Chapter 59

Chapter 59: The Wedding Photoshoot

My heart was pounding so hard that I could not sleep a wink.

And it was not just me — Ria said she had not slept a wink either.

We should have been exhausted, but the dopamine was overflowing, so we felt no fatigue at all and were in great condition.

The knight order quartet came over to the house for the day's tasks and congratulated us.

"Seeing both of your expressions, it seems the proposal was a success. Congratulations to both of you, truly."

Vice Commander Garrett.

"Our Commander is really getting married? I cannot believe it. If I told the rest of the former knight order, they would probably think I had lost my mind."

Spear knight Neville.

"I know, right? Congratulations so much to both of you!"

Benny.

"Congratulations. The day I can call Lady Ria 'Mistress' is not far off."

That last one was Ruina.

I dearly hoped she would continue calling me "Sir Seon-u."

Vice Commander Garrett then asked us.

"When do you plan to hold the ceremony?"

Ria and I exchanged a glance.

After Ria had accepted the proposal the night before, we had briefly discussed what came next.

"We will do it soon."

"Oh, but......, the venue will be in the other world, I presume......?"

Garrett asked with a face full of worry.

By "the other world," he meant outside the Rift.

I shook my head.

"No, we will hold the ceremony here."

This was the place where we had met.

For Ria and me, this was the most special place of all.

Hearing that, Garrett's face lit up.

"Haha! What a relief. I was worried I would not get to see Lady Ria's wedding."

The other knight order members also jumped for joy.

Seeing them, Ria and I looked at each other and smiled.

***

Nine days had passed since the proposal.

Ria and I drove to our destination.

The place we arrived at was a wedding shop.

We were there to try on wedding dresses for Ria.

"Oh my......"

"Goodness......"

When Ria removed her sunglasses after entering the wedding shop in Cheongdam, the female staff gasped in admiration.

"This is the most beautiful bride-to-be I have ever seen."

"Wow, the groom-to-be must be so happy, getting to marry someone this stunning."

"I know. I still cannot quite believe it myself."

Every day since meeting Ria had been a miracle and felt like a dream.

Ria then began trying on dresses in earnest.

When she emerged wearing a dress, I was at a loss for words.

When I stared at her in silence, Ria fidgeted and said.

"......What? Does it look strange?"

"No, you are so beautiful it is surreal."

"......"

She then came out in several other dresses.

Among them, the elegant silk dress and the chic mini dress were my favorites.

Ria changed back into the clothes she had originally worn and came out.

I asked her.

"Which dress did you like the most, Ria?"

"Hmm, the third one. What about you?"

"I also liked the third one — the silk dress."

"Hehe! Great minds think alike."

"I know, it seems like our tastes are growing more similar."

And so, we settled on an A-line silk top dress.

Afterward, Ria and I had our makeup done and proceeded with the wedding photoshoot in our respective tuxedo and dress.

'We plan to hold a simple ceremony in the Rift, but we still need to preserve the memories in photos.'

The photographer then directed us into various poses.

"Stand side by side, and the bride-to-be, please take the groom-to-be's arm. Face forward and smile brightly."

The most standard wedding photo.

Then.

"Seated in the chairs, please turn just your heads and look into each other's eyes. With an expression that says you are hopelessly in love."

Looking into her eyes, a smile formed naturally.

"Standing now — groom-to-be, please put your right hand in your trouser pocket. Bride-to-be, please stand to his left and lean slightly against his shoulder. Groom-to-be, put your arm around the bride-to-be's waist. Perfect!"

We took shots in many other compositions as well.

Now the final shot.

"Groom-to-be, please stand behind the bride-to-be and embrace her lovingly."

I embraced Ria from behind.

"Bride-to-be, please place your hands over the groom-to-be's arms. Perfect."

And with that, the photoshoot was complete.

I released my embrace.

"Great job, Ria."

"You too, Seon-u. But is your heart not beating way too fast?"

"I suppose I got nervous because you look so beautiful in that dress."

"You look so handsome today too, Seon-u. Enough to make my heart race."

"You are exaggerating."

"I mean it."

Ria looked down at her dress and continued.

"I never thought I would have a day where I wore a dress this beautiful."

"Why? Did you think you would spend your whole life in armor?"

"Yes, I did. If the knight order members in the Rift — except these four — saw me right now, they would probably faint."

"The other knight order members probably would."

Even the knight order quartet here had found it very strange at first seeing Ria so relaxed around me.

The Ria they had known was always a reliable Commander with strict military discipline.

They had also found it very awkward to see Ria looking pretty in the clothes I had bought for her.

But now they seemed to have adapted and thought nothing of it.

Ria smiled and said.

"It was much more fun than I expected, the wedding photoshoot."

"I am glad to hear that."

"I have had so many new experiences lately. Riding in a car, getting a new nationality, wearing a dress for a wedding photoshoot. It is all thanks to meeting you, Seon-u."

"I will keep giving you new experiences."

Restaurant hopping, shows, movie theaters, ski resorts, seaside hot springs, and more.

There were so many places I wanted to go with Ria and things I wanted to show her.

The photographer then showed us the photos he had taken.

"Wow......"

I was amazed looking at the photos.

The photographer's skill certainly played a part.

But Ria was so flawless she needed no retouching at all.

On the other hand, I would probably need some heavy retouching by comparison.

***

The following day, at lunch.

We went out again.

This time, our destination was a restaurant at a well-known hotel.

The person waiting for us there was none other than my mother.

"Mother, you arrived first."

It had been roughly a year and three months since I had last seen her.

She was 57 this year, but she still looked far younger than her age.

Her outfit was stylish as well.

"Seon-u, you are here. It has been a while."

"Yes, Mother. It has been a long time."

Our mother-son relationship was not as close as most.

We were an awkward pair who saw each other briefly about once a year.

"And who is......?"

She looked at Ria standing beside me.

"This is my fiancee, Aveline Emeria."

Ria then greeted my mother.

"How do you do? My name is Emeria."

Hearing that, my mother was visibly flustered.

"A fiancee......, and the name Emeria — is she the person who has been all over the news lately......?"

The media and current affairs programs had been buzzing about the naturalized citizen who had defeated the Sword Saint.

Where was the naturalized citizen's original nationality?

Did she truly defeat the Sword Saint?

Had the Rift Management Bureau and Immigration truly conducted a thorough vetting before granting naturalization?

The reactions had been as expected.

I nodded to my flustered mother.

"Yes, it is that person."

"......I see. Let us sit down for now."

"Yes, Ria, let us sit."

"Okay."

Ria was very nervous.

After sitting down, I first asked my mother how she had been, since it had been so long.

"Have you been well?"

"I have."

"Did you arrive in Korea this morning?"

"Yes. I came straight here after finishing some work at the branch office. I will have to leave right after the meal."

Still as busy as ever.

She had lived that way her entire life.

Every time we met, roughly once a year, all we did was share one meal.

I then formally introduced Ria.

"As I mentioned, this is my fiancee, Emeria. As you have seen from the internet articles, she recently became a naturalized citizen."

Ria greeted my mother once more.

"It is nice to meet you, Mother."

"Mother......, ahem! Yes, nice to meet you, Miss Emeria."

Since my mother said she was short on time, I got straight to the point.

"Mother, I am going to marry Emeria in a short time."

My mother looked deeply surprised.

"Marriage? So suddenly......?"

"I should have told you earlier. I am sorry I did not."

"I see......, then just let me know the date and I will try to make time."

"No, you do not need to. We are going to have a simple ceremony inside the Rift, just among ourselves."

"Inside the Rift? What do you mean?"

I explained to my mother.

That I had the ability to travel through Rifts, and that I had a safe home inside one.

I also told her about Ria.

That she was originally a person from another world and that I had met her inside a Rift.

After hearing my brief explanation, my mother wore an expression of disbelief.

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Yes."

"......The things you have told me sound like they are confidential. Is it all right to just tell anyone?"

"You are not just anyone. You are my mother."

No matter how distant we had become, blood was still blood.

Besides, she simply prioritized work above all else — it was not that she had no affection for me, and she was not the type to spread secrets.

"Your mother......, I do not know if I deserve to be called that."

It was something she said every now and then, with a tone of lament.

My mother then asked whether the Rift house was truly safe.

Whether being a Hunter was not dangerous.

Whether there had been any dangerous incidents in the meantime.

'I am not used to my mother worrying about me.'

She was so worried that upon hearing the news of my becoming a Hunter, she had applied for a short-term transfer from the U.S. headquarters to the Korean branch.

Given that it was a profession with an extremely high mortality rate, that was understandable.

My mother then looked at Ria and said.

"Miss Emeria, I am a disqualified mother who left her young son behind and went far away. So I have no right to approve or disapprove of your marriage to Seon-u."

Ria was currently using the Sigil of Wisdom.

She understood everything my mother was saying.

"Mother......"

"Please, I ask you to take good care of my son. Please love and cherish each other and build a beautiful family together."

"Yes, we will live happily and beautifully together, Mother."

My mother, overcome with emotion, dabbed at the tears pooling in her eyes with a handkerchief.

'Is this the first time I have seen her cry since Father's funeral?'

At the funeral, she had held me and shed tears.

Calling herself a terrible mother who had abandoned her family while chasing work.

The food we had ordered arrived, and we continued the meal in silence.

After finishing the meal, we stepped outside the hotel.

"Seon-u, congratulations on the wedding in advance."

"Thank you, Mother. And I am sorry."

I had decided on the marriage by myself without consulting her.

Our mother-son relationship was not as close as most families, and since she was far away in America, I had not given it much thought.

The wedding venue was also inside the Rift — a place ordinary civilians could not access.

"No, since you are holding the ceremony inside the Rift, there is nothing to be done. You said you plan to hold a reception after the wedding and invite acquaintances for a celebration in the village. I will try my best to make time for that."

"Yes, Mother."

"By the way, Seon-u, you are a capable man. Landing such a beautiful and talented wife."

"I suppose I am."

Ria said shyly.

"Thank you......, you are beautiful as well, Mother."

"Thank you, Miss Emeria. Would it be all right if I gave you a hug?"

"Of course."

My mother gently embraced Ria.

"Please take care of Seon-u."

Ria said to her in return.

"Thank you sincerely for bringing Seon-u into this world, Mother. We will live happily together."

At those words, my mother's eyes reddened once more.

After exchanging goodbyes with us, my mother got into a taxi and departed.

'Still, the atmosphere at the meal was less awkward than usual.'

It was probably thanks to Ria being there, helping to ease the awkward mood between mother and son.

Watching the receding taxi, Ria said.

"Seon-u, it seems like your mother deeply regrets leaving you behind after the divorce."

"It seems so......"

"And I can feel that she cares about you very much."

"Yes......"

I was surprised myself today.

My stoic, work-obsessed mother had shown so much concern for me.

I never imagined she would shed tears asking Ria to take care of me.

'I was the foolish one.'

If I had just taken one step forward first.

I had been unable to take that one step and had never opened my heart to my mother.

Today, it felt like the distance between my mother and me had closed by one step.

"I should reach out to her more often from now on."

"Yes, let us do that."