“And now, for our final couple.”
“What makes this one special is that it’s none other than our former lord and Maria-dono, the lady-ian-waiting who faithfully supported him from the shadows all these years!”
“Ehhh?!”
“““The former lord?!”””
Eh…?
No one had told me that the former lord and Maria were getting married. The townspeople were just as stunned as I was. Judging by their reactions, they hadn’t known the couple would be taking part in the joint wedding ceremony either.
I turned to Toria-san in surprise.
“Toria-san, did you know about the former lord and Maria-san’s wedding?”
“His Lordship once told me that, because of their difference in social standing, they would never be able to register their marriage officially. Even so, he hoped that one day they could at least hold a wedding ceremony.”
She paused before shaking her head.
“But even I had no idea they intended to hold it today as part of the joint wedding ceremony.”
It seemed even Toria-san hadn’t known that her father—the former lord—and her mother, Maria-san, would be taking part in today’s joint wedding ceremony.
When I glanced over at Sue, she pressed her palms together and gave me an apologetic look. As one of the ceremony’s organizers, she must have known about the two of them all along. Judging by her expression, the former lord and Maria-san had probably asked everyone involved to keep it a secret until the very end.
“Grampa! Maria!”
Cradled in Emilia-sama’s arms, Kent-chan waved enthusiastically at the former lord and Maria-san, both of whom were dressed in elegant wedding attire. Emilia-sama, meanwhile, quietly dabbed at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.
“Waaah… waaah…”
Somewhere in the crowd, someone had already broken down into loud, unabashed sobs. The heartfelt scene had finally overwhelmed them.
The Margrave wept openly, making no attempt to hide his tears. His handkerchief was already soaked through with tears and snot. More than anyone else, he had witnessed firsthand the hardships his father and Maria had endured over the years. It was only natural that this moment would move him so deeply.
““““Yay! Yay!””””
Meanwhile, Fran and Horn led the procession, scattering white flower petals as they guided each bride and groom toward the wooden statue of the Goddess. Incidentally, gathering those white petals was apparently an annual request the Margrave’s household commissioned from the Adventurers’ Guild.
Waiting before the Goddess’s wooden statue was the presiding priest, smiling warmly as the newlyweds approached.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you, dear.”
Shiro, too, carried out her role as ring bearer flawlessly. She handed the basket containing the wedding rings to the priest, and with that, her important duty came to an end.
“You three did a wonderful job.”
“““Hehe”””
The three of them came running over to where I was waiting backstage, and I gently patted each of them on the head. Onstage, the priest began officiating the joint wedding ceremony.
“Now then, let us offer our report of these marriages to the Goddess.”
At the priest’s solemn declaration, not only the brides and grooms on the stage but the countless spectators gathered in the square all adopted serious expressions.
News that the former lord and Maria were finally getting married had spread, drawing an even larger crowd than originally expected.
Just as all of us grew solemn as well, something unbelievable happened.
Fwoosh.
Clink. Clink.
Without warning, two objects came flying onto the stage.
Those are…
They looked just like hand grenades.
No!
It couldn’t be.It couldn’t possibly be!
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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