One hand was held tightly by Rafa.

  Tatiana walked beside him, dazed and led along.

  It felt as though her feet never touched the ground.

  She seemed to be walking through fluffy clouds.

  Passersby glanced at Rafa with strange expressions, then looked back at her.

  Under normal circumstances, she would be mindful of people's gazes and expressions, pondering their meanings. But now, their faces simply blurred past her eyes like moving pictures.

  Her mind wasn't functioning properly.

  What she saw in her eyes didn't fully reach her thoughts.

  Tatiana's mind was flooded with the fact that she had married and become husband and wife, as well as the scenes she had witnessed earlier at the temple.

  ‘I’m married… even though I’m a witch….’

  Witches do not marry.

  Although a few rare ones might, she had heard that all such marriages ended miserably.

  They either broke up, or the husband, his family, or an affair partner would die, leading to someone’s misfortune and ultimately exposing the witch.

  Thus, witches, no matter how they fall in love, end up dying lonely.

  Her mentor had suffered the same fate.

  ‘But I….’

  After walking a few steps, Rafa suddenly turned his head to look at her.

  He smiled warmly.

  ‘A scary face.’

  Perhaps he was happier than usual.

  His smile was more powerful than usual.

  Rafa’s eyes sparkled brightly.

  ‘Marrying me?’

  So he’s happy?

  The tears that had barely stopped began to well up again, blurring her vision.

  That smile was genuine.

  The words he had spoken to ask her to marry him, his smiling face, his vow at the temple—all of it came from his true desire.

  ‘It wasn’t because of the enchantment.’

  He genuinely wanted to marry her.

  She didn’t know why she thought that suddenly, but everything he had said so far came from genuine emotion.

  It wasn’t the lies spouted because of the enchantment.

  ‘I can trust everything he says.’

  She had thought Rafa had ruined her life, but that wasn’t the case.

  He had thought for himself, reached a conclusion, and decided to marry her.

  Perhaps Rafa was a witch.

  Maybe because he lived deep in the forest and no one knew, or perhaps because he didn’t cry, his true nature as a witch was concealed. If he weren’t a witch, he couldn’t explain what happened at the temple.

  His blessing was much stronger than the witches’ blessings taught by her mentor, yet it felt the same.

  Therefore, Rafa was not cursed by a witch’s spell.

  He could live his lifespan without suddenly getting injured, dying, or suffering hardships.

  Because curses don’t take effect between witches.

  Tears streamed down her face like falling raindrops.

  I’m married.

  As she murmured this to herself, her tears poured even more.

  “Why are you crying?”

  Rafa bent down and looked into her face.

  The face that had been terrifying with a smile just a moment ago now showed a worried light.

  “Am I scary? Do you regret marrying me?”

  He spoke awkwardly, and suddenly lifted her up in his arms.

  “I’m sorry, but we’re already married. You’re mine.”

  Rafa frowned deeply, perhaps feeling annoyed.

  He chuckled, and a smile involuntarily spread across his face.

  Strange.

  Rafa’s face was less scary when he frowned than when he smiled.

  “….”

  When Tatiana smiled, it seemed Rafa realized she wasn’t crying out of fear.

  He stood still and gently stroked her hair.

  His large hands awkwardly slid down her hair, then went back up, carefully brushing through it.

  It was as if he were touching a sand doll that would break if touched too harshly.

  A person who speaks strongly but acts too gently.

  “You’re mine.”

  Repeating the words he had just heard in her mind, Tatiana looked at Rafa’s face.

  Her eyes shimmered with a purple glow under the sunlight.

  He was so tall that she hadn’t noticed before, but his eyes were truly beautiful.

  From now on, both this scary face and those pretty eyes…

  “If I’m yours, then Rafa, you’ll be mine from now on too.”

  As she said this while crying, Rafa’s face flushed bright red.

  He seemed embarrassed.

  A man who could crush a dragon with one hand and wasn’t afraid of anything blushing because of a single word—it was somehow strange.

  “Ha ha ha.”

  As emotions fluctuated, causing her to laugh unconsciously, Rafa slightly turned his head and said,

  “Just watch, I’m laughing now, but it’ll all be reversed by night.”

  “Uh….”

  Tatiana’s face also turned red.

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  At that moment, someone approached close by and shouted at Rafa’s back,

  “What are you doing on the street, you thief!”

  It was the person Rafa called a skinhead, whose head sparkled brightly.

  Only then did Tatiana realize they were standing in the middle of the street.

  “Woah.”

  She felt too embarrassed.

  Covering her face with both hands, Rafa grumbled in annoyance,

  “We’re married.”

  “I know! I know! Jenny was shouting loudly at the guild just a moment ago!”

  This time, it was someone else shouting.

  As a man shouted beside the tall Rafa, another adventurer yelled with pent-up anger,

  “You’re being too harsh! This is really too much! If my face doesn’t matter, shouldn’t I be okay too!”

  A few men gathered and started yelling, and Rafa laughed slyly.

  “You’re slow. The early bird catches the worm, so you should have acted first.”

  The men shouted back as if they were mocking him,

  “How can you spread your saliva while you’re still holding out!”

  “It’s because of you!”

  “Spit in your mouth and talk! You idiot!”

  She felt too embarrassed.

  Trying to avoid the gazes of the people, Tatiana curled her body into a tight ball like a bean bug.

  ***

  I didn’t know how much Jenny had been shouting at the guild, but with every step I took, adventurers looked at us and shouted in anger, as usual.

  Normally, a beautiful woman who they couldn’t even touch was walking right beside me, but now, even the ugliest guy in the guild had taken her away—how much more could it be resented?

  If that barbaric guy got married, they must have thought they could give birth to a child with just a single confession.

  But crying out late doesn’t help.

  Life is first-come, first-served.

  It’s best to act first and seize whatever you want.

  The saying “the early bird catches the worm” didn’t come out of nowhere.

  Ha. Ha. Ha. Losers.

  Without a sound, I just smiled with my mouth towards the men throwing fiery looks at us, then confidently continued walking.

  After walking a bit, I suddenly stopped.

  Looking back at the skinhead and a few others trailing behind with lingering resentment,

  The sturdy men nearby were so surprised they stopped walking all at once.

  They hadn’t said anything yet, but prematurely got scared and barked like chihuahuas.

  “Hey, can’t you even hold a grudge!”

  “You can at least say a word.”

  “Heeek!”

  Hey, even if your mouth is twisted, you were told to speak right away, but that wasn’t just a single word.

  Today, feeling infinitely happy because I got married, and seeing familiar faces, I just let it go. Otherwise, it would have turned into a brawl.

  I had many words raging in my mind, but I didn’t intend to waste time with them.

  Time was urgent.

  Now, had to buy a ring and go celebrate their first night together.

  I still looked at the men who were babbling something.

  “Do you know where I can buy rings? It doesn’t have to be too expensive, but I can’t have something cheap. I also don’t want something too ornate that I’d have to take off when working. I’d like a simple, decent wedding ring.”

  My words caused the men’s mouths to slightly gape.

  The skinhead suddenly muttered,

  “Are you asking us that? We haven’t even smelled a woman yet, let alone thinking about marriage.”

  “You’re really cruel.”

  “….”

  The three men completely lost their momentum and slumped their shoulders.

  Hmm, this time it was my fault.

  If the roles were reversed, I wouldn’t feel depressed but would have pounced and knocked everyone down with bubbles in my mouth.

  “I’m sorry.”

  As I said that, the skinhead, who was about to turn around and leave, mumbled softly,

  “You need to go to the alley behind the guild. Not the first one, but the second shop is good.”

  After saying that, he hunched his shoulders awkwardly and walked away.

  “Thank you.”

  As I spoke to his back, the three men sighed deeply without replying and trudged away.

  Tatiana, who had been clinging to me, whispered softly,

  “You don’t need the rings.”

  No, no, that’s not it.

  “We absolutely need rings, Tatiana. People who don’t know us would want proof that we’re married at a glance. You’re mine… um… and I’m yours….”

  Tatiana’s face, ears, and even fingers turned red as I spoke.

  So cute.

  Hahaha, after buying the rings, let’s find the best inn in this city. We should spend our first night somewhere nice.

  Unconsciously laughing, Tatiana peeked at his face through her fingers and murmured,

  “… Such a scary face….”

  And she turned red again.

  She seemed very embarrassed, but I didn’t understand why her blushing was related to my scary face.

  I quickly found the shop the skinhead had mentioned.

  A small wooden sign resembling a lantern hanging above the door had a ring symbol drawn on it.

  Entering the shop side by side, a slender man came out from inside.

  Seeing me, he slightly flinched but soon smiled.

  “Welcome. What are you looking for?”

  “I’m here to buy wedding rings.”

  The shopkeeper alternately looked at me and Tatiana with wide eyes.

  The sound of him swallowing loudly echoed in the quiet shop.

  “I’m… I’m sorry. My hearing isn’t very good… What did you just say?”

  “I’m here to buy wedding rings.”

  “….”

  The shopkeeper’s mouth opened wide.

  “Um… Rafa and Tatiana… you see…”

  He seemed to recognize us.

  After all, we were somewhat famous in this city.

  We would become even more famous from now on.

  As the Beauty and the Beast couple.

  The shopkeeper, appearing slightly confused, rolled his eyes back and forth before speaking again.

  “Um… May I ask who you are getting married to?”

  I understand the feeling of disbelief.

  I truly do.

  If it were the opposite, I wouldn’t have trusted him either.

  He must have thought that one of us was getting married to someone else and, being party members, we came together—an utterly ridiculous thought.

  Like this shopkeeper.

  But as someone who runs a business, he probably thought that even if he doubted, he had to piece together the reality he saw before his eyes.

  After telling the skeptical shopkeeper twice that we were buying wedding rings, we finally began the purchase consultation.

  Indeed, wedding rings must be worn.

  More so for Tatiana than for me.

  What I wanted was something I could always wear while working, so we settled on simple, unadorned ring-shaped bands without gemstones.

  “While many non-nobles opt for silver rings, I still recommend gold ones. It’s not bad to have silver rings, but gold has a certain dignity, especially for distinguished adventurers like you two.”

  Even without the shopkeeper’s words, I had already decided on gold rings.

  I had long admired rings from my past life.

  Couples creating simple gold rings, wearing them until years passed and the rings became wrinkled, fingers shaped by the rings.

  I had seen it in foreign movies as a child and had always dreamed of such a marriage life.

  I thought it would never happen, but here it was, even for someone with my face.

  I was deeply moved.

  “Even without gemstones, you can add patterns to the rings themselves. Our shop has craftsmen who specialize in that. The patterns they engrave are almost like works of art, so beautiful. Women love them.”

  The shopkeeper subtly glanced at Tatiana, but she had been quiet since earlier.

  “If you don’t like decorative patterns, how about engraving each other’s names inside the rings? It costs a bit more, but it’s very popular among newly married couples.”

  In the past, people used to engrave vows or pledges on the outside of the rings.

  But nowadays, it’s trendy to engrave simple phrases or names inside the rings.

  Having our names inscribed on each other’s ring fingers… Perfect! So perfect!

  “Let’s do that.”

  At my words, the shopkeeper smiled warmly.

  “Customer, how about this… I think it’s difficult to highlight the beauty of the bride with just one ring.”

  The shopkeeper, who had been focusing on selling to Tatiana a moment ago, seemed to think it was better to target me.

  He opened a long box towards me.

  Inside were a few gemstone-adorned gold necklaces and some hair accessories.

  “These will match the color of your wife’s hair. They’re not very expensive, so you can use them daily.”

  The shopkeeper took out the hair accessories and handed them near Tatiana’s hair.

  The gemstones sparkled in the air between us.

  “Besides, these gemstones are similar to the color of your eyes. Attaching something that matches your beloved’s color—how about it? As a man, I know it’s a secret romantic dream of men.”

  “That’s great.”

  As I murmured unconsciously, Tatiana gently tugged at my clothes.

  “Rafa, we came here for the rings.”

  “But….”

  But, but, but, I want to see her adorned with my color.

  Then I would truly feel that she is mine.

  Moreover, wouldn’t it always feel like we’re together?

  Mainly, I with her.

  As I whispered like that, Tatiana blushed and said shyly,

  “But think about it. We can’t stay at the inn forever. We need to find a place to settle down, buy a house, and, oh, a baby….”

  “….”

  The future I envisioned was at most tonight, but she was already considering the distant future.

  She had seemed to be quietly thinking earlier, but now she was imagining a far-off future.

  I thought I was the only one excited about this marriage, but maybe she was just as excited.

  In the end, we decided to match the rings.

  The price was 190 li per ring.

  Gold coins were 120 li each, so a gold ring costing 190 li—I'm not sure if that’s expensive or cheap.

  “Thank you, customer. Please come back in three days. Congratulations on your marriage. Be happy.”

  As I listened to the shopkeeper’s words behind me, I left the shop.

  Hahaha.

  Next on the list was our first night together.

  It was still early, but we decided to find the best inn in the city and settle in.

  ‘At least we should stay in a room for three days.’

  Thinking that with a bright smile, I saw the skinhead sprinting into this alley from the central plaza.

  He was running straight towards me.

  “….”

  No.

  This isn’t good.

  This is not good.

  Let’s pretend not to know.

  I placed my hand on Tatiana’s shoulder and quickly turned my body around.

  But at that moment, the skinhead’s loud voice echoed through the alley.

  “Hey, Rafa! Your bird is being eaten right now.”

  “Uh, is it Rella?”

  No.

  Tatiana, startled, turned her body around.

  The skinhead approached with a happy-looking face and said,

  “Yes. I don’t know why, but I heard that another beast ate Rella at the hunting grounds. I heard from someone else, I’m not sure what it means, but he said she was eaten several times.”

  Even if she was left alone, Rella wouldn’t die.

  Even if she were eaten, she would breathe fire and escape, so she could never die alone. Moreover, her mother would always be watching, so there was no chance she would die.

  ‘But if we just leave her alone, it would definitely cause a big problem.’

  Her mother supposedly saved Rella, but if the Phoenix was exposed while moving around, or if someone was mistakenly killed, it would cause chaos.

  Then it would be a real disaster.

  “Haa.”

  I sighed deeply.

  There was no choice.

  I grabbed Tatiana tightly and started running towards the hunting grounds.

  Hurry, hurry, hurry.

  I had probably never run this fast in my life.

  In the blink of an eye, we passed the castle walls and arrived at the hunting grounds.

  Good, quickly—solve this in 10 minutes, no, 5 minutes, and then go to the inn.