The grand wedding ceremony concluded successfully.
However, that wasn’t the end of it.
Since they had to host a banquet to express their gratitude to the guests, Ruite and Chester were held back by well-wishers until late into the night.
“You two really look perfect together.”
Ethan looked back and forth between Ruite and Chester, his face filled with joy.
“To think Chester is actually married… I’m truly moved.”
As Ethan made a gesture as if wiping away tears, Chester frowned and shook his head.
Ruite stared at the brothers, who remained as close as ever.
Ruite felt grateful for Ethan.
If even his only brother hadn’t looked after Chester, the younger man might have strayed much further off the path.
“Hm? Ruite, why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just because. I think you’re quite a wonderful person, Brother.”
At the sudden compliment from Ruite, the brothers’ expressions shifted in opposite directions.
Ethan beamed with a wide smile, while Chester looked at Ruite with a face of sheer disbelief.
“Ruite, I told you not to compliment other Alphas.”
“I know, but of course, you’re the most handsome of all.”
Chester’s lips quivered.
At the calm, sudden strike of Ruite’s voice, he couldn’t stay angry and fell silent again.
Seeing his brother’s flushed, embarrassed face, Ethan had to struggle to keep from bursting into laughter.
“Ethan, go and greet Marquis Railguns.”
Benger approached from behind.
Ethan gave the two a wink and made his exit.
Finding himself facing Benger, Ruite couldn’t help but observe the atmosphere between the father and son.
“Now that you’re married, you know you must live with even more focus, don’t you?”
“Of course.”
“You are forever the second son of House Callaway and the son of Benger Callaway. Act accordingly so as not to bring shame to the family.”
Benger turned to leave.
Chester couldn’t take his eyes off his father’s broad back.
“…When you get a vacation, come visit the Ducal mansion together.”
It was a small voice, uncharacteristic of Benger, but it reached their ears clearly.
Ruite and Chester looked at each other and simply nodded without a word.
“Ruite! Chester!”
Chester was just handing a plate full of refreshments to Ruite when a familiar voice called out.
Colin and Lona approached them together.
“Colin, Lona, thanks for coming.”
“Ruite, why don’t you clean your mouth before talking?”
Lona laughed as she saw crumbs on the corner of Ruite’s mouth from the cookies he was snacking on.
But it was Chester who moved first.
He reached out, wiped the crumbs from Ruite’s face, and popped them into his own mouth.
The shameless display of affection made Lona freeze slightly.
When she looked at Colin, he just shrugged.
“We’re the ones who have to adjust. What else can we do?”
“Congratulations on your marriage, both of you. I didn’t expect to be invited personally, so thank you.”
Lona swallowed her embarrassment and offered her congratulations.
As part of the Marquis Railguns family, Colin would have attended regardless, but a personal invitation was different.
“Of course I’d invite you. You’re my friend.”
Ruite had intended to invite Dylan as well, but he couldn’t make it due to work.
Instead, he had sent a long letter filled with apologies and blessings.
“By the way, Ruite, when Magnus heard you two were getting married, he couldn’t speak for ten minutes.”
For a kid who loved to talk non-stop to be silent for ten minutes was proof of a massive shock.
Just imagining Magnus’s jaw-dropping expression made Ruite laugh.
“Chester, Ruite, congratulations. I’m saying this as your friend, not as a member of the Marquis house.”
“Thanks. But Colin, why are you suddenly calling me Ruite? Just call me Rui like usual.”
Colin scratched his cheek awkwardly.
As he glanced at Chester, he saw him mouthing the words: ‘Absolutely not.’
“Um… I’ll just call you Ruite.”
“It doesn’t matter what he calls me, does it?” Chester asked, naturally winding an arm around Ruite’s waist.
“Well, I guess not.”
Knowing nothing of the silent exchange, Ruite simply nodded.
Rona, witnessing the whole scene, let out a sigh and shook her head, sensing they were going to be a pair of incredibly lovey-dovey newlyweds.
The four of them spent a long time chatting about their Academy days, losing track of time.
After the long banquet finally ended, the couple moved to the Everhart mansion.
As a married couple, they planned to live in a separate residence within the capital—another property owned by the Callaway family.
However, since the preparations and staff training weren’t finished yet, they decided to stay at the Count’s estate for the night.
“Ah, I’m exhausted.”
Ruite, fresh from the bath, flopped onto the bed.
Being freed from the stiff formal clothes made his body feel like lead.
“You have to dry your hair. You’ll catch a cold.”
Chester helped Ruite sit up and sat beside him.
He began to slowly towel-dry Ruite’s damp hair.
The room grew quiet, filled only with the soft rustle of the towel.
“Chester.”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“…”
At the clear declaration, Chester froze.
When there was no movement or reply, a curious Ruite pulled the towel off his head.
“…Wow, your face is really red.”
“You… honestly…”
Chester let out a deep sigh and pulled Ruite into a hug.
Unable to withstand the weight, they both tumbled back onto the bed.
Without a word on who was first, their lips met.
A deep kiss followed.
Chester licked Ruite’s lip before softly stroking his cheek.
“From now on, there’s no such thing as a ‘divorce’ in our lives.”
Ruite let out a small laugh and nodded.
The past Ruite would never have imagined he’d be exchanging such words with Chester.
Chester pulled Ruite into his arms once more, savoring the warmth.
Just the feeling of Ruite’s temperature and weight made him feel as if he possessed the entire world.
“Ruite, then… what we couldn’t finish earlier…”
Chester wanted to suggest they finish their business, but he couldn’t complete the sentence.
Ruite had fallen fast asleep in that short span of time.
Watching Ruite sleep peacefully, Chester looked slightly disappointed for a moment, but his expression soon softened into a gentle smile.
After watching Ruite’s face for a while, Chester leaned down and kissed his forehead.
“I love you too, Ruite.”
“That was a close one. Are you okay?”
“Yes, it’s not a big injury, really.”
Ruite reassured Cedric, who looked worried.
“To jump in at a moment like that… you’re quite something.”
“Well… I’m an assistant knight now, and I have subordinates following me.”
Thanks to Ruite’s quick actions during the recent monster subjugation, the new members of the research division had escaped danger.
However, Ruite had sustained a minor injury in the process.
“Um, Senior, as you know, about me getting hurt…”
“I won’t let it reach Knight Commander Chester’s ears.”
Cedric gave a thumbs up.
Ruite was moved by how his senior understood him without needing a full explanation.
Just as the medic finished the treatment, the door to the infirmary slammed open.
“Uh…”
Everyone’s eyes snapped to the door.
Chester was panting as if he had run the whole way.
His dark eyes locked onto Ruite first.
Once he saw that Ruite looked mostly fine, his brow furrowed deeply.
“Well, I’ll be going now. Good luck talking!”
Cedric, who had acted like a reliable ally just seconds ago, bolted out with the medic.
“Chester, do you have a wiretapping crystal hidden in here or something?”
Chester walked over and inspected every inch of Ruite’s body while Ruite looked around curiously.
When he found the bandage on Ruite’s arm, his face darkened further.
“You weren’t going to tell me, were you?”
“Because I knew you’d make a fuss like this. Varen keeps teasing us for being too ‘sweet,’ so I was trying to hold back a bit.”
“No lying between spouses. Got it?”
“Got it. I was wrong, so stop scowling.”
Ruite grabbed Chester’s collar and pulled him in for a kiss.
“Someone told me this makes injuries heal faster.”
Ruite smirked. Chester sighed, defeated. He wrapped a firm arm around Ruite’s waist.
“Then we should do it more. To make it heal faster.”
“Not here. This is headquarters.”
Ruite skillfully blocked Chester’s lips.
Chester’s face went back to being pouty.
“The rest is for when we go home.”
“Promise.”
Ruite and Chester left the infirmary together.
After checking that the hallway was empty, they naturally held hands.
“The weather is so nice today.”
Ruite paused for a moment.
He was captivated by the sunny scenery through the window.
The sunlight hitting the ground was warm, and the cool breeze felt refreshing.
“I can’t believe we have to work on a day like this. It’s perfect weather for a trip.”
“Then shall we go somewhere on our next vacation?”
“Oh? Really?”
Chester nodded, saying there was no reason not to.
Ruite’s face brightened even more at the thought of traveling.
“Where should we go? I want to go North… or maybe South? The sea is beautiful there. But I heard the food in the East is amazing. Ah, I can’t decide.”
“Why worry? We can just go to all of them.”
Chester stroked the cheek of the pondering Ruite with a happy face.
“Wherever you want to go, let’s go together.”
The smile on Chester’s face mirrored onto Ruite’s.
They looked at each other and laughed happily.
“Yeah.”
The two continued down the hallway, chatting about their travel plans.
The sunlight filtered through the windows, casting a warm glow over them—a blessing on a love that would remain firm for a lifetime.
Still holding each other’s hands, they walked on.
