It’s Trouble Because Unrequited Love Is So Fun - Chapter 45

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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SIDE 3. Hidden Reward 【Sanctuary】

 

***

 

Raphael felt no particular emotion even when he saw the bride walking down the Wedding Road.

 

The watch he had obtained from Valen also remained quiet.

 

He simply received Serenthia’s hand from Isidel’s hand.

 

Perhaps it was because they had held hands before.

 

Just the touch of their hands no longer put him in a completely uncontrollable state.

 

However, in any case, he was busy controlling the light flowing from his hands so it wouldn’t spread to the surroundings, so he couldn’t even properly look at her face.

 

‘…If I just endure like this.’

 

So he thought it would end with just that much.

 

Just an event where he would meet more people than usual.

 

But after the ceremony ended.

 

“Now, the two who have become husband and wife shall perform the 【Oath Kiss】 before the Lord God.”

 

He thought what the elder from the Council of Elders who officiated the ceremony said was nothing special either.

 

He lifted the wedding veil covering her face and lowered his head inside it.

 

“We’re just pretending, just pretending.”

 

He lifted the bride’s veil a little more, but quite leisurely.

 

“Yes! That’s fine with me too!”

 

Inside the veil, Serenthia was smiling with a gentle expression.

 

“Then I’ll close my eyes! Please ‘pretend’ properly.”

 

But then…

 

A small hallucination slowly began to occur before him.

 

Hallucinations following auditory hallucinations.

 

It was the first time he experienced hallucinations without using his ability.

 

“S-sorry, but… are you trying to kiss me?”

 

Serenthia Rosemary with a different face than now.

 

A woman who somehow looked a little intimidated.

 

He had experienced all sorts of chaotic hallucinations before, but…

 

“S-sorry! I misunderstood…”

 

He had never had a hallucination that looked this lovely…

 

At some point, when Raphael’s nose tip slowly drew closer to Serenthia.

 

The hallucination overlapped with Serenthia before his eyes, and the hallucination completely disappeared.

 

He could see Serenthia with her eyes tightly closed.

 

Her fluttering eyelashes looked exactly like butterflies.

 

The bright smile forming at this woman’s lips.

 

And her action of holding the bouquet close to her chest as if her heart was trembling.

 

What was before his eyes was Serenthia Rosemary.

 

Though it would only be for a year, the woman who would become his wife.

 

As soon as he drew close, he could smell something like a fragrance brushing past his nose…

 

The woman’s soft lips caught his eye.

 

Even the hallucination that had asked “are you trying to kiss me” was forgotten…

 

Her full lips filled his entire field of vision.

 

Looking intently at her like that, Raphael slowly closed and opened his eyes.

 

Tick, tick.

 

The sound of a clock’s second hand ticking reached his ears.

 

He listened to the sound coming from his own wrist.

 

He slowly checked his watch.

 

A moment when one second felt like one minute.

 

This was surely the sound of a tiny crack forming in his peaceful world.

 

Again, tick, tick.

 

Perhaps this was the sound of his world becoming tangled.

 

A single word that originally would have meant nothing to him.

 

A single moment of eye contact that originally would have been nothing.

 

The new things she brought left footprints in his world.

 

The existence called Serenthia was invading his entire world.

 

He had thoughts of getting rid of her somewhere, thoughts of doing something about her.

 

But those thoughts became useless before her. He quietly muttered incomprehensible words.

 

“…It’s over.”

 

“…Why? Did they catch us pretending to kiss?”

 

“No.”

 

Seeing Serenthia slowly open her eyes, Raphael rarely showed an expression of defeat.

 

Because his ability moved?

 

No, his ability didn’t move.

 

Instead…

 

Finally, he faced the movement of the clock hands.

 

What moved wasn’t emotion.

 

It was the second hand called desire.

 

“Close your eyes.”

 

Raphael could no longer look at Serenthia’s eyes.

 

At his words, Serenthia tilted her head curiously and obediently closed her eyes.

 

The time inside the wedding veil that lasted barely less than a minute.

 

Raphael listened to the noise of the ticking clock.

 

***

 

When I first saw the ceremony order, I thought it would be fine to just do the oath kiss.

 

Because, though it’s a bit sad, there’s no way Raphael would actually kiss me…

 

And indeed, when we were coordinating before the wedding, we had already agreed to just pretend during the ‘oath kiss.’

 

But when I briefly opened my eyes, Raphael said to me.

 

“Close your eyes.”

 

Could this possibly be something said right before a kiss?

 

‘Did he change his mind? Is he really going to do it?’

 

Somehow my trembling eyelashes and the breath flowing out heavily seemed to reveal my dirty thoughts.

 

‘No, no. Why would this be a dirty desire?’

 

I quickly opened my eyes wide again.

 

Thinking that my face might be incredibly red.

 

But you know what.

 

‘…Huh?’

 

Did I see something wrong?

 

Raphael’s earlobes also seemed to have reddened a little. It was when I, flustered, was blinking my eyes.

 

Raphael muttered lowly.

 

“You’re too close. I told you to close your eyes again.”

 

But those words sounded to me exactly like he wanted to get closer.

 

Of course, that’s probably my interpretation. Well…

 

‘He’s telling me to close my eyes again.’

 

‘Could this possibly be…?!’

 

I gathered my pounding heart and mustered all my courage to whisper quietly.

 

“Excuse me, but are you perhaps regretting saying you would only act without actually kissing me?”

 

“What?”

 

I spoke reverently, courageously, and seriously.

 

“You can take back what you said about just pretending.”

 

“I won’t take it back.”

 

“From now on, you can freely… like me, and touch me…”

 

“I have mysophobia.”

 

…The person who rebuilt the North covered in dust and dirt, who didn’t care about blood from slaughtering monsters?

 

“No, that’s way too much of a lie?”

 

“Enough. It’s over now.”

 

Raphael was lifting the wedding veil again.

 

As expected, there was no impulsive moment where his lips would touch mine.

 

However, in that moment, I didn’t miss the subtle curve that graced his lips.

 

Could it be that this man is falling for me, even just a little?

 

Right when my hopeful delusions exploded.

 

As if the prepared event was about to begin, Squirrel, who had been dangling from the stained glass frame, sent me a telepathic message.

 

“Serenthia, I’m starting now!”

 

After the wedding veil was completely lifted.

 

As Raphael and I walked down the Wedding Road again, pure white light poured down from beyond the stained glass that wrapped around the sanctuary walls.

 

People who encountered the warm cascade of light during the sacred ceremony opened their eyes wide.

 

“What is this?”

 

“Light coming in like sunlight…”

 

“…It’s so warm. Like light that’s embracing us.”

 

That was the exact moment.

 

When pure white flower petals began to slowly rain down from the sky.

 

The flower rain didn’t hurt when it touched them.

 

It wasn’t cold either, just warm and soft.

 

Receiving the flower rain falling in the sanctuary, everyone closed their eyes as if enchanted by something.

 

Happiness, anger, sadness, and joy filled their minds before slowly disappearing like foam.

 

For the moment they received the light, hatred, spite, and jealousy toward others vanished.

 

Only the tranquility that seemed directly bestowed by a god filled the sanctuary.

 

Around the time when the elegant silence had lasted for over ten minutes.

 

Surprisingly, it was the invited high priest who broke the silence.

 

The priest seated in the front row muttered with a trembling voice.

 

“Don’t you all realize? This is, this is… a blessing from the divines.”

 

The blessing of the great divines had finally descended upon our wedding ceremony.

 

In that moment, I could see Evelyn’s face, her eyes wide with shock.

 

“Could it be that Evelyn’s divine flower actually accomplished this?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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