Chapter 160 – Wedding Ceremony

“Heart, are you ready?”

“Yeah.”

We arrived at the church and stepped down from the carriage one after another, filing into the chapel.

“Preparation” just meant donning our Holy Knight formal uniforms, nothing more.

I reached into my breast pocket and felt for the small box to make sure it was there.

“The moment’s finally here, huh.”

Gain flashed me a grin.

He’d grilled me mercilessly last night, but he seemed to have forgotten all about it.

“Leave security in my hands.”

Ted stayed cool as ever.

“Congrats, big bro!”

I’ll ignore that one.

“Maybe we should’ve left the weapons behind?”

Sid had been on edge for days now.

I figured he’d be used to this sort of thing, but everyone has their unexpected sides.

“Sid. Today, no work.”

“Oh, right.”

Beside Sid’s wry smile, Grandfather was red-eyed, murmuring, “Take care of that girl.”

“Yes, sir.”

What a handful.

I shot him a reassuring smile.

Finally. I’d longed for this day more than I could say.

Our belongings were already moved into the new place.

A cozy little house in the capital, courtesy of the church.

Marie had insisted on somewhere within walking distance of Grandfather’s house—she didn’t want a sprawling suburban mansion.

Classic Marie. Family closeness over luxury, every time.

I wouldn’t have minded the quiet outskirts, away from all these noisy spectators.

“Hey, big bro. Impressive crowd, huh?”

“Yeah…”

I considered correcting her on the “big bro” thing, but she was family now. It’d do.

Fernet and I scanned the guests.

“Third Princess Katriona’s here, along with high noble Evasuruzen and his family. Over there’s Gain’s folks, my family, Ted’s family too.”

“Hm? That priest-robed one bouncing around—is that the second prince from the neighboring kingdom?”

“So the maid he proposed to is her, and that’s his retainer next to her?”

He thinks that’s a disguise…

One entertaining prince, as always.

“Haha! Look, look! The guild master’s even got a shirt and tie on!”

“Tease him later.”

Gobas and the other adventurers with no church ties couldn’t hide their awe at this historic building and its goddess statue. Church folks weren’t even allowed in normally.

When Marie said she wanted to report to God and the goddesses, the church had happily thrown open the doors.

I took in each goddess statue behind the altar, one by one.

These were the ones who’d bestowed blessings on Marie…

The Goddess of Fire held a flame motif, embodying passion and justice.

The Goddess of Water clutched a crystal, symbolizing purification and beauty.

The Goddess of Wind bore feathers, for freedom and intellect.

The Goddess of Earth grasped gems, representing creation and stability.

The Goddess of Green cradled leaves, evoking harvest and growth.

The Goddess of Darkness held the moon, secrets and truth.

The Goddess of Light bore a star, regeneration and healing.

Each statue was stunningly beautiful, radiating noble grace.

“It’s about time.”

Sid’s voice pulled me back. I took my place before the altar, waiting for Marie.

The Pope stood there, holy book open.

The chapel, steeped in profound silence and solemnity, shimmered with gold accents and bouquets of white and pink flowers.

In my family pew sat our new kin: fidgety Sid and steady Fernet.

Grandfather, in Marie’s family seats, kept glancing anxiously at the entrance.

At last, the grand doors eased open from both sides, sunlight flooding the room.

There stood my Marie, draped in pristine white, hair woven with white blooms, pale pink bouquet in hand.

The whole venue gasped in unison.

Beautiful. Nothing else captured her in that moment.

She glided slowly down the white-carpeted aisle on Gain’s arm.

With every step, her gown’s hem whispered across the floor, bringing her ever closer.

My heart thundered; an unfamiliar surge of emotion shook me to the core.

Time itself seemed to halt.

Gain met my eyes squarely and clapped my shoulder. “She’s all yours.”

Marie, now beside me, gave a quiet smile.

“Before these sacred gods and goddesses, swear your marriage vows.”

The Pope nodded to me.

“The day I met little Marie, I vowed to protect her like a sister. When she came of age, I swore again as her Saintess guardian. We parted for my journey, and that’s when I realized my love for her. She’ll keep growing. Wife Marie, mother Marie—I swear to guard and cherish every version of her as she changes.”

I poured my heart into every word.

Marie followed.

“Having Heart by my side always felt natural. When I was sad, happy, having fun—before I knew it, I loved him so deeply I couldn’t imagine life without him. I swear to give him everything, to heal and love him always.”

Her first “I love you” to me…

“Now, exchange your vow rings.”

From the little box—after years of searching—I drew the ring set with a teal stone matching Marie’s eyes.

Her hand trembled faintly with nerves.

I drew a slow breath and slid the ring onto her ring finger.

Tears welled in Marie’s wide eyes as she gazed at me, beginning to gleam.

No—not tears. White light from the Goddess of Light statue reflected in them.

“W-what in the world…?”

The Pope’s startled voice rang out, but the brilliance blinded me.

I drew Marie close, shielding her.

Then came red, blue, yellow, green, brown, black—dazzling rays bursting from each goddess statue in turn.

The goddesses manifested, one after another.

“Congratulations.” “Happiness.” “Joy.” “Peace.” “A future.” “Dreams.” “Eternal love.”

The goddesses showered Marie with blessings.

This was that moment…

I was too stunned to speak.

At length, the goddesses faded away, silence settling once more over the chapel.

Everyone stared vacantly at the spot where they’d appeared.

“Blessings from the goddesses themselves!!”

“««««Wooooaaahhh!!»»»»”

A beat of stunned quiet, then the Pope’s shout snapped everyone back—the venue exploded into chaos.

The ceremony was all but forgotten, but Marie watched it all with pure bliss.

“Blessings straight from the goddesses… Never saw that coming.”

“Yeah.”

“Ufufu. So this was the stone you hunted for all those years.”

Grinning mischievously, Marie held out her hand to flaunt the ring.

She’d known about my search.

“Marie… I love you too.”

Payback: I kissed her cheek.

Marie’s eyes flew wide; she went speechless.

Hahaha. Adorable.

I couldn’t wait to be alone with her. Taking Marie’s hand, I led her from the chapel.

And with that, it’s complete.

Thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart, for reading all the way through.

I’m deeply grateful for everyone’s encouraging words, advice, and corrections on mistakes.

A huge thanks to all who left reviews, bookmarks, ratings, and likes.

And thank you so much for every typo report.

If you would, I’d love a final rating for the story.

This marks the end, but I plan to post occasional side stories and extras irregularly.

Thank you for joining me on this journey to the very end.