pαndα`noνɐ1--сoМ '…This is driving me crazy.' Yeon-woo smiled bitterly as he looked at his trembling hands. Seriously, why was he always weak-hearted when it came to things related to Edora when he managed to do other things so well? He held a small wooden box in his right hand.
If anyone else were to see Yeon-woo's creation, they would have burst out in admiration the moment they laid eyes on it. The wood, the main material used, was a hardwood that came from the roots of an ebony tree, which descended its roots deep into the lava fields and was exposed to heat for hundreds of years. The patterns engraved on the box were two geese so vividly sculpted that they seemed to be ready to take off at any moment. The life-like quality of the sculpted creatures just added to the box's splendor.
The One-horned Tribe traditionally regarded the wild goose, along with the mandarin duck, as an animal that symbolized a couple's faithful affection. This was because geese lived for several decades while not giving up their monogamous lifestyle, always staying true to their single partner. Actually, if it was not for Henova's previous words, Yeon-woo would probably not have added this feature.
"What? You're only going to bring a ring?"
"Yeah, and maybe something to carry it in…"
"That's all?"
"Isn't that enough?"
"Idiot! How can you only bring those things?! What woman would appreciate a guy bringing just a pitiful ring while asking her to share her entire life with him?! Furthermore, don't you think Edora will know that you're about to propose if you act differently than usual? I'm pretty sure she already has an idea, no?"
"Then, what shall I do…!"
"You must make a ring box that rivals the ring! You must pay attention to those finer details so that she'll be able to trust you as a provider and partner. If you just take a ring out of your pocket, do you think she'll feel that it's a special occasion? Don't you have a mind of your own? Think!"
"…You may be right."
"Ugh! This idiot. All these spring chickens all think the same. How are you so insensitive? Tsk."
"Then, what shall I do?"
"Stay there for a second! An idea just came to mind."
Henova slapped Yeon-woo, who was restless because he didn't know what to do, on the back of the head several times, and gave him some advice. Everything Henova mentioned sounded logical, so Yeon-woo had no choice but to admire Henova's breadth of knowledge. Henova was able to guide Yeon-woo to understand the nuances that he would have never thought of himself. In fact, Yeon-woo wondered if Henova, not Yeon-woo himself, was preparing to get married.
"Did you prepare a message? A proposal message?"
"That…"
"You really are an idiot, or are you just plain stupid? Get your head on straight! Also, how are you planning to set the tone?"
"That's a secret."
"What? Secret? Why?"
"Well, it's a bit embarrassing to tell you."
"Hahaha. So, you do feel a little embarrassed, huh? Anyway, whatever, tell me! I'm pretty sure you have some stupid plan that matches your idiocy. Wait, you're not planning to do it in a public place with other tribe members around, right?"
"…I was going to propose in the evening, when we're out for a walk."
"Oho! It seems you saw something like that somewhere. What event do you have planned?"
After listening to Yeon-woo's pitiful response…
"No! You'll make her so embarrassed that she'll never be able to answer! A proposal needs to be swift with purpose and manliness! Not the flowery crap you have planned. Why is your head so far into the gutter? You must set the mood. The mood is key! Do you hear what I'm saying?"
After giving Yeon-woo some pointers…
'…I've already explained this much, this guy better pull this off. And he better not even think of blaming me if anything goes wrong!'
Yeon-woo could not help but chuckle while watching Henova jump up and down with fervor. He knew that, no matter how spiteful Henova's words seemed, they were all things that were said to benefit him. Among the people around him, Yeon-woo knew that Henova wanted the best for him and Edora.
To Henova, Yeon-woo was like a son, and Edora was a child he grew to love while interacting with the One-horned Tribe over all these years. Even the sword she held and used was created by Henova. Thus, this occasion was very personal for Henova. Fortunately, not every word from Henova was a scolding word.
"Well, it's good that you thought of creating a ring yourself."
It took a lot longer than Yeon-woo expected to finish the casting, as each iteration did not seem to come out in the shape he desired. Still, in the end, Yeon-woo held a pair of beautiful rings.
Grasp! Yeon-woo tightened his hold around the wooden box.
"Phew…"
After taking a breath, the tension seemed to have eased a little.
"By the way, Henova…"
"What?"
"How is someone who's so well versed in what women like still a solo?"
"This bastard…"
When Yeon-woo recalled what had happened just before he left the smithy, he burst into laughter. It was always enjoyable for Yeon-woo to see Henova all worked up. Though he should not joke around with someone at Henova's advanced age and increase his blood pressure, Yeon-woo could not help the sly remarks and replies from coming out. It seemed Yeon-woo was truly comfortable around Henova.
'Thank you, Henova.' Yeon-woo quietly expressed his deepest gratitude to a man who was like his father. Step. Step. He began to move his steps to where Edora was.
***
"Yeon-woo, are you here?"
Edora was watering a flower bed. She looked very pretty in a white dress with frills as she hummed about and watered the flowers. So, without realizing it, Yeon-woo stood tall and stared blankly at the scene for a long time.
Originally, Yeon-woo was going to surprise her by sneaking up carefully from behind…but he could not. And, feeling someone around, Edora had called out. She turned around to look at Yeon-woo when he did not immediately answer.
Yeon-woo regained his senses, but his full reasoning ability did not. It was because the scent of flowers and Edora's scent mixed in the breeze blew in his direction, and there was a mint scent that made his heart pound… It drove him crazy.
At that moment, Yeon-woo's proposal plan, which he had come up with Henova, was instantly blown away. It was as if a small demon resembling Edora had appeared and shattered his detailed plan with a large hammer. Hence…
"…"
"…?"
Yeon-woo walked closer to Edora, as if possessed by something.
Edora tried to ask Yeon-woo where he had been, but when she saw his hardened expression, she made a similar expression. She wondered if something wrong had happened while she was asleep in bed.
"Edora."
"Yes?"
Yeon-woo knelt on one knee in front of Edora. "Will you marry me?"
Yeon-woo rummaged inside his pockets and pulled out a small wooden box, then quietly opened the lid. Click. Inside the wooden box, two rings could be seen side by side on a soft cotton pad. There were no special patterns or decorations, but the rings sparkled beautifully. The lack of lavish adornments made the ring seem to sparkle and catch one's eye even more.
Edora was in a daze after she heard Yeon-woo's words and saw the rings being pulled out. The words "will you marry me…" stuck in her chest.
On the other hand, still down on one knee and watching the startled and unresponsive Edora, Yeon-woo felt as if he was splashed with cold water. He instantly recovered his reasoning and consciousness. It was then that he realized how stupid and rash he had been. It was an impulsive proposal… He did not even set the mood or even present the event he had planned.
Now that he was in this predicament, Yeon-woo wondered how he strayed so far from what he had planned. He knew that Henova would have a field day with his arrogance and aloofness. "So, um, I mean… Let's be together…" Yeon-woo was trying to salvage his mistake.
"Yes." Edora snatched the box that was in Yeon-woo's hand. Her face was flushed red, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. "Will you place the ring on my finger?"
Edora looked so pretty at that moment that Yeon-woo was left staring blankly. Belatedly, he regained his footing and hastily got up to put the ring on Edora's ring finger. Edora's fingers were slender, but her hands were full of calluses from years of martial arts training. However, for Yeon-woo, her fingers and hands could not look more beautiful.
The ring was a perfect fit. Edora touched it carefully and smiled broadly. "I love you."
***
"Cain proposed to Edora!"
The news of Yeon-woo and Edora quickly spread throughout the village. It spread so quickly that the two were unable to take any action.
"What? Is that true?"
"Of course, it's true! You know that youngest son of the Nen family… The one who often cuts grass, right?"
"Oh, you mean the idiot who doesn't listen to anyone? What about him?"
"He was scheduled to cut the grass on the princess' property, so when he got there, he saw the whole thing go down. At first, Cain's expression was so serious that he wondered if something had happened to Cain and Edora… But then he saw the rings!"
"Ugh! I wish I had been there, too!"
"Right! I'm so curious about what expression our beloved and proud little princess made!"
Edora and Cain were so absorbed in the proposal that they did not pay attention to their surroundings.
Originally, Yeon-woo was planning on gaining the blessings from the Martial King and Psychic Medium before proposing. However, now that the rumors were spreading like wildfire, it seemed that the Martial King and Psychic Medium would hear the news before he could deliver it. Moreover, Edora also did not want the whole village to know of the proposal, which she had an inkling of, but things just happened to progress in an unexpected way.
"Our ice princess is getting married!"
"We cannot stay still!"
"What shall we start with, what do we do first?"
"What do you mean, 'what should we start with'? There's only one thing."
The members of the tribe were already rapidly discussing among themselves. After all, this was a village where there was nothing interesting to do except to practice martial arts. So, for them, the marriage of Yeon-woo and Edora was an event worth celebrating together, but it was also a plaything for them to clear their heads and work together.
"First, we need to build something to honor the groom and bride. A marriage between a disciple of the Tribal chief and his princess! Shouldn't the rest of the Tower, no, everyone in the world, know about it!"
"Ooh!"
"Come on! Let's start with the wedding invitations!"
The tribe members first selected the finest silk as the material for the wedding invitations, saying that the value of the tribe should not be seen as low. The silk they chose was made from silkworms that had slept for over a hundred years. Furthermore, these silkworms were said to be born only after receiving the aura of the moonlight for several hundreds of years. For this reason, the silk made from these silkworms was very precious as it possessed the qualities of 'poison immunity and general indestructibility'. It was also a useful material to create outstanding artifacts.
However, the members of the tribe did not hesitate to pull out a great amount of this silk, which they had grown and held onto, to print wedding invitations. In addition, they also went to absurd lengths of coating the invitations with gold leafing and sprinkling them with precious scenting oils. They then sent these invitations to all the major clans in the Tower.
Edora said she felt embarrassed and tried to stop the others from taking these dramatic actions, but she could not stop her tribe members, especially since they were already on a roll. It also did not help Edora that her tribe members were all skilled in martial arts, making the preparation, creation, and dissemination of such extravagant invitations a breeze.
The contents of the wedding invitation were as follows…
If you don't come to the wedding, you'll be thoroughly trampled on.
When the Red Dragon clan collapsed, no one in the world could ignore the One-horned Tribe, who had taken over the seat as the most powerful force in the Tower. Though Allforone's sudden disappearance threw a wrench in the power dynamics, the One-horned Tribe members did not give this any thought.
"I've handed out all the wedding invitations. What's next?"
"Let's set up a monument to celebrate the groom and bride!"
"Let's start with the statues of Cain and Edora, who have brought glory to our tribe! Really large, humongous statues!"
At those words, all the eyes of the members of the tribe twinkled.
"Where should we make the statues?"
"They should be very flamboyant and flashy! But…we're not capable of that."
Although the tribe members were lost in thought for a moment…
"Whew! Don't worry about those details. I've already got everything ready."
As if waiting for his time to speak, someone shouted in a confident tone. The members of the tribe turned their heads to see who spoke up, and when they saw the face of the person who was shouting at the top of his lungs, the color soon drained from their faces.
***
"Pull it right, One! Two! Three!"
"Argh!"
"Hey, you idiots! Pull correctly? At this rate, the statues will fall backwards!"
"Okay! Everyone, repeat after me! Pull!"
"Pull!"
Dozens of members of the tribe were standing next to each other and pulling a rope, and a huge statue, which seemed to be about thirty meters tall, was slowly rising. Henova had his arms crossed and looked at the developments with great delight.
Slap!
"…I felt something ominous brewing." Yeon-woo covered his face with his hands. He wondered if he might have to bring out his mask and wear it. Edora had already run off somewhere, stating that she did not want to be present.
A statue was going up. It was a statue of Yeon-woo holding Vigrid high with a dignified face and Edora smiling with an elegant posture next to him.
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