Chapter 30: The Vow Kiss, Together with the Bell of “Clocking Out”
“Uncle!!”
I shouted.
With a voice so full of emotion it echoed through every corner of the cathedral.
“W-What is it?”
The Duke’s eyes went wide in shock.
I flipped up the hem of my dress and ran down from the altar.
Then I stopped right in front of him and spread my arms wide.
“I—I’m just so happy!”
“E-E-Eliana?”
“That you’ve thought so deeply about us, Uncle…!”
“Just looking at the thickness of that manuscript makes my chest overflow with emotion!”
I hugged the Duke.
Cling!
Two kilograms of dress and my entire body weight crashed onto the elderly gentleman.
“Guh!?”
“No more words are necessary!”
“Your love has already reached me, painfully so!”
I buried my face in his chest and raised my voice.
In reality, it really was physically painful.
At this point, he couldn’t breathe, much less speak.
“Ngk—mm…! L-Let go…!”
The Duke struggled, but I refused to release him.
This was not a hug.
It was restraint.
The hall erupted into murmurs.
“How moving…”
“To be able to cling so openly to that strict Duke…”
“Their bond must truly be genuine.”
Guests dabbed at their eyes with handkerchiefs.
Good.
Public opinion was on my side.
This would be treated not as “rudeness,” but as a “moving incident.”
“…Thank you, Uncle.”
I whispered in a voice only he could hear.
“(We’re cutting the long speech.
…I’ll read it properly later.)”
“(Y-You little—!)”
The Duke flushed crimson and trembled with indignation.
But he was a man who could read the room.
He knew that shoving me away now would ruin everything.
Resigned, he relaxed and awkwardly patted my back.
“(…Hmph.
…Be happy, you fool.)”
“(Yes.)”
I quickly pulled away.
I snatched the scroll from his hands and tossed it to Sylvia nearby.
Nice catch.
I returned to Claude’s side.
He took my hand while barely holding back his laughter.
“…I really can’t beat you.”
“It was a team effort.”
The clock’s hands moved.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
4:59:50 PM.
“Everyone!
Thank you very much for joining us today!”
Claude declared in a clear, ringing voice.
“We swear…
to the future of this nation, and to each other’s happiness.”
55 seconds.
The cathedral’s bell tower began its preparatory motion.
The pigeons took flight.
58 seconds.
59 seconds.
Gooooooong…!
The bell announcing 5:00 PM rang out across the capital.
Clock-out time.
The signal that my workday was over.
“Eliana.”
“Yes, Claude.”
As the bell rang, he pulled me close by the waist and pressed his lips to mine.
The vow kiss.
It wasn’t merely ceremonial.
It was a switch.
A kiss that marked the end of the day’s labor and the beginning of our free time.
Warm.
Sweet.
And above all, filled with the taste of accomplishment.
Thunderous applause and cheers erupted.
A shower of flower petals rained down.
“…It’s over.”
Claude exhaled in relief as he pulled back.
“Yes.
A perfect clock-out.”
I winked at him mischievously.
“Now then, let’s go.
The carriage is waiting.”
“Ah.”
We linked arms and began walking down the aisle.
The great doors opened wide.
Outside spread the dazzling evening sun and a sea of people celebrating us.
As we passed, my eyes met the Duke’s.
He looked stunned at first, but then let out a wry smile and gave a small wave.
It seemed he had forgiven me.
Or perhaps he was simply dumbfounded by my efficiency.
“Congratulations!”
“Be happy!”
Amid the cheers, we exited the cathedral.
The white modified carriage waited for us.
That smooth, comfortable ark.
“Please, step in, my wife.”
Claude escorted me.
“Yes, my husband.”
I flipped my dress hem and boarded the carriage.
Plush seats.
Chilled champagne.
And the liberating joy of kicking off my shoes.
Pshhh.
The door closed, and the noise outside faded away.
A quiet space.
Just the two of us.
“Fuuuuu—!”
I collapsed against the backrest.
It was over.
It was finally over.
The hellish death march, the Spartan training, the ten-kilometer procession plan.
I had overcome it all and claimed my victory.
“Good work, Eliana.”
Claude smiled as he removed my heels for me.
“From here, this carriage will be our honeymoon ride.
…Where to?”
“A deserted island.”
I answered instantly.
“On a southern island with no one else, no phones, and no paperwork.
…We’ll sleep like the dead for a full week.”
“I agree.
May I sleep with you too?”
“Of course.
…After all—”
I raised my left hand.
The crystal ring caught the sunset and glowed orange within.
“We’re bound together now.”
The carriage began to move.
Gliding smoothly through the capital’s grand avenue.
Toward the port.
And beyond that, toward true freedom and rest.
My battle came to a close here, for now.
I never meant to “rise through the ranks,” yet somehow my life had climbed near the top of the nation.
But if this man was beside me, and I could still clock out on time, maybe it wasn’t so bad.
“…Good night, Claude.”
“It’s still early.”
“No.
…Our time starts now.”
I rested my head on his shoulder and drifted into a blissful doze.
The carriage’s motion was as gentle as a cradle.