The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 181

Conclusion -1

Eliza came out.

Dressed in a pure white dress, she looked—though it feels like a rather embarrassing comparison—like an angel walking toward me for a moment.

Her fair, sometimes peach-tinted skin looked even more beautiful, perhaps because of the dress.

“Uh, um…”

Even though I knew I should control where I was looking, it wasn’t easy.

Eliza’s usual attire never really revealed much.

Which meant that even though I was often by her side, I had no idea what her figure looked like beneath those clothes.

‘I mean… we do sleep cuddled up often enough, so saying I had no idea would be a lie, but still…’

Now, with a dress that fit her body perfectly, her curves were fully revealed.

Her waist and hips, the rest of her beautifully sculpted, mysterious form—

‘N-No, I can’t! Looking at Her Majesty like that… how disrespectful…!’

I scolded myself, feeling like I was doing something wrong.

Around then, Eliza swept her hair back and spoke.

Her straight shoulders and collarbones were openly exposed.

“St-Stop just staring… Say something, will you…?”

Her face turned red, clearly embarrassed.

Mine probably looked the same.

“W-Well… You’re absolutely beautiful. Yes. Beautiful enough that I feel lucky to have married you…”

I answered in a dazed voice, and Eliza let out a small laugh.

“What even is that?”

She laughed brightly, seeming not to dislike the answer at all.

Maybe it’s the dress.

But her smile today is just… even more beautiful than usual. Hm.

Even though we’re outside, a large mirror had been set up.

Eliza stood in front of the mirror, carefully examining herself from every angle.

A dress that elegantly traced the curves of her upper body.

The skirt flared out richly from the height of her hips.

She nodded to herself, seemingly satisfied with the look.

Watching her like that, I suddenly grew curious.

‘Does Elly know how beautiful she is? I should ask her later.’

After finishing her check, Eliza smiled at me and disappeared back into the tent.

She said she’d show me the next dress.

Only after she and the staff helping her had gone inside did I sit down again.

For some reason, my legs felt a little weak.

‘…Is it just hitting me now?’

I’m getting married.

It always felt a bit vague.

Even when she proposed, even while touring the Sun Temple.

Even when Eliza and I talked about the wedding.

Maybe I just hadn’t fully grasped it.

But now, seeing Eliza in a pure white wedding dress—I get it.

‘It’s really happening.’

They say marriage is the grave of life.

Those with experience sometimes say, “If someone tells you not to do it, just don’t.”

Maybe it’s because I don’t have that experience yet,

But that kind of advice doesn’t really resonate with me.

If anything, I’m full of anticipation.

Ever since I saw her in that dress, my heart’s been racing so fast my palms are starting to sweat.

After that, I got to see several more of Eliza’s dresses.

Each one was stunning.

Some with full, flowing skirts, others more fitted.

Some showed off her shoulders, others were modestly covered up.

I learned for the first time just how varied a simple white dress could be.

My eyes were feasting—until a problem popped up.

‘…How do I choose?’

Eliza had left the final decision to me.

She said she wanted to wear the one I liked most.

‘But they all look amazing…’

Not a single one didn’t suit her.

‘What am I supposed to pick…’

This is torture.

She showed me nothing but beautiful options and now expects me to pick just one?

I swear, there can’t be a more exquisite form of torture than this.

I’ve never been this deeply conflicted in my life.

But after some truly serious contemplation—I made a decision.

“That one from earlier?”

Eliza double-checked, and I nodded.

“Good. I’m glad one of them caught your heart.”

“Do you… uh, Elly, do you like it too?”

“If you like it, I do too. But is there a special reason? Just curious.”

“Well…”

There was a reason.

An embarrassingly honest one.

I glanced around at the staff and leaned closer to Eliza, motioning her in.

She casually wrapped an arm around my waist and brought her ear to my lips.

“The one from earlier… had the least skin showing…”

“Hmm? You like that it covered more? That’s kind of surprising.”

“Well, it’s something you’ll have to wear in front of others…”

“….”

Eliza’s lips parted slightly, and she blinked rapidly.

Her expression went blank for a second, as if replaying what I just said.

Then suddenly—

“Mm!”

She yanked me toward her and kissed me hard.

“Oh my…”

The staff murmured awkwardly and averted their eyes.

Thankfully, the kiss didn’t last long.

When she pulled back, she was smiling way too brightly.

She looked so innocent it actually made her look mischievous.

“Wh-what was that?! W-we’re not alone!”

“Cute.”

“E-Excuse me?”

“Were you trying to claim me just now?”

“C-claim? I-I guess…?”

“Didn’t want anyone else looking at me? Got jealous?”

“Uhh…”

I mean, she’s not wrong.

I mean, she’s my bride now—of course I wouldn’t want others staring…!

I want to proudly show her off as my woman at the wedding, but at the same time… I want to keep her all to myself.

“You’ve got this cute side too, huh?”

Eliza’s expression as she looked at me and smiled—it was just so lovely, like she couldn’t help but overflow with sweetness.

I don’t know what part of that is supposed to be “cute,” and honestly, it kind of annoys me… but I don’t hate it either.

I hate how I feel… and yet, I like Eliza. It’s complicated.

“Hm. It’s the first time someone’s been this nosy with me, but… surprisingly, it doesn’t feel bad.”

Ahem…”

“Anyway, I get how you feel. I’ll wear the one you picked out then.”

“Okaaay…”

Smack. Eliza gave me a light kiss before slipping back into the tent.

“Whew… it’s hot today…”

I flapped my clothes and sat back down on the chair.

For some reason, I felt embarrassed. My face was burning.

“Cute, huh? Really now… I’ve heard all kinds of things in my life, but this takes the cake. Who’s calling who cute? She doesn’t even realize she’s the cute one, huh? Geez…”

My heart felt all tingly for no reason, so I kept muttering to myself.

In the end, I was the one who got even more flustered.

But the awkwardness wasn’t over yet.

Now that Eliza had picked her dress, it was my turn.

***

Whoa.

I was honestly, purely impressed.

My God.

I’ve never worn anything like this in my life.

I’ve worn suits a few times before.

And technically, this outfit had the same basic structure—pants, shirt, vest, jacket.

But it was dazzlingly ornate.

It looks like something a noble would wear in a movie… Wait. Am I a noble now? Or maybe royalty?

Either way, I was wearing an outfit that basically screamed “I’m rich and powerful.”

The bright white suit already stood out, but what really caught the eye were the elaborate gold and crimson embroideries.

And there were even gemstones attached to the fabric.

It wasn’t the most comfortable feeling.

It was too flashy.

But unlike me, Eliza seemed thoroughly pleased.

She looked me up and down with a satisfied smile and gave a nod of approval.

“You can really tell they put a lot of effort into this. Your already handsome face looks even better.”

The staff member nearby bowed her head at the compliment.

Eliza stared at my face for a moment, then tilted her head slightly.

“But… you don’t like it? Be honest.”

“It’s not that I dislike it… It just feels awkward and uncomfortable.”

“…Ah. Right. I guess that style wasn’t common where you’re from.”

It kind of sounded like she was referring to a difference in social status.

But she’d seen my memories—and from them, learned about the world I came from.

“Is it really that uncomfortable?”

“Well, not that bad… I guess I’ll get used to it with time?”

“Then will you wear it for me? Because, honestly, you look amazing in it.”

She stepped toward me with a grin and naturally wrapped her arms around my waist, leaning into me.

Looking up at me with a smile full of affection, she said,

“On that day, I want to show off this dazzling version of you to as many people as I can. To let everyone know you’re officially mine now.”

Ah…

When she puts it that way, how can I possibly say no?

“Well then, I’ll wear it all you want.”

Eliza gave a small, teasing laugh and pressed a gentle kiss to my lips.

“Thank you.”

Alright. That’s fine. Everything’s fine… except maybe the public kissing part. Still not used to that.

I guess I’ll have to work on that too.

Choosing outfits turned out to be quicker and easier than I’d feared.

Next came selecting the accessories.

I didn’t have the eye for jewelry, but Eliza helped me choose, so we finished up quickly.

And now, the most important item remained.

Right on cue, Eliza casually brought it up.

“Speaking of which… the wedding rings…”

***

The day of Judas and Eliza’s wedding finally arrived.

The venue: the colonnade of the Temple of the Sun.

Soft, peaceful music floated through the air, played by a small orchestra.

Among the guests, Richard nervously chewed on his nails and fidgeted with his perfectly styled hair before tapping Dylan’s shoulder.

“Hey. Do I look okay today? Huh?”

“For the love of—please stop asking. That’s the fifth time already.”

“Still, man!”

“Oh, seriously! I don’t know, so do whatever you want. No, it’s not fine, and you really look like some shady back-alley thug here, so just get out.”

“Hey, don’t joke around!”

“I’m not joking.”

Next to him, Richard’s lover, Beninita, chuckled and said,

“You’re overreacting again. I told you it’s fine. Dylan said it several times too. Why can’t you just sit still?”

“But… this is my first time at something like this…!”

The eleven royal guards, all dressed up in their own ways, were seated in the best seats.

Some were tense for no reason, while others were relaxed.

Among the latter, Argon pointed at Richard.

“You look like you’re about to marry Judas off yourself. Why are you so nervous?”

“Hey, technically, I did raise him, so it’s not exactly wrong!”

“You’ve officially lost it.”

Argon dismissed Richard’s anxiety with a knowing smirk, like he saw it coming.

“Um, but… can you really speak so casually about the soon-to-be State Consul…?”

Beninita asked nervously, but Richard squared his shoulders proudly.

“Of course! I’ve, y’know, done all sorts of stuff with him!”

“Would you please calm down!”

Lindel barely managed to rein in Richard, who was far more excitable than usual.

Since there were so many of them, the guards were split between two tables. At the other table sat Gawain and Shylock.

Gawain was trembling, bouncing his leg and biting his nails.

Shylock, sharing the table, let out a quiet laugh.

“Sir Gawain, I’ve never seen you this nervous before.”

“Ahem. Nervous? Who said I’m nervous? And it’s not Gawain—it’s Galehad.”

“Ah, still not used to calling you that.”

Even as he fiddled with his prosthetic and kept adjusting his posture, Gawain tried to feign composure.

“Anyone would think it’s your own son getting married.”

“Well… it’s not entirely wrong, I suppose. Ahem.”

“…Sure.”

At the next table over, Hermes, Eurydice, and Orpheus sat together.

“Lord Judas getting married… wow. Feels like just yesterday he was the little kid we first guarded…”

Hermes murmured as she stared absentmindedly at the doors the bride and groom would soon enter through.

Eurydice gave a soft laugh.

“Yeah, it’s been a while. I was so shocked when that little kid first came to us.”

Next to her, Orpheus sighed and shook his head.

“So young… What’s the rush to get married at that age… geez.”

“…Oh my. Sounds like someone has a rather skeptical opinion about marriage?”

Eurydice’s tone was sweet but chilling as she asked, and Orpheus flinched like he’d been splashed with cold water.

“N-no…! That’s not what I meant…!”

“Mm-hmm. Not what you meant?”

Hermes quietly sipped her wine, used to the bickering between the two.

Back at the royal guards’ table—

Shylock looked around the Sun Temple corridor, now transformed into a wedding hall, and shook his head.

‘This is… insane.’

The venue was as extravagant as it was unconventional.

For starters, there was no officiant.

Which made sense.

Eliza—Emperor, Pope, and Saint—was the one getting married. Who could possibly officiate her wedding?

Like someone who crowned herself, the arrangement was proudly arrogant.

The room was filled only with guests.

Eliza would lead the entire ceremony herself.

‘Talk about social climbing in style.’

The brat who used to be a cocky little slave, now a State Consul.

The world truly is full of surprises.

Just then, the knights guarding the entrance shouted loudly:

“Her Imperial Majesty and the State Consul are entering—!”

And with that, the grand doors swung open.