Dreams of the Holy Knight - Chapter 31

Dreams of the Holy Knight - Chapter 31

A few days later, the exiled Prince Calix Abel, who tried to disrupt the empire with black magic was executed.  He and the rest of the black magicians and the Count Alphonse, who helped the prince and abducted the Saintess, were also executed.  

The count's property was confiscated, and all illegal business he had engaged in was destroyed.  The story of Saintess Liliana, who made a big contribution to restoring peace and preventing the crisis that almost ruined the empire when the gates to the demon realm opened, made the whole empire buzz.  

The citizens cheered enthusiastically for the Saintess who saved the empire from crisis after not appearing for several hundred years, and the emperor proclaimed that she would be named the Great Saintess in honor of her service and that a statue of Lilliana would be erected to inform the whole continent of her achievements. 

Noel went to the Pope immediately after the executions, and expressed his will to return to lay life.  Noel, who hastily returned to the duke's residence, thinking of establishing himself as the successor and bringing in Liliana, bowed his head to the Duke and Duchess of Klein who welcomed him back with great joy.  

“Mother, father.  I'm back.”  

“Come on in, Noel, you've finally come to your senses!  I can finally give up the tiresome position of the Duke!”  

“Dear, our son always had his senses with him.  Noel, you’ve come?  Your room has been cleaned up, so go in and rest.  You will be busy starting tomorrow to start the transition process.”  

“……  transition process?”  

At Noel's bewildered question, Duke Klein looked at his son with a meaningful smile.  The Duke had wanted to give the tittle to his son early and had even made plans with a happy retirement with his wife. Instead, he had to struggle for several years without being able to do anything he planned because his son suddenly turned to religion. 

Since his only son threw away the Duke’s position, his title had to be passed on to a collateral family member.  The only collateral family member that remained was Count Torrento, who forfeited his fortune through gambling, but it was obvious what would happen to the Klein Duchy if he handed over the title to Count Torrento.

Duke Klein, who held out without deciding on a successor just in case, was delighted by the news of Noel's return and was ready to hand over his title immediately. A middle-aged man with a handsome face resembling Noel pointed a finger at his son and expressed his anger.  

“Do you know how much this father suffered because the heir suddenly went to the temple?  Because of you, my grand retirement plans were all messed up!  Before you change mind again, I will hand over the title quickly and get out, so I hope you know that!”  

Noel, who had always felt a slight sense of guilt toward his parents, who must have suffered greatly for his own dogma, smiled wryly at his father's fierce reaction and nodded his head.  

"Okay.  Still, stay at the duchy until the wedding.”  

“Wedding?  So is the rumors are true?  With the Great Saintess……?”  

Duchess Klein widely opened her eyes and covered her mouth with her hands.  She had hoped, but were the rumor true that Noel had fallen head over heels with the Saintess and had thus decided to return to lay life? Then did the Saintess also like Noel……?  How did her son who was so brusque, boring, and stubborn...…?  The Duchess then looked at her son with suspicion.  

“Have you proposed?”  

“…… I planned to bring her when the duchy was sorted out.”  

“You have to propose!  What are you going to do if someone else takes her away?  The day that the Great Saintess knows you're such a boring and brusque person, you're done!"  

The Duchess made a fuss and scolded him.  Noel was a bit shocked that his parents' opinion of him was so low, but he was glad to know that the Duchess was pleased with Liliana.  As the embarrassed Noel smiled, Duke Klein stopped his wife and sided with Noel.  

“Madam, madam.  Calm down.  Wouldn't it be better for him to propose as Duke Klein instead of as the successor to the Klein duchy?  It is a marriage where our Noel is gaining more, so he should at least have the status of a duke.”

“Hmm, hmm.  You……  you are right.  Noel, focus on getting your title right now.  And in your spare time, prepare to receive the Saintess.”  

Noel, who suddenly became Duke of Klein as soon as he arrived, was forced to spend a few days to adjusting to the duties of being the Duke, which he had been avoiding for years.  

He was unable to meet with Liliana and was barely able to converse with Liliana through letters because he was so busy. It was already dark at night when he was able to squeeze some time to see her. Noel, who hurried to the Saint’s room to see her sleeping, saw Liliana walking in her garden.  

Liliana, who was staring blankly at the moon, not knowing he was approaching her, felt his presence only when he came close to her and turned her head.  

Her blank expression soon turned joyous. Noel, who ran up to her with his eyes curled beautifully, picked up Lilliana and kissed her, buried his face in the back of her neck and inhaled deeply into the scent he had been reminiscing all along. 

“Weren’t you sleeping?”  

“I couldn’t sleep today……  It must have been so that I could meet Noel.”  

“I was planning to seeing you sleep but I’m glad you’re awake.”  

“In your letters you told me you became the Duke. Congratulations, Duke Klein.”  

Noel's heart fluttered as he faced the smiling woman.  Liliana looked divine, shining brightly as if all the moonlight was shining only on her.  He fiddled with the case that he had been carrying all along in his hand, then reverently knelt to his knees and kissed the back of Liliana's hand.  

“Noel?”  

Bewildered by his sudden kneeling, Liliana’s eyes widened when she noticed a shimmering object in his palm.  An emerald ring of a size she had never seen before lay on his hand.  Noel looked at her with eager eyes and opened his mouth. 

“Liliana.  Will you give me the chance to make you Duchess Klein?  I will do my best to make you happy for the rest of my life, so that the past life when we could not be together is not regretful.”  

The jewel reflected in the moonlight shone with a dazzling light.  Liliana, who smiled brightly as tears welling up, held out her left hand to Noel.  A heavy ring was put on her finger, and the sound of her lover whispering his love while in his arms reverberated in the silent garden.  

* * * (read on pink-grapes.blogspot.com)  

Time passed quickly and the wedding day of Duke Klein and the Great Saintess arrived.  Noel skipped the engagement ceremony and instead moved immediately to carrying on with the wedding. People teased Noel saying that he had fallen in love with the Saintess. Noel nodded his head, smiling happily each time.  

The wedding of the Saintess was held in the banquet hall of the imperial palace under the full consideration of the emperor.  Lilliana and Noel were the first non-royal to have a wedding at the palace.

As Liliana was busy dressing up in the morning and sitting in the waiting room, guests came one after another to congratulate her.  The Crown Princess Evgena also congratulated Liliana with a refreshing smile.  

“Congratulations, Great Saintess.  If Duke Klein ever upsets you, please tell me.”  

"Thank you, your highness Crown Princess.”  

“Noel looked so giddy earlier, his mouth will probable rip apart.  I didn't realize he was such a bashful guy."  

Relaxed by the Crown Princess' joke, Liliana smiled bashfully and expressed her gratitude to Evgena.  Evgena was a little embarrassed that she wasn't joking, but then she smiled and left.  Soon Freesia and Diana also came in and made a fuss.  Liliana was so happy to see her friends after a long time, that she couldn’t stop smiling.  

“Lily!  Congratulations!  It’s really beautiful today.”  

“Freesia!  Long time no see.  I'm sorry I couldn't attend your wedding."  

“I know that the Saintess was busy sealing the gates of the demon realm back then, so would my wedding be an issue?”  

"Still."

“Don’t worry about it at all.  By the way, Duke Klein!  When did you two become involved?  Congratulations, Liliana.”  

“I’ll tell you everything later.  Diana, it's late but thank you so much."  

As Liliana hesitated at her guilt for not caring about her friends due to the frenzy that happened after she became a Saint, Diana comforted her with a bright expression on her face.  

“What are you sorry for?  When you were struggling in the North, Freesia was busy enjoying her honeymoon, and I was also crazy busy in the estate?  By the way, I didn't expect Count Alphonse to be that bad, I'm so glad.  Lily.”  

“It’s all thanks to you, Diana.  Thank you."  

Her friends, whom she met after a long time, stayed by Liliana's side, chatted and caught up on everything.  When Lilliana was relaxed thanks to her friends, Priestess Jenna, approached and let her know in a lively voice that the wedding had begun. 

“Saintess.  You must go now.  Duke Klein is waiting outside!”  

As she left with Jenna's help, she found Noel looking at her with her ecstatic eyes.  Liliana's face lit up as she saw Noel dressed in a tailcoat, which made his handsome face even more striking.  Why was he so handsome? Noel greeted her with a blush on his face, stuttering.  

“…… Really, you’re so beautiful.  Liliana...….”  

“Noel too.”  

Liliana, who clasped her hands with him, not realizing that they would soon be married, soon regained her thoughts at the announcement of their entry. 

The door of the banquet hall opened, and as she stepped toward the large door with her hand on Noel's arms, a magical swarm of lights lit up in front of them, creating a spectacular sight of shimmering light.

As they stood on the podium after going past the people who had lined up on either side to celebrate them, the officiating Pope greeted them with a benevolent smile. 

When the oath of the couple was written under the officiating of Pope Urban I, the Pope announced that the two were married.  Without knowing how the time had passed so quickly, the wedding was over. They briefly showed up at the reception held in the garden of the duke's residence, and then they headed for the mansion holding hands.

Outside the windows, fireworks made by continuous magic silently lighted up the night sky. The soft laughter of people enjoying themselves tickled their ears with the cool breeze. 

* * * (read on pink-grapes.blogspot.com)

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