38 – 38. Wedding (3)
At the end of my step, I could reach the person dressed in black in front of me.
“Now, groom, please face the bride.”
Holding hands, we looked into each other’s eyes.
Her eyes, tinged with red, seemed to shine like rubies no matter how many times I thought about it.
The necklace that I had given her…
…Damn, I forgot.
Can I give you another gift?
“Now, groom, there will be a vow.
Groom… will, accept Irene Melvus as his wife, and always love and respect her,
repay her love completely, and fulfill his duties as her husband,
to create a happy and eternal… household, swearing on his…? Swearing on his soul?”
The officiant, perhaps nervous, stumbled through the words, speaking slowly.
But now, it’s not about that, it’s time to answer her, looking at me with eager eyes.
“Yes, as her spouse, I vow eternal love.”
“Groom, you have clearly made your vow.
Now, I will ask bride Irene Melvus Baek… Yang.
Irene Melvus Yang, will you accept the groom standing before you as your husband,
and always love and respect him, repay his love completely,
and fulfill your duties as his wife, to create a happy and eternal household, swearing on your soul…?”
Fortunately, the officiant succeeded in calming the atmosphere, smoothly continuing the declaration.
“Yes, as his eternal partner, I vow infinite love.”
She declared, without a hint of hesitation, looking straight into my eyes.
As if she would leave no room for doubt.
“With this, groom… and bride Irene Melvus Yang
have agreed to become a couple who will share any pain or happiness throughout their lives
in the presence of His Majesty the King, and representatives of both families –
we have confirmed that they firmly vow to be together.”
In this moment, with the presence of witnesses… …, the marriage of the two individuals is declared complete, perfect, and eternal…
Before all beings, this declaration is made solemnly.
Now, the groom and the bride, through the exchange of vows, please confirm the fulfillment of this contract.”
With those words, the officiant took a step back.
“…Finally, finally… we made it this far. Finally.”
“Yeah, we did.”
As I gently moved aside the veil that covered her face, tears continued to stream down her cheeks,
yet her face displayed a radiant smile like no other.
“…Shall we seal it with a kiss?”
With both of my hands tightly clenched, I slowly nodded my head in response to her tearful plea, as if unable to contain the overwhelming emotions welling up inside me.
“…You, you have to see it through to the end… This is how it is completed.”
Even though our noses touched, she did not initiate the contact with her lips.
Even though her head and chin were turned towards me, she desperately struggled to hold back, trembling and exerting all her strength.
…It may be a heartfelt request, but granting it is a simple task.
And so, I pressed my lips against her soft and warm ones.
And in that moment, I could see a notification window that had been absent from my darkened vision.
「*Quest: Successfully complete the beginning of a bond.」
– As a reward, you have received the quest to embark on married life.
「*Quest: Embarking on Married Life」
– Spend your lifetime with Irene Melvus.
– Maintain the status of a companion until the end.
– If you meet these two conditions and complete the “natural death” quest, the quest will be successfully completed.
– Reward: 2 souls and return to the original world.
– *In case of failure, existence will be extinguished.
…It was still a harsh failure condition, but death did not necessarily mean failure.
But what is the number attached to this soul?
There’s no need to pay much attention to it.
I just need to focus on the task at hand.
But it’s not a simple task.
It’s not something I can call an obligation that I have to do.
Because I love her, I want to do everything I can for her.
With this, I was able to marry her.
Through attempts, whether short or long, I was able to connect with Irene Melvus.
And like that, for a long time,
We stood there, kissing without separating our lips for a long time,
*
She had to greet all the guests.
When the king arrived, it was only right for her and me to go out and greet him.
However, she continued despite the waiting guests –
“Ugh, please, I have to greet the guests soon…”
“Shh… just a little longer, okay? I want to feel more connected to you…”
Continuously kissing her lips and neck, occasionally burying her face in her chest and breathing heavily.
The already wrinkled shirt, with buttons popping out one by one, was further crumpled by her tight grip,
And as she lost control of her emotions, her body was once again consumed by desire.
“Please, if we’re going to do so much at night anyway, do we really have to do it like this now?”
“…Just a little longer, a little longer. Please. If I can’t hold back out there, it’ll be even worse.
Just calm me down until I can suppress it…”
Well, that’s probably going to happen anyway… I’ve already been so excited multiple times, draining all my energy.
I can’t even tell if my blood is flowing properly anymore.
But when she looks at me with those desperate eyes, I can’t help but reciprocate.
I place my hand on her cheek and kiss her.
Of course, this time her tongue invades fiercely.
I know that trying to stop it will only intensify her desires, so I respond actively.
In that moment, she finally lifts her head and separates our entwined bodies.
“…I want to do more, but it’s really dangerous beyond this point…”
She says so, turning her head roughly enough to be called cruel by someone who doesn’t understand the situation, taking off her dress and starting to put on a neat conqueror.
But there was no real victor.
Still trembling, unable to escape from the fog of my hazy mind, with my tongue so disheveled that I don’t even know where it is, I let go of her hand.
As soon as she saw him, she hastily took off her clothes.
*
“…It seems like the worries I had for both sides were unnecessary and groundless.”
The king, who was staring at the untidy clothes and the ‘marks’ left on his neck, shook his head nervously.
“I apologize, Your Majesty. Please forgive me for making you wait.”
He bowed his head along with her, worried if he was feeling uncomfortable.
“No, it’s okay. I was just… honestly, I was curious if this marriage was truly for the two of them to be together.
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Especially from the groom’s side.”
But strangely, he sighed as if the suspicions that arose from the strange course of the marriage, which went according to her lead, were resolved.
“I deeply regret it, Your Majesty.”
I could only bow my head again at his concern.
Anyway, since I know very well that your heart is very much for the groom, I won’t hold back the busy bride. I will soon inform you closely about the things you need to handle.”
I feel a sense of unnecessary tension in the word ‘busy.’
“I am truly grateful for Your Majesty’s generosity.”
She bowed deeply, as if sincerely thanking him for his support, and even performed another bow.
Of course, her face remained expressionless.
…Was it true that she wouldn’t show any expression other than in front of me?
“Well then… I shall take my leave now. I sincerely wish for the love between the two of you to last forever.”
With that, the king quietly left the building, and only the last carriage remained.
…Even though I have seen the sun set many times, I always end up being amazed by that sunset.
When the sky slowly spread darkness between the orange, red, and purple, and traversed between them,
Things that were not visible became visible –
“…That was you.
After passing through time without blood and without you, I realized that you are my star.
If only I were a little wiser, I could have surely spared you from such pain.
I regret it every time. Every time.
…Perhaps marrying you, and even what followed, led you to unhappiness. I pondered and agonized over it countless times.”
“Why worry about such things – “
“I, I must worry endlessly.
Even when sharing happiness, pleasure, and joy with you, once it passes, I always end up worrying. In this place.
This place is not a particularly peaceful one.
Perhaps, in a different place, I could love you more sincerely and face you… I have countless thoughts like that.”
“The love you give, I already receive in abundance.”
“Yeah, pfft, you called me ‘you’ too… um, don’t be flustered. Please continue to call me that in the future.
So, I’m so grateful… I’m always grateful to you.
I will do my best for your happiness.
And this promise is eternal. Please, don’t forget it.”