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Chapter 44
The bride entered with her father.
The guests didn’t dare open their mouths. Some even clasped their hands tightly over their lips.
“……”
“……”
Especially the special forces members, who had attended in high spirits, were left gaping in shock, jaws practically on the floor.
“Th-that’s the Captain?”
“No, I mean—no, listen!”
“If you get it, then shut up already.”
“We knew the Captain was beautiful, but…”
They never imagined she would be this breathtaking.
The whispers among the special forces reflected exactly what the rest of the guests felt.
The mermaid-style dress, baring her neck and shoulders, wrapped Noah’s elegant figure with refined grace.
There was none of the rugged aura of a soldier. On the contrary, the dress highlighted the exquisite curves shaped by her disciplined training.
Each step made her pale apricot heels click sharply, while the lace trailing from her waist to the hem of her skirt fluttered like a mermaid’s tail from a fairytale.
Her neatly braided golden hair was adorned with a pink corsage, and sapphire earrings and necklace completed the look perfectly.
No one could take their eyes off the bride. Some even fought the urge to blink, lest they miss a moment.
“Noah…”
Ameta Bello’s heart still ached at the thought of his daughter getting married.
“Come back any time, you hear?”
“Dad, I told you already, this is my first marriage.”
Noah only wished her veil would hide her father’s needless worries.
“And technically speaking, the General is moving into our family. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Your mother said the same. These days, divorce isn’t even a stain.”
“…Are you not listening to me at all?”
Just when Noah felt despair at her father’s endless banter, Leto appeared like a savior.
“Well, well! Looks like the groom can’t wait a moment longer.”
Benedicto, the officiant, cracked a joke, and the guests burst into laughter.
Noah hadn’t even made it halfway down the red-carpeted aisle, since she was matching her father’s deliberately slow steps.
Unable to wait, Leto strode forward himself.
Ameta found him very displeasing.
“You lack patience.”
“My apologies. But when it comes to Noah, I’m never calm. She holds my heart in her hands.”
“A man who only talks big isn’t trustworthy.”
The bride’s father found his smooth-talking son-in-law hard to trust.
Sensing the disapproval in Ameta’s gaze, Leto shut his mouth.
“…Still, I’ll give you this much.”
There was at least one thing he liked.
“That you came for my daughter first.”
“……”
“Now go together.”
Ameta firmly grasped Leto’s hand and placed Noah’s hand in his.
“We’ll see each other later, my daughter.”
Leaving a short but heartfelt farewell, he went to sit in the front row beside his wife.
Jenny Bello gently stroked her husband’s back, whispering to him as his shoulders trembled.
The bride and groom’s procession resumed.
“…Ahh, oh no.”
Standing before the altar, Noah gave a faint smile.
“Seeing Dad like that makes me want to cry.”
“Tell him how you feel later,” Leto said. “It’ll make him very happy.”
Noah agreed. She could already imagine him with watery squirrel-like eyes pulling her into a hug.
“But… did the Marquis come?”
“No.”
There weren’t strict divisions in the seating.
But unlike Noah’s family filling the front rows on her side, Leto’s side was empty.
“You knew he’s busy.”
Leto spoke quickly, worried Noah might feel hurt.
“I’m fine.”
“Well, I’m not fine.”
Noah thought that if she ever met Marquis Oceanus, she’d really give him an earful.
Their brief exchange ended as they stood beneath the cross.
“A perfect pair.”
Today, Benedicto was not a soldier, but the former priest who had once served his mother.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered to witness the blessed union of these two people.”
The atmosphere grew solemn.
“I know them well. Heroes of Adelabor, family to us, and friends to all of you.”
Ami signaled with a glance.
Clare approached, carrying a thick white velvet cushion.
On it lay the wedding rings.
“…Huh?”
Clare, waiting seriously for her moment, felt someone’s eyes and looked up.
“……”
“……”
She locked eyes with Ami, who had been staring intently at the rings.
Clare quickly turned the cushion so the rings faced outward.
“Don’t steal them!”
“If you yell like that, how do I look?”
The sudden banter mid-ceremony made the guests chuckle.
Ami forced an awkward laugh. Clare, proud to have thwarted a “ring thief,” looked smug.
“With such laughter, this can only be a blessed marriage.”
Benedicto handled the interruption gracefully.
“What use is a long and tedious sermon? This wedding has already become a joyful memory for many. May their future be just the same.”
With a touch of personal sincerity, he closed his speech.
Leto and Noah smiled at one another in happiness.
“Now, the exchange of rings.”
Clare stepped forward between them.
“Here!”
She offered the rings with an eager breath.
Leto slipped the ring onto Noah’s left ring finger.
Where once a faint scar had borne the mark of his teeth, now rested the ring they had chosen together.
Then Noah slid a ring onto Leto’s finger.
“…Not quite as good as biting.”
Looking up at him, she teased. Leto, who had been thinking the same, smirked.
“Before the vow and the kiss—”
As the ceremony neared its climax—
“…Principal Voltria.”
“…I see it too.”
The sharp gazes of the officers turned to the window. Maj. Gen. Voltria and Brig. Gen. Orin wore tense expressions.
Commander Classis gestured to Col. Ice, while Brig. Gen. Kirgo strained his ears toward the doors.
“If anyone objects to this union—”
Benedicto joked, “Say so now, unless you want to be killed by the General.”
Bang!
The great doors, closed after the bride’s entrance, flew open.
“…Oh, just a prank?”
Ami scratched her nose nonchalantly as everyone turned.
At first, people thought so.
Or maybe someone had truly come to object, promising dramatic spectacle.
But no.
“P-please help…!”
A bloodied man stumbled in, dripping with wounds.
“Kyaaah!”
The hall erupted into chaos.
The intruder wasn’t here to object.
“Kids, come here!”
Parents rushed to pull their children close.
Asus stepped in front of his master, shielding Clare, ready to draw something hidden beneath her dress.
“P-pi…!”
The man, soaked in blood, gasped out his words.
“Pirates! A flag with fingers on it…!”
“Everyone!”
At Leto’s command, the soldiers in the audience leapt to their feet, standing at the ready.
Noah was no exception.
“S-sis…”
Terrified, Clare whimpered.
Noah pulled her into an embrace, kissing her forehead. Her lipstick left a faint mark.
“Clare. Stay with Asus and our parents. Understand?”
“What about you? You and brother-in-law?”
“We’ll be back soon.”
Noah handed her veil and bouquet to Asus.
“Asus.”
“I’ll protect her with my life.”
He nodded resolutely.
“Go safely.”
“Be careful.”
Her parents’ worried voices followed. Noah smiled bravely.
Meanwhile, Leto was issuing rapid orders.
“Chief Chaplain, tend to this man immediately. Col. Ice, contact HQ—have the fleet dispatch personal ships here. Commander Classis, notify the navy…”
It was only one man bursting in with news of pirates.
But to Leto, that was enough.
The Hero of Adelabor’s red eyes burned fiercely.
The guests, reassured by his composure, began to calm.
“General.”
Benedicto, tending to the wounded man with healing magic, whispered something to Voltria.
The major general nodded.
“…Kinda scary.”
Clare muttered.
She’d thought he was just a silly uncle obsessed with her sister, but now, seeing him command so fearsomely, he felt like someone else.
“Your sister’s scared too.”
Clare pressed against Asus’s leg. He soothed her gently.
“But still…”
Her gaze toward her sister and brother-in-law wasn’t only fearful.
“Ladies and gentlemen.”
Leto addressed the crowd, bowing.
“You’ve come to bless our marriage, and now we must leave you. Please forgive us.”
But what came back wasn’t anger or disappointment.
“Return safely!”
“Go catch those damn pirates!”
“We should thank you for always protecting the nation!”
“There’s nothing to apologize for! Hurry, go!”
“It’s a blessed wedding indeed!”
Roaring cheers and heartfelt encouragement filled the hall, blessing the navy’s mission.
“My sister and brother-in-law are the coolest!”
Clare punched the air with both fists.
“Go win like the Kitchen-Knife Rabbit! Use your ultimate move!”
“Daddy! Don’t get hurt!”
The newlyweds, now soldiers once again, departed to thunderous cheers—a triumphant march as glorious as any victory parade.
