Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 112

8. Secret Wedding

1

As the celebration party wound down, Luke moved to a private room to meet with envoys from various countries.

The envoys presented congratulatory gifts and spoke of fostering friendship and cooperation between their nations.

Luke aimed to maintain peaceful relations with other countries on the continent, avoiding conflict whenever possible.

He believed that rebuilding the kingdom and resolving the issues with the Baroque Empire should take priority.

He had no intention of repeating the events of 500 years ago, when he was branded a demon king and faced attacks from all the nations on the continent.

‘Repeating past mistakes is the height of foolishness.’

As Luke pondered this, an unexpected envoy arrived to see him.

“You’re from the Baroque Empire?”

“Yes, I have brought a personal letter from His Majesty the Emperor.”

The young noble, who introduced himself as Baron Curian, handed Rudolf’s personal letter to Luke.

‘The Emperor wouldn’t be congratulating my ascension, would he?’

Luke was puzzled but unfolded the letter.

Rudolf’s arrogant and angry handwriting came into view.

Listen, Luke de Rakan.

I have heard that you punished Myers, the leader of the noble faction.

But why are you being swayed by traitors and foolishly establishing a nation and ascending to the throne?

It is not too late. Return to the Empire and fulfill your duty as a noble of Baroque.

If you continue your foolish actions, I will have you and your name torn to shreds and erased from the world forever by the thousands of Gigantes [giant war machines] and millions of soldiers under my command.

“Hmph, thousands of Gigantes and millions of soldiers? He’s quite the braggart for an Emperor.”

Even during its golden age, the Baroque Empire didn’t possess such a military force.

And now that the country is divided into three, he claims to mobilize such forces?

Luke scoffed and tossed Rudolf’s letter aside.

Baron Curian inwardly flinched at his cold gaze but maintained a calm facade.

‘He’s quite something. He’s no ordinary man. He must be a Sword Master-level knight.’

As Luke had guessed, Curian was a Sword Master belonging to the Imperial Guard, personally trained by the Emperor.

In fact, he had received a secret order to assassinate Luke if the opportunity arose.

However, the security around Luke was tight, and Luke didn’t show any openings, making it difficult.

Only those who lack skill resort to recklessness.

So, Curian abandoned the assassination attempt.

“Go back and tell the Emperor. I will visit him someday and settle things with swords and spears.”

To settle things with swords and spears meant that he would cut off Rudolf’s head.

“Understood.”

Luke watched Baron Curian leave, lost in thought for a moment.

‘The reason he sent that guy is probably to show that he still has powerful knights by his side, right? The Baroque Empire won’t fall so easily.’

Although they are facing difficulties due to rebellions and invasions from neighboring countries, the power of the Imperial Family, built over 500 years, would not have disappeared completely.

He didn’t know how long it would last, but Luke resolved not to let his guard down in the fight against the Baroque Empire.

After Baron Curian left, the envoy from the Kingdom of Lybia arrived next.

The representative was Count Felipe, who had also visited during Myers’ coronation.

“Hmm. Shaikan, no, King Reichardt, wants an alliance with me?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Our King believes that Lybia and Symphonia can walk the same path.”

“Hmm, I suppose so.”

Luke had met the Orc Hero Shaikan before.

Therefore, he knew what Shaikan wanted and why he was requesting an alliance so quickly.

“I also view an alliance with Lybia positively. However, I believe we need to have a more detailed discussion to form a treaty.”

“Does that mean you will hold a meeting?”

“Yes. We should arrange for the two kings to meet soon.”

Luke had no intention of forming a hasty alliance with the Kingdom of Lybia, at least not without further discussion.

So, he intended to meet with Shaikan at least once.

After discussing the meeting further, he sent the envoy from the Kingdom of Lybia away.

“Which country is next?”

“It is the envoy from Grenada, Your Majesty.”

At Prime Minister Hans’s answer, a puzzled expression appeared on Luke’s face.

“What? Grenada?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Shall we send them back?”

“No, since they’ve come, let’s meet them.”

As Luke gave his permission, Hans signaled.

Then, a few men, led by a middle-aged man with a tanned face and cunning eyes, entered the private room.

“I am Count Haran de Greg, the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Grenada.”

As Count Greg bowed deeply and respectfully, Luke spoke with a displeased expression.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Count Greg. But I never expected an envoy from the Kingdom of Grenada.”

The Kingdom of Grenada had recently fought a war with the Marquisate of Rakan.

In fact, the Marquisate of Rakan was unilaterally attacked.

They were also ambushed at the same time as the war with the Kingdom of Milton, which was quite painful.

‘And those guys sent an envoy to congratulate my coronation.’

Of course, he knew the general reason, but he didn’t expect them to brazenly show their faces at such an official event.

‘Is it because they’re fundamentally pirates? They’ve got some nerve.’

Luke, feeling inwardly displeased, subtly released an oppressive aura.

Count Greg, exposed to that aura, was sweating profusely.

Still, as if he wasn’t just a figurehead as a Foreign Minister, he spoke, pretending to be calm.

“The last war was foolishly led by some ministers who were deceived by Myers. Please understand that it was never the intention of our King or the entire kingdom.”

“Hah, is that so? Some ministers led the deputy commander of the Royal Knights and the flagship of the Royal Navy to move? That’s quite surprising.”

“Th, that is……”

“I thought the Kingdom of Grenada had a strict hierarchy, but it seems not.”

Luke’s eyes seemed to pierce through Count Greg’s mind.

Count Greg, his heart pounding, was sweating profusely and stammering.

However, if he admitted that he had been cornered, it would be difficult to continue the conversation or negotiate properly.

So, Greg repeatedly denied it.

“As I said before, it was because some ministers, who were deceived by Myers’s scheme, incited the military personnel. Our King is also furious about this matter. So, please do not misunderstand too much.”

“Too much misunderstanding… Well, let’s say that for now.”

As Luke spoke as if he would let it go for now, Count Greg, inwardly relieved, handed over a box that his subordinate was carrying and said,

“This is a gift from our King to congratulate Your Majesty’s ascension and to compensate for the last war. Please accept it.”

Luke examined the gift from Grenada.

Inside the ebony box were many branches that emitted a transparent and rainbow-like light.

“This is… Crystal Coral?”

“Yes, it is a spiritual creature that grows from the magic stone veins in the deep sea.”

The crystal coral, which feeds on the magic stone’s energy, was a powerful tonic.

Because it condensed the magic stone’s energy, ordinary people could live a long and healthy life, and knights or mages could greatly enhance their aura and mana if they consumed it.

Because of its efficacy and the difficulty of harvesting it, it was hard to obtain even with a large sum of money.

“It is said that the larger and more colorful the crystal coral, the better. The market value of what’s in this box alone could easily buy one or two territories the size of a county.”

“Hmm, indeed……”

“We have prepared other gifts as well.”

Greg opened the boxes one by one, revealing black pearls, silk and porcelain brought from the southern continent, and other valuable items.

Each was a valuable treasure, and Luke wore a satisfied expression.

“Since you say it’s war compensation, I will accept it for now. But seeing you offer such precious gifts, I think there must be another reason why you came to Symphonia?”

Luke didn’t believe that they had simply come to congratulate his coronation or to pay war compensation.

Over the years, the Kingdom of Grenada had committed numerous acts of plunder, but they had never apologized or properly compensated any kingdom.

As expected, Count Greg spoke with a more respectful attitude.

“Please release Count Fernand de Salizar, who was taken prisoner in the last war.”

‘As expected……’

He had already guessed it in advance.

Fernand de Salizar was not only a promising Sword Master but also the only son-in-law of the current King of Grenada, Drake.

There were various candidates to succeed the aging king, but none of them surpassed Fernand in terms of justification, talent, or potential.

Therefore, he judged that they would not leave such a prominent heir to the throne in another country.

“It is customary in wars between nations to release high-ranking nobles or royals for a ransom. We will pay the ransom, so please release the Count.”

This was the mission of Count Greg, the Foreign Minister of a nation.

At his request, Luke spoke with a meaningful expression.

“If it’s a reasonable ransom, I have no reason to object. But I need something other than money or jewels.”

“Then what…?”

What on earth was he going to ask for?

Luke, with a greedy expression, spoke to Greg, who was inwardly flustered.

“We captured a ship called the Hiredin in the last war. It was a truly amazing ship. If you support us with mages and engineers to build the same kind of state-of-the-art warship, I will consider releasing Count Salizar.”

“A, a ship of the same class as the Hiredin, you say?”

“That’s right. I’ve been thinking that we need to build up our kingdom’s navy.”

Luke had destroyed the Grenada navy’s fleet using torpedoes in the last war, but he was envious of their powerful warships.

Other steamships and large sailing ships were also powerful, but the Hiredin, which had two pairs of large paddle wheels, over 200 cannons, and could carry landing Gigantes, was truly an invincible fortress on the sea.

If they had faced it head-on in the open sea, not on the coast, all of the Marquisate of Rakan’s navy would not have been able to defeat a single Hiredin.

Anyway, as Luke made an excessive demand, Count Greg jumped up in surprise.

“That’s difficult. The large battleship class like the Hiredin is the world’s largest and strongest warship, and we only have three of them in our Kingdom of Grenada. To build it, we need not only excellent shipbuilding technology but also a large shipyard……”

“So, you just need to send people. If you send mages and engineers, we will take care of the ship and the shipyard.”

“Of course, you will take care of it. But the law prohibits the outflow of shipbuilding-related mages and engineers for national security reasons.”

“Is that so? Will you still insist on that even if it means Count Salizar’s life is not guaranteed?”

At Luke’s threat, Count Greg gulped.

If he failed to negotiate here and Count Salizar died, he would be out of favor with the King.

In particular, the faction that was pushing for Count Fernand de Salizar to become the next king would never leave him alone.

“I apologize, but is there nothing else that can be offered instead…?”

“I need nothing else.”

Greg sighed deeply at Luke’s firm reply.

He had engaged in several rounds of give-and-take negotiations, and in the end, they settled on sending technicians capable of building large merchant ships, rather than warships.

Luke was satisfied with the result.

In fact, his initial excessive demands were just a bluff to achieve his goal.

‘After all, trained sailors are more important than ships for the navy.’

Marquis Volant, who had become the commander of the 5th Legion, also emphasized that naval development would take time.

Therefore, Luke decided to train sailors while simultaneously building shipyards and ships, and developing warship construction technology.

2

The festival celebrating Luke’s ascension lasted for a full week.

Not only the nobles but also the common people drank the beer provided by the royal family and wished for the prosperity of Symphonia.

As the joyous festival ended and the envoys from various countries had all returned, a late guest arrived.

Whoooosh!

A long-distance teleport gate in the royal territory of Rakan was activated, and a person appeared.

As he appeared, Luke quickly approached and greeted him.

“Welcome, Grand Duke Gregory.”

“I didn’t expect the King to come out to greet me personally.”

The guest who had arrived today was none other than the Sword Sage of the Holy Empire, Grand Duke Alvero de Gregory.

Luke awkwardly smiled and waved his hand, trying to downplay the formality.

“Haha, there’s no need to be so formal.”

“No, as the monarch of a nation, I must show proper respect. Moreover, isn’t the King the fiancé of our Holy Father?”

“That’s true, but…”

Luke’s face was stiff as he answered.

It wasn’t because he felt burdened by Gregory’s changed demeanor, but because his condition seemed unusual.

‘He’s lost a lot of weight. And his body has aged somewhat.’

Gregory, who had undergone reverse aging, had a very youthful appearance that didn’t match his age of over 120 years.

As a Sword Sage-level paladin, he possessed immense aura and divine power, which also gave him exceptional regenerative and activation abilities.

However, Grand Duke Gregory now looked emaciated as if he were suffering from a serious illness, and he was even using a cane.

Not only that, but his hair was white as frost, and wrinkles had formed on his face and hands.

It wasn’t just his appearance that was the problem.

He could no longer feel the same imposing presence as before.

‘Is it because he lost a massive amount of aura after falling into the trap of the fairies? I was fine, so why…?’

Seeing Luke’s puzzled expression, Gregory smiled faintly.

“You seem quite surprised by my appearance.”

“Yes, I haven’t heard anything about the Grand Duke’s condition.”

An individual of Grand Duke Gregory’s stature would certainly be under surveillance in Argos [the Holy Empire’s capital].

Yet, he hadn’t heard anything about his changes.

“Hehe. I’ve been keeping it a secret and recuperating, so it’s natural that you haven’t heard.”

Gregory had no choice but to thoroughly conceal his condition.

First of all, he couldn’t reveal the Nanas incident and put Luke and Reina in a difficult position. Also, if rumors spread that he had weakened, he didn’t know what actions the opposition would take.

“It was really tough for a while. I can’t say I’m completely fine now… but I haven’t become a has-been yet.”

“……!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Luke involuntarily took a step back at the sight of Grand Duke Gregory’s changed gaze and presence.

He could feel the same, no, an even more powerful and immense energy from him that he hadn’t been able to sense just moments before.

‘His body has weakened, but such energy! Did he perhaps gain some enlightenment?’

As Luke was thinking this, Gregory spoke to him.

“By the way, I heard you learned the latter part of the Gold Sword when you went to the Southern Continent?”

“Yes, I told Reina about it when I returned… Let’s move to another place first.”

Luke led Gregory to the private training ground in the Rakan manor.

On the way, he explained how he had obtained the latter part.

“The Body Channeling… amazing. I didn’t know there was someone in the world with such an ability.”

“It was definitely a different feeling from divine power. If divine power is using the power of God, then Body Channeling is something you awaken directly.”

After briefly discussing Nanda and his abilities, Luke took a wooden sword and demonstrated the latter part of the Gold Sword.

“The latter part is broadly divided into 8 sections, and 64 sections in detail. Depending on how you apply or fuse the forms, you can create hundreds or thousands of variations…”

Gregory, who had initially watched with curiosity, became more serious as the forms progressed, his eyes sparkling.

Then, he exclaimed and his face flushed with excitement.

“Indeed! So that’s what the latter part is!”

“But, perhaps because it’s mixed with Southern swordsmanship, or perhaps because I misunderstood it, I can’t seem to bring out its full power.”

“Hmm…”

After hearing Luke’s explanation, Gregory picked up a wooden sword from the weapon rack as if he wanted to demonstrate it himself.

As Luke stepped aside, he slowly swung the wooden sword and unfolded the latter part of the Gold Sword.

At first, it wasn’t much different from Luke’s demonstration.

But in an instant, a brilliant golden light flashed from the tip of the wooden sword Gregory swung.

Kwaang—!

‘No way!’

Luke’s eyes widened as half of the training ground was blown away by the exploding aura.

It was just a simple swing, and there wasn’t much difference in the movements from when he had demonstrated it earlier.

But the power was like heaven and earth.

It was definitely not as powerful as the sword techniques he had seen in his memory recall, but it felt close.

What on earth was going on?

Grand Duke Gregory, who had sheathed his wooden sword, said to the puzzled Luke.

“The reason you can’t bring out its full power seems to be because the King is still inexperienced.”

“I’m inexperienced?”

“Yes, the King is certainly strong enough to fight me, but if we only consider the depth of swordsmanship, there are still things you haven’t realized.”

Currently, Luke’s swordsmanship was at the intermediate level of Sword Master.

His enlightenment was also only at the intermediate level.

“Things I haven’t realized… Will I be able to understand them when my swordsmanship reaches the Sword Sage level?”

Gregory smiled faintly at Luke’s question.

“Well, it’s not something you can understand easily. It’s something you have to feel for yourself, and I only barely realized it after being injured recently.”

What exactly did he have to feel and realize?

Just as Luke was about to ask that question, Gregory changed the subject.

“By the way, what’s the reason you invited me? It doesn’t seem to be just to show me the latter part?”

Gregory had been staying in Bless [a city in the Holy Empire], instead of Reina, protecting the Holy Empire. He had been secretly handling state affairs while hiding his ailing body.

But Luke and Reina had requested him to come for a short while through magical communication, so he had come.

“Is there some difficult battle we have to fight? Did the fairies cause trouble again?”

“No, it’s not that… You might get a little angry when you hear it, Grand Duke.”

Luke, who had slightly changed the subject, said to Gregory, who was tilting his head.

“Please be our witness.”

“Witness? Are you having a duel?”

A witness was needed for a duel.

If a strong person like Luke were to have a duel, Gregory was certainly qualified to be the witness.

But what madman would challenge the king of a nation to a duel?

“No, it’s not a duel, it’s for a wedding.”

“Wedding? No, could it be…!”

Luke saw Gregory’s eyes widen for the first time.

He thought that he was probably the only one on the continent who had seen him like this.

“Reina said she wanted to have the wedding before she returned. I told her it was too early, but she was so stubborn…”

“Your Majesty.”

Was it Luke’s imagination that he felt a sharp edge in Grand Duke Gregory’s voice as he called out to him?

As expected, Gregory pointed the wooden sword he had sheathed at him and continued.

“Let’s discuss the latter part of the Gold Sword a bit more before we talk about that.”

‘O, oh no!’

Luke couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat at the sight of Gregory, who had returned to the same gaze he had when they first met.

It seemed he needed to survive before asking for permission.

After spending some time in a cold sweat with Grand Duke Gregory, Luke headed to the giant fortress known as the Demon King’s Castle.

Thud thud thud!

When he pressed the wall behind the throne of the great hall, a hidden secret door opened with a low rumble.

Luke wore a bitter expression, having been too busy with various matters to visit the secret laboratory and workshop of the fortress for a while.

“This is where I built my foundation, but now it’s farewell forever.”

The secret laboratory and workshop of the fortress were where Luke, who had become the successor of a failing territory, had made his comeback.

But now, he couldn’t use these facilities anymore.

As a king, he couldn’t leave his position often.

So, he was gradually moving his foundations from Rakan territory to Brenden, the capital of Symphonia.

The most representative of these was the Katarina Magic Tower.

The Katarina Magic Tower, which had been promoted to a royal magic tower, was expanding its scale by integrating with the old Milton Royal Magic Tower, and was striving to establish a systematic organization and improve research results.

“I should move the things here to the secret chamber I’ve prepared in Brenden Palace.”

Luke opened the subspace of his bracelet and began to pack the records, materials, magical tools, and equipment in the secret laboratory and workshop.

He packed only the things that could be used immediately and decided to leave the non-urgent items to be retrieved later.

“Oh, I almost forgot that.”

Luke tapped his head, having forgotten to look for the most important item while packing the magical items.

He reached into the innermost part of the safe in the secret laboratory’s storage.

After fumbling for a moment, his hand pulled out a small, plain wooden box from the corner.

Inside the box was a pair of gold rings.

Simple yet elegant and antique, the inside of the rings were engraved with the words ‘Together Forever’ in ancient language.

‘I thought I would never see these rings again….’

These rings were made by a dwarf artisan he had met on a business trip to a distant province about 500 years ago when he was still affiliated with the Veritas Magic Tower.

It was incredibly difficult to acquire a piece from a skilled artisan, but in his eagerness to propose to Katarina, he had emptied his pockets to buy the ring.

However, the ring never reached its intended owner.

When he returned from his journey, Katarina was no longer alive.

‘I won’t let the same thing happen again.’

He would protect Reina, Katarina’s reincarnation, no matter what!

*Woo-woong!*

From Luke’s hand holding the ring, a bright magical light surged, as if responding to his vow.

***

*Ding-dong-ding!*

*Flap flap!*

A peaceful morning with the bell tower ringing and pigeons flying around.

At the entrance of a small temple located just below the giant castle, a group of people had gathered.

It was a woman in a pure white dress and veil, with about a dozen people standing behind her.

Some novice knights, who happened to be passing by the temple on a pilgrimage to the battle site of the hero Rakan, noticed them and whispered.

“What’s going on? Is it a wedding?”

“It’s so simple. There don’t seem to be many guests either.”

“Still, their attire doesn’t look like a commoner’s wedding. Maybe it’s a noble couple eloping because of family opposition.”

“Then are those people witnesses?”

Among the guests, there were some with an unusual presence.

A young man with a sly look, a man from the Southern Continent who looked as solid as a rock, and a middle-aged knight in red armor with frost on his head.

But the person with the most intense presence was the white-haired man standing with a cane.

Despite his haggard appearance, he exuded an enormous energy that was reminiscent of a giant sword reaching the sky.

“That old man is no joke.”

“Yeah, he must be a knight of immense skill. He’s much stronger than that red-armored guy over there who’s just posing….”

*Thud!*

Suddenly, the knight in red armor slammed his sword into the ground.

The ground shook with a loud roar, like a giant [Gigant, a large mythical creature] taking a step, and the temple’s windows rattled as if they would break.

The novice knights, startled by this, turned pale.

“Is that side stronger?”

“L-let’s go quickly. I think they heard what we said.”

The red-armored knight, Belik, didn’t even glance at the novice knights who were running away in a hurry.

He was upset for a different reason.

“What on earth are you doing?”

“Calm down. There’s still a little time left, isn’t there?”

When Belik burst out in anger, the old retainers of Volga, including Pavel and Viktor, tried to calm him down.

“Even so, how dare they make the princess… no, Her Holiness wait!”

“Hush, shush! What if others hear you?”

Today’s wedding between Luke and Reina was a secret to the outside world.

That’s why they even used transformation magic on the guests’ faces to prevent people from recognizing them.

Although there was no explicit mention in the Elkasel Order’s scriptures that priests should not marry, it was a custom and a common perception that high-ranking priests remained celibate.

This custom and perception were deeply ingrained not only among the nobles but also among the commoners.

Therefore, the union of the Symphonia Kingdom and the Holy Artenia Empire, which some nobles had mentioned at the enthronement celebration banquet, had an extremely low chance of becoming a reality.

If there were any signs of it happening, it was obvious that domestic and foreign opposition forces would launch a massive political offensive and criticism.

Luke and Reina also did not want their marriage to cause complicated and noisy disputes and problems.

Luke was planning to continue building his strength and wait until he could suppress the opposition, but Reina was a little different.

She wanted to make a promise when they met like this, even if it wasn’t grand.

That way, she could prevent any potential rivals from getting any ideas, and it seemed like she could soothe her own heart, which was suffering from regret.

“Perhaps, have you changed your mind?”

“Surely not. Let’s wait a little longer.”

Reina stopped Belik, who was about to go and grab Luke right away.

However, even she, who wasn’t showing it, was wondering why Luke hadn’t appeared even though the wedding time was approaching.

‘Could something urgent have happened?’

Since it was the early days of the nation’s founding, anything could have happened anywhere.

It was when she was secretly worrying.

“There, His Majesty is coming.”

With Philip’s shout, Luke appeared.

He was riding a horse in a neat formal attire, holding a large bouquet of flowers in his hand.

“What took you so long?”

At Belik’s shout, Luke smiled and said.

“I remembered something I had to do before the wedding.”

“Something to do before the wedding?”

While everyone was wondering, Luke approached Reina, knelt down on one knee, and offered the bouquet of flowers.

“Reina, the reason I am here today is because I met you, and because I have walked the same path with you.”

Luke gently took Reina’s hand and continued, kissing the back of her hand.

“I want to walk with you for the rest of my life. As a companion, no matter how long and difficult the road may be, I want to be with you, and I want to face it with you.”

“Luke…”

The thing Luke mentioned he had to do before the wedding.

It was a proposal, which was popular among young people these days.

Having heard about proposals from his escort knights, he had hurriedly prepared a bouquet of flowers and crafted the proposal lines while on his way to the temple.

“Will you be with me?”

Seeing the earnest look in Luke’s eyes, Reina smiled softly and nodded.

“Yes, I will be with you forever.”

When Reina accepted the proposal, Luke smiled brightly and hugged her.

While everyone was watching with a pleased look, Priest Maron cleared his throat and scolded them.

“Ahem, that’s enough of the prologue, shouldn’t we move on to the main event now?”

“Yeah, hurry up and get to the main event!”

Belik hurriedly pushed the two of them into the temple.

He was quite looking forward to today’s wedding.

If Luke and Reina were to be together, he would not only be the adoptive father of the King of Symphonia but also the father-in-law of the Pope of the Holy Empire.

Pushed by Belik, who was full of such ambition(?), Luke and Reina stood before the temple altar and had their wedding ceremony officiated by Maron.

“Marriage is when the bond between a man and a woman is made before God. To care for each other, to work together, to strive, and to live a fulfilling life while trusting each other… that is love and happiness.”

Maron recited the wedding address, citing scriptures and famous sayings left by past saints.

After the not-too-short, not-too-long wedding address, they moved on to the wedding vows.

“Do you, the bride, swear before God to take Luke de Rakan as your husband from today onwards, to love and respect him for the rest of your life?”

“Yes, I swear.”

“Do you, the groom, swear before God to take Reina Petrovna Kirilov as your wife from now on, to cherish her forever, and to fulfill your duties and obligations as a partner?”

“I swear, on my soul!”

After making their vows, Luke and Reina exchanged wedding rings.

*Woo-woong!*

As if responding to their hearts, a bright light rose from the wedding ring imbued with Luke’s magic.

“With this, I declare that the two of you are now husband and wife!”

As soon as Maron finished speaking, the guests rose from their seats and applauded and cheered.

Luke and Reina, who were smiling brightly, looked at each other and shared a kiss without either of them initiating it first.

The road ahead was still long and arduous, but both of them were happy at this moment without any worries.

“We got hit hard.”

“I know. I thought she was an angel with a kind heart… but there’s a saying that a quiet cat climbs onto the stove first for a reason.”

On the castle wall overlooking the temple, two women were talking with bitter expressions.

They were Erewine and Zhuge Soha.

They had belatedly heard that Luke and Reina were getting married and had rushed over, but they couldn’t bear to watch the wedding of the man they loved, so they were just watching from afar.

The two had received permission(?) from Reina at the last enthronement celebration banquet to stay by Luke’s side.

Having gained hope, they were determined to win Luke’s heart.

But now, Reina was holding a wedding so suddenly!

In a way, it could be said that they were backstabbed, but they couldn’t blame Reina.

If they were her, they would have made the first move like this.

And even they thought that the person who was most suitable as Luke’s partner was her.

‘Even so, I don’t want to lose.’

‘Being the most suitable is different from being the one he loves.’

Having made that judgment, the two looked at each other.

*Fizz!*

Just like Reina, the two of them, who were bothered by the obstacle right in front of them, had sparks flying from their eyes.

It wouldn’t be strange if a storm broke out right away, but for some reason, Erewine and Zhuge Soha smiled.

“It seems we need to form an alliance.”

“Yes. If we continue like this, it seems like it will be difficult to get even a piece of His Grace’s, no, Your Majesty’s heart.”

Until now, they had been keeping each other in check.

But any more checks would only be poison to each other.

In order to win Luke’s heart against the greatest enemy, Reina, they needed to join forces.

‘Moreover, this wedding is a secret to the outside world.’

‘Officially, His Majesty is still single.’

The queen’s seat is vacant.

In other words, Luke could receive any number of political marriage proposals.

The two, who were already troubled by Reina alone, did not want a situation where more enemies would appear.

That’s why they proposed a truce and an alliance.

‘I’ll endure until I win his heart.’

‘After winning His Majesty’s heart, I’ll chase this goblin woman away!’

Hiding their dark intentions and smiling brightly, the two of them made a resolution for tomorrow.