Side Story 60. [After Story] Happily Ever After
Imperial Year 653.
One year after the final battle with the monster.
Everblack Empire. Southern Crossroad.
Post-wedding festival.
The wedding ended, and the post-wedding festival began.
It was basically a three-day-long reception—a never-ending celebration.
Everyone completely let loose, drinking and feasting to their heart’s content.
The city overflowed with people wanting to celebrate the wedding, and throughout the festival, I greeted them one by one and thanked them personally.
“Prince Ash! No—Crown Prince Ash! No wait—Grand Duke Bringar! I’m so sorry I’m late, huuuwaaa!”“It’s fine, Count Valen… Ugh, that stench! How much did you drink?!”
“I wanted to represent our Southern City-State Alliance and show off my beautifully regrown mustache… But I was trimming it and lost track of timeeeeee!”
“You came to congratulate us, that’s enough. Now get off!”
Since guests were arriving from all over the world, a few scheduling errors happened. Some of the heroes and kings missed the actual ceremony and drank themselves silly in regret.
“What’s going on here? Why is everyone drinking like they’re about to die?”
“When it comes to booze and revelry, us dwarves can’t be left out~.”
“Hey, Kellibey! Are you running off mid-duel?!”
“Alright, alright~! Then let’s do this properly—each race drinks for honor! Who drops first?!”
Naturally, the overdrinking escalated into an inter-race drinking contest. Of course. Why do these people turn everything into a battle the moment they lock eyes?
“Who’s representing humanity?! You cowardly dogs won’t dare shy away from honorable combat, will you?!”
Verdandi, already wasted, waved her arms wildly, searching for the human representative. I looked around and clicked my tongue.
“…Who can handle their liquor? Anyone want to represent humanity?”
Even so, we couldn’t just sit back and let our dignity be trampled.
Alright then—who shall return with Hwaung’s head?
“I’ll go.”
A towering figure stepped forward, brimming with reliability.
“I’ve never been drunk in my life.”
“Ohhh, Torkel! Yes! I’m counting on you—go!”
Torkel’s words were technically true—he had never been drunk.
Because the man had never drunk alcohol in his life.
So why did he volunteer?!
After one drink, Torkel passed out flat on his back. Zenis was rushed in as a substitute.
“Wanna have a drink, son?”
“I’d love to, Father!”
Zenis began guzzling alcohol alongside Hannibal, representing the Half-Bloods.
“…”
I broke into a cold sweat as the air’s alcohol density rapidly spiked. Was this okay?
Meanwhile, just a step away from this drink-fueled battlefield—
King Miller of the Ariane Kingdom and King Kuilan of the Beastkin sat quietly together, sharing drinks.
“How’s Yun?”
“She’s sleeping well.”
“I see.”
Miller glanced around, then quietly pulled something from his coat and held it out.
“This is the item I promised.”
“This is…!”
“Yes. The blanket Yun always slept with back in her homeland. She’s used it since she was very small. Please cover her with it.”
“How adorable. I’ll make sure to use it.”
“And this… is a portrait of Yun as a child. I’d like you to have it.”
“Ooooh! What a precious thing!”
“Would it be alright if I stop by to see Yun on the way out?”
“Of course. Let’s go together.”
What a rare and heartwarming sight.
Nearby, on the boulevard lined with food stalls, I spotted Lilly holding Sid, with Damien pushing her wheelchair, followed by Junior and Hecate trotting along behind.
Sid munched happily on cotton candy, and the group strolled along, all of them smiling with snacks in hand. Please, may they stay far away from this chaos.
“Ash!”
Just then, a group approached me across the plaza.
It was none other than Mikhail’s five wives.
“Have you seen our husband?!”
“Pardon? Mikhail, you mean?”
“Yes! He slipped away during the festival madness and now he’s vanished…!”
Of course, I had no idea where Mikhail went, so I shook my head.
The five wives stormed off in all directions, waving whips and ball gags threateningly in their hands—Wait, what?!
Next came an elderly woman in a refined robe.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince. Have you seen my husband?”
“…You mean Dearmudin?”
“That’s right. That old fool ran off again during all the chaos. Fufu.”
The true master of the Ivory Tower chuckled ominously before vanishing.
“If he gets caught… he’s a dead man…”
“…”
“…”
I offered a silent prayer for the souls of the escapees. That’s when Lucas came rushing toward me.
“My lord.”
“Oh, Lucas. How are things?”
“I’m doing fine. But—this way, please.”
“Hm?”
“There are some people who urgently requested your presence.”
Following Lucas, we wound through several alleyways and eventually descended into a shabby underground tavern.
“Ah!”
The runaways had gathered there.
Mikhail, Dearmudin, and even Chain.
They sat gloomily, nursing their drinks, and I broke into a cold sweat as I approached.
“What are you all doing here? Your wives are looking for you.”
“You’ve finally come, Crown Prince Ash.”
Dearmudin downed his drink in one gulp, then signaled me over.
“It’s time I introduced you.”
“Huh? Introduce me to what?”
The three men glanced at one another, then looked at me and nodded in unison.
“We are… the Married Men’s Club.”
“…?”
What sort of shady underground syndicate is this now…?
Mikhail, looking completely worn out, explained.
“It’s a gathering of married men who fought on the front lines. Now that you’re married, Ash, you qualify to join us.”
“I don’t exactly want to join, though…”
I asked with clear reluctance.
“What’s the purpose of this organization?”
“Well, when there’s a chance like this to meet up, we secretly gather and share a few drinks.”
The three married men exchanged bitter smiles.
“To vent little complaints we’d never dare say directly to our wives—like shouting into a bamboo forest.”
“To discuss what kind of creative gift will get us brownie points for our next N-th anniversary, or where to take them to eat. We share lists of gifts and restaurants.”
“If someone sneaks in a brand-new Mazana golem toy behind his wife’s back, we help each other hide it.”
W-What kind of tragically meek little brotherhood is this…?
“Don’t get us wrong. I truly love my wives.”
“Same here. My wife’s an incredibly charming person.”
“We love them. But…”
The three of them shuddered at once.
“Sometimes… they’re just terrifying…”
I looked to the side and saw Lucas, for some reason, hugging his own shoulders and trembling. Hey—your wedding was literally yesterday! What happened on your first night?!
“…”
So this… is the final form of all married men?
Am I headed for this fate too?
“You don’t have to join us right away. But someday, if you ever feel the need for a place to speak openly among equals…”
Dearmudin gave a vague smile and nodded slowly.
“Call on us. We’ll welcome you gladly.”
And just then—
CRASH!
The tavern door burst open violently.
“You rascals!”
“So this is where you were hiding!”
“Sinners, receive your judgment—!”
Mikhail’s, Dearmudin’s, and Chain’s wives stormed in, charging down the stairs in a furious rush.
“Damn, they found us?!”
“Out the back door, Ash!”
“We’ll hold them off—go now!”
The three men screamed heroically and charged toward their wives.
Why are you pretending this is some noble sacrifice?! Aren’t they just your loving spouses?!
Drunken guests caused incident after incident.
Some found new love in their drunken haze.
Others broke up not long after forming couples, once the alcohol wore off.
Bounties were placed on runaway husbands.
Bounty hunters began chasing married men.
Those men, in turn, bribed the hunters, and a web of silent warfare unfolded in the shadows.
Evangeline accidentally set off the finale fireworks in broad daylight.
Kellibey, proudly claiming he’d handle the recovery, spent the entire afternoon crafting new fireworks—only to trigger a premature detonation and become a flying dwarf.
The exploding firework landed directly on the royal carriage warehouse. Thankfully, the horses had been safely evacuated, but all the brand-new luxury carriages from around the world were scorched—a major disaster.
Other unspeakable events filled the three-day chaos of this war-like post-wedding festival.
And eventually, it all came to an end.
“Ughhh…”
On the night of the third day, I staggered into my room at the hotel.
Since the top floor suite was reserved for Father, Serenade and I had a room just below. It wasn’t quite a suite, but it was still a fine room.
“What a… complete mess of a wedding…”
Thinking back on the past week made me shudder. Would a day ever come when I could look back on this disaster fondly?
I thought for a moment, then shook my head. No way. Not in this lifetime.
Still grumbling as I walked into the room, I quickly held my breath.
‘Ah.’
Serenade had fallen asleep already.
Had she waited for me, despite the late hour? She was dozing quietly, slumped over the table.
“Sorry I’m late.”
I gently brushed Serenade’s cheek with my fingertips, imagining how long she must have waited.
“You’re really mine now.”
Maybe she heard me in her sleep.
A faint smile formed on Serenade’s lips.
“Really…?”
“Yeah. Really.”
“Hehe…”
She rubbed her cheek against my hand and drifted back into sleep.
‘She must’ve been so tired.’
Carefully, I picked up Serenade and laid her on the bed, then pulled a blanket over her.
“…”
I watched my sleeping wife’s face for a long while before quietly moving to the back window.
Below the large window that looked out over Crossroad, there was a cushion. I sat there, gazing out in silence.
The view outside the window never stayed still—it shifted constantly.
City lights danced, the dark sky slowly brightened in the distance.
The moon slid along its path, clouds gathered and drifted apart, and stars rained down like a shower.
Listening to Serenade’s soft breathing as she slept, I watched the ever-changing view outside—
And before I knew it, I too had fallen asleep.
…
…I had a long dream.
A very long, wonderful dream.
“…Huh?”
Waking from a light sleep, I looked around in surprise.
The once-busy scenery outside the window had come to a stop.
And the thin blanket I’d laid over Serenade was now draped over my shoulders.
It was probably just before dawn.
Startled, I looked around—and at some point, Serenade had moved from the bed and was now sitting across from me.
“Serenade, are you okay? When did you wake up?”
“…”
Even when I asked, Serenade simply gazed out the window with a clear, unwavering stare.
I asked her again, gently.
“Serenade?”
“My lord.”
Only then did Serenade turn to me with a faint smile.
“It feels… like I’ve just woken from a very long sleep.”
“…”
“And it feels like I had a really good dream… Did you, too, my lord?”
I smiled softly.
“Yeah.”
I slowly reached out and took Serenade’s cool hand in mine.
“It felt like a very long, very beautiful dream.”
We sat together in silence for a while, looking out the window.
Under the slowly brightening sky of dawn, the familiar city glowed faintly in the distance.
“Serenade.”
I suddenly asked.
“At the end of this road… what kind of future do you hope we’ll have?”
“Hmm…”
Serenade lowered her gaze in thought for a moment, then spoke.
“A lot of stories end like this. ‘And they lived happily ever after’…”
“Right.”
“But life isn’t so easily summed up.”
She smiled softly.
“We won’t always be happy.”
There will be times when misfortune finds us, uninvited.
“It probably won’t be forever either.”
We won’t live eternally—we’ll be fleeting.
“And our version of a ‘good life’ might look very different from what others expect.”
Sometimes, we might have to turn our backs on the values everyone else chases.
“We might break apart again. Maybe more than once.”
We could fail over and over… and find ourselves rebuilding on ruins.
“But.”
Serenade paused briefly to breathe.
“Even so, it’s okay.”
She whispered, full of certainty.
“Because that too… is life.”
I closed my eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them again, feeling a warmth behind them.
“And it’s beautiful.”
Slowly, we kissed.
So gently, and so dearly.
“…”
With our foreheads pressed together after the kiss, feeling each other’s warmth,
I met Serenade’s silver eyes as they slowly fluttered closed and smiled.
“Yeah. Whatever shape it takes, it’ll be okay.”
I, too, spoke with certainty.
“We’re going to live a beautiful life.”
The End.
–TL Notes–
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