"We got engaged!" I proudly swung open the doors with a shout.

"...What?" Ed stopped unpacking the groceries he previously bought with Anna, "Cecily, I'm his best friend, but even I sometimes don't understand the words that come out of his mouth. Care to elaborate?"

"It's as he says." She blushed lightly with a proud giggle, "Since we never got officially married, nor held a ceremony, Lune thought it was about time he started things in a more proper order."

"And how, pray tell, is having two kids, then marrying (albeit unofficially) and THEN proposing considered a more proper order!?" Eleanor was the next one to badger us with questions, "And hey, wasn't this a spur of the moment last minute date? When did he even get the time to procure a ring?"

"I'll get one, calm your tits." I scowled, "Look, all I'm saying is that we just gave everyone some extremely good news, and not a single person has yet to congratulate us."

Looking around the room, there were 7 people. Excluding Issei and Othelia who were now probably mating like animals in heat at that hotel they went to after our double dinner date, that leaves us with the Saints, Aru and Cene.

"...Yeah, you're right. Sorry about that." Ed was the first to step up and put his hand out, "Congratulations, Grim. I mean it, seriously. You two deserve no less than the best, and this is just the push you guys need to achieve just that."

"Thank you, Edward." I smiled back, my heartfelt gaze making him kind of uncomfortable on account of my Rainbow Eyes, "This means a lot."

"Tch, you guys are always so crazy about everything..." Eleanor was next up in line, "How did you ever find a partner willing to so thoroughly put up with your theatrics?"

"Good question." I nodded before shaking her hand, "You'll have to refer to my fiancée for that one."

Hearing the word "fiancée" certainly made Cecily's proud smile melt a bit, as she couldn't help but give off a fuzzy giggly air the entire time after that. Adorable, but highly unprofessional in the current context. If she wasn't romantically affiliated with the judge, I'd have to deduct points for that performance. Thankfully, she is, and that judge is currently being just as fuzzy standing next to her, hehee...

"To think I'd see the day where I'd have to look little Lune in the Eyes and congratulate him like this." Sigmund was next, with Camilla looking happy right next to him, "I don't condone acting too rashly and haphazardly, but I'm very glad to hear you're finally getting your act together. Your father was right to trust you."

"My father?" I tilted my head, "When did you two meet?"

"We were neighbors until the war, Lune." Camilla smiled, "In fact, they helped us pass the borders when we were all evacuating."

"Mom and dad did?" I was interested to hear more.

"The ship taking all the refugees to a safe haven was full when we arrived." Eleanor sighed from the coach, "That's when your dad started shouting to let us board as well. We would've probably still been stuck back in Entropa, dead or alive, had he not shouted at the captain as much as he did."

"You guys never told me that." Even Ed looked surprised, "But wow, I guess you owe him some words of gratitude, Grim."

"Where are they now?" I glanced over at Cecily before asking, "I'd like to invite them over as well, not to mention apologize for running away, but I haven't really heard anything from them in years."

"Hmm, hard to say..." Sigmund pondered, "Last I heard, they went back to Whitehood to reclaim their house, but they might've changed plans by then."

"Your best bet is the postal system." Aru jumped into the conversation, "Letters are sent to a person's name and individual code, so no need to worry about getting the wrong address. I'd suggest sending a few copies extra just in case the first one gets lost in transit."

"Obviously." I nodded, "Thanks for that, Aru."

"Hey, Awoo." Cene asked, "What's going on?"

"Your parents are getting married."

"Awen't they alweady mawwied?" He tilted his head adorably.

Ah, I see. So our order of business is so dumb that even the three year old is left confused. Well, at least he's started accepting me as his dad. That's progress if ever I've seen it. Kids sure do adapt to change fast.

"Well, you've got time until the ceremony, so no need to rush." Anna happily chimed in as she danced around with Cecily, "Ed and I held the ceremony about six months after the war, but he proposed at the very start, so that makes it closer to a year since we got engaged. That should be plenty of time to prepare everything."

"Wow, that long?" I raised both eyebrows, "I was planning on having it happen about 8 chapters from now."

"I don't know how long that equates to in our time, but yeah, that's how normal people do it." Ed chuckled, "About a year may sound like a ton of time, but trust me, it gets super hectic, and by the latter half you just start to wish you could postpone it to give yourself some more room for breathing."

"But then you remember who you're doing it for, and suddenly every issue becomes trivial." Anna added, wrapping her arms around him in a beautiful display as they danced a light waltz around the room, "To think we still got it. You were so bad at this during the dance practice."

"Dance practice?" My face grew more irked as they continued.

"Well yeah, the bride and groom just have to dance at the wedding." Ed looked smugly at me, "Not to bring up awkward memories, but I sure hope you danced with Marina back then."

"Well, I did dance." I recalled.

But it was with Adam, mostly. I got hammered super early, since Marina made me promise never to touch alcohol after that night. After bullying Adam a bit, we started talking and ended up becoming the life of the party, earning the respect and cheers of everyone at the banquet. Well, that's how I remember it, but Marina was probably thinking of running away from the ceremony out of embarrassment. Thankfully she didn't, though, because otherwise I'd still be a sack of shit drunkard. Yep, that's right, not a drop of alcohol since that day. Your boy's over a decade clean!

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

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After a few more congratulatory words from the other house tenants, Sigmund just had to spoil the mood by reminding us we had work to do on the house tomorrow again. Ed and I were quickly grounded to reality again, and after a few more groans, we begrudgingly had to skip out on the celebrations and decided to go to sleep early. Everyone else had already left the room to return to their own business, which left only Aru, Cene, Cecily and me.

"Well then, time for bed." Cecily clapped her hands, "Aru, make sure Cene goes to bed soon too."

"I'm not his mom. As far as I'm concerned, he has no bedtime." She scruffed his hair with a wry grin, "Ain't that right, kid?"

"Yaaaay!" He hugged her back, "Awoo's the best! I love Awoo!"

"Aru." Cecily looked a bit angry, "This isn't up for debate. When the clock strikes 9, it's bedtime. That's how we always did it."

"But moooom~!" Cene whined, "I'm not done playing yet-"

"Cene, go to bed." Cecily was suddenly in an extremely sour mood, "Or you're grounded."

"What's that entail?" Aru asked, "You gonna take away his toys? Or perhaps lock him up in the children's room?"

Hearing all these world-ending possibilities made Cene fear for his life, but it seems he still wasn't backing down just yet. Maybe Aru's been spoiling him too much, making him think he's safe from his mother's wrath as long as he has her. Cecily knew this just as well, it seems, because she had a different idea of a punishment in mind.

"Look, what's 15 more minutes of play?" Aru shrugged, with Cene hiding behind her as he furrowed his brows at his mother and me, "Let the kid play."

"Yeah! I wanna play with Awoo some mowe!" Cene shouted defiantly, his voice shaking from having to say that to his mother's face.

"So that's how it's gonna be..." Cecily looked up for a bit, as if rolling her Eyes so far back that they took her head with them, "I see Aru's been teaching little Cene to be quite the defiant little pipsqueak."

"M-Mommy?" Cene hid behind Aru even more as Cecily approached them.

"We've gotten to the point where punishments like locking him in the children's room or taking away his toys won't do anything anymore." Cecily gave a malicious smile as she looked at Aru, "However, there is one thing I can take that'll surely bring him back on the right track."

Walking up to the Goddess and her newest underling, Cecily wasted no time in grabbing Aru by the wrist, separating Cene from her and tossing her out the front door.

"O-Oi!" Aru clawed at the door like a regretful cat would, "Sorry, I got too carried away! I'll repent, honest!"

"Awoo!" Cene tried running to open the door for her, but Cecily stood in his path.

"And where do you think you're going, young man?" She asked, "From now on, you're banned from being around Aru. Now go to bed."

"Lune Grimheart, you're the man of the house!" Aru pleaded through the door, "Control your woman!"

"Sorry, but I think she's right for this one." I chuckled nervously, not wanting to get into a quarrel with my fiancée, "You kinda deserve some cool off time. It's warm outside, so you'll be fine sleeping outside for tonight. Heck, I'll even get you a blanket."

"Daddy!" Cene's words resonated within me as he asked for my aid, "Please, daddy! Don't let mom take Awoo away!"

"No can do, kiddo." I saw right through his ruse immediately, "No amount of flattery will get me to-"

"Papa!" He shouted, "Please, papa!"

....Well shit. Sigh, Cecily's gonna be so pissed for this...

"Lune?" Cecily saw the glint in my Eye as I walked past her to open the door, "Lune, I said she's sleeping outside until further notice. Don't make this more difficult than it has to be."

"I'm sorry, dear..." I muttered as I reunited Cene with his beloved Goddess of Water, "This is the first time he's called me papa. I can't say no to that. I'm not strong enough to do so."

"Hooway!" Cene ran to hug Aru again, but not before giving me a hug as well, "Thank you, papa!"

"Hooray!" Aru started celebrating with him as well, "You saved the day, kid! Thanks to your cunning flattery, I get to sleep in my bed another day!"

"It's Nelly's bed, not yours!" Cecily looked furious, "Just go the hell to sleep, both of you!"

"I was the one who opened the door, though..." I felt a severe lack of gratitude in Aru's words.

"And you." Cecily made sure I didn't get out of this scot-free, "You're sleeping on the couch tonight."

"What?!" I jumped, "But I gotta get up early to work on the house tomorrow!"

"Should've thought of that one sooner." She said, turning her face away from me with a pout as she went up the stairs, "Next time, think carefully about whose side you choose..."

Damn, and to think I just vowed to be a proper lover and husband for her a couple hours ago. This wasn't how I intended on having the evening pan out at all... Still, Cecily was at least kind enough to bring me my pajamas so I didn't have to sleep in my good outfit tonight. Before going back up for the second time, though, she let me in on some info.

"...Aru needs to leave as soon as possible." She sighed, "What the hell are you thinking, entrusting Cene to her so easily? Don't you see she's a bad influence?"

"Hrm..." I disliked how she phrased that, "Bad influence or not, Cene looks happy to have her around. There're reasons to have your doubts about her, but they all seem pretty shallow and unfounded in my opinion."

"Shallow-!? Ugh, good night." She hissed.

Hm, I think I could've phrased that better. Eh, I have the entire night to mull it over. For now I should just get changed. Don't wanna stain this tuxedo, I wore it at my wedding.