Chapter 11: Happily Married
The moment he saw the reaction of the three ladies, he raised a hand into the air, smiling with a taunting look in his eyes.
"Hey, hey, I’m not here to harm three crippled women. Even someone as vicious as me has to draw the line somewhere, don’t you think."
He pocketed his hands and stepped out of the fourth row of pews, down the aisle towards them, unhurried. Then he stopped less than twenty meters away, looked the three of them over one by one, and shook his head with a look of pity.
"Is this what the mighty villainesses who shaped a new era look like now, marrying a scrap because of what?"
He glanced at Theo.
"Do you think this bum can help you reclaim what we have taken from you? Frozen Empress, you really think you can get Nilfheimr back by marrying him?"
He turned to Thaleria.
"I can only consider you stupid, that you think the world tree will answer to you again with his help. You want to fight the entire tower with this..."
He cast Theo a demeaning look, up and down, and laughed.
"His suits don’t even fit, are you kidding me?!"
He jabbed a hand towards Theo, laughing.
"This boy is an ass! Can he even afford you a proper ring?"
He focused on Thaleria.
"I told you, I wanted you to become my wife. I was going to give you the world, Thal. I was going to take care of you too."
Thaleria frowned.
"You asked me to marry you for Yggdrasil. That is the only thing you care about, so don’t take me for a fool. And don’t you speak to my husband that way. He might be weaker, but he is a hundred times a better person than you will ever be, Grantel. You are nothing but a disgrace to our race."
At the words, the man’s face went cold.
Theo, who had sunk into a pit of anger and wasn’t quite sure what to do with it, was for a moment distracted by the things Thaleria said. And luckily, that helped ground him back in reality.
’I’m so grateful, Thal. I don’t even remember ever having someone that gorgeous speak up for me. Let alone three of them.’
Another thing he had to consider, though, was that she was right. He was weaker than the Disaster King. But the man didn’t seem to recognize him, which made sense, since the hallway had been dark, and Jupiter Lady had ruined his face before he ever arrived.
’So they all think I’m dead.’
There was nothing special in that. Plenty of Janitors had probably endured the same fate. They’d likely buried his body somewhere and tossed his phone after it. He was a very insignificant person, after all. Insignificant enough that no one had bothered to check.
’This insignificant person is going to marry three awesome ladies, and will one day return that brutal favor.’
Amidst all that commotion, Theo smiled.
It was a strange thing to see, out of place in a room this tense, and it changed the mood, enough that the Disaster King frowned openly at him.
Theo turned to the man anchoring the wedding.
"I remember we were at the part where you were about to pronounce us husband and wife... wife, wife?"
The man cleared his throat.
"Indeed."
Theo nodded, delighted, and brought out a ring case. He looked at Thaleria, his gaze gentle.
"This is for you."
Then he took her hand and slipped the ring onto her finger, the band catching the light of the chapel.
Thaleria stared down at her hand, and her fingers closed lightly around the ring.
"Theo..."
For a moment she was short of words. Then a warm smile settled over her face.
Theo turned to Estea, a little hesitant, but this time she pushed her hand forward, looking away. He smiled, bent down on one knee, and slipped the ring onto her finger while she kept her face turned aside.
"I’m lucky and honored to call you my wife."
She rolled her eyes and snarled silently at him.
Theo stood and turned to Sesan with the last ring. She only glanced down at his hand, her face indifferent. Then she stepped forward, took the ring from Theo, and put it on herself. She raised her hand into the light of the chapel and turned it slowly, watching the ring throw little sparks of color, admiring it with a childlike smile.
All of it happened right in front of the Disaster King, whose ears reddened a shade deeper with each ring that went on. He glared fiercely at Theo, and the next moment he nodded.
"You have all made your decisions. Your families will be disappointed in you."
Thaleria frowned.
"Don’t you dare speak to me about families. The people you connived with to steal from us, those are who you call our families? Don’t even play with me right now."
The Disaster King held his stare, one hand buried in his pocket, the other out with the fingers spread wide.
The villainesses glared right back, Thaleria most of all.
"If you try anything... even if I have to die here today, I will erase your existence. Even without Yggdrasil, taking care of a mutt like you is no big deal."
The Disaster King held the pose a second longer. Then his gaze drifted to Theo one more time, and he sighed and slid his second hand back into his pocket.
"Enjoy your miserable life with this miserable fellow. You will never be able to claim those floors. Never ever. I will make sure of it."
He shot Theo one last condescending scoff and walked out.
The moment he left, the tension in the room dropped all at once. And the piano, which had murmured low and steady beneath everything, stumbled into a wide gap in its progression, as though the pianist’s hands had finally given out.
Thaleria turned to Theo and lowered her head politely.
"I’m sorry you had to witness all of that, Theo."
Theo smiled and shook his head.
"It’s okay, I am unbothered by it."
He paused.
"I am a little bit bothered, to be honest, but it’s for a different reason. Perhaps sometime, I’ll talk to you about it."
Thal looked at him, a little surprised, and nodded.
Theo turned back to the man anchoring.
"If it’s okay with you, can we skip the kisses part?"
The man nodded rigorously.
"You’re now husband and wife... wife, wife."
Ding.
A pop-up flared up in front of Theo, and his gaze went distant for a second as he read.
[You have met the Investment Unlock Conditions.]
[You have married your landlady: Thaleria Greenwood]
[You have married Estea Weschneider]
[You have married Sesan Chixu]
[You have unlocked three investments.]
[Without realizing the conditions, you put aside yourself and cared for women you had no business caring for. Your good heart led you to recognize the value of lives, and even when you had nothing to gain, you committed yourself to them. Some may call you naive, foolish, but you have a kind heart.]
[You invested your measly stamina, running up and down the stairs with urgency. You sold your valued PC and got them a wedding dress and ring when you didn’t need to.]
[Effect on Thaleria: HIGH]
[Effect on Estea: LOW]
[Effect on Sesan: LOW]
[Quest Rewards have been multiplied.]
[Investment Rewards incoming...]