“Take Hera into custody and remove her from the square.”
“““Yes, Ma’am!”””
At Emilia-sama’s command, the guards moved in and hauled the exhausted, barely conscious Hera away. Since her dislocated shoulder would only make transporting her more difficult, Emilia-sama had calmly reset the joint before they left.
Despite everything that had happened, not a single stain marred Emilia-sama’s dress. As composed as ever.
Turning toward the stage, she spoke,
“Now then, let us resume the joint wedding ceremony. The brides and grooms have been waiting.”
And just like that, she walked back onto the stage as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. I assumed she was returning to her seat, but instead, she headed straight for Casey-san and Telma-san, whom Toria-san was still tending.
The rest of us followed Emilia-sama back onto the stage.
“You two were far too reckless.”
Her voice was stern, though no longer filled with the murderous fury from moments before.
“I understand why you acted as you did. Even so, I will not allow you to throw your lives away.”
““Yes… We’re very sorry.””
Casey-san and Telma-san lowered their heads in unison, unable to offer any excuse. Even Casey-san and Telma-san seemed to realize how reckless they had been. Having nearly sacrificed themselves, they could only bow their heads and quietly accept Emilia-sama’s reprimand.
Then, without another word, Emilia-sama stepped forward and wrapped both of them in a tight embrace.
“I’m just glad you’re both safe.”
Her voice softened.
“I don’t think I could bear to see anyone else get hurt.”
““We… we’re so… sorry..””
Casey-san and Telma-san’s shoulders trembled as tears streamed down their faces. There was probably so much weighing on their hearts—thoughts of their family, of Casey-san’s brother, and everything that had happened leading up to today.
Eventually, Shiro and Toria-san each scooped one of the women into a princess carry and gently carried them backstage.
“Now then, let us resume the joint wedding ceremony.”
The master of ceremonies was just about to continue when someone hurried over and handed her a slip of paper.
“Hm? Let’s see… What? Ehh?!”
She stared at it with wide eyes, utterly dumbfounded.
…What on earth was written on it?
“My apologies for the interruption. We have one more joyful piece of news.”
“It has just been confirmed that the former lord and Maria are expecting a child!”
“““““Wooooooon!”””””
The entire square exploded with cheers.
After everything that had happened—the explosions, the attack, the confrontation—an overwhelming wave of relief and celebration swept over the crowd. There could hardly have been a happier ending to the ceremony.
It was the perfect surprise.
In an instant, it blew away the tense, uneasy atmosphere that had been hanging over the square. Maria-san’s cheeks flushed a bright crimson, and the former lord responded by gallantly drawing her into his arms. That alone sent another wave of cheers rolling through the crowd.
“Grampa! Maria!”
Kent-chan clapped enthusiastically from his seat, while Emilia-sama watched with a warm smile and an approving nod.
“H-Huh…? What?!”
The margrave, however, looked utterly dumbfounded.
Judging by his reaction, no one had told him that Maria-san was expecting. The expression on his face was so priceless that I almost laughed.
“…Mother?”
Just then, Toria returned from backstage.
The moment she heard the announcement, she froze where she stood, staring blankly at her mother. Apparently, she hadn’t known about the pregnancy either.
In any case, there was no denying it. Thanks to that incredible surprise, the mood of the entire ceremony had changed completely. The fear and tension from the attack melted away, replaced once more by joy, laughter, and heartfelt celebration.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next
