Short Story: Step By Step

“Come now, let me congratulate you two!”

“Yes! We’re all family now, after all.”

“Father, please…”

“M-Mother, geez!”

The emperor of Triharan and the queen of Strain both fawned over their children, much to the chagrin of Prince Lupheus and Princess Berlietta. The young couple had red faces and clearly wanted to be as far away from the situation as possible. They were in the Kingdom of Strain’s royal castle, at a celebratory dinner to commemorate the engagement between the two. The events of the race were being projected from one of the Brunhild smartphones, allowing all the guests to see what had transpired that day. Everyone really loved seeing the vehicles, since it was something completely new to them.

“The race really seemed to be a hit. I wonder if we can host one in my own country.”

“Hm… Perhaps we can try jointly producing an Ether Vehicle for the next one, then…”

The emperor and queen both smiled at one another, which made their two children sigh a bit.

“I’m sorry about my father, Berlietta… He tends to have a one-track mind.”

“No, that’s alright. My mother gets excited about new ideas fairly easily, too…”

“I see, ahaha. That must be where you get it from.”

“…Oh, is that so?”

Berlietta seemed a little befuddled, but Lupheus found her expression positively adorable.

“Well, I don’t think it’s all that bad to enjoy new things. I suppose it’s just a step-by-step process.”

“‘Step-by-step’?”

“Yes, it’s an expression the grand duke of Brunhild used during his last visit. He says that Ether Vehicle technology should continue advancing at a steady rate from here on.”

Lupheus heard Berlietta speak and quietly nodded. Bit by bit… Much like his own feelings for her, a gradual forward build. The mere thought of that made the young prince want to stand by her side forever.

“We…”

The prince tried to continue speaking, but a flush of red overtook him. He glanced at his fiancee. Her gaze was focused entirely on the projected video. The prince looked over and froze up in shock.

“Princess Berlietta.”

“Yes?”

“You are a beautiful and ingenious woman. This experience with you has given me confidence that we can stand by each other with pride. If it’s okay with you, I would ask that you join me in Triharan, for I wish for you to be with me.”

“Y-Yes, of course…”

The two of them screamed internally as they watched the video playback of the time Prince Lupheus had proposed. It was truly an embarrassing experience.

“Wh… Wh… Wh… Why this scene of all scenes?!”

Berlietta turned beet red as she cringed, prompting the prince by her side to turn an equally reddish shade.

“I thought it’d be good if we reviewed it! Don’t you think it was good, Brother?”

Lupheus’ younger sister, Listis, smiled broadly as she rewound the scene to watch it again. This prompted everyone in attendance to raise their glasses to the happy couple.

“A truly wonderful proposal, Prince Lupheus!”

“Indeed! How did you feel when he said that, Princess?”

“The two of you looked so charming!”

All the guests commented on the flustered duo, making merry as they spoke and drank, embarrassing them both long into the night. But, at the very least… they were embarrassed together!

Incidentally, the video of the proposal was recorded by a certain elder sister of a certain grand duke of a certain nation. But there was no reason Lupheus or Berlietta ever needed to find that out!