Drawing Manga in a Romance Fantasy

Chapter 189

"Did you hear? Sena and Ismael are planning to get married next year."

"They’ve been together for ten years already. That’s normal. I’m the one who’s too late."

"Is that so? Anyway, what should I give them as a wedding gift? I should start looking while I’m out and about."

"You’re heading out again?"

"Yeah! Hey, guess what I saw last time…"

Ada, brimming with excitement, began recounting her latest adventure. Rupert, listening to his sister, alternated between amazement and disbelief.

When she got to the part about fighting a massive nine-headed snake, he was at a loss for how to react.

"That’s a Hydra! I’ve told you not to go to such dangerous places!"

"But what was I supposed to do? The villagers were collapsing from illness because of it."

"Sigh. How am I supposed to stop you?"

"Hehe."

Bickering as they walked, the two eventually reached their destination.

"Wow!!!"

"Impressive, isn’t it?"

"Yeah!"

Before them stood a massive entrance reminiscent of a royal palace’s gates. Ada, reverting to her childhood self, jumped around in excitement.

"What’s that over there?"

"That’s called a Gyro Drop. It shoots you up into the air and then—"

Before Rupert could finish his explanation, Ada dashed off toward the entrance.

Rupert, exasperated, hurried after her.

"Welcome! To Somerset Land, a place filled with dreams and hope."

Today marked the unofficial opening of Somerset Land.

Although the staff who would work during the official grand opening were already present, Rupert purchased tickets and entered with Ada.

<Entry Number No. 1>

Ada, thrilled to see the bracelet on her wrist marked with the number 1, beamed with joy.

For this special moment, the only guests were Rupert and Ada.

"Whatever I make, Ada gets to be the first!"
"Of course. It has to go to Ada first."

The two hadn’t forgotten the promise they’d made long ago. Whatever Rupert created, Ada always managed to return just in time to experience it first.

"What’s this?"

"Hehe, that’s called cotton candy."

As they explored Somerset Land, Ada’s attention was drawn to the snacks.

Modeled after amusement parks on Earth, Rupert had arranged for various treats to be available, and Ada eagerly sampled them all with an expression of delight.

"This melts in your mouth! And it’s so sweet!"

"Eat slowly. No one’s going to take it from you."

Holding cotton candy in one hand and a churro in the other, Ada dashed around before stopping in front of a shop selling trinkets.

Fascinated by the headbands on display, she tried on several before showing them off to Rupert.

"Buy me this one!"

"Alright."

Although she was now 18, Ada was still the same as when she was a child.

Rupert, who used to wonder what Ada would grow up to become, now found himself content as long as she was healthy and happy.

"Hop!"

"Ahhh!!! Hey, you’re not a baby anymore!"

"Don’t care! Let’s go!"

Ada leaped into the air, spun around, and landed on Rupert’s shoulders as gracefully as a feather.

Having loved riding on Rupert’s shoulders since childhood, Ada still occasionally begged him for a piggyback ride.

Of course, even when Rupert refused, she always managed to climb up anyway, so he had given up resisting.

"That’s the Merry-Go-Round from The Great Treasure!"

"And that over there is the white horse from Snow White. Do you recognize it?"

"Of course! I used to be Snow White."

As they moved from ride to ride, each inspired by Rupert’s fairy tales and manga, Ada grew increasingly excited, chattering from atop his shoulders.

Rupert, watching her delight, was reminded of the past.

"When other kids come to our house, they don’t play with me because there’s nothing fun to do."

Back when Rupert first arrived in this world, Ada would follow him everywhere.

Rupert had tried to be a good older brother, but when he encouraged her to make friends her own age, Ada’s reply had left him speechless.

That was when he started creating fairy tales for her.

"It’s not just Ada! It’s Cinderella Ada!"

The first book he ever made, Cinderella, was a crude effort by today’s standards, but it remained Ada’s most cherished possession.

Though worn and repaired multiple times, Ada refused to lend it to anyone or let anyone else see it.

Snow White, which led to meeting Iolin, had been created after Cinderella gained popularity.

Many of Rupert’s works had begun because of Ada.

"Ada, are you having fun?"

"Yeah! I want to come here every day!!!"

Somerset Land had been created for Ada.

To Rupert, it symbolized a kind of completion. Since it had started for Ada, it felt right to share the first moments with her as well.

"You should thank Raschu."

"Huh?"

"Don’t you remember? Back when your belly was round as a drum?"

"Why are you bringing up ancient history?!"

Ada, rarely flustered, was momentarily caught off guard by Rupert’s sudden recollection.

"After every meal, you’d pat your stomach with your hands."

"I did not!"

"You did."

Unable to counter Rupert’s teasing, Ada grabbed his hair and pretended to bite his neck.

"Alright! Alright! I was wrong!"

"Take that!!!"

Ada had always bitten Rupert’s neck when she was angry. Despite the pain, Rupert couldn’t help but laugh at his sister’s unchanging antics, even as she made him yelp in protest.

*****

"Who prepared these flowers?!"

"I did, sir!"

"Do it again! Didn’t I specifically say the color scheme should only use white, red, and blue?!"

"Understood, sir!"

Somerset Land, just days away from its grand opening, was abuzz with activity as decorations were being finalized.

"Good day, Baron Esteban. Hard at work, I see."
"Oh! Baron Dumas, you’ve arrived already?"
"As a vassal of the Somerset family, I couldn’t possibly not come early to help, could I?"
"Hahaha, indeed."

Esteban, who had been frantically giving instructions to the staff, was delighted to see Dumas arrive early to lend a hand.

"How are things in Saxon County—or should I say Ale County now?"
"Thanks to the Duke and your support, we’re adjusting without major issues."

"It feels like just yesterday that the Agora was held, and now it’s already time for the wedding. Time flies, doesn’t it?"
"It really does."

Esteban’s comment brought Dumas back to the events of just a few months ago.

"Shall we begin our revenge?"

One of Rupert’s first acts as an honorary duke was to elevate Dumas and Esteban to the rank of baron.

Since baronet was an honorary title and not hereditary, it allowed Rupert to promote them to baron without much resistance. This marked the beginning of Rupert and Dumas’s carefully planned revenge.

"As an honorable noble of the Empire, I hereby call for an Agora against Viscount Schvein Haxen!"

The very procedure that had once been used to bring Rupert down was now used by him to take down Dumas’s enemy, Schvein Haxen.

Agoras required the agreement of at least fifty nobles to be convened, making them rare.

However—

"We must spend ten years gradually gaining allies to prepare for this day."

From the moment Dumas was made a baronet, preparations had been underway. The Agora was executed so swiftly that Haxen had no time to respond.

Of course, even with more time, the result wouldn’t have changed. Rupert, now one of the Eight Great Nobles and eligible to serve as an Agora judge, had participated personally.

"Will you leave the aftermath to me?"

Dumas’s words as he was entrusted with handling the defeated Haxen’s fate.

Since then, neither Viscount Haxen nor his son, Schvein, had been seen.

"By the way, couldn’t you leave this to the staff? You must be incredibly busy these days."
"No matter how busy I am, I can’t leave the preparations for Lord Rupert’s—no, the Duke’s wedding to someone else."

Esteban, now known as the continent’s greatest merchant, had grown Yuren Trading Company to unprecedented heights, especially after opening trade routes to the Western Continent through Lambus.

With Rupert’s works embraced across the continent, Yuren Trading Company’s network naturally expanded to every corner of the land.

Managing not just the Empire’s affairs but also international business, Esteban’s schedule was so packed that he was considered one of the hardest people to meet on the continent.

"The royal family, Bluewell, and the Mage Tower—we can’t let the Somerset Ducal Family fall behind any of them."
"Of course not. This is a chance to repay Lord Rupert for all he’s done for us, even if it’s just a little. I’ll give it my utmost."

Originally, Iolin had suggested holding the wedding at the royal palace, a proposal that Amelia and Xenia vehemently opposed.

Then Xenia suggested the Mage Tower, which Amelia and Iolin outright ignored.

When Amelia so much as began to say the word "Bluewell," the other two stormed out of the room, an incident that had since become legendary.

Amid their heated debate over the wedding venue, Rupert had proposed Somerset Land.

Surprisingly, all three women agreed to the idea, but that wasn’t the end of it.

With guests ranging from the royal family and the Mage Tower to Bluewell, as well as dignitaries from across the Empire and even abroad, the wedding had to match the prestige of its attendees.

"Hmm…"

"What’s wrong? Do you not like the decorations?"
"No, it’s not that…"

While focused on making Rupert’s wedding the grandest event of all time, Esteban couldn’t help but worry about Rupert’s life after the wedding.

"That’s for him to deal with."

As someone who found managing even one wife to be a challenge, Esteban quietly offered a moment of silence for Rupert, who was about to marry three.