Chapter 76
The Huo clan’s birthday banquet didn’t last too long, wrapping up before nightfall. Afterward, Wakako no longer pulled away from Miki’s touch. She let Miki hold her hand in front of everyone, putting on a display of affection that even the nobles couldn’t ignore.
At first, their gazes were filled with mockery, eyes sharp with amusement. But as time went on and they witnessed the natural ease between them, the laughter quieted, and the murmured gossip gradually died down.
During the toasts, one remark seemed to surface more than any other, “You two aren’t even married yet, but you already look like a pair of deeply loving couple.”
Miki, being of noble birth, was naturally more adept at handling these pleasantries than Wakako. She responded to them with a smile, her veil concealing all but a glimpse of her snow-white neck and the vague outline of her profile, which was indistinguishable from Miki’s.
When the nobles called out Miki’s name, in Wakako’s ears, it sounded like “Miki.”
She couldn’t help but lose herself in thought again, thinking that if it were Miki, she would never do such things. The Saint would only observe these nobles, appreciating their fawning behavior, and then remain silent.
When they left the Huo clan estate, Wakako and Miki rode together in the Jin clan’s carriage. The driver took them back to the mercenaries’ residence outside the palace. Before getting off, she turned to Miki and said, “I’ll be going to your house to deliver the necklace in a few days, right?”
Miki nodded silently.
According to local customs, a month before the wedding, the Alpha would visit the Omega’s home to deliver the necklace symbolizing their engagement. The two would exchange tokens of their commitment in front of their elders and then parade through the streets together.
Miki had her family, but Wakako had no blood relatives. She could only ask her three masters from the mercenary team to be her witnesses.
A few days later, Wakako arrived at the Jin residence in a carriage, driven by Hua Yumu, Carol, and Albert. The mercenaries made the journey with ease, chatting leisurely as they guided the carriage along.
“I never thought you’d be getting married so soon; it feels like you’re still eighteen,” Carol sighed.
She had previously thought that Wakako would eventually break off the engagement. She didn’t know why Wakako had made this decision, but as long as Wakako was willing, she, as her senior, would naturally support her. “Time really flies.”
When Wakako first joined the team, she was inexperienced but already very skilled. Over the past five years, her youthful naivety had gradually faded, and she had become an outstanding mercenary.
Carol couldn’t help but shake her head nostalgically.
Unexpectedly, Albert glanced at her sideways, “Getting married at twenty-three isn’t early either. Most people outside get engaged at sixteen or seventeen. Wakako is already considered late.”
These two masters would inevitably bicker whenever they were together. Carol couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re a bachelor in your thirties, how can you say that?”
Albert, struck at his sore spot, pursed his lips. “You think I want to be single?!”
From inside the carriage, Wakako asked softly, “Master Albert, is your wedding scheduled for the end of the year?”
At that time, Albert’s marriage had been arranged by the Queen along with hers.
Mentioning this, Albert became unusually embarrassed, “Yes, with the Kingdom’s troubles unresolved, we haven’t had the time to think about starting a family, so we postponed it.”
He was immediately mocked by Carol. “Hmph, maybe she doesn’t want you, so you’re dragging it out?”
“…You looking for a fight?!”
Captain Hua Yumu calmly intervened, “Enough. You’re both over thirty and you’re still bickering like children. Aren’t you ashamed?”
Wakako listened to her two masters arguing inside the carriage and couldn’t help but laugh. Carol and Alber came from the same clan. They often bickered, but their friendship was deep. Every mission, they eased the tense atmosphere…
She had already prepared a congratulatory gift for Master Albert, but she wouldn’t be able to attend his wedding, so she could only deliver it through other means. And… she wouldn’t have the chance to go on missions with them again.
The Jin clan sent people to welcome them at the entrance of the estate, reciting auspicious blessings as they escorted Wakako inside.
Miki’s parents sat in the front hall. Wakako got off the carriage and slowly handed over the necklace bestowed by the Queen into their hands.
Supported by a servant, Miki, wearing a veiled hat, slowly walked out from the back. Her veil was almost pure white, but it retained a hint of light blue, just like the layered skirts of her robe.
Her wide sleeves covered most of her hands, but the small portion that was exposed rested on Wakako’s palm.
Wakako noticed that the Jin couple sitting in the distance seemed quite uneasy. Although they maintained a calm facade, the details betrayed their nervousness. For example, their fingers were tightly clenched, as if fearing others would discover something.
Could it be that watching their daughter get married, they were too reluctant, hence appearing a bit strange?
She and Miki boarded the carriage, driven by her three masters, and slowly made their way through the Jin estate.
After completing a circle, they separated into different carriages to head into the streets. Along the way, people awaited them, holding small trinkets to toss onto the carriage—like iris petals washed with pure water.
Hua Yumu started singing a wedding song:
“Amidst the blooming flowers so brig,
Awaiting admiration’s light.
Spring fills my heart tonight…”
Faintly, Carol’s voice could be heard muttering, “The captain sings so terribly, completely out of tune.” Then she joined in the singing.
“Though green willows sway around,
My heart remains unwavering.
Loving you until the end of time…”
Loving you until the end of time, a beautiful yet fragile vow like a bubble.
For a moment, the spring breeze lifted the curtain of the carriage, and Wakako seemed to see a carriage with a familiar embroidered pattern at the corner of the street through the window.
It was far away, just a fleeting glance, and then she couldn’t see it clearly. She didn’t know whether she saw it wrong or if it was real.
That pattern could only be used on the Saint’s carriage.
…
Back at the Saionji residence, Miki had imagined with her what their future wedding would be like. That day, Miki sat before the seventeen-stringed koto, after playing the final note, and asked, “If you were to hold a wedding in the future, who would you want to officiate it?”
Wakako hadn’t thought that far ahead, so she honestly replied, “Kyouka-mama, I guess…” After all, Kyouka-mama had been helping her find suitable Omegas during that time.
Miki’s face instantly turned cold, and she frowned, “Oh? It seems you’re thinking about getting married all the time?”
How could someone be so unreasonable! Wakako felt wronged and pursed her lips, her dimples faintly visible. “But you were the one who asked me.”
She lowered her head to tidy up the seventeen-stringed koto, carefully checking the strings and tightening each one.
Miki said softly, “What if it were with me?”
“What do you mean with you?”
“Marry me.”
Wakako’s hand froze, and she almost lost control of her strength. She stopped just in time to avoid breaking the precious strings. “Don’t joke, Miki.”
The Saint had been betrothed to the Queen since childhood. Everyone on the continent knew that their marriage was a match made in heaven, a natural and logical union of equal status.
Wakako felt envious but knew her place. As a servant, even if she had received the Saint’s favor in her youth, she was ultimately of low status. How could she compare with the Queen?
Although she knew that the Queen and the Saint were actually just close friends, but…
These chaotic thoughts were interrupted by the Saint. “I’m not joking,” Miki said seriously, “Have you ever thought about marrying me?”
“I…”
Wakako swallowed, a slight bitterness rising in her heart. “How could I dare to even dream of such a thing?”
Miki wasn’t satisfied with this answer. “What if I weren’t the Saint anymore? Would you dare?”
“There’s no such thing as ‘what if’ with something like that…”
“Kitagawa Wakako!” Miki called her full name, her tone rising, her left hand unconsciously clutching her chest, her delicate brows furrowed. “I never realized you were such a coward.”
She was almost so angry that her chest felt tight.
Wakako couldn’t think of anything else. She put down the koto and rushed over to gently pat the frail Saint’s back, helping her breathe.
After a moment, a spark of understanding finally ignited in Wakako’s mind. With a rare moment of clarity, she grasped Miki’s meaning. “Are you… asking me to elope with you?” she stammered.
The word “elope” felt like it burned her tongue; she couldn’t even pronounce it fully.
Miki softly hummed in affirmation.
She tugged at the collar of Wakako’s brown robe. “Do you dare?”
Wakako looked into those beautiful eyes, so captivating they seemed as fragile as glass, her heart pounding in her chest.
Adults never made decisions lightly, always considering the consequences, weighing every possibility. But at that time, one was eighteen, the other seventeen, and there was nothing in the world they wouldn’t dare to do.
Acting on impulse, she nodded.
With newfound resolve, Wakako said, “Yes.”
Miki asked, “If we’re discovered, we’ll surely die. Are you afraid?”
“No.”
“My health isn’t good. I’ll need you to care for me. Will you find it burdensome?”
“No.”
“We’ll have to live in hiding, changing our names, unable to return to the comforts of the noble estates. Will you feel any regret?”
“No.”
“Life will be hard. My skin will gradually become rough, my beauty fading…”
“As long as it’s you, Miki, I don’t care about any of that.”
Miki finally smiled, a radiant, flower-like smile, so breathtakingly beautiful that nothing could compare, nothing could diminish it.
She gently cupped Wakako’s face, her cool lips pressing against her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, a tender, lingering caress as if she wanted to kiss every inch of her skin.
The Saint had meticulously planned every detail of their escape: the exact time of their departure, the route they would take, how to evade their pursuers, how to obtain new identities… It should have been foolproof.
But they were still found. On the shores of Jinxin Port, amidst the water, Wakako saw the light in Miki’s eyes extinguish in an instant. At first, she didn’t understand, but later she realized that Miki had already known their fate.
The answer was simple: God would not allow it.
But on the eve of their escape, they had also dreamt of their wedding. Miki wouldn’t have to wear the white robes of the Saint anymore; she could wear whatever she pleased. Perhaps they wouldn’t be married by a human, but by a spiritual creature from the mountains…
…
And now, it was Miki who would officiate Wakako’s wedding.
Outside, the wedding song sung by her masters grew increasingly off-key. The wind lifted the curtain again, vaguely revealing the veiled figure of Miki in the nearby carriage.
The Jin clan servant sharing Wakako’s carriage reminded her, “My lady, you should join in the wedding song. Don’t forget to say the bride’s name.”
The bridal procession on the street had disappeared, just like the deep regret buried within Wakako’s heart.
She smiled serenely and softly began to sing the wedding song. Where were they now in the verses?
“My heart unwavering, my love for you will last until the end of our days…”
“Miki.”
