死神姫の再婚 - Volume 1 - Prologue

      It fell to a complete deathly quiet, as a young lady wrapped in a bridal costume walked alone in the midst of a large chapel. The sunlight that poured through the stained glass brought gorgeous tints that reflected a myraid of colours on the bride's pure white costume and long veil.

Amongst the people seated neatly in a row, the girl is literally alone. All the attending guests donned in beautiful outfits befitting of a wedding ceremony were relatives of the bridegroom, Count Bryan Bastule (T/N: The spelling of the surname is a random guess. Not sure if it's on purpose but if you google the original surname (バスツール), the results are for a bath stool pfft). 

The lady's only blood relation, her legal guardian on behalf of her late parents, the one who made this matrimonial alliance, her uncle Heithdam (T/N: The spelling of the name is a random guess) Faitlin, was no where to be found. Atop a deep crimson carpet the bride walked alone, and the bridegroom who was young yet his lower stomach was already showing, wore a haughty expression while awaiting her. 

"Good grief, even when especially dressed up in a good bridal gown she's an unappealing small girl isn't she. The face can be hidden but nothing can be done about the lacking of the body." (T/N: Not enough curves *ahem* for this dumb cannon fodder huft) (T/N: How many people must have heard him in the quiet chapel GRRRR.) The soliloquy of Bryan as he stared scrutinisingly at the slowly approaching bride was a little too loud to be a murmur. (T/N: SEEEE?!?!?!?! HUMPH)

"Your Excellency, we are in the middle of a holy ceremony. Saint Arshael is listening, please be quiet."As one would expect, he was rebuked by the middle-aged clergyman beside him, who was dispatched from the <Prayer of Wings> religious organisation. However it seemed as if Bryan was unable to keep his grevious misfortune to himself, he ignored the clergyman and continued, "Seriously an expensive purchase. Even if you consider her qualifications as the daughter of a provincial lord (T/N: taken from Icarus Bride's manga translation), we surely could have found something a bit better. We must have been thoroughly fooled by that fellow called Heithdam or whoever, damn it."

Towards him who was continuously grumbling, the bride whose face was covered with a white veil, gracefully - or rather, totteringly, came closer. On a body too thin to be called thin, perhaps the extravagant gown was too heavy, looking at her moving at quite a slow pace, Bryan was further annoyed to the point of exasperation. 

"Hey Alicia! Hurry up and walk! I wanna end this quick and head over to Iria's place!" To the bridegroom who hurried the bride by mentioning the name of his favourite prostitute of late, the clergyman publicly knitted his brows and softly uttered a scripture of purification. His expression seemingly wanted to communicate that young ones these days absolutely do not have an appropriate fear towards god. 

However in a split second, only half of Bryan's selfish wish was soon to be fulfilled. 

Flashing right past the side of the slowly moving bride, a shadow of a person clothed entirely in black stood before him in a frightening speed. In the next instant, the black clad figure like a gust of wind broke through the stained glass of <Young Lady with Wings> in his left hand, and in the blink of an eye, disappeared into thin air. 

All that was left remaining were the vacant looking people sitting in rows, and the figure of the bridegroom Bryan, who had at an unknown time, fallen flat on the carpet (T/N: Though translated as carpet, the actual word in the novel "床" translates to bedding or flooring). Shards of shattered stained glass showered his body, reflecting the light of the candlesticks, shining beautifully. At first, it looked almost as if he were just fooling around, lying down in such a place. However even the costly material could not absorb the constantly flowing red substance which, atop the white carpet which had been thoroughly polished for this day, slowly began to spread out.

Late by a beat, Bryan's mother let out a piercing shriek which subsequently initiated the venue of the wedding ceremony to fall into chaos. There were, the clergyman who clamoured, "That's why I said so many times not to do such accursed things!", noblewomen who had fainted, those who were making a fuss over cuts on their hands and faces caused by scattered pieces of stained glass, those who fled for fear of being entangled, and the guards who chased after the shadow that had left.

In the midst of every single individual clamouring in loud voices, the bride lifted her own veil that should have been lifted and calmly surveyed her surroundings, "Oh dear."  

Pushing up the rims of her glasses, the young lady blinked her eyes repeatedly. From the front, where the bridegroom had fallen, to the door at the back, because the attendees had already dispersed, the bride who was in the middle of the chapel had the appearance of being left behind.

Just as the late Bryan had been complaining, the young lady who's long beige hair was worn up, was definitely not beautiful. At best, she was cute, just about passibly cute. The same could be said of her figure, her slender but overly linear body probably could not be said to have feminine appeal. 

Nevertheless, whilst every single person was unanimously shouting and excessively scrambling about, the bride's actions were just as dull as they were a short while ago. 

That line of sight went straight past Bryan who was being shaken in his half-crazed mother's embrace, and towards the stained glass which had an enormous hole opened in it, "That... is probably expensive isn't it. Didn't need to escape from there did they?" The voice that muttered in a relaxed manner could not possibly be heard even if by fluke in the surrounding clamour. 

"This is why I was against this!" But at the same time, Bryan's mother had stood up, shaken free from her maids who clung to her, and shouted at the young lady. "This, this... harbinger of death! Shinigami!!" (T/N: Shinigami means god of death, or death god. Decided to leave it as is.)

From this moment, to Alicia who became a widow at the young age of 14, this unfortunate title would follow her for all eternity.

T/N: Goodbye cannon fodder Bryan Bathstool. It was not nice knowing you.

T/N: This prologue took me... 2 days to translate... ohno. XDDD 

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