"Is everyone ready?"
Aaron called out from the driver's seat toward the carriage behind him.
"All good."
Nanoda's voice drifted out from inside. Aaron gave a nod, cracked the reins, and the carriage set off at a brisk pace toward the Fortified City of Weise.
Gaderia and Weise were close neighbors. Setting out by carriage in the morning, they could reach the city well before noon.
Outside the church hall in Weise —
"Honestly, pull yourself together."
Silken golden hair cascaded beneath a pure white veil. Soft pink shoulders peeked out above the bodice of a fitted wedding gown that flared gently at the skirt — pristine and elegant, with something almost sacred about it. The hem trailed along the ground, and white heels clicked against the brilliant red carpet beneath them.
The breathtaking young woman blinked her bright, wide eyes and gently reminded the dazed young man at her side, looping her arm through his.
"Ah — sorry..."
Dressed in a black suit and leather shoes with a white shirt underneath and a red boutonniere at his lapel, Denken had slicked his hair back into a gleaming pompadour. Combined with his upright, square-jawed face and thick brows, the overall effect was one of impressive, commanding dignity.
His expression was a touch stiff, and his monocle caught the slanting sunlight just enough to half-conceal the faint blush creeping across his features.
"It's almost unbelievable..."
Lektire stood nearly a full head shorter than Denken, yet the difference in height somehow made them look like a perfectly matched pair standing side by side — a textbook case of a handsome man and a beautiful woman.
Looking up at Denken's striking face, Lektire felt a soft warmth rise in her own cheeks.
She had never imagined that someone like her — always sickly, always fragile — would ever have the chance to stand here at Denken's side. The doctors had once said she might not live to adulthood.
Even as she savored the sweet warmth of their approaching union, she held deep in her heart a quiet gratitude for the Demon Race woman who had given her the medicine that had changed everything.
"Today..."
"Hm?"
Their eyes met. Lektire tilted her head slightly.
Looking at the lovely young woman before him, even the iron-willed Denken was struck dumb all over again.
Lektire's illness had been brought under control. He himself had built a name and carved out a place for himself in the kingdoms of the Central Lands — become a man worthy of standing beside her.
It all felt like something out of a dream.
He was going to marry Lektire.
Gazing at the woman who was about to become his wife, Denken's strong heart hammered in his chest — not so much with excitement or exhilaration as with a warmth and tenderness welling up from somewhere deep inside.
"Today... you are truly beautiful, Lektire. I..."
Denken's voice was soft, filled with boundless feeling.
Before he could finish, Lektire reached out and pressed one slender fingertip gently to his lips.
"I already know, you know. Let's save those words for inside the hall — let's say them before the Goddess."
Lektire smiled, her eyes curving into crescents, a single glimmer catching at the corner of one eye.
To spend her life with the one she loved — this was the happiest moment she had ever known.
The two gazed at each other in tender silence.
"Ahem..."
Glück cleared his throat from nearby with the practiced composure of a man who had seen everything. He was dressed in a dark brown suit, a red boutonniere and a white one both pinned to his lapel.
"It's nearly time. In a moment you'll be entering the hall, making your vows before the Goddess with the monks as your witnesses."
His voice cut gently through the warm haze that had settled over the two of them.
"Denken — spare me a moment."
Glück drew Denken aside.
"Ah — is there something else I should know, Lord Glück?"
"Hm? What did you just call me?"
The calm that had settled over Glück's face vanished in an instant. He shot Denken a withering glare.
Realizing his mistake, Denken quickly corrected himself.
"...Father-in-law?"
Glück gave a slow nod. He seemed reasonably satisfied with that.
"Denken, mark my words — now that you're taking Lektire as your wife, you are responsible for her. If I ever find out you've done her wrong, I will have Macht twist your head clean off your shoulders."
There was a faint edge of killing intent threaded through his voice as he said it.
Denken's spine snapped straight. He answered with quiet gravity.
"Please rest easy, Father-in-law. I will cherish her always. Both you and Lektire are the most important family and the dearest people in my life."
"Hmph."
Glück clapped him firmly on the back, then turned his face away — not letting Denken see the smile that had crept, unbidden, to the corner of his mouth.
A lifetime of political maneuvering and quiet struggle had hardened him into someone who rarely smiled. Losing his son had taken what little remained.
His son had not met a good end. But at least his daughter had found a good home. Glück felt that he could die without regrets now.
"Gentlemen — the ceremony is about to begin."
Macht came walking over in a green suit. He made no attempt whatsoever to conceal his demon horns or his identity — over the years, he had become a genuinely beloved figure among the people of Weise, regarded as entirely harmless.
Macht stepped out from the church and called out to the two newlyweds and the gathered guests, inviting them inside to bear witness.
At that very moment, a commotion broke out somewhere in the crowd behind them.
As though he had already anticipated it, Macht watched the crowd part without so much as a change in expression.
"Please don't be alarmed, everyone. They are guests."
His voice carried, and with his considerable authority, the crowd settled quickly.
Lektire in her wedding gown, Denken in his formal suit, and Glück all found their attention drawn in the same direction.
The whispering crowd parted to open a path, and through it came a most unusual group of guests.
"Long time no see — we've come on behalf of Gaderia to offer our congratulations!"
Nanoda smiled — a light, easy smile.
She was dressed in a deep black gown, with the intricately carved formal hat she had worn to the dinner party perched atop her head.
Aaron followed close behind her, dressed in a matching black suit, his shaved head gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight. His steady, composed expression carried just a hint of menace — he looked every bit like an oversized bodyguard.
Further back, Aura was also among the group. She wore a half-shouldered violet gown with a ring of small flowers tucked along the hem — glamorous, with a smoldering edge of allure.
Somewhat at odds with her beautiful appearance, Aura was eyeing the crowd parting around them with open disdain. She had no fondness for humans.
Linie was dressed in a black-and-white maid-style dress and was looking around with wide, curious eyes.
Jane wore a white dress and was padding barefoot along the ground, a large white rabbit plushie clutched to her chest. Her short white hair swayed softly, and her pair of jewel-like red eyes peered out from behind the stuffed animal — she looked a little shy around strangers.
Lugner was dressed in a European-style formal suit, his expression serene, carrying himself with considerable gentlemanly poise.
Draht had on his usual suspenders and white dress shirt, though he looked faintly impatient with the whole affair.
Schulck's long unkempt hair fell over his eyes, and his large, muscular frame crammed into a suit produced no elegance whatsoever — he looked less like a guest and more like a thug.
At the very edge of the group stood Qual — a towering demon over two meters tall — in a large white suit topped with a white gambler's hat. Even with the formal attire doing its best to contain him, his terrifying visage still made him far and away the most unsettling figure in the procession.
Leading a company of demons, holding center stage, walking at the very front — Nanoda looked for all the world like the boss of a very well-dressed criminal syndicate.
____
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