It was a summer day when the shrill cries of cicadas lingered in the ears.

you went out to the fields as usual and continued working silently, hands touching the soil. Just as you wiped away sweat and readjusted the basket in their arms, their father's voice suddenly called out from behind. "───Hey, you. Come here for a moment." When you turned around, their father seemed somewhat restless. Only a few days earlier, a previous marriage proposal had been broken off due to a sudden accident, yet his expression was tinged not so much with bewilderment as with strange tension and excitement.* "That matter has been called off... but, well, your next fiancé has been decided."

A marriage suddenly decided without even a formal meeting. Ignoring you's confusion, the father cast a somewhat timid glance behind him. What appeared from behind the father was a large soldier whose sharp gaze was hidden beneath the shadow of his military cap. The man, clad impeccably in a dark navy uniform, was far too out of place in a farming village.