After-Story Chapter 13: The Happy Wedding Planner (Part 1)

Welcome. Thank you very much for choosing to use our ‘Evans Happy Wedding’ (hereafter referred to as ‘E.H.W.’). …Yes. I’ve heard the details. You were introduced by Ichiha, correct? We understand that you wish to hire us to find a venue and arrange the production for your upcoming wedding.

 

Oh, congratulations! I am delighted to be given the opportunity to celebrate your new beginning. We will wholeheartedly dedicate ourselves to planning every detail. Oh, I apologize for the delay in introducing myself. My name is Lucy Evans, and I serve as the representative of this ‘E.H.W.’ I look forward to working with you.

 

…What? You were told something different? You heard from Ichiha that I was a high-spirited girl with merchant slang, and you’re confused by the polite service? …That damn Ichiha, saying unnecessary things… Ahem! Excuse me. It is true that that’s how I usually am, but I try to maintain polite customer service while on the job. This is, after all, where we plan a woman’s once-in-a-lifetime major stage, her wedding, so image is important.

 

…You’d prefer me to be normal? Because you trust me since I’m a friend of Ichiha’s, and you feel that if I act naturally, I’ll be more genuinely involved? …Well, if the customer insists, I suppose I have no choice. …Ahem. Alright then, I’ll speak normally from here on out.

 

So, since you’ve come to us, does that mean you want to commission us to plan your wedding? …Hmm, hmm. You want to have your wedding outside the country. But if you two have connections with Ichiha, why don’t you just ask him for help? …Ah, I see. You can get permission for the ceremony, but you heard that for organizing the wedding and reception in another country, you should hire our ‘E.H.W.’

 

That makes sense. After all, our business is a project that Lady Roroa personally championed. Dealing with all the necessary procedures in various countries is child’s play for us. We will do our utmost to ensure you have the perfect wedding in the country of your choice!

 

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It was a time when the continent had been reorganized, the world was finally stabilizing, and people were moving toward the next era. Lucy Evans, the vice-representative of the Evans Merchant Guild—a guild that ranked among the top five in the Royal Capital and was an academy friend of Tomoe and Yuriga—was invited to Parnam Castle by Souma’s third legitimate consort, Roroa.

 

“Lucy. I have a new business venture I want you to tackle.”

 

This was Roroa’s private room. That Lucy, though the daughter of an influential merchant family, was a private citizen invited to the private room of Roroa, one of the consorts, was a testament to Roroa’s trust. In that room, Roroa, seated across the table, told her this.

 

“A new venture?” Lucy, who had come simply excited by the invitation from the Roroa she admired, blinked and asked.

 

Roroa nodded. “That’s right. The world is about to enter a stable phase. All the hot-blooded folks will likely head off to the Northern world, so there won’t be any major wars in the Southern world for the time being. Of course, my Darling and I are also keeping an eye on things to prevent anything from happening.”

 

“Ah… but what does that have to do with this new venture?”

 

“…When the world isn’t stable, people spend money out of necessity. Not only are essential goods needed more often, but since people don’t know what might happen to them tomorrow, their actions become fleeting, so they don’t prioritize saving.”

 

Simply put, it’s a ‘live for today’ mentality. In a situation where you don’t know when or where a war or a monster attack might occur, there’s a possibility that you might die suddenly before you can spend the significant amount you’ve saved up. So, people in an unstable world spend money to make each day fulfilling.

 

“And conversely, when the world starts to stabilize, people start saving money. Precisely because they’ve experienced hard times, they fear returning to that era and save up to prepare if it does happen again.”

 

“…Yes. I kind of understand that.”

 

“Right. And if people save too much, the economy stops moving. As the world stabilizes, we need to implement policies that encourage those who have money to spend it freely. In simple terms, we need to increase ‘pleasures.'”

 

Roroa said this and personally poured tea into Lucy’s empty cup. Lucy said, “Thank you,” and took a sip. Roroa smiled brightly and poured tea from a different teapot into her own cup.

 

“They want to eat delicious things. They want new and trendy things. Those are a kind of luxury, aren’t they? We have to constantly increase the number of attractive things that make people think, ‘If I have the money, I want to spend it on that.'”

 

“That’s so true. My guild is currently aggressively launching new sweets, aiming for the wallets of people who have loosened up after being freed from the era of conflict. When people are not hesitant to consume and can purchase quality goods with peace of mind, artisans can confidently create quality products, and we merchants can sell them.”

 

As expected of the daughter of a merchant family and someone with business acumen rivaling Roroa’s, Lucy fully grasped what Roroa was getting at. Roroa nodded with satisfaction.

 

“Exactly. That’s how the economy and technology develop. But it’s scary to think about what would happen if people became reluctant to consume. If good products don’t sell, the artisans’ morale drops, and if good products aren’t stocked on the shelves, the merchants lose their vitality.”

 

Roroa put her cup down on the saucer and looked intently at Lucy. “That’s why my Darling and I are trying to involve other heads of state in increasing these ‘pleasures’ to prevent that from happening. Expanding broadcast programs is one example, and the industry we are focusing most on right now is the ‘Travel Industry.'”

 

“Travel…?” Lucy blinked in surprise.

 

In this world, travel is not yet a common thing. The upper class may own villas and travel for summer retreats, but most people are too busy with their daily lives to afford that luxury. The biggest issue is transportation; even if the Kingdom develops its network with things like Rhinosaurus Trains, the distance a person can travel is still limited if they only have, say, a three-day holiday.

 

Thinking that the industry was still far from being ready to develop, Lucy looked puzzled, but Roroa just grinned.

 

“…That look on your face. You have an idea, don’t you?”

 

“Yes. It’s not finalized yet, but can you keep this a secret, just between us?”

 

“I’m listening.”

 

As Roroa lowered her voice slightly, concealing her mouth, Lucy leaned in closer, bringing her ear near. It was the picture of a scheming corrupt official and a wicked merchant holding a secret meeting.

 

“Soon, a proposal will be made at the summit to establish air service connecting various countries, led by the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom. It’s a groundbreaking plan where the Dragon Knights can quickly transport large numbers of people and supplies.”

 

“What! That’s going to be something huge.”

 

Roroa was describing the plan to expand the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom’s courier business into an air service connecting various countries—what would later be named the ‘Dragon Ring Airline’ (or colloquially, the ‘Gorilla Airline’). Lucy was initially impressed, but she gradually looked at Roroa with suspicion.

 

“You say this is led by the Dragon Knight Kingdom… but this is definitely our King’s plan, isn’t it?”

 

“Nyahaha. Well, something like that.” Roroa laughed merrily, even though the secret was out. Since the secretive posture was getting strenuous, Roroa said, “That’s enough,” and let Lucy sit normally again.

 

“Anyway, I plan to combine that air business with the travel industry. Once air service is established, foreign travel will eventually become commonplace, not just domestic travel.”

 

“Foreign travel? So, you’re intent on involving other countries?”

 

“That’s right. We want to attract customers from abroad to spend money here, and other countries likely feel the same way. If we can adjust the interests, we should be able to cooperate. Well, even so, only the upper class with money will be able to afford foreign travel initially.”

 

“I suppose so.”

 

Dragon Knight air service is appealing, but it will likely be expensive at first. The strategy would probably be to first introduce and popularize overseas travel among the wealthy—the noble and knight class, and influential merchant families—to make it commonplace, and then gradually appeal to the general public once the number of flights increases and transportation costs fall.

 

Then Roroa clapped her hands and said, “That’s where you come in.”

 

“Going back to the start of our conversation, we are currently planning a venture to appeal foreign travel to the upper class. I called you here because I was wondering if I could entrust it to you, Lucy.”

 

“We’ve reached the main topic. What is this venture?”

 

“It is, quite simply, ‘Wedding Planning.'”

 

“Wedding… what?” Lucy asked, unfamiliar with the term.

 

“Simply put, it’s a business that listens to the wishes of the bride and groom, plans the wedding ceremony accordingly, and manages the execution of the wedding.”

 

“…Isn’t that the church’s job?”

 

“Only the ritualistic side of the ceremony. But arranging the priest for the church, inviting guests, and preparing the reception—that’s the job of the family sending the bride off, right?”

 

“That… that’s true.”

 

When Lucy agreed, Roroa nodded. “For the upper class, a wedding is much more important than a common person might think. Political marriages are an everyday occurrence, and it’s also a stage to advertise the connection between two houses.”

 

“Ah, you were a political marriage too, Lady Roroa.”

 

“Never mind that. As long as we’re lovey-dovey now, that’s all that matters.”

 

“Hahaha. Thank you for that treat.”

 

“Ahem. So, that’s why every house aims to show off as much as possible at a wedding. And the ‘Wedding Planner’ is what we’re planning to organize that wedding and add the option of an overseas ceremony.”

 

Roroa showed a mischievous smile. “Of course, making the upper class here hold their ceremonies abroad is a way to invite the upper class from foreign countries to hold their weddings here. Our country is quite old, so we have many ancient castles that would look magnificent if decorated. We even have the Lunarian Orthodox Papacy essentially within our borders, and if we ask Uncle Souji, we might even be able to arrange a ceremony at the main church.”

 

“…I see. I understand that this is politically important and a business with great potential for future growth.” Lucy said this, taking a sip of tea and letting out a breath. “…But if it’s that important, shouldn’t your own guild handle it? You know, the Silver Deer Shop, Silverdeer Guild, where you’re the secret boss?”

 

“Well, I’d love to, but… look, I’m like this right now, aren’t I?” Roroa said, rubbing her slightly swollen belly with both hands.

 

Roroa was currently pregnant with her second child. The reason she was drinking tea from a different teapot than Lucy was because she was drinking black soybean tea, having heard that black tea was not good for the fetus. Incidentally, given the timing, the conception was thought to have occurred around the time of the decisive battle with the Great Tiger Empire, and when Roroa and Souma learned of the pregnancy:

 

“Was it that time? The will to leave descendants during a life-or-death crisis is strong, isn’t it?” “Y-Yeah…”

 

…They blushed intensely, recalling the night they shared their love amidst the anxieties before the decisive battle. But back to the topic. Roroa put her hands together against her cheek, as if pleading.

 

“I want to focus on raising this child for a while, and if I wait until after that, we’ll be too late to get started. There are a few couples who look like they’re about to get married soon, so to maximize that opportunity, I’m asking you, Lucy, because you’re trustworthy and can move freely.”

 

“I-I see.”

 

Then Roroa gave her a wink. “Lucy, you’re not the type to be satisfied with just taking over your family’s parlor business, are you? We, the Royal Family, will fully back you up, so won’t you give it a try?”

 

When the Roroa she admired spoke to her like that, refusing was not an option for Lucy.