong, but Ibnia couldn’t exactly agree with him in front of everyone.
Lowering her voice, she murmured, “I was just explaining the proper etiquette…,” to which Guillermo replied curtly that he would be more careful next time.
At that moment, Levi flew straight to the trolley and buried his snout into the desserts, completely nullifying Ibnia’s point.
Even those who had been sitting quietly now stared intently at the plates on the tray, all attention fixed on dessert.
After a fierce struggle with Levi, Guillermo finally succeeded in serving each person their share.
Today’s dessert was apple fritters—battered and fried apples topped with whipped cream.
The moment Hannah took a bite, her cheeks flushed as she let out an exclamation of delight, while Sir Max shed a single tear at the taste of civilization he hadn’t enjoyed in ages.
Seven, meanwhile, shoved a huge chunk of apple straight into his mouth without even cutting it.
Given how small he was, it was a mystery where all that food went.
At least he ate without complaining, which was something to be grateful for.
Ibnia slid her own dessert plate toward Seven.
“Sir Seven, would you like some more dessert?”
“There’s a ridiculous prejudice in this world that anything young and cute must like sweets. I detest that prejudice.”
Seven answered stiffly.
Seeing how fast he had devoured the dessert, Ibnia had assumed he liked sweets—perhaps he was the type to eat what he disliked first?
In a subdued voice, Ibnia apologized.
“I’m sorry.”
“Because of that prejudice, I can never freely express my true tastes. Another bowl!”
With that shout, Seven cheerfully accepted the fresh plate Ibnia handed him.
Elbowing Ram beside him, he whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear,
“Hey, just marry her. She’s young and pretty.”
Ram seemed to take it as a bad joke and only chuckled lightly.
At least the atmosphere didn’t turn awkward. Ibnia reflexively put on her harmless smile—
Just then, Guillermo pulled a champagne bottle from beneath the trolley and began pouring drinks into everyone’s glasses.
After making sure to fill his own as well, he tapped his spoon against a glass to draw attention. Naturally, all eyes turned to him.
“Then, shall we raise a toast to celebrate the priestess joining our castle?”
A deep, unsettling smile curved across Guillermo’s lips.
Had he always smiled like that?
As Ibnia wondered inwardly, everyone except her rose from their seats.
Perhaps using Ibnia as an excuse, but this time even Ram didn’t object to Guillermo’s suggestion.
When Ibnia finally stood as well, everyone raised their glasses as if they had been waiting for her.
Even Levi—unable to hold a glass—seemed eager to participate, staring at their hands with glassy eyes.
“To the new bond we’ve formed after so long!”
“Ugh, what a lame line.”
“He really wants to do everything humans do, doesn’t he?”
Seven and Ram’s complaints echoed, but no one actually refused the toast.
Their glasses met in the center, ringing out with a clear chime.
Ibnia followed the others and slowly took a sip.
“Huh… that ring—”
Seven suddenly froze mid-motion, staring fixedly at Ibnia’s left hand.
Ram, still swallowing his champagne, shifted his gaze toward her as well.
At that instant, a clear golden light—like liquid sunlight—burst outward from between Ibnia and Ram.
As if by magic.
The dining hall descended into chaos in the blink of an eye.
A violent wind blew, making it hard to even keep one’s eyes open, but Ibnia desperately tried to look in Ram’s direction.
She hoped he would resolve the situation—or at least explain what was happening.
Ram seemed to think the same. Judging it as his responsibility, he fought through the wind and rushed to Ibnia, pulling her tightly into his arms to shield her.
He began chanting something under his breath, but his words were too fast and drowned out by the roaring wind.
What rang out far more clearly was Seven’s thunderous shout.
“Ram! You idiot! Why are you casting a defensive spell right now?! Is marriage some kind of cursed attack to you?!”
The words clearly reached Ram.
A beat later, understanding dawned on him, and the strength in the arm around Ibnia’s back faltered.
At the same time, the air around them seemed to slow.
The golden lights floating about gently sank downward, melting into the floor like snowflakes.
Even after the wind died completely, Ibnia stayed frozen for a moment, her forehead pressed against Ram’s chest.
She couldn’t tell whether her racing heartbeat was due to the chaos—or because she was standing far too close to him.
As Ibnia tensed her body, trying not to touch him any more than necessary, Ram released her waist and intertwined his hand with her left, lifting it up.
Staring intently at her ring finger as if he couldn’t believe it, Ram muttered in a hollow voice,
“…Married? Us?”
“…What?”
Unlike Ibnia, who understood nothing, Ram seemed to be gradually grasping what had happened.
Letting go of her hand, he ground his teeth and turned toward Guillermo.
Guillermo stood a step away from the chaos, casually swirling his champagne glass.
Ram asked, disbelief written all over his face,
“So you prepared quite an elaborate trap, didn’t you?”
“Isn’t it the fault of the one who didn’t notice? The priestess has been wearing that ring since the moment she entered.”
“What kind of gentleman stares at a woman’s finger that closely?!”
“She’s not just any woman—she’s the woman you’re marrying. You should have looked carefully.”
At this point, even Ibnia realized that the gift Guillermo had given her was the cause of all this.
As she struggled to pull the ring off her finger, Ram and Guillermo began shouting at each other.
“What the hell is your goal? Why go this far just to screw me over?! Is this revenge for me dragging you here?!”
“You kept whining about wanting to get married, so I made it happen! Why are you throwing a fit now?! Forget the dead woman already and be happy!”
“You crazy bastard! Since when did you care so much about my happiness?! My life is perfectly fine without you—if you’re so concerned, go drown yourself in dishwater!”
Having exploded in fury, Ram abruptly turned his head toward Levi.
Levi, utterly unconcerned with the argument, sat on the table busily nibbling apple slices.
Kicking aside an obstructing chair, Ram marched up to Levi and began interrogating him with a menacing air.
“Levi. You recognized that ring, didn’t you? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I like her as your new marriage partner too. Kraaah!”
At Levi’s shameless reply, both Ram and Ibnia were left speechless.
Why would Levi suddenly support this woman—whom he had previously ignored—as his master’s remarriage candidate?
The reason was simple.
Stretching out his leg and planting it firmly on the dessert plate, Levi shouted proudly,
“I want this for dessert again tomorrow too. Kraaah!”
At last, the entire room fell deathly silent.
