CH 141

*Namuel’s POV

Adriana took a small deep breath.

Thanks to Rainelle's consideration, she was able to meet Namuel now.

How much have I said I was sorry to Rainelle-nim? Did I say thank you? Feeling guilty, I begged Rainelle-nim over and over again.

No, I’m not just feeling guilty. I’m a sinner.

Rainelle-nim understood Adriana. And she forgave me.

Before, it felt like she was going crazy with anger, but not now. She said that it was inevitable.

The Queen of Crows laughed as she said that it was rather fortunate that it ended like this. ---Seeing that sight, I couldn't even raise my head.

Clasping her trembling hands tightly, Adriana entered the room where Namuel was being confined.

"---Miss Adriana."

As she sat in her seat, his gaze fell upon her from the book in his hands. The green eyes were shining softly with a glow that had never been shown before.

***

*3rd person POV

The cold winter had passed. The white snow, that had accumulated, melted in the spring sun, and the season when buds sprout had come.

In the season when the migratory birds who left for the winter returned, the Empire was buzzing with one news:

[The Emperor's wedding.]

The news that the young emperor of the Empire was getting married made the Empire and other countries excited.

The royals and nobles who had daughters let out sad exclamations, but nothing changed.

Everyone knew that an Imperial wolf could only have one companion, and that there was no room for anyone else's will to intervene.

And the news wasn't just buzzing among the humans.

“They said the Queen pair up.”

“Our Queen.”

“With who?”

“With a wolf! With the golden wolf that dwells in human body!”

“Let's sing!”

“Let's congratulate her!”

“Come on, let's go together. For our Queen!”

Even the birds that normally bickered with each other didn't do that this time.

The birds spread their wings and took flight. To celebrate their Queen’s happiness, to shout their praises, to bless the future of the Queen who welcomes her mate.

***

*Rainelle’s POV

The surroundings were noisy. However, it was not easy to react to that.

There's no way I can! The maids are all over me, fixing my hair, tidying up my clothes, and applying makeup diligently!!

"---Rainelle-nim, please smile a little."

"---I feel like a doll."

Adriana chuckled without minding her dignity. I pursed my lips and grumbled. Then, when a veil was gently put over my head and behind me, they said,

"You are very pretty."

"It's true, Rainelle-nim. You are very beautiful."

“No one will be able to take their eyes off Rainelle-nim.”

I was a little embarrassed by maids' praise.

---The pure white dress was so densely studded with crystals that I’m worried that it might get dirty. It shimmered brilliantly with every slight movement.

The accessories, necklaces, earrings, and even the gloves worn on my hands seemed expensive and precious.

And the makeup.

After putting on makeup, I looked in the mirror and honestly wondered if this was my face.

When I first saw my face, I made a fuss about how pretty I looked, but what kind of a goddess is this? You're saying that I’m going to look prettier when I dress up? This is a cheat!

A sudden murmur reached my ears. When I turned my head at the sound, I saw small birds gathered by the window and chirping.

...If Hempel-nim hadn't been here, they might have come in long ago and unintentionally disturb the room.

The birds didn't come in because Hempel-nim cawed in a low and soft voice to admonish other birds. The maids were a little curious and cast glances at them, but they were faithful to their duties.

"Could everyone leave for a moment? I need some alone time. Oh, Miss Adriana can stay."

At my words, the maids and Madame Fangxia lightly bowed and then left the room. As soon as the door closed, my energy drained out of my body.

"Aaaahhh!! I think I'm going to die of nervousness!! What if I get so nervous in the middle that I go back to my crow form?! If that's the case, I’ll ruin the makeup, dress, hair, and everything!! Aaaaaaa!!"

Aria widened her eyes and giggled as I made a fuss. Then, as she patted me on the back, she said,

"Ah, you won't."

"No! I'm this nervous, so it might happen! I might inadvertently lose my mind and cause an accident!!"

“Then, the one and only wedding will be ruined, right?”

"Aaaaa! That’s too much!! You’re so mean"

"What do you want to hear from me, then?"

I flattened my lips at Aria's behavior, which seemed to be both funny and absurd.

"Be patient, for the sake of a happy wedding. Hehe. Then I can make fun of you at my wedding later."

The words awakened me.

Yes! There’s Aria's wedding, right?!

Then, as I watched Aria embarrassed, I clenched my fists, vowing to tease her later.

Aria was giggling beside me, but,

Let's ignore it, ignore it! I’m going to have a safe wedding!!

*knock, knock-*

"Rainelle-nim. It's time."

Indeed, the sound I had been waiting for made me jolt on my seat. If Madame Fangxia hadn't given me her glare, I would have jumped up.

In place of my father, Hempel-nim, who was in human form, marched with me to the wedding venue. He was dressed in a black tailcoat, smiling benevolently and seeming to give silent blessings.

Two birds with exotic blue feathers quietly bit the end of my long, thin, transparent veil and followed.

I vowed earlier, but at the moment, the tension made my heart thump and my vision slightly dizzy. So, while watching the scene full of people, I had no sense of reality.

I heard that royalty and aristocrats from other countries also participated, so I thought it was so amazing. ---And what stood out most of all, were the birds.

The birds gathered, saying that it was their Queen's wedding, so they were not afraid of people.

I asked Karmeut's permission in advance and made it so that birds could attend, but I thought they would be reluctant because of the people...

Birds with colorful feathers which I had never seen sat on pillars decorating the red-carpeted road.

When I passed by, they spread their beautiful wings wide and gracefully lowered their posture to bow.

I thought it was fortunate that it was held outdoors because of the number of people and the birds.

I thought that if it hadn't, I might have fainted from choking on the excessive tension.

I never thought it would feel like this to publicly announce that Karmeut and I are getting married in front of someone.

I was happy, but I was afraid of how I would look. Even though I liked the pretty dress and makeup, I wished this time in would quickly pass.

How will Karmeut perceive this day?

As I moved forward, suppressing my pounding heart, fluttering petals fell from above my head.

I just slightly peeked and looked at the sky. The golden eagle holding the flower basket and the crow-tit1 biting off the petals from the flowers contained in it were so cute.

The birds that scattered the flowers were chirping with excitement. A crow-tit bird fluttered forward excitedly, as if it was falling flutteringly along with petals.

At the end of the road, there was Karmeut.

Dressed in white robes and ceremonial robes decorated with golden threads, his golden hair glistened as if melting in the sunlight.

But apart from that, his gaze felt sharp. The gaze was so fierce that it scared me and I hugged Hempel-nim's arm tightly unconsciously. Then Hempel-nim kindly gave encouragement with a light movement.

I was slightly comforted by the action and continued walking. When I got closer and closer to Karmeut, his expression became more and more distinct.

Then I almost laughed because it was funny that I was scared for no reason.

The emotions that filled the golden eyes were anticipation and impatience. At the same time, my heart thumped at the sight of the corner of his mouth rose lovingly.

Oh, I think I'm crazy. Suddenly, Karmeut looks so cool.

Just like when we first met in the woods, I felt like he looked so gorgeous that he was shining.

When I finally came face to face with him, the white peacocks sitting on either side spread their tail feathers wide.

It was very beautiful to see the pure white feathers unfold like the hem of a dress, but my mind was focused on Karmeut.

He had an indescribable expression mixed with various emotions. He looked like he was about to cry, or he looked like he was about to burst into laughter with joy.

"I, Wolfric Iveld de Karmeut, will greet my one and only companion in the world at this moment."

A priest did not assist the national wedding of the Wolfric Empire.

In the veins of the Imperial Family, the blood of the Wolf that serve God was flowing, and it was said that the place where the Imperial Family was at was the place where God watched. Therefore, the priests who serve other Gods did not oversee the event, and the marriage parties are the ones who make the declaration.

...And so I had to practice a lot under the guidance of Madame Fangxia.

Ugh, even thinking about it now makes me shudder.

"I will give my all, cherish and love her my whole life, and be faithful to only her. Only you, can rule over me,"

Karmeut gently held out and took my hand. His strong yet gentle gaze contained only me.

"---My one and only companion."

Even after practicing like that, when he became quiet, my mind went blank and I couldn't remember anything. His fingertips trembled spontaneously as my lips dried up.

Karmeut's hand squeezed mine firmly.

I felt that the trembling had gone away just by that, and I looked at him.

Karmeut was smiling, quietly, without words. I smiled at his courageous appearance and opened my mouth,

"I swear to love only you until the moment I die."

Tears welled up in Karmeut's eyes at those words. He let go of my hand and pulled back the veil covering my face.

I watched his face come closer, and I closed his eyes. His breath touched me first, followed by his lips.

The sounds of cheers, applause, and chirps of birds seemed far away.

It was just, it was just that I was overwhelmed by the fact I married him, that I was officialy connected with him.

"...Don't cry, Rainelle."

It was only at the sound of a small whisper that I realized that I was crying.

"I don't know, I’m just tearing up."

"...Actually, I think I'm going to cry from joy too."

Karmeut's eyes curled softly as he whispered playfully and put our foreheads together.

“I wish we could be alone soon.”

"...Yeah. Me too."

After I answered in a muffled tone, he kissed me again.

Flower petals fluttered like snow in the sky.

***

I wanted the two of us to be alone, but since it was also a national marriage, a grand party followed until the night.

I wondered if I had talked to all the people who gathered here.

The party would last for several days, but we left the party a little early.

If I had kept this up, I would have lose face.

"Ugh, that was hard."

Even though I changed my dress in the middle, I was exhausted from dealing with people all day.

Karmeut laughed lightly. Then he reached out, touched my cheek, and whispered,

“But I’m finally bound with you.”

His voice trembled, and as if thrilled. I smiled at his gaze and rubbed on the palm of his hand.

"Yeah, I've come to be able to stand by your side confidently."

"---How long I've been waiting for this moment."

Letting out words that might as well be a sigh or exclamation, he hugged me. It seemed that the beating sound of his heart was transmitted over to me.

“By the way, Karmeut, why were you staring at me like that earlier?”

"...Are you curious about that?"

“Yeah,” I replied, nodding my head. And he smiled. Then he kissed me on the cheek and spoke,

"Hmm, because you're so lovely and pretty, I wanted to kidnap you on the spot, or because I wanted to go somewhere where no one would disturb and be alone with you."

As he said “Still, I didn't want to ruin the wedding, so I put up with it,” he slowly swept down my back. I pursed my lips at the action.

I did too.

But I found it difficult to utter these words, so I decided to replace it with action instead.

"---!!"

I hugged him by the neck and kissed him on the lips. Then, after licking his lower lip, I pulled my head away as his lips parted slightly, as if to tease him.

Looking at him who had a slightly dazed expression, I opened my mouth triumphantly,

"How is it? Have I gotten better at it?"

At those words, Karmeut sighed. He laughed, then, without warning, he kissed me.

As if to eat me, he squeezed my naturally parted lips. His tongue savagely but gently ravaged my mouth, entwining our saliva. His kiss was so long that I ran out of breath, as if even my breath was his.

"Do you want me to tell you how it's really like to be good?"

As he said that, his hand caressed my waist with subtle yet intense stroke. Laughter leaked out of me from the touch, which was sticky enough to realize the meaning behind it.

"I love you."

It was something I hadn't been able to say until now because I was ashamed, but after Karmeut almost died, I changed my mind.

What I can say, I don’t have to hold back. Otherwise, I will regret it forever.

I felt it once, and I was determined not to do anything I would regret again.

I even have Eileen-nim who can guide me now.

"I love you, Karmeut."

Still, I couldn't help but feel ashamed of saying such a thing in a situation like this, so I buried my head.

---I'll have to get used to this from now on.

"Rainelle. Raise your head."

Hearing his soothing voice, I raised my head and looked at him. Karmeut's mouth was twitching with joy.

"Can you look at me face and say that again to me?"

His gaze, which was full of expectation, made me laugh for some reason. So I mustered up my courage to kiss his lips lightly and whispered,

"I love you Karmeut. I'm happy to be able to stand by your side."

At that, Karmeut let out a happy laugh. He smiled and hugged me, then he slowly laid me down.

"I love you, Rainelle. Just like what I said at the wedding, I will love you with all I have."

“Are you saying you want to become my servant?”

"Aren't I already you faithful servant who does as you wish me to? Lovely lady."

I also laughed at his behavior of laughing while saying that.

"So, what should I do next? Master?"

At his playful question, I moved my arm and wrapped it around his neck.

"Do I have to tell you?"

"Of course not."

Saying that, I closed my eyes at our overlapping lips.

I was happy to be with him. And I will be with him in the future.

Because no crow would want to lose the wolf that shines like the sun.

『Of all things, I became a crow』

***

Notes:

1  Crow-tit (plural crow-tits): Any small titlike bird of the family Paradoxornithidae, noted for their curved, parrotlike bills. The Korean crow-tit is white.↩