Extra Chapter ◆ Lantern Night

The day after finishing our duties and arriving at the crown prince’s villa.

I was truly feeling like I was sitting on a bed of needles.

“Ahh… Such nice weather, but we can’t use the pool…”

Roze presses her hands against the glass door separating the living room from the pool, grumbling.

She’s said that line at least twenty times in the past hour—since breakfast—and I can’t argue back. I’m pretending to read a book on the sofa, desperately tuning it out.

“It can’t be helped, Roze. The one most disappointed is Shitoen-sama.”

Monet glances at me while partially closing the curtains to block the sunlight.

Her gaze is so cold!

It’s like a blizzard on the winter frontier!

Then Roze turns back, giving me the same icy stare.

“It’s all that lewd bear’s fault. Covering Shitoen-sama with hickeys.”

“Exactly, Roze. That lewd bear’s to blame.”

“~~!! Fix this situation, Raul!”

I slam the book shut and yell.

I feel like I’m being stabbed with icicles, not just needles.

“What am I supposed to do…? The commander’s the one who caused it.”

Raul, scribbling in his ledger, doesn’t even look up.

“Since we left for the apology ceremony, Shitoen-sama was looking forward to the pool. Those sisters were too. Their excitement shot up when they saw it. Anyone would complain if that was taken away, right?”

Ughhhh…

He’s right. It’s my fault.

I covered Shitoen’s body with hickeys last night.

Worried about that, Shitoen’s currently in her room.

Forget the pool—she’s struggling to find clothes that hide the marks, skipping breakfast to sort it out with Eton.

“Commander, keep your shirt buttoned today. Imagine what the knights would think.”

Raul glances at me, pointing to his own throat.

U…gh.

Yeah, I checked everything in the cold bath earlier.

I get it, yeah.

“Ahh… Such nice weather, but…”

Roze repeats the line again, and I scratch my head furiously.

“Then go swim already! You and Monet play in the pool! I permit it!”

“We can’t do that, Prince. You’re acting crazy.”

“You lack a human heart. Oh, right—a bear.”

You—guys—…!!

They show maximum respect to Shitoen but treat me like this!

As I tremble with rage, the door bangs open, and Vandel strides in.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, best friend! I prepared various goodies for just such an occasion!”

“Huh? What’s that?”

Roze, the first to show interest, rushes over to the crafting materials Vandel’s carrying.

Her sulky attitude from before vanishes as she teeters toward him.

Raul stands and joins Vandel too.

Vandel spreads his load on the floor.

Thin paper, paint, brushes, palettes, glue, wooden boards, sticks, and even candles.

“What are we making?”

Raul tilts his head.

“Lanterns.”

“Lanterns?”

Monet and Roze ask in unison.

“Exactly. Stand sticks at the four corners of these boards, attach paper around them for a simple lantern. Then…”

“Then?”

Roze parrots back, and Vandel puffs out his chest.

“At night, when it’s dark, we’ll float lots in the pool. Beautiful, don’t you think?”

Imagining it, the sisters burst into cheerful cheers.

“Let’s start making lanterns right away. Paint these papers with your favorite colors. Once they dry, we’ll assemble them.”

“Okay!”

Roze carries the materials to the table, and Monet heads out to get water for mixing paint.

Finally… finally free from those sisters!

Relieved, I feel Vandel’s arm around my shoulder.

“Heh heh heh. Pool fun isn’t just for daytime. There’s night pool too!”

He looks so smug.

“At night, your wife won’t worry about prying eyes. My team’s got security covered. Enjoy to your heart’s content.”

“You… you’re amazing!”

I thought pool time meant playing under the sun with giggles and laughter!

Who knew there was another way…!

“I know everything about you, Saryu. Of course, I foresaw this too. I’ve got several plans for pool fun at this villa. The joy of planning them—‘Saryu would do this,’ ‘Saryu would do that,’ ‘Saryu would surely…’”

“Stop whispering in my ear! And is imagining that fun!?”

“So. Much. Fun. ♡”

“Quit it! Why are you breathing on my neck!!”

That night.

I wipe the water dripping from my chin with my hand and open the glass door to the living room with a sigh.

Those sisters! They splashed me relentlessly!

“Good work, Commander.”

Raul approaches with a wry smile, handing me a towel.

I twist my mouth into a frown and scrub my wet hair.

“Wow, it’s more beautiful than I imagined.”

The pool, lit by the moon, holds several floating lanterns casting colorful lights.

Thanks to Roze and Monet’s hard work today, the soft glow combinations are stunning.

The lanterns’ gentle light spreads strange hues across the water.

A makeshift boat floats in the pool, carrying the three women enjoying the scene.

Eton waits poolside, smiling as Roze waves or Shitoen calls out occasionally.

I was poolside earlier too, watching, when Monet and Roze splashed me…

Do they even know I’m royalty!

“Your wife seems to be enjoying it.”

Vandel approaches with a glass of whiskey, offering it to me. I gratefully accept.

“Yeah, thanks.”

Before lunch, Shitoen fixed her outfit and came out, eagerly awaiting night.

This morning, I panicked seeing her run to the bath wrapped in a sheet, face red, but I’m glad it worked out.

“Hey, Vandel.”

“What?”

“Where do you pick up this kind of knowledge?”

I take a sip of whiskey and ask. Vandel looks puzzled.

“What kind of knowledge?”

“Like floating lanterns in the pool or that time at the accessory shop saying, ‘Just buying earrings isn’t enough,’ to me. Even Raul went, ‘Buy both.’”

I’m genuinely curious.

Vandel and Raul have been with me since we were kids.

We shared dorms at the junior military academy and officer school, so our education was the same.

Yet their knowledge has these quirks—how?

“You guys are so smooth. When and where did you learn this?”

“When and where…”

Vandel laughs awkwardly, and Raul covers his face with both hands.

“Was it my upbringing…? I spoiled him too much. I did everything for the commander, never letting him learn on his own.”

“No, Raul. With Saryu, you know, women didn’t approach him even as he grew up.”

“That’s my fault too. If I’d nagged more about grooming, women might not have been scared off. He’s a duke! A prince!”

“But… back in school, this guy only cared about running and martial arts.”

“That too… I thought he’d mature naturally, but I was wrong.”

…Raul. You’re not even married—why are you sounding like a troubled dad?

“What are you getting at?”

I glare, annoyed, and Raul shrugs.

“How about the commander learns this stuff now? Though others usually start earlier.”

“Don’t sweat it, Saryu. This only works with a clear target.”

“Target?”

I ask, and Vandel nods deeply.

“Think of someone you love. Wonder what they like, what talk would make them happy. That imagination’s key. And that starts with meeting someone you truly love.”

Oh, so that’s how it works.

Come to think of it, when picking earrings, Shitoen said, “Seeing Saryu-sama gaze at me, seriously deciding which, made my chest burn.”

Maybe it’s less about being smooth and more about putting your loved one first?

“I’m always thinking.”

Vandel tugs the edge of the towel on my head, making a deliberate kissing sound.

“About what Saryu thinks, what Saryu likes, what Saryu…”

“Is that fun!? And why are you inching closer—back off, you’re stifling!”

I push away Vandel, who’s hugging me in the chaos, when the glass door opens behind me.

I gulp down the whiskey, set the empty glass on the table, and turn to see Shitoen.

“Are you okay? You got soaked, didn’t you?”

Shitoen, wearing a sleeveless dress with a sheer jacket over it, approaches worriedly.

“Done with the pool already?”

“I’ll go back, but I was worried about you, Saryu-sama.”

Glancing at the pool, I see the boat docked, with Monet, Roze, and Eton waiting. Shitoen came to the living room alone.

“Monet-san and Roze-chan were playing pranks… I tried to stop them, I’m so sorry.”

“No, Shitoen, you don’t need to apologize.”

I shake my head quickly.

She takes a towel from Raul, her brows furrowed with concern.

“You’re still pretty wet. Don’t catch a cold.”

She spreads the towel and stretches up.

I hesitantly lower myself to match her height, and she gently dries my hair.

Closing my eyes, I let her, enveloped in her scent and the feel of her fingers through the towel—it’s pure bliss…

“Milady.”

“Yes?”

Vandel’s voice snaps me back.

“Saryu was quite worried.”

“About what?”

“About not being able to do thoughtful things for you, being crude, childish, and embarrassing…”

“No need to go that far!”

I sit up abruptly, and Shitoen lets out a cute “Eek!”

“No, Shitoen…”

“Wanting to impress you more smartly but failing. Right, Raul? That sums up Saryu’s earlier consultation?”

“Exactly. That’s the truth.”

“You guys!”

I yell, but then my hand is grabbed, and I look down.

“Um… that’s not true, okay?”

Shitoen looks up at me, blushing.

“Spending time with me like this, always putting me first…”

She grips my hand tightly.

“I think my husband is cool and wonderful.”

Thud! I glare at Raul and Vandel.

And scream internally.

Did you hear that!?

You guys, did you hear that!?

My———! Wife———!

Thinks I’m cool and wonderful———!

“…That face pisses me off, Lord Vandel.”

“Totally, Raul.”

“It’s thanks to our support, right, Lord Vandel?”

“Exactly, Raul.”

“And tonight he’ll rampage in the bedroom again.”

“Easy to imagine, Raul.”

“And tomorrow morning will be a mess again…”

“What do we do, Raul?”

“One answer.”

“Indeed.”

Raul and Vandel exchange nods and approach me.

“Princess Shitoen, it seems the commander’s head is overheated.”

“If this continues, tonight’s rampage will be a problem.”

“Huh?”

As Shitoen looks confused, they smile.

Then they gently pull her hand from mine.

Next, Raul grabs my right side, Vandel my left, hoisting me toward the glass door.

“Wait—! Stop, stop, stop!”

Ignoring my cries, Raul flings the door open.

Stop! What if it breaks—it’s expensive!!

Ignoring me, they carry me straight to the pool.

“No, no, no, wait—!”

They toss me in alone.

Splash! I sink, hearing Shitoen’s scream and Monet and Roze’s laughter.

I surface, swimming desperately, and grab Vandel’s right leg and Raul’s left from the poolside.

“Hey, Saryu!”

“Wait—! Commander, let go!”

They struggle to shake me off, but no way!

I yank them into the pool.

Crash! A huge wave erupts, water flying everywhere.

The floating lanterns topple and sink.

“What now! What are you doing, Prince!”

“Ahhh… The lanterns… That bear prince! I’ll kill him!”

Monet and Roze join the fray, sparking an intense underwater battle.

It escalates, seeming to end only with someone’s death…

…But ultimately, we all get scolded by Shitoen with a stern “No!” and it ends abruptly.

Exhausted from the pool chaos, that night both Shitoen and I sleep deeply, and the next day she enjoys the pool from midday.

Happily ever after.

…Right?

Afterword

Hello, I’m Sakura Seiran.

Thank you for picking up my work, The Bride from the Neighboring Country Is Too Cute, What Do I Do? 2: My Reward as the Winter Bear—a Villa with a Pool!?

In the afterword of the last volume, I wrote, “See you in the next volume,” trying to play it cool… but inside, I was a nervous wreck.

Will it come out…? Will it be okay? Can I do this?

More than anyone, I wanted a second volume, but it’s not something I can will into existence. So now, trembling with joy and happiness that it’s out, I’m overwhelmed.

This is all thanks to everyone who loves Saryu and Shitoen and has supported me so much. Thank you.

And to Rei Kuujima-sensei, who continues to provide stunning illustrations. I’m truly grateful for the chance to meet these vibrant, transparent-colored characters.

Now, this time, two new characters appeared.

Monet and Roze.

They first came to mind as Shitoen’s guards.

Later, while developing the story, they became assassins targeting her life. I didn’t think deeply about their names, but when my editor said, “Those are alcohol names,” I thought, how typical of me.

I work on Kakuyomu, where I think, refine, and publish my stories alone.

But for a book, it involves my editor, the illustrator, proofreaders, printers, sales teams—truly many people.

Through this, new ideas emerge, and I notice overlooked details—things I couldn’t do alone.

Thus, I could deliver a Neighboring Country Bride different from the web version. Thank you to everyone involved.

Especially my editor. Thank you always. I’m all business when the work switch is on, but I’m quite shy by nature… I probably cause trouble during meetings, but your patience means so much.

So, with a mix of nerves and flair, I’ll end with this:

See you in the next volume!

May 2024,

Sakura Seiran