The day of Flora and my wedding had arrived.
We had considered holding a private ceremony with just the two of us, but Fiora unnie found out, and as a result, we ended up having a small, modest wedding.
Dressed in a pure white gown, I stepped forward with Flora, opening the doors.
The soft rustling of my dress as it brushed the floor broke the silence.
The garden was bathed in the morning sunlight, glowing gently.
The flowers blooming in the light seemed to be blessing our union.
Flora was wearing the white dress I had given her, and atop her red hair, the crimson rose I had placed shone brightly.
She looked as if she had stepped right out of a painting, and I couldn’t help but smile.
As we entered the garden, Lilian and the butler greeted us with respectful manners.
Standing beside them was Fiora unnie, her expression laced with feigned discontent.
She clearly wasn’t too pleased with my decision to keep the wedding simple.
“This small ceremony? Peridot, you’re really stingy, you know that?”
Even in her curt tone, there was an undeniable playfulness.
Fiora unnie took on the role of officiant and began her congratulatory speech.
“Sigh… you little brat. Fine, I’ll congratulate you. But just this once.”
Her usual rough tone made Dragon Lord burst into hearty laughter, and Flora’s smile deepened.
Despite her grumbling, I felt a warmth spread through me at her heartfelt blessing.
It was unexpected, but receiving my sister’s blessing made me truly happy.
She continued to grumble, but I knew her words carried sincerity.
We exchanged rings and vowed eternal love to each other.
“Flora, I swear to love only you forever.”
“Peridot, I swear to love only you forever.”
We gazed into each other’s eyes.
In this moment, it felt as if we were the only two people in the world.
Our hands trembled slightly as we placed the rings on each other’s fingers, and our voices wavered as we made our vows—but our hearts stood firm.
As soon as we finished, I cupped Flora’s face with both hands.
The distance between us closed, barely a breath apart.
I met her soft, trembling violet eyes.
Carefully, I pressed my lips to hers.
Warm.
Soft.
For a moment, it felt like the entire world had stopped.
Even though it was a brief kiss, I could feel our hearts connecting as one.
As we pulled away, Flora’s cheeks flushed a deep red.
Fiora unnie cleared her throat in exaggerated disapproval, wearing her usual unimpressed expression.
“Ugh, you two are just dripping with honey. So damn sweet, it’s nauseating.”
Despite her grumbling, a faint smile lingered on her lips.
Flora, as if satisfied, wrapped her arms even tighter around my waist.
Her touch was affectionate—but there was something possessive about it.
Lilian calmly guided us to the next step.
It was time to read our vows while holding hands.
The prepared wedding oath contained words promising eternal love.
I picked up the pen and signed my name.
Without hesitation, Flora did the same.
Like a crimson seal pressed onto parchment, our names were deeply engraved onto the wedding vows.
As the recitation of our vows came to an end, petals prepared by Fiora unnie fluttered down upon us.
Bathed in the shower of falling petals, we linked arms, and Flora rested her head on my shoulder, whispering softly.
“Peridot, now we are forever one.”
Her voice was so sweet that I couldn’t help but smile in response.
But the very next moment, a thunderous crash echoed through the hall as the doors to the wedding venue burst open.
Everyone’s eyes instinctively snapped toward the entrance.
Standing there was a man clad in worn-out armor, his beard unkempt, and his hollow eyes sunken with exhaustion.
Once the hero of this kingdom—the man who had once carried its hopes—stood before us.
Even now, the holy sword in his grasp radiated an undeniable aura of power.
His piercing gaze locked onto us as he strode forward with heavy steps.
His tightly pressed lips and the tension in his grip around the sword made it seem as though he was about to strike at any moment.
I feared that he saw Flora as a remnant of the Demon Lord’s army and had come to cut her down.
“…I’m late, aren’t I?”
But the words that escaped the hero’s lips were entirely unexpected.
His voice carried no strength.
His slumped shoulders and disheveled hair only further emphasized his exhaustion.
Still gripping the weighty holy sword, he let out a weary chuckle before plunging the blade into the stone in the center of the garden.
“A wedding gift.”
Silence gripped the room, as if time had stopped.
No one could understand what was going through his mind.
It was Fiora unnie who finally broke the stillness.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Her voice was different from her usual grumbling—there was a tinge of irritation in it.
But the hero paid no attention to her frustration.
“Your Majesty, I quit. I’m done being a hero.”
With those words, he turned on his heel and walked away from the ceremony.
His retreating figure carried an air of relief, as if he had finally laid down a burden he had carried for too long—yet at the same time, it was filled with an unbearable loneliness, like a man who had lost everything.
The only thing left behind in his absence was the holy sword, gleaming in the garden.
That sight alone felt like a silent declaration that everything was over.
A strange sense of emptiness washed over me in the quiet that followed.
The hero’s sudden appearance and abrupt departure felt surreal, as if I had just woken from a fleeting dream.
“Peridot-nim, please don’t pay attention to someone like that.”
Flora’s voice whispered into my ear.
She wrapped her arms tightly around my waist, her face pressing against my shoulder as if seeking reassurance.
It was only then that I met her gaze.
In her violet eyes, there was a love so absolute, so consuming, it left no room for anything else.
Flora took my hand and pressed it to her cheek.
Her smooth skin was warm, and that warmth spread through me, making my heartburn.
“As long as I have you, nothing else matters.”
The words she spoke were filled with devotion, but beneath them, I sensed something deeper—an unshakable obsession.
But I felt the same way.
I cupped Flora’s cheek, gazing into her unwavering eyes, and whispered tenderly in return.
“I only need you, Flora.”
With everyone’s blessings, our wedding came to an end, and night fell.
As I lay down to sleep, the moment I closed my eyes, an endless white space unfolded before me.
A vast, boundless expanse of white—I instinctively knew that this was a vision.
Slowly looking around, I saw a woman sitting at a table, sipping tea.
White hair, white eyes, pale skin—she looked exactly like me, as if I were staring into a mirror.
A hatchling of the White Clan.
She greeted me with a warm smile.
“Congratulations on your wedding, Peridot.”
On the table was a cup filled with warm tea, and next to it, a neatly placed chair—as if she had been waiting for me.
I naturally sat down, lifted the cup, and took a sip.
A familiar taste spread gently across my tongue—a sweet tea I had tasted before in this very space.
It was subtly different from the tea Flora used to make.
The woman sitting across from me smiled quietly.
I slowly opened my mouth to speak.
“There’s something I don’t understand. Why did you help me?”
Even at my question, she continued to smile softly.
“Because this is the future I wanted.”
Her answer was simple.
I stared into her eyes for a moment.
Though we shared the same color, what lay within them was vastly different.
My own eyes carried murkiness and heavy shadows, but hers held a gaze that seemed to transcend all of that.
“Is it because of you that my body has almost completely transformed into that of a dragon?”
I asked cautiously.
She slowly nodded in affirmation.
“Then…”
I wanted to ask more, but suddenly, the dream began to fade.
The surrounding space trembled, as if breaking apart.
The woman’s figure grew fainter, like mist dissolving into the air.
Then, suddenly, she stepped closer to me.
A soft whisper brushed against my ear.
“Did you know? Dragons can conceive even with those of the same gender.”
I was startled by her sudden words, unable to grasp her intention.
But the next words she spoke made my breath catch in my throat.
“I’ll be waiting… Mother.”
The dream shattered.
I awoke, taking a deep breath.
My heart was pounding.
The dream had been too vivid—so vivid that it felt real.
Like puzzle pieces clicking into place, everything began to make sense.
Why did she help me?
What kind of future she had longed for.
I felt as though I now understood it all.
Slowly, I sat up and turned to look beside me.
Bathed in the morning light, strands of red hair shimmered.
Beneath long, elegant lashes, deep, mysterious violet eyes gazed at me.
Flora lay beside me in quiet stillness.
As soon as she saw that I was awake, she smiled gently.
I reached out and ran my fingers through her hair, softly, as if handling something precious.
“Flora…”
I called her name in a whisper.
She met my gaze.
Her eyes were filled with love and unwavering devotion.
As she took my hand in hers, warmth spread from her touch.
And in that quiet moment, she whispered to me.
“Now, we will be together forever.”