Ch.245-5. Wedding Ceremony (3)

# -5. The Wedding (3)

Inside the wedding hall, the place was bustling with people who had quite close relationships with today’s protagonists.

Finally, the host’s voice echoed throughout the venue.

“Shortly, we will begin the wedding ceremony of groom Albert Veros and bride Elizabeth Michael. We kindly ask all guests to take their seats in the designated areas.”

Rachel spoke to Chris and Raykle, who were enjoying the food they had brought.

“Oh, it’s starting! Time to stop eating, don’t you think? Were you that hungry?”

“What a waste…”

“Couldn’t they have started a bit later…”

People who had been standing around chatting quickly took their seats as the host began speaking.

Those who had been hurriedly stuffing food into their mouths also put down their utensils and listened attentively to the host, waiting for the next part of the ceremony.

“We will now proceed with the wedding ceremony of groom Albert and bride Elizabeth. We extend our gratitude to all guests who have joined us today to celebrate this wedding. I am Kyle, your host for today’s ceremony.”

“So he’s the one hosting.”

“Do you know who’s officiating?”

In response to that question, Marco looked at Elin, who was taking deep breaths in a spot away from people’s direct gazes.

Amelia followed his gaze.

“Elin is officiating?”

“Seems like it.”

“I’m so envious.”

“Envy is for losers.”

“First, we will have the lighting of the unity candle. Would the mothers of both families please come forward and light the candle prepared on the platform.”

The mothers of both families…

Everyone was aware of the situation, so it was a bit concerning, but there was no problem with the proceedings.

Albert’s mother was alive and well, and though there was no empress, Leo’s mother joined in lighting the candle instead.

Seeing this, Amelia thought:

‘If only she were alive…’

Despite how much her mother had wished to see her daughter’s wedding, sadly, she wasn’t here.

“Next, we welcome Elin Veros, the groom Albert’s younger sister and today’s wedding officiant. Please give her a warm round of applause.”

*Clap clap clap clap!*

Her stiff steps, clearly showing her nervousness to anyone watching, brought warm smiles to the faces of the onlookers.

Elin put away the phone she had been looking at and deliberately avoided the gazes of those watching her.

Indeed, sharing the same blood, she seemed uncomfortable with excessive attention.

‘Calm down… calm down.’

Still, after taking a deep breath by herself, she appeared somewhat more relaxed.

The host, seeing that Elin had properly taken her position, proceeded with the next part.

“Next, we welcome today’s protagonist, the groom! Albert Veros. Please give him a hearty round of applause. The groom enters!”

*Clap clap clap clap clap clap!!!*

Today’s groom entered slowly, receiving enthusiastic applause.

Perhaps now somewhat accustomed to the attention, his steps were dignified and confident.

Seeing him make such a cool entrance, unlike herself, Elin thought:

‘How annoying…’

“Next, we welcome the bride, Elizabeth Michael. We would appreciate another warm round of applause as our beautiful bride enters. The bride enters!!”

As that announcement echoed through the hall, the bride finally appeared, holding Reinhardt’s hand.

Every person in the venue turned their gaze toward her, including Albert.

Albert was so captivated that he didn’t even realize his mouth was hanging open.

“You’ll catch flies that way…”

Despite Elin’s admonishment, he paid no attention.

He continued to stare at the scene with his mouth still open wide enough for insects to fly in.

To be honest, she looked fucking gorgeous.

Looking at her hair, pure white wedding dress, and veil, he felt a mystical sensation as if he were receiving an angel.

“Wow… incredible…”

She blushed at his blatant stare as she stood beside him.

Then, in a voice soft enough for only him to hear, she whispered:

“Am I… that pretty?”

“Of course.”

Befitting their roles as bride and groom, honey practically dripped from their eyes.

The sight was far too lovely for people who were supposed to be war heroes who had ended a conflict.

The two looked at each other and smiled brightly.

“Next, we will have the traditional bow to show respect to the guests and family members. Bride and groom, please bow to each other.”

The couple bowed to each other, showing mutual respect.

Neither seemed awkward; both moved naturally rather than stiffly.

After completing their bows, they moved a little closer to each other.

“Now comes the most important and tense moment of today’s ceremony. Before their respected family, relatives, and all guests, the bride and groom who have promised to marry will now recite their vows of love to each other.”

As soon as those words ended, an assistant handed Albert a microphone.

He took a small breath for a moment, then confidently raised the microphone.

“It truly feels like a dream. We started as teacher and student, then soldier and lord, and now we stand here as groom and bride. I have always received so much help from you, and you never hesitated to give it.”

Everyone’s attention was focused on him, and all were listening intently to his words.

In that situation, he calmly continued.

“Thanks to you, I was able to grow impressively and, as a result, attain the high position of Special Forces Commander. But it wasn’t always a smooth path. Given the circumstances, I had to continually go to the battlefield, and those events eventually led to tragedy.”

Few would understand the meaning of those last words.

Perhaps only the Emperor and Elin would.

“Afterward, I… kept searching for you as if possessed. It was like looking for a needle in a desert. And in the end, I couldn’t find that needle. So when I saw you again with heaven’s help, I thought: I will never lose you again.”

The guests couldn’t fully understand his words, but they were moved by the resonance of his sincerity and honesty.

If even the uninformed guests felt this way, how must she feel, knowing everything about these events?

“How happy I was when I saw you again… I think it might be impossible to express in the words of this world. Eventually, I found you and finally reached you. Of course, even then, the path ahead wasn’t smooth. While rushing forward without rest, I fell quite often.”

He looked at her, overwhelmed by the swirling waves of emotion.

Since she knew all his stories, it must have held even deeper meaning for her.

“But you always caught me. When I fell, you reached out your hand to help me up, and you put bandages on my wounds. When I first became your lover, I thought I would be a reliable wall for you, but before I knew it, you were protecting me again.”

You were protecting me…

Those words were enough to bring tears to her eyes as she recalled everything they had been through.

“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have received such praise as the youngest Special Forces Commander or the century’s hero who ended the war.”

Some might think this was mere humility, but for him, it was absolute truth and fact.

“You have always been my light, my hope, my sky. Because you believed in me, and because I believed in you, we were able to come this far. Going forward, there will be many different… challenges than what we’ve faced so far, but I believe that with you, we can overcome anything.”

Having defeated even the Demon Lord, what couldn’t they accomplish? Everyone present probably thought the same.

As he said, the two of them would overcome whatever came their way.

“Let’s live well together, with you indulging in all the spoiled behavior you want. And I… love you, more than anyone else in this world.”

Though he endlessly loved her and she knew this better than anyone, it had been quite a while since he had expressed it in words like this.

It was the warmest and most heartwarming scene in the world, and the guests showed various reactions.

Some wondered about the reality behind his words, while others envied the bride and groom who could speak and hear such things.

Everyone must have felt their own emotions watching the scene.

*Clap clap clap clap clap clap!!*

As soon as his vow ended, applause filled the venue.

When the applause quieted down, the groom handed the microphone to the bride.

However, she couldn’t start right away. As she hurriedly wiped away flowing tears, he said to her:

“Take your time. It’s okay.”

Albert simply waited until she was ready.

Gazing at his lovely wife.