She Became My Friend’s Mother-In-Law - Chapter 153
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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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Chapter 153. Their True Wedding Ceremony
“…Poooo.”
Another servant belatedly blew into a paper trumpet he’d been holding.
To anyone watching, it appeared they had stepped forward and disrupted this intimate moment between the Duke and Duchess.
An awkward silence descended.
“Oh….”
Cecilia opened her mouth with an embarrassed expression.
“Thank you, thank you so much…. This is really… wow….”
She desperately searched for words.
The moment I glanced around, trying to push past the awkwardness somehow.
I caught sight of the servants who had dressed themselves up so elaborately for us.
Some wore wigs and nose ornaments.
Others had pipes in their mouths.
And there was even someone dressed as a clown.
“Pfft….”
Air escaped between my lips.
And then.
“Ahahaha!”
I finally couldn’t hold back and burst into loud laughter.
Tears welled in my eyes and my shoulders shook.
The servants exchanged awkward glances with one another.
Cecilia wiped away tears with her fingertips.
“I’m, I’m sorry for laughing. But I simply couldn’t help it….”
I barely managed to catch my breath before continuing.
But laughter burst forth again.
So this was why everyone had been acting distant—they’d been secretly preparing something like this.
Bewilderment, gratitude, and joy all crashed over me at once.
“As, as long as the Duchess is happy, that’s all that matters!”
“Ahahaha! Hahaha!”
The servants began laughing along one by one.
No matter how you looked at it, their goal today was singular.
To make their employer happy.
Even Rainer, who had seemed flustered, now wore a faint smile at the corners of his mouth.
Soon the Manor filled with the laughter of the Duke’s household.
“Good heavens, this isn’t what I had in mind….”
Amid the joyful atmosphere, only Harry muttered glumly.
He’d helped orchestrate an impressive proposal for the Duke.
And he’d been hoping to secure some time off in the bargain.
“Harry, why do you look so glum.”
Just then, Wendy approached and lightly patted his back.
“Do smile a little. Today is a joyous day, after all.”
And it will continue to be joyous from here on.
Wendy’s voice brimmed with certainty as she spoke.
True to her words, Cecilia still couldn’t suppress her smile, gripping Rainer’s hand tightly.
Rainer gazed at her and smiled quietly in return.
Though imperfect, I couldn’t imagine a happier moment than this.
* * *
The wedding ceremony of the two took place in the heart of a warm spring day.
It was as though even the weather itself blessed them.
The Duchess’s room—home to today’s protagonist—bustled with activity from early morning.
“My lady, please lift your chin just a bit more.”
Wendy worked with utmost seriousness, putting the finishing touches on Cecilia’s makeup.
Cecilia sat demurely before the vanity.
A pristine white wedding dress flowed softly along the contours of her body.
The understated, elegant design only accentuated her beauty further.
“…There. Would you like to take a look?”
As Wendy stepped back, Cecilia slowly opened her eyes.
And the moment she gazed into the mirror.
“…”
Cecilia found herself momentarily speechless.
In the mirror sat a woman so radiant she was almost unrecognizable.
The subtly refined makeup brought out the delicate features of her face with striking clarity.
The veil resting upon her hair, carefully styled in soft waves, caught the sunlight and shimmered gently.
She was a vision of breathtaking beauty—a bride so lovely one’s gaze could not turn away.
“Truly, my lady, you are so incredibly beautiful…”
Wendy’s eyes had reddened, and she sniffled softly.
Cecilia smiled as she watched Wendy.
“Wendy, if you cry, people will think I’m a bride with quite the tragic backstory.”
“Well, it’s not as though there’s no backstory…”
“Haha, that’s true enough.”
Cecilia laughed lightly.
Indeed—
I had a backstory that rivaled anyone’s.
“I never thought I’d have a wedding ceremony three times over.”
She murmured softly with a small laugh.
The unhappy marriage of my past life.
And the second marriage I had fled from of my own accord.
And now, today.
My gaze lingered on my reflection in the mirror.
“This time, at least, I don’t need to run away.”
“Pardon? My lady?”
Wendy’s eyes widened as she set down the cosmetics she’d been arranging.
“What did you just say?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Cecilia shook her head.
A soft smile lingered at the corners of her lips.
“I simply have this certainty that only happy things await us from now on.”
* * *
The wedding ceremony of the Duke of Hays and his bride took place in a modest chapel.
Warm sunlight filtered through the stained glass, suffusing the humble space with gentle radiance.
The chapel was filled with guests carefully selected by the Duke and Duchess themselves.
They could have arranged a ceremony as grand as that of the Crown Prince and his consort, had they wished.
But the Duke and Duchess chose restraint, considering all that had transpired.
“I simply cannot understand it.”
Nicholas, seated among the guests, grumbled.
“I offered to arrange the most magnificent ceremony, yet they refused. Both the husband and wife are equally peculiar, I must say.”
“Your Highness.”
Mary nudged her husband’s ribs once more from beside him.
Despite her heavily swollen belly, she had insisted on attending her friend’s wedding.
“Why must you speak that way on such a joyous occasion?”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
Nicholas straightened in his seat at his wife’s rebuke.
“I’m simply disappointed―”
Just as Nicholas began to voice his complaint.
Dong, dong―
The bells rang out, signaling the beginning of the ceremony.
Simultaneously, the chapel doors swung open.
Jeremy, tasked with scattering flowers, came scurrying in with a basket overflowing with petals.
“Wheee!”
The child laughed brightly, tossing handfuls of petals into the air.
Behind him, the maids followed anxiously, ready to catch him should he stumble.
Contrasting with their concern, the child’s innocent joy brought natural smiles to the guests’ faces.
And then―
Beyond the fully opened doors.
Cecilia and Rainer appeared side by side.
“Ahhh….”
Gasps of admiration rippled through the assembled guests.
“I have never seen a bride and groom so beautiful in all my life.”
Mary murmured.
Her words were no exaggeration whatsoever.
Cecilia, dressed in a pristine white gown, was radiant.
Rainer, standing beside her, was equally impeccable in his formal attire.
A wedding between two of the Empire’s most renowned beauties was bound to captivate.
All eyes naturally turned toward them.
Amid thunderous applause, the two walked forward hand in hand, their fingers intertwined.
The hem of Cecilia’s white dress swept softly across the floor.
Beside her, Rainer moved quietly in step with her pace.
Together, they advanced slowly toward the altar where they would pledge their eternal love.
* * *
“I hereby declare that these two are now husband and wife.”
With the Priest’s final proclamation,
Rainer slipped a ring onto Cecilia’s finger.
Above the diamond ring from his proposal, their matching wedding bands now gleamed together.
“Congratulations!”
“They’re absolutely perfect together!”
The Guests erupted in cheers and applause.
Wrapped in their warm blessings,
Cecilia smiled shyly and gazed up at Rainer.
The passage of time swept through her mind in an instant.
When I first proposed a contract marriage to him, I never imagined a moment like this would come.
“It feels like a dream.”
My voice trembled softly.
Rainer gazed down at her quietly.
“Then―”
He chuckled softly.
“I’ll do my best to love my wife so this dream never fades.”
His tone was gentler and more playful than the vows he’d made before the Priest moments earlier.
“Will you promise me that?”
“Of course.”
With a brief, unhesitating answer,
Rainer gently drew her hand closer.
Cecilia naturally moved into his embrace.
“I will spend the rest of my life loving you.”
It was a tender confession.
With that, Rainer slowly lowered his head.
Cecilia closed her eyes.
Their lips met softly.
Hand in hand, they sealed their eternal love with a kiss.
The Chapel filled with the Guests’ cheers and applause.
“So do I.”
Our lips still touching.
Cecilia laughed softly and whispered.
“I’ll love you forever too.”
With the tolling of the bells announcing the marriage, gentle sunlight descended upon us both.
It was happiness finally grasped after two lifetimes.
【My Friend’s Mother-in-Law】 Main Story Complete.
Continues in the Epilogue.
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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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