"Let us all witness the marriage vows of the newlyweds." The priest, holding a large book—presumably equivalent to the Bible—said solemnly:
"Oh Lord, Mr. Rhode and Miss Mirajane have chosen each other. May you bless their love to remain pure, bless their vows to remain faithful, and bless their marriage to be happy."
The priest offered a few prayers, then announced, "Now, may the bride and groom exchange rings."
Romeo and Asuka, this duo of a pretend child and a real child, stepped forward confidently with the ring pillow.
Rhode picked up the ring and gently placed it on Mira's ring finger.
Mira lifted her left hand, examined it carefully for a moment, and then placed the ring on Rhode's finger.
Holding hands and looking into each other's eyes as the Wedding March played, the priest solemnly followed 'the Lord's guidance' and spoke a series of blessings.
Unfortunately, not many were seriously listening to him, as those familiar with wedding rituals knew what the next step was.
Lucy, Reby, Jubia, and other ladies silently covered their mouths, anticipating the moment to come.
"Then, would the groom please kiss your bride."
Mira wore a shade of wild rose lip gloss today, appearing fresh and bright under the soft lighting in the chapel, with a faint fragrance as one approached.
However, at this moment, the color and fragrance seemed less important. Rhode stepped forward, wrapped an arm around Mira's waist, and bent down to kiss her.
Amongst the music and applause, Rhode felt like he had obtained the entire world.
The guests generously applauded, and many young girls, even with mouths covered, couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
Perhaps imagining the future when it would be their moment, or perhaps out of pure shyness.
Alzack and Bisca took on the duty of looking after the flower children, covering Romeo's and Asuka's eyes respectively.
Curious, Asuka tried to pry her mother's fingers off, wanting to see what was happening.
Meanwhile, Romeo patted Alzack's wrist, helplessly saying, "Why cover my eyes? I'm not a real child."
"Haha," Alzack laughed awkwardly. "Your dad wanted me to do this. He said if I didn't take good care of you, he wouldn't let it go."
Romeo snorted, "Is that his excuse for leaving me with you while he chats up with models?"
Alzack fell silent, feeling as though Macao wasn't very reliable.
He remembered that when Romeo was younger, at least Macao played the part of a responsible dad in front of his son. But now... hitting on pretty women with his son right there.
Having been a father for five years, Alzack decided to take this as a warning, refusing to become like Macao and Wakaba.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" When the priest's voice rang out again, Rhode and Mira had already separated and were hand-in-hand looking at the guests, "Today, the newlyweds have been formally united as a couple under the Lord's blessing and the witness of all present!
"Now allow me to introduce to you all, Mr. Rhode and his wife, Mirajane Ro Strauss!"
The couple embraced each other, one waving to the crowd and the other gently shaking the bouquet.
From this moment on, Rhode and Mira were officially recognized as husband and wife by all their friends and family.
Pop! Pop!
Hapi and Carla opened the confetti poppers at the perfect moment in the air, with fresh flowers also being released outside the church, marking the end of Rhode and Mira's wedding.
Mebius smiled sweetly, feeling as though she had seen such a scene of sweet happiness before.
Makarov, like a benevolent old father, smiled gently, silently wishing happiness for every child in the guild.
Elfman and Lisana embraced, tears gleaming in their eyes.
Their sister, who always protected and cared for them, was finally united with her beloved. She no longer needed to bear everything alone.
Lucy and Reby, holding hands with their chests touching, wore expressions of joy and emotion. Although there was a tiny hiccup in the script halfway, it was wonderful that everything went smoothly in the end.
Erza felt a bit dazed, looking at her bridesmaid dress and then at her left hand to confirm there was no ring, feeling both relieved and somewhat disheartened:
'Thank goodness it's not me getting married, otherwise I might have fainted from nervousness... but it's a pity, why isn't it me getting married?'
Having personally witnessed her comrade's wedding, Erza fell into a brief moment of conflict.
Kana, already half-drunk, reminisced about her once-innocent crush, and then glanced at Macao, who was facing a hair loss crisis... glug glug glug...
Wendy was still shy from personally seeing the kissing scene.
Jet and Troy gazed at Rhode with envious faces. From the time Rhode started dating to his wedding, their feelings for Reby hadn't exactly progressed, only drifting further from being in a relationship.
Actually, they had tried dating other girls over the past six years, but none ended successfully, so now, they silently stood by Reby.
Due to magic problems, Wolian hadn't had a girlfriend since breaking up seven years ago, and now he took the occasional glance at the female models present.
Opinions from people like Natsu and Gajeel were much simpler: Rhode's getting married, so they wished him well, but felt such things might not relate to them.
Furthermore, the ceremony was long and the priest was verbose; they were eager to eat or fight instead.
Gray felt uncomfortable as if he were being burned by staring eyes.
He tugged at his bowtie twice but felt he should give Rhode some face, so he didn't remove this last piece of 'clothing'.
Rhode waved gently from the stage, his gaze sweeping around, hoping to see the person he wanted to find. Yet, no matter how many times he searched through the crowd, he couldn't spot her.
Mira held Rhode's hand and gave it a slight squeeze, signaling with her eyes to look towards the door.
Rhode looked over and indeed spotted a red cloak's corner—she really disliked crowds.
Rhode smiled; this was enough.
Porlyusica, arms crossed, leaned against the church entrance's wall. After hearing the priest's final declaration, a slight smile tugged at her lips. She quietly placed down a gift box, then left quietly.
She had promised to come, and she had fulfilled it.
The priest said his final blessings and bowed lightly.
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense.
And the reason for this change was merely a single action from Mira—she turned around and raised the bouquet.
People like Jura and One Night, who had some awareness of the atmosphere, had already retreated to the hall's edges, and the few unknowing ones soon followed suit.
In the middle of the hall, there were only some unmarried individuals left.
Among them, many women, especially single women, including the bridesmaid group, felt their nerves tighten as if preparing for a challenging battle.
—Catching the bouquet symbolized receiving the happiness and love blessings passed on by the bride.
And by their translation, whoever caught the bouquet would be the next to wed!
Erza and Jubia's gazes became exceptionally sharp.