Chapter 120

Chapter 120

Watching the two locked in a kiss below, amidst the teasing cheers of the crowd, Kane raised an eyebrow and slowly turned his gaze to Ning Chan.

"They seem to be getting married, huh?" Kane's tone was tinged with sourness, as if he'd bitten into a whole lemon.

Ning Chan was beaming like a proud matchmaker at the happy couple, oblivious to Kane's odd mood. Hearing his words, he nodded approvingly. "Yes, judging by how they are, they’ll probably stay in the royal city to build their future."

Seeing Ning Chan’s smile and the way he still held the telescope, Kane grew even more sour. Even that blockhead was getting married, yet he still had no official recognition.

"I wonder if they’ll hold a wedding. If they do, we could go and see how it turns out. If it were us, our wedding would definitely be grand, with blessings from the entire nation." As Kane imagined the scene, his heart swelled with warmth, his expression softening with tender affection.

Hearing the latter part of Kane’s words, Ning Chan’s hand holding the telescope trembled slightly. He turned to look at Kane, blinking in surprise at his hopeful expression. Since they were already together and both had their own responsibilities, they hadn’t paid much attention to formalities like weddings. Had Kane been looking forward to this all along?

"So, when do you plan to propose? Or should I do it? Or maybe we skip that part and go straight to preparing for the wedding—I’m fine with any option." Ning Chan’s expression was one of full cooperation, making Kane’s eyes brighten.

"You’re really willing?" Kane had only said those words to fish for some advantage, never expecting Ning Chan to actually agree. After all, in the eyes of the public, Ning Chan was still seen as a divine emissary. If he were to marry Kane, people might assume it was the divine emissary bestowing divine favor upon the king.

But if they were to marry, if Ning Chan were to "wed" him, that divine prestige would inevitably diminish somewhat.

How could a divine emissary be willing to marry someone as a wife, even if that someone was the king?

"Why wouldn’t I be willing? When you first asked to be with me, I already had this in mind. Besides, by now, hardly anyone doesn’t know we’re a pair, right? So, holding a wedding is just the natural next step. Even though we don’t have family, we have friends and subjects. Inviting them to celebrate with us wouldn’t be a bad idea."

Ning Chan thought this was another great excuse for a nationwide festival—he loved such lively occasions.

Thinking back to the apocalyptic era, when every day was filled with living on edge, with barely any moments of rest, Ning Chan missed holidays dearly. Before the apocalypse, children had so many vacations—once homework was done, they could go wild without a care.

During the apocalypse, there was no chance for holidays. Now, even though they could take breaks, seeing everyone else busy made it hard to relax. It had taken effort just to get people to accept weekends off, but those small respites couldn’t compare to days-long celebrations.

Of course, when some people took holidays, others had to work overtime—this was just a way to improve conditions for certain groups, since holiday overtime pay was doubled.

Seeing the sincerity in Ning Chan’s eyes, Kane slowly broke into a dorky grin, his expression uncharacteristically goofy. "I’ll propose. I’ll handle everything. You don’t need to do a thing—just wait. Don’t worry, with our relationship, there’s no question of who ‘marries into’ whose family. We’re equals. But if you’re concerned about that, I could always marry into yours."

Kane didn’t care about formalities—only the tangible benefits. Since he and Ning Chan were together and wouldn’t have children, surnames didn’t matter for inheritance. If it made Ning Chan happy, he could even take Ning Chan’s name—it was no big deal.

Watching Kane’s increasingly shy, blushing expression, Ning Chan pursed his lips and gave him a once-over. This didn’t seem bad at all. Kane was so handsome—if he wore a wedding dress, he’d surely look stunning.

"Really? Then would you be willing to wear a wedding dress at the ceremony?" Ning Chan was teasing, of course. There was no way a king would willingly appear in public wearing a wedding dress, even if he were "marrying" Ning Chan. He’d surely wear formal attire.

Seeing Ning Chan’s playful look, Kane lowered his eyelids slightly, his smile deepening. "If that’s what you’d like, I’d wear it."

"Cough—I was joking. I’d never actually ask you to do that in front of everyone." Ning Chan was startled by Kane’s response. He hadn’t expected Kane to be so indifferent—or rather, willing to do anything for his sake.

Touched, Ning Chan took Kane’s hand, thinking he couldn’t just sit back either. If they were really going to have a wedding, he’d need to prepare too.

And so, before the athletic games had even concluded, the Ministry of Etiquette began preparations for the wedding of their king and His Holiness.

Watching their devotion, they understood more deeply the words His Holiness had once spoken: Love was a matter between two people, unrelated to their appearance, status, or gender—it was the union of souls.

Meanwhile, Harvey, unaware that his actions had caused such a stir, was itching to take Pa Bo to see their new home.

Though Harvey had only excelled in one event, as the champion, he was entitled to a three-bedroom house. He had no idea what it would look like.

Perhaps, as a reward, the house would be simple—just basic earthen bricks and walls. But as long as it could shelter them from wind and rain, giving them a place to call their own, it would be home.

Harvey didn’t dare hope for too much. Just competing had already granted him more rewards than he could have imagined—it was something to be grateful for.

Pa Bo was similarly pragmatic. The best he envisioned was a house like the concrete ones in their hometown—plain and likely empty inside. But with effort, they could slowly turn it into a cozy and welcoming home.

When Harvey and Pa Bo stood at the gate of the community where the reward house was located, they were stunned by the sight before them. They had been too narrow-minded—how could a king who was willing to spend a fortune on building the sports village and venues skimp on something like this?

"Hello, is this Violet Community?" Behind the whitewashed walls rose five-story buildings. Through the gate, they could see wide streets, neatly trimmed trees, and swings and tables nestled among the greenery.

The guard glanced at Harvey's attire and then at the medal ribbon dangling from Pa Bo's neck. "Are you the winners from the competition? If you're looking for the reward houses, then this is the place. Let me see your reward card."

Faced with such an enthusiastic guard, Harvey nervously glanced at Pa Bo before handing over the reward card. What now? They hadn’t even stepped inside, and this place was already beyond what they’d imagined. Could they really own a house here?

After checking the reward card, the guard opened the gate, let them in, and pointed out where their house was located.

Heart pounding, Harvey and Pa Bo stepped into the community, eyes wide at everything around them. Every little thing delighted them—but when they opened the door and saw the furnishings, they burst into tears.

"Is this really our home? It's so beautiful!"