Side Story 59. [After Story] That Wedding (3)
Imperial Year 653.
One year after the final battle with the monster.
Everblack Empire. Southern Crossroad.
The wedding day.
Me and Serenade, Evangeline and Lucas.
The two couples getting married today barely slept a wink preparing for the wedding.
We were up before dawn, getting the bride’s makeup and groom’s styling done. At least Lucas and I had short hair and tuxedos that were relatively easy to put on, but Serenade and Evangeline had to tie and twist their long hair, fix it in place, figure out how to get into their dresses, and then pile on various accessories—ugh.
“Gentlemen! Quickly, compliment your brides on how beautiful they look!”
A helper whispered as she quietly approached us, and snapping back to reality, Lucas and I rushed over with exaggerated gasps.“You’re absolutely stunning, Serenade!”
“You’re the cutest ever, Evangeline!”
But Serenade could only muster a weary smile in front of the never-ending makeup session, and Evangeline just stared blankly with her mouth open. What a struggle.
After hours of grueling effort—
The two, now completely dressed, were dazzlingly beautiful… but at the cost of barely being able to move.
“M-My head… My head feels heavy, my lord…”
“Unless I’m mistaken, this dress weighs about as much as the armor I used to wear…”
The two women, trembling from the weight, were moved to their respective bridal waiting rooms. Now they would need to greet incoming guests there until the bride’s procession.
“Sob, my lady, you truly are the most beautiful in the world…”
“You’re so beautiful, Lady Serenade!”
Elize and Daram bustled around in Serenade’s bridal waiting room.
“Wow, you’re the prettiest ever, milady!”
“Auntie pwetty!”
Meanwhile, in Evangeline’s waiting room, Heli and Sid were pouring on the flattery.
“Mwahaha! If Sid says I’m pretty, then it must be undeniably true!”
As Evangeline laughed heartily, decorations rained down from her hair.
“Eek! My hair!”
“I told you not to move so vigorously!”
A helper rushed in, screaming, and quickly began emergency repairs on Evangeline’s hair.
Lucas and I, watching this absurd scene unfold, chuckled as we moved toward the entrance of the venue.
We had rented the entire Crossroad Hotel to serve as the wedding hall, but even that wasn’t enough for the number of guests expected.
So we set up tents from the hotel entrance all the way to the main road, creating additional space. It was here that we would welcome our guests.
The wedding was scheduled for noon.
But guests started arriving as early as 9 a.m.
“Congratulations on your wedding!”
“Wishing you a happy life together!”
Guests surged in like waves, and Lucas and I bowed repeatedly as we greeted them.
Though we were grateful to everyone who came from afar, after shaking hands hundreds of times, our minds started to go blank…
“I’m dying, man…”
“Just a bit longer, my lord. It will be over soon.”
At those words, I checked the clock. It was only 10 a.m. Still a long way to go!
“Yo, Ash!”
A familiar voice called out, and Kellibey appeared. Dressed in fine formalwear, the stout dwarf somehow looked both dashing and adorable.
“Congratulations on the wedding!”
“Thanks, Kellibey.”
“This is all thanks to the engagement ring I made for you last year. So I’d say I have a pretty decent stake in this wedding, wouldn’t you? Hoho.”
Kellibey chuckled and patted my stiff shoulders.
“Look, the real star of a wedding is always the bride. The groom? He’s like an accessory to highlight how beautiful his bride is. So relax a bit and enjoy yourself.”
“Haha, but I can’t help feeling nervous.”
“Everyone’s here to see you two be happy. Not to judge how proper and formal you are. Got it?”
Wiggling his eyebrows, Kellibey grinned and pulled out a large sack from his coat.
“Well then! Time to offer my wedding gift!”
Then he marched to the reception desk—where Daram and Lilly were stationed—and boldly dumped out a pile of gold!
The surrounding guests gasped in astonishment, covering their mouths, while Kellibey proudly puffed out his chest.
“Kuhuhu. How about that? I’m in first place for sure, right?”
Just then, a chilly female voice rang through the venue.
“Isn’t it a little early to be talking about first place?”
“What?”
Kellibey turned around, and there stood Verdandi in a magnificent green dress, walking in with her nose proudly in the air.
“AshSere, EvaLuca! Congratulations to both couples. Accept this wedding gift from our Fairy Kingdom!”
Ruuuumble!
What Verdandi poured out sparkled with a majestic, ancient glow… They were exquisitely crafted relics from antiquity.
“T-These are!”
Dearmudin suddenly popped out from somewhere, eyes wide as he explained.
“These are artifacts at least several centuries old! Each one is historically significant! Junior, as a historian, you’d better take a good look. Come help me with the appraisal!”
“Wha? Me? Uh—uhm?”
Junior, who had just been walking by, and Hecate beside her, were both dragged into helping with the artifact appraisal and packaging.
Verdandi, smiling smugly, lifted her chin even higher.
“Priceless gifts! Now you see just how much the Fairy Kingdom wanted to congratulate you?”
Kellibey, trembling with indignation, let out a sharp “Tch.”
“When you say something’s priceless, doesn’t that just mean it’s worthless?”
“W-What did you just say?”
“Come on! What use are these artifacts to them? For a couple starting a new life together, nothing beats solid, toasty cash!”
“You dare say that—”
As the dwarf and elf locked horns in a silent war of wills, the Rompeller siblings entered, sensing the tension, and presented a large jewel box.
“These are gemstones from the Merfolk!”
“They might be a bit less liquid than gold, but they’re way rarer, you know?”
“Not to mention, they’re worth more than those artifacts!”
I mean… we’re grateful and all.
But why are you guys suddenly turning this into a wedding gift battle…?
As the three factions growled at each other, creating a tense three-way standoff, Kuilan slipped in quietly and cautiously handed over an envelope containing a certificate for gold coins.
“Our Beastkin tribe isn’t all that wealthy, so we probably can’t compete in this showdown… but we’ve prepared the finest wedding song instead! Please look forward to it!”
The moment the song was mentioned, the other three factions snapped their heads around to glare at him.
“Ah yes… I heard your people prepared a song. Hmph. Though I’m sure you’ll kneel before the overwhelming majesty of our Elven Orchestra.”
“Kuhuhu. You’d best prepare yourself, Elf. The thunderous sound of our Dwarf-crafted golden instruments will assault those long ears of yours.”
“Ahaha~ As for us Merfolk, you know we’ve got Siren blood in our veins. When it comes to singing, we’re hands down the best of all races~.”
“Our Beastkin have prepared a wedding dance as well. After all, song truly comes alive when paired with dance…”
The four tribal leaders, foreheads nearly touching, snarled at one another.
“…”
I’m not sure why this is turning into a gift-battle and now a musical battle at my wedding… but maybe this chaos is part of the celebration too?
Just then, a massive figure in priest robes with a helmet covering his head entered the venue.
I waved eagerly in recognition.
“Hey, Torkel! Long time no see!”
“Your Highness!”
It was Torkel, who had retired from mercenary life and become a priest.
After shaking hands with me, Torkel pulled out a glass jar from his robes. Inside, it was filled with paper cranes.
“The people of our island wrote heartfelt letters of blessing and folded them into these cranes. They’re filled with our hopes for your marriage.”
“Gasp.”
“I figured… a few coins might not mean much to the future richest man in the world. So we prepared something different… I hope it’s not inappropriate.”
Torkel scratched his helmet awkwardly.
“Of course! We also brought a modest but proper monetary gift, so no worries there…”
I accepted the glass jar from Torkel and smiled warmly.
“Thank you, Torkel. I’ll treasure it for the rest of my life.”
“If you do, it would be the greatest honor for everyone on our island.”
While Torkel and I shared a heartfelt smile, Hannibal entered.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”
“Hannibal!”
After a warm greeting, Hannibal brought out strands of brightly braided thread from his coat.
“These were hand-braided by our Half-Blood children. Each one holds a charm for longevity and prosperity.”
There were four strands in total—one for each of us getting married today.
“It’s a small gesture, but please accept our blessings. Congratulations on your wedding, Your Highness.”
“Thank you so much, Hannibal. I’ll keep them safe.”
The four tribal leaders, watching all this, suddenly erupted.
“Hey! Torkel! Hannibal! You can’t just switch the battle genre on us like that!”
“This makes us look like greedy, shallow adults obsessed with material wealth!”
“Excuse me, could you not lump us in with you? The Elves gifted items of tremendous historical significance, thank you very much?”
Haha… honestly, a wedding gift in any form is something to be grateful for. Who cares about the value or price tag?
As I stood in the midst of the bickering, chuckling awkwardly with a serene face, Lucas peeked over at me with concern. It’s fine… I heard wedding days are meant to be chaotic and surreal like this…
Anyway, guests continued to pour in after that.
Various monarchs from the World Guardian Front era made their appearances, shared kind words with the newlyweds, and—yes—joined the wedding gift battle. Seriously, enough with that!
And finally—
“Ash!”
The princess of the Lake Kingdom arrived, dressed neatly in formal attire.
“Ariel!”
I greeted her with a bright smile, and Ariel stepped forward to shake my hand.
“Congratulations on your wedding. I wish you happiness.”
“Thanks for coming all this way.”
“Of course I came. We’ve been through so much together. Ah, Sir Lucas. Congratulations on your marriage.”
She shook Lucas’s hand and offered her well wishes as well.
“Oh right, later on…”
Ariel glanced over at the guests still squabbling over the gift battle (ongoing) and the upcoming performance battle (pending), then leaned in close to whisper.
“Mind if I sing a verse of the wedding song too?”
Why are you getting involved too?!
After all the chaos and clamor…
The official wedding ceremony finally began.
“Thank you, all of you guests, for attending this wedding of the century and making it shine with your presence.”
With McMillan expertly officiating, the proceedings moved quickly.
Before we knew it, it was time for us to make our entrance.
Since it was a joint wedding and many of our parents were absent, both couples had agreed to walk in together, hand in hand.
“Now then! With loud applause and cheers! The bride and groom, enter—!”
Wooooaaahhh…!
Under the fervent gazes and cheers of the packed audience, I took Serenade’s hand, and Evangeline and Lucas took each other’s hands, and together, we stepped into the hall.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Under the wedding veil, Serenade gave a shy smile.
Meeting her flushed face and the clear silver gaze focused solely on me, I led her forward gently.
“Careful, let’s take it slow.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Making sure Serenade didn’t trip over her long dress, I carefully took each step, waving to guests who whistled and gave us thumbs-up.
“…”
Suddenly, my nose stung.
Back then, when we stood shoulder to shoulder on the front lines, soaked in blood and gunpowder—those same comrades were now sitting in their finest clothes, celebrating my wedding.
“I am Traha ‘Peacemaker’ Everblack, the one officiating this ceremony.”
There was no real need for an introduction, but Father introduced himself anyway in his solemn tone, officially beginning the ceremony.
After a series of brief but meaningful words of advice, Father gave a broad smile.
“And finally, I will conclude the address with the words of the former Duke Dusk Bringer, who could not be with us today but surely wished for your happiness more than anyone.”
At those words, the four of us smiled simultaneously.
“My children, love.”
The crowd erupted into cheers. Father nodded.
“Life is too short even if you do nothing but love. So…”
Love.
Love.
Love.
For a moment, I thought I could see Dusk Bringer’s bright smile before my eyes.
Serenade and I held hands tightly.
With that, the officiant’s words came to an end.
And now came the moment everyone had been waiting for (?)—the wedding performances…
“We’ve had several people come forward, asking to sing for the newlyweds.”
McMillan smiled awkwardly as he continued the proceedings.
“There will be multiple performances… Ahem. And apparently, some would like a fair judgment on who performs best…”
I mean, seriously, this is my wedding! Why are you people trying to turn it into a national singing contest?!
“However, how could we rank songs prepared with such heartfelt sincerity? We will, however, select one ‘Audience Favorite’ award. The judge will be…”
McMillan gestured toward the front row.
“Our young Sid will be taking on that role!”
Cradled in Lilly’s arms, Sid raised a chubby arm with a wide smile.
“I’ll do it!”
And somehow, everyone nodded in total agreement. Why??
Thus, the wedding song battle began.
Following the pre-announced performances by the four major races, Rosetta, Zenis, and—surprisingly—Torkel joined forces to sing a hymn as the Crossroad Choir. Even the Gambler’s Club, now rebranded as bards, performed a song.
Yes, it had turned into a contest, but in the end, everyone had prepared something just to celebrate our wedding.
So I listened to each performance with a grateful heart.
In the end, the winner of the popularity prize was Ariel. Sid picked her, and his reason?
“Courage! She sang all alone!”
And so, Ariel, who won the award, lifted Sid like a trophy and beamed. People clapped and cheered for her, laughing.
“…”
One year since the war.
Seeing the Lake Kingdom now so thoroughly integrated into the modern world made me a little happy.
Somehow, the chaos of the wedding song battle came to an end.
After that came the ring exchange, the kiss, the shower of flower petals—and even though it was just a gentle lip-touch to avoid smudging makeup, the crowd’s wild reaction meant we had to hold the pose for way too long.
Eventually, we reached the bouquet toss.
“Now, the brides will throw their bouquets! If you’d like to catch one, please come forward!”
This part was completely unexpected. A flood of eager guests surged forward. Were there really this many people who wanted to catch a bouquet?
Serenade went first.
“Hyup!”
She tossed the bouquet high over her head, and the waiting crowd let out a wild cry, diving toward the falling target. Was this really necessary?!
“Give it here!”
“Lady Serenade’s bouquet is mine!”
“With her blessing, I’ll find a great man like the Crown Prince—!”
People leapt into the air, arms outstretched, smacking each other’s hands aside in a desperate aerial clash that turned into a full-on ground brawl.
“I won—!”
The victor of the bouquet war was… Violet.
Her suit was torn from the intense scuffle, her expensively styled hair completely ruined, but she roared triumphantly, holding the bouquet high.
“I swear, I’m gonna have an amazing romance now, please!!”
You sound very desperate, Violet. I hope you find a wonderful love someday.
Next up was Evangeline.
But strangely, when it came time for her to throw her bouquet, the guests looked… hesitant.
Everyone had wanted Serenade’s bouquet, but when it came to Evangeline’s, there was a noticeable sense of unease. Why?
“Hmph.”
As if she had expected this all along, Evangeline smirked smugly and shouted out:
“Just so you know, inside my bouquet… I’ve included a special voucher!”
“…!”
“?!”
“W-What did you just say?!”
Even the ones who’d shown no interest turned their eyes this way all at once.
“Just try and catch it! I’ve packed the whole world into this bouquet!”
Evangeline let out a booming laugh and hurled the bouquet with a full swing. Why was she throwing it like a shot put?!
“Catch it!”
“Everything in this world is in that bouquet!”
“The treasure is mine—!”
Regardless of age or gender, everyone screamed and charged after the soaring bouquet.
It flew far, and the stampede chasing it spilled out of the hotel entrance, storming into the tent zone that stretched to the main road.
People started wrestling each other, desperately trying to snatch it, until—
CRACK!
Someone slammed into a pillar with a terrifying noise.
Crash, clatter…!
One by one, the tents outside the hotel collapsed like dominoes.
“You’re breaking the venue—!”
My shout was followed by a chorus of panicked screams. Gyaaah… Gwaaaah…
Thankfully, the pillars outside were made of light materials, and only the tents collapsed—no one was seriously hurt. But it was enough to plunge the area into absolute chaos. What the hell is going on?!
“Huff… Huff…”
And then. Emerging victorious from this brutal, apocalyptic brawl was—
“I’m gonna… fall in love… for real…”
Violet, again. Seriously, her obsession with romance is incredible.
Panting and clutching the second bouquet tightly to her chest, Violet reached into it with trembling hands and pulled out a folded paper. The special voucher Evangeline had mentioned.
The members of the Gambler’s Club swarmed around her, clamoring.
“What does it say?!”
“What kind of prize is it?!”
“Are we getting rich?!”
I was curious too and leaned over to take a look.
And then, Violet unfolded the paper with effort—and read:
[One Bonus Group Date: ‘A Boyfriend for Everyone’ Voucher]
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
Immediately afterward, Violet collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
“Flop.”
“Violeeet—!”
Leaving behind the Gambler’s Club’s desperate wails, I returned to the hotel interior. The disaster outside was beyond salvaging…
‘This too… must be part of the joy of a festival…’
Half-convincing myself as I came back in, McMillan beckoned me over.
“Your Highness, lastly, the court artist here would like a word!”
As I approached, the royal painter who had come to document the wedding was waiting for us.
“Congratulations once again on your wedding.”
Wearing a beret, the court artist smiled warmly as he explained.
“I’ve already completed all the preliminary sketches and notes of the wedding scenes.”
I wondered what he’d captured—was it the gift battle? The singing contest? The venue collapsing after the bouquet toss…?
“As a final touch, I’d like to offer you a commemorative portrait of the four of you. Think of it as a gift.”
The artist pulled out a canvas, nodded, and held his pencil ready.
“It’ll just be a quick sketch here, so it won’t take long.”
“Oooh! A wedding portrait by the royal court artist!”
Evangeline jumped excitedly while holding Lucas’s hand.
“Alright, Lord and Knight! You two go first—please take a seat and strike a pose!”
Serenade and I decided to wait nearby for our turn.
Evangeline and Lucas sat side by side on the designated couch. Evangeline nudged his shoulder.
“Mister, mister! Let’s do that pose!”
“Huh? That pose?”
“You know the one—we said if we ever got a moment like this, we’d do it at the same time!”
Lucas paused for a second, then snapped his fingers.
“Ah—that pose!”
“We’re so in sync! Totally meant to be, right?”
Turning to face the artist, Evangeline and Lucas beamed.
“When you give the signal, we’ll both strike the pose at the same time!”
“Alright!”
“Here we go—one, two, three!”
–TL Notes–
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