That’s Not What Kissing Means! - Chapter 131

—————

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

—————

That’s not what kissing means!
Episode 131

The Ashford Estate was in turmoil from early morning. It was due to the Duke and Duchess’s wedding ceremony that would soon take place.
Evelyn gazed out the window from the Fourth Floor Study. In her hand rested Yulia’s Stone.
The sacred artifact had only grown quiet after purifying the suffering soul. In exchange, it had lost all its divine power and emitted no light whatsoever.
Sunlight streaming through the window illuminated the pendant. Evelyn etched it into her memory with a serene smile.
Though modest enough to fit in the palm of one’s hand, it contained within it a weight of time that was anything but trivial.
I recalled the moment I first encountered Yulia’s Stone.
The moment I had gone to repel a demon and unexpectedly imprinted myself upon it.
Since then, I had received the Emperor’s command to study theology, traveled to the Holy Kingdom and faced great calamities, and journeyed across the Empire to stop the Envoy.
Truly, those were days I could never forget for the rest of my life.
But the most profound thing was….
‘That I was able to be with Theo because of it.’
Had it not been for Yulia’s Stone, my meeting with Theo would never have come to pass.
Then, a gentle voice reached me from behind.
“What are you doing here?”
“Theo.”
Theo approached with a smile. Since the wedding drew near, the corners of his mouth seemed never to turn downward.
Evelyn shared the thoughts she had just been entertaining.
“I should give thanks to Goddess Yulia. Would we have been able to form a bond without the sacred artifact?”
“I wonder.”
At those words, Evelyn’s expression grew puzzled.
Theo merely smiled softly as he gazed at her.
He could be certain of one thing: he and Evelyn were destined for each other.
“We would have surely met. Even without the divine oracle.”
“….”
“And I would never have let you go.”
His tone was absolute conviction.
A sacred artifact without divine power was deemed meaningless across the continent. Because of this, the Emperor entrusted the artifact’s disposal to Theo.
“What would you like to do with it?”
As Theo gestured toward the pendant, Evelyn held it close to her heart.
“I’ll keep it with me always. It’s what brought us together.”
She broke into a radiant smile.
“Who knows? Perhaps Goddess Yulia will watch over us for as long as I carry the sacred artifact.”
“Like a guardian deity?”
“I hope you’ll also protect the feelings you hold for each other.”
Theo shrugged his shoulders.
“My heart won’t change. If you don’t believe me, I’ll prove it to you right here.”
He leaned down toward Evelyn. Lately, Theo had been expressing his affection quite frequently.
Before his lips could touch hers, Evelyn grabbed his collar and pulled him closer.
Then she pressed their lips together firmly.
There was no soft or tender movement, yet Theo’s heart raced wildly.
Evelyn rarely initiated a kiss herself.
Seeing him entranced, Evelyn laughed aloud.
Theo approached her again with an eager expression.
“Evelyn, one more time….”
“The rest will happen at the ceremony later. A kiss that promises eternity.”
In the Solaris Empire, it was customary to kiss during the wedding ceremony and vow to spend a lifetime together.
“But I want to do it now… a kiss that confirms our love.”
“Don’t subtly change the meaning. That’s not what today’s kiss is supposed to mean.”
At her words, Theo sighed.
“Fine, I’ll wait until the ceremony ends.”
Outside the window, designer Charlotte was running about frantically, searching for the bride, Evelyn.
“I should go now. Time to put on the wedding dress.”
Evelyn placed Yulia’s Stone into the velvet box sitting on the study desk.
“I’ll look at it from time to time. I don’t want to forget how we came this far.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to see me directly rather than reminisce about memories with me?”
Theo suggested playfully that she spend that time looking at him instead.
To Evelyn’s exasperation, he grinned mischievously and extended his hand.
Evelyn grasped it without hesitation. Warmth spread through her fingertips.
The two of them faced each other and left the room.

* * *

The wedding ceremony was held in the Garden of the Duke’s Mansion.
Golden sunlight painted the verdant greenery in warm hues.
With each gentle breeze, flower petals danced through the air, and the fresh blooms filling the venue exhaled their sweet fragrance.
At the center of it all, a pristine white wedding aisle stretched forth.
Chairs and tables lined both sides, filled with guests who smiled and settled into their seats.
Moments later, Julian announced the commencement of the ceremony.
As the orchestra positioned beside the dais began to play a beautiful melody, two figures entered simultaneously.
Evelyn took careful steps, her arm linked through Theo’s.
The voluminous skirts of her gown swept gracefully across the floor, while silver embroidery that Charlotte had painstakingly stitched through sleepless nights gleamed atop the dress.
The radiant bride Evelyn, adorned with a luminous smile, appeared happier than anyone else in the world.
Evelyn’s parents wept at the sight of their daughter in her pristine white gown, their hearts swelling with overwhelming joy at her brilliant smile.
Theo’s gaze remained fixed upon Evelyn throughout, his face overflowing with pure delight as they walked together.
“I have never seen the Duke wear such an expression….”
The Emperor let out an incredulous laugh, while the Princess beside him clasped her hands tightly, her eyes sparkling with wonder.
It was a joy to witness a couple so overflowing with affection.
As Evelyn walked with Theo, she gazed around at those gathered.
“Evelyn, congratulations!”
Catherine waved from a distance, while her colleagues from the Research Lab—Oliver, Paul, and others—applauded.
The loudest section was, unsurprisingly, the Ashford Knight Order.
“My Lord! Evelyn… or rather, Duchess! Congratulations on your marriage!”
Vanessa blessed them both with an excited voice—
“Sob, sob, sniff—!”
Victor was crying while wiping his nose with a handkerchief.
“Why are you crying?”
Whittaker shot him a sidelong glance, and Victor rubbed his eyes.
“I don’t know, I’m just moved!”
Robert, seated nearby, clutched his chest, his mustache trembling with emotion.
‘How happy they would have been to see this sight.’
Robert thought of the previous Duke and Duchess. Today, he missed them more than ever.
Finally reaching the dais, the Priest who was presiding over the ceremony had them face one another.
After the Grand Cleric’s execution, the Holy Kingdom underwent a sweeping purge.
The process of identifying and removing those involved in the immortality ritual was far from simple.
Among those who survived that process, he—the highest-ranking Priest—solemnly began the ceremony.
Having prayed for the couple’s blessings before Goddess Yulia and offered prayers for their safe passage, the Priest spoke his final words.
“…We all know the long journey these two have undertaken. Called upon by the divine, they prevented calamity.”
Evelyn recalled her first meeting with Theo.
She had been captivated by his beauty at first sight, then wary, yet inevitably drawn to him each time they met again, gradually becoming more enchanted by him.
In the end, the words she had spoken to Theo had come to pass.
A love that seeps in slowly, deeply, and for a long time.
“May that light always accompany the path these two shall walk forward, and may they find light anew in each other’s presence even when darkness descends…”
The Priest’s words continued.
“And may that light shine warmly upon all the days of this married couple.”
The guests applauded and cheered.
Theo and Evelyn kissed. They had announced to all that they were now husband and wife.
Even after the kiss ended, a lingering warmth remained on my lips.
Evelyn looked up at him.
Our gazes intertwined, and we read the depths of each other’s eyes.
There lay the precious memories we had shared and the anticipation of all the days yet to come together.
“Evelyn.”
Theo gently caressed her cheek.
“I love you. More than words could ever express.”
His warm voice trembled softly. No words existed that could contain the fullness of his heart for her.
Feeling an overwhelming emotion I had never experienced before, I answered in kind.
“I love you, Theo.”
White light poured down from the heavens, enveloping us both in blessing.
The wind stirred, and flower petals danced through the air.
Amid the guests’ cheers, the two of us walked forward once more.
Beyond the past, through the present, toward the countless days that lay ahead.

【That’s not what kissing means!】 Complete

—————

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

—————