Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 236
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I had planned to grab Evan’s hand and flee depending on her answer, but this proved to be a catastrophic miscalculation. And when I say catastrophic, I mean every single aspect of it was wrong. First, my paper-thin strength couldn’t even budge Evan. Second, Evan wanted to marry me as well, so she would naturally agree if asked. Third, Gerth was the type who couldn’t abide injustice.
“Lemon Pie. I understand your urgency, but crashing a wedding venue is hardly proper etiquette.”
The wedding in the Capital was something like a rehearsal for the one to be held at the Serpent King’s Tower, but a wedding was still a wedding. Gerth was tremendously displeased that I had appeared at the wedding where he and Evan were the main characters, but he exercised superhuman understanding and recognized my desperation.
“….”
Gerth, dressed in an elegant tuxedo, pondered why I was so desperate. If I was second and could hold a wedding ceremony simply by waiting my turn, then naturally I should just wait. But what if no confirmation had been given that there would be a next turn? This could have been Evan’s mistake. So Gerth calmly questioned the bride-to-be.
“Evan. Did you formally propose to Lemon Pie?”
“No.”
“Then. Did you promise to hold a formal ceremony with Lemon Pie?”
“If I didn’t propose, there’s no way I made a wedding promise.”
“Evan, you were wrong.”
“Why was I wrong?”
“If you had promised to give your second husband an equal wedding ceremony, Lemon Pie wouldn’t have crashed the venue.”
“Is that so?”
“It is. Apologize.”
“I’m sorry, Seian.”
“Evan has apologized. I also apologize for my negligence in not looking after you. I hope you’ll accept it.”
“You lunatics, both of you insane, spouting absolute madness.”
I didn’t have the patience to listen to these lunatics’ nonsense. So I tried to grab Evan’s hand and escape the wedding venue, but no matter how hard I struggled, Evan wouldn’t budge. Due to my first miscalculation, I grew furious.
“Why won’t you move!”
“That’s because I’m stronger than you.”
“Then you should move! You’re supposed to follow my lead!”
“I’m the host of this wedding, so I can’t leave until the ceremony ends.”
“Ahhhhh! Ahhhhh! Why do I have to like a woman like this!”
Finally, as I screamed like a startled deer, the guests drank to my cries as if they were appetizers. It was somewhat dangerous, but I was glad I’d made the trip all the way to the Neftis Townhouse. The mad dog of House Neftis put on a show at every wedding that was nearly impossible to witness once in a lifetime. The mad dog of House Neftis was the best.
“I first saw that one when I was ten years old. Even back then, I could tell something wild was going to happen no matter what.”
“I was a victim of the drake that the mad dog of House Neftis raised, and if I’d sued, who knows what would’ve happened. The fact that I swallowed my pride even after breaking an arm back then is the best decision I’ve made in my life.”
The relatives and associates of House Neftis began sharing stories about the mad dog’s past in a warm and friendly atmosphere. However, His Majesty Cecile Emperor, seated at the head table, was displeased with the sight. He didn’t know much about Evan Mitchell’s past. Unable to join in the old stories, His Majesty felt irritated and was considering executing all of them. If he killed everyone who knew about Evan Mitchell’s past, he would become the person who knew Evan Mitchell best.
“Your Majesty.”
He was pondering how he could entangle all these people and send them away on charges of lèse-majesté when Evan called out to Cecile. It was amusing just watching the woman walk over in her wedding dress, holding a large bouquet of roses in one hand. Cecile thought this was quite a problem.
“I’ll make you happy for life. Give me Seian.”
Evan handed over the bouquet she had received from Seian, this time presenting it to Cecile. At that moment, Cecile thought: if there were people who knew about Evan Mitchell’s past, they might tell interesting stories someday. So it would be a waste to kill them.
“You’re asking for your precious younger sibling as your second husband, not even your first?”
“In exchange, Seian will be granted considerable freedom. He can live in the Imperial Palace indefinitely. I will certainly attend the New Year’s State Banquet that Your Majesty hosts with Seian.”
“Those are good terms.”
I had experienced it before, but if I used Seian for a political marriage, he would inevitably be bound to the woman’s family. Yet it seemed wasteful to send Seian to just anyone.
But if the other party was Evan, and Seian and Evan happened to like each other, and I also found Evan agreeable, then by taking her as my second husband, I could make demands while showing reluctance and bind Evan firmly to the Imperial Court.
One way or another, it was appealing, but Cecile didn’t consent immediately. Evan Mitchell’s nature was to climb over people’s heads if given even a little encouragement. Cecile took pride in knowing this aspect of Evan Mitchell so well.
“We can discuss the dowry later. Since I’m sending my beloved younger sibling, I’ll need to prepare quite a substantial sum.”
“Of course. If I can have Seian Crowell, I would gladly offer up an entire nation.”
With a face like Seian Crowell’s, one could easily be worth a kingdom or more. Evan Laef and Cecilia nodded deeply in agreement.
“Hey, what about me? What about my will?!”
Seian Crowell, who had come to disrupt the wedding only to be struck by this sudden turn of events, couldn’t accept the situation. Why was this man Gerth so lenient about taking a second husband, and why were Cecilia and Evan discussing his marriage without even consulting him?
When Seian Crowell stubbornly insisted he would never marry Evan Laef unless it was monogamous, Evan Laef calmly explained the reality to him.
“Seian Crowell, you are of the Royal Family. Did you really think you could have a love marriage?”
“My dear Seian Crowell. You are a national treasure.”
Having experienced it once, why hadn’t he considered it would happen again? As long as Seian Crowell remained of House Crowell, he was destined for a political marriage.
Throughout his entire life, nothing had ever gone his way. Seian Crowell laughed hollowly, his spirit completely broken.
“Should we leave Seian Crowell here?”
“No. It seems your husband has other ideas.”
At Gerth’s gesture, Evan Laef took Seian Crowell’s hand and led him along. The man smiled generously and permitted Seian Crowell to remain at Evan Laef’s side.
“I was unaware my wife had caused such a disturbance. Since we’ve come this far, let us exit together.”
And so it came to pass.
Evan Laef held Gerth’s hand in her left and Seian Crowell’s in her right, listened to the officiant’s words, and exited with confident strides. After the ceremony concluded, there was a reception to attend, so Evan Laef changed into an evening gown while Seian Crowell sat silently beside Cecilia and drank. No matter how much he drank, it never seemed to be enough.
“Um, Mother!”
Just as Evan Laef was about to move from table to table greeting guests, Hubert, who had been sitting quietly, carefully stood up.
Three years had passed since meeting Evan Laef. Three years of calling her mother desperately, only to be denied that title each time.
The young fox who had attended his father’s wedding had thought long and hard, and had gathered much courage. Since Father had married, surely he was now his mother, wasn’t he? But what if she said she had only married Father and never took on a son like him? What if Mother had her own life and a grown son would only be a burden?
Until now, he had called out hoping Evan Laef would become his mother, but the weight of “Mother” in this moment—whether she would truly become his mother or not—felt different.
She might reject him. No, she probably would. Even thinking about it himself, it was difficult for a woman not yet twenty to accept a grown son.
So he called out one last time. If he was rejected now, he decided he would never use the word mother again. He would simply offer clean congratulations for Father’s marriage.
Hubert had made up his mind this way, but expressing it proved harder than he thought. He was so frightened he felt like crying. But if he showed tears, it would make Evan Laef’s choice difficult, so he held it back.
“Mother…?”
Am I allowed to call you mother? With that question in his heart, Hubert called out to Evan Laef once more.
Seeing Hubert with his ears and tail drooping, Evan Laef, who had been lost in thought for a moment, let out a soft laugh and answered boldly.
“I married Gerth, so I am indeed your mother. What is it?”
It was only natural that when one married, one took on the family that came with it. The moment Evan Laef acknowledged being Hubert’s mother for the first time, the young fox could no longer contain his overwhelming emotions.
“M-Mother. Mom, M-Mooooom!”
Hubert, tears streaming down his face, threw himself into Evan Laef’s arms. Though she told him several times that she was indeed his mother, Hubert couldn’t stop crying. Yet despite his tears, his joy was impossible to hide—every time Evan Laef gently stroked his head, his ears perked up eagerly.
“Professor Ha’s kid finally became Evan Laef’s son.”
“Reina, are you crying?”
“Don’t talk about others while you’re crying, you murderous bastard.”
“S-Sob, h-hiccup, H-Hubert, w-well done.”
Reina Letem, Eugene, and Kanna, who knew the history of it all, shed tears and snot along with Hubert. Sunbird and Sera, witnessing this touching scene, also had reddened eyes, and Gerth had been quietly staring at the ceiling the whole time.
“Father, are you crying?”
“I’m not.”
“You are, though.”
“I am not.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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