Chapter 235 - Norn's Wedding — Heartbreak

After approving Ruijerd, the wedding preparations began.

The two mothers and my wives were the most excited, debating every day which date worked best and which dresses were most beautiful.

Norn got dragged away to try on all kinds of gowns daily.

Was I happy? Genuinely, yes.

Norn had finally found someone she loved.

Was I sad? Also yes.

The little sister who had grown up at my side was being taken away by someone else.

---------

Today was Norn's wedding.

Before we left the house this morning, Sylphiette patted my shoulder and said, "Rudeus, no crying at the wedding."

"How could I possibly cry."

Roxy added, "Usually, the person who says that is the most likely to."

Aisha patted my head. "Big brother~ I'm comforting you in advance. Shedding tears at the wedding wouldn't look good."

Eris just pulled me into a hug.

So my wives were one hundred percent certain I was going to cry.

Heh...

---------

The venue was the largest church in the Holy Country of Milis. Cliff had proposed it himself.

Ordinarily, only the Pope of Milis is qualified to marry there. But because Norn is one of the Milishion Faithful, Cliff simply changed the rule. As long as you are devout enough toward Lord Milis and have contributed enough to the Holy Country, you qualify.

I had no idea what Norn's contribution was supposed to be, but Cliff seemed to have worked that out already.

The justification: [Miss Norn's novels have raised the happiness of the Holy Country of Milis's residents.]

Not bad.

Norn is a devout member of the Milishion Faithful, so holding the ceremony in a church like that would make her happy. Ruijerd had no objections whatsoever. Then again, when it came to anything Norn liked, he basically never had objections.

When we arrived at the church, carriages already lined the road outside. Sunlight poured through the stained glass, and the whole building felt solemn and sacred. Guests crowded the entrance, many of them friends Norn had made over the years.

Writers. Editors. Travelers. A few noble young ladies. They were all buzzing about something, clearly excited.

On the other side of the entrance, Ariel had already arrived. She wore a formal dress, and beside her she held the hand of a young boy.

Her son. Edward.

When she spotted me, Ariel offered an elegant bow. "Lord Rudeus." The same smile as always. "You seem a bit nervous today."

"Ariel, Norn told me."

"What is it that Lord Rudeus is referring to?"

"Norn turning out this way, part of that is your doing."

Ariel seemed to recall something. She raised one hand to her cheek, looking a little sheepish. "I merely offered Miss Norn a tiny, insignificant piece of advice."

"Insignificant?"

"Extremely insignificant."

I stared at her.

Her smile grew more and more guilty, until she finally turned her face away.

...Fine. Today was Norn's wedding. I'd let it go.

---------

Inside, nearly everyone had already arrived.

The front row was reserved for family. Paul sat there in his formal attire. Lilia beside him, as composed and dignified as ever. Zenith looked around gently, a smile on her face. They were all in a wonderful mood.

On the other side, my wives and daughters had settled into their seats. Windsor sat very upright in a white dress, quietly observing the interior of the church as if she were cataloguing every detail. Lucy sat beside her, equally still.

Tina, on the other hand, had not taken her eyes off the desserts on the table. Her mouth was slightly open. Lara's two little legs swung back and forth in anticipation.

"Tina~"

"What is it, big sis Lara?"

"Stop staring at the cake. Part of that is decoration."

"Eh? Really?"

"Yes. A cake this big, if it were all real, it couldn't stand this tall."

"Then I'll just eat the part that isn't decoration!"

Lara smiled and reached out to pinch Tina's cheek. "You're so greedy."

"Daddy says it's cute."

"So you're acting cute in front of Daddy?"

"Not exactly. Acting cute in front of Daddy is just a bonus. Mainly I just want to eat."

"..."

Listening to that exchange, my feelings were... complicated.

---------

Not far away, Zanoba and Julie had arrived as well, dressed in splendid attire. Zanoba's height gave him an imposing presence, but the smile on his face was completely genuine.

"Master."

"Mm."

"Today truly is a day worth commemorating."

"It is."

"Your sister, Miss Norn, has found her own happiness, and Master, you actually invited me!"

I nodded. Julie stood quietly at his side, and when he finished speaking, she gave me a bow. "Master, thank you for the invitation."

"No need to be so formal. Go take your seats."

She tugged at the hem of Zanoba's clothes. He followed after her like a little chick.

---------

Ghislaine had been invited by Paul and the mothers.

The moment I spotted her, I walked straight over. The moment she spotted me, she spoke first.

"Oh, Rudeus. Congratulations, your little sister's getting married."

"We can get to that in a moment, Ghislaine."

"What is it?"

"What exactly did you lecture Windsor about the other day?"

"Lecture? I only remember teaching her sword techniques."

"...Think harder. Something that wasn't the sword."

Ghislaine tilted her head. The tail that had been still suddenly stopped swinging altogether. Then something seemed to click.

"Oh! I remember."

"?"

"I gave her a lecture on the mating season of us Beastmen."

"...Could you not have been a little more subtle about it? What do you mean 'you just sleep with a man and it's resolved'? What if Windsor misunderstood?"

"That's the truth. Is there another way?"

"But you didn't explain to Windsor that this is something only Beastmen experience."

"Aren't humans in mating season every day? Like Paul."

"..."

Hey... well, that's... not wrong...

I glanced over at Paul. Then I took a moment to reflect on myself.

Hmm... alright... Ghislaine might actually be onto something profound there...

"Fine, fine, go take your seat. If you're here, Aisha came too, right?"

"She did. She's on guard duty outside."

"...Bring her in after the ceremony."

"Okay."

---------

After I finished talking with Ghislaine, Nanahoshi and Orsted arrived.

They had both been invited. They were dressed exactly the same as they always were in the laboratory. Nanahoshi greeted me with a wave.

"Yo, Rudeus."

"Why are you still wearing that?"

"What, you want to see something different? I'll go tattle to your wives."

"..."

"Alright, alright, I'm joking."

Nanahoshi smiled and sat down beside me, just a touch of teasing in her voice. "Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"But why are you the one receiving congratulations?"

"..."

Good question. I didn't know how to answer.

She took a sip of tea and continued. "You look like a father sending his daughter off to be married."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Very."

Orsted looked at me as well. "Congratulations to your sister. Though as I told you before, the two of them being together was always fated."

"...Yeah..."

---------

Not long after, Cliff arrived.

As the officiating priest today, and as the Pope of this country, he wore solemn priestly robes, his expression exceptionally serious. Behind him, Elinalise held Klein's hand as they walked slowly into the church.

Klein looked more and more like Cliff with every passing year. Especially that expression when he was being serious, it was identical. Elinalise, meanwhile, was as beautiful as ever. Time didn't seem to have touched her at all.

Cliff walked over to where Nanahoshi and I were sitting.

"Rudeus. Don't cause trouble today."

"Do I look like someone who'd cause trouble at his own sister's wedding?"

"Yes."

"..."

---------

As noon approached, the bells rang.

The church gradually fell quiet. Everyone returned to their seats. Colored light spilled across the hall. The scent of flowers hung in the air.

Then the great doors slowly opened.

At that moment, every eye in the room turned.

And I saw Norn.

She wore a pure white wedding dress. Her long hair was carefully pinned up, the veil cascading gently down. She looked completely different from usual. This was the first time I had ever seen her like this.

That little sister who always used to hide behind me when she was small.

Somewhere along the way, without my noticing, she had grown into a beautiful young woman.

And right now, she was walking forward with a smile, one step at a time.

Paul stood up. He reached out and gently took her arm. Then he walked with her toward the altar.

The entire church went silent. Even Lara didn't make a sound. Windsor stared straight ahead, perfectly still.

On the other side of the altar, Ruijerd stood waiting. His posture was as straight as ever, but if you looked closely, you could catch a trace of nervousness, his hands were clenched just a little tighter than usual.

When Norn stepped in front of him, those eyes finally softened. Like she was the only person left in the world.

Watching that, I felt the last of it release inside me.

Cliff stood at the center of the altar and began the ceremony. The sacred sound of prayer echoed through the church. Everyone listened in silence.

Then came the moment that mattered most.

"Ruijerd. Do you take Norn Greyrat to be your wife — in poverty, in sickness, in pain, and in death — to remain always by her side?"

Ruijerd didn't hesitate for even a moment.

"I do."

His voice was steady. No wavering at all.

Cliff nodded and turned to Norn.

"Norn Greyrat. Do you take Ruijerd to be your husband — no matter what the future may bring — to face it together with him?"

Norn looked at the man in front of her. A smile spread across her face. It was an expression of happiness I had never seen from her before.

"I do."

Her voice trembled slightly. But there wasn't a trace of hesitation.

In that instant, the entire church erupted in applause. Everyone rose to their feet.

Sylphiette clapped with a bright smile. Roxy smiled quietly. Eris let out a whistle. Aisha was already cheering. Lara was so excited she nearly launched herself off her seat.

"Auntie's getting married!"

I stood there, watching Norn on the altar. I let out a long, slow breath.

My heart felt lighter than it had in a long time.

From today onward, Norn would have her own family. Her own happiness. And the person who had always been there to protect her would stay by her side, forever, until the very end.

I smiled.

Then I joined everyone in applauding, and meant every bit of it.

"You must be happy, Norn..."

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