I froze in place as I stared at the familiar little faces that had clearly snuck in through the back window—and at Hyang’s adorable declaration.
At the same moment, Hwa-eun turned to look at Hyang and pulled down her red wedding veil herself.
Even before I could lift it.
Wait, I was supposed to lift that... along with everything else—no, focus, damn it!
She probably couldn’t see well under the veil, that’s all.
As it slipped off, her appearance was revealed—and she looked just like a rare red-spotted moth.
Her skin, pale as white jade, contrasted with lips tinted bright red, like vivid dots painted onto butterfly wings. She reminded me of the endangered red-spotted moth, with its delicate white wings and crimson markings—so beautiful that it was the first thing that came to mind.
She looks like a wild butterfly on the brink of extinction!
Her lips wore the lipstick I made for her, and her face had just a touch of powder—yet that alone made her more beautiful than anyone I’d ever seen.
But I didn’t have time to soak in the sight or reflect on it with awe.
Because she spoke.
“Why did all the kids come in here? Were they curious and came to take a look? I even asked Unmirang and Sister Seol to watch over them just in case.”
“W-who knows? Um... I wonder what happened...”
“And what did Hyang say?”
We had arranged for Sister Seol and Unmirang to take turns watching the kids, just in case any guests were afraid of spirit creatures.
Apparently, the kids ditched them and made their way back here.
Hwa-eun asked calmly, trying to understand what had happened.
I hesitated for a moment, then answered with a stiff face.
“Haha... uh... Hyang said... she wants to live with us forever... and asked me to promise her that...”
The kids nodded seriously in response.
“Oh my...”
Hwa-eun’s face softened with an expression that screamed adorable overload.
After all, what parent wouldn’t melt at hearing their child say, I want to stay with you forever like Mom does?
Most of the kids behind Hyang probably meant it innocently—but some definitely didn’t.
Like Yo-hwa. Or Ranghu.
Those two were absolutely up to something.
I stayed on alert, wary—but then Hwa-eun burst out laughing.
“Hahaha! I see. I guess it’s because of what I told Hyang last night.”
She must have remembered their bedtime conversation and figured the kids had simply misunderstood.
Even if the kids had grown more familiar with human culture, they still didn’t grasp all the subtleties. Last night, when Hyang had asked what a wedding was, Hwa-eun told her, “It’s a promise to live together forever.”
So of course Hyang rounded up everyone else who felt the same.
She truly didn’t suspect a thing.
Hwa-eun had never once doubted Yo-hwa or Ranghu’s intentions.
To her, only Cheong-yu Sojeo might be a threat—and she wasn’t awake right now.
After all, the daytime personality belonged to the Golden-Faced Spider King, Cheong-yu.
And that version of her was the embodiment of innocence and purity.
So naturally, everyone’s intentions must seem pure to Hwa-eun.
Then she turned to the kids with a warm smile.
“So, Hyang, and all of you—do you want to promise to live with Daddy forever too?”
—Tsurururt! 『Yeah! Mommy!』
—Kissit. 『Me too, Sister.』
—Krurung. 『Me as well!』
—Shia. 『Count me in.』
—Bii! 『Baaap!』
—Chii!
All their voices rang out in an overlapping chorus.
How is this going to end...?
I was so flustered I almost felt like this wasn’t happening to me. I was genuinely curious how this was going to turn out.
“They’re just... too sweet, aren’t they?”
“Ah... hahaha...”
There was no way Hwa-eun understood what they were actually saying—spirit speech didn’t translate unless directed mentally—but somehow she seemed to feel the sincerity.
She patted Hyang’s head affectionately, then turned to Grandpa Mandok Shingun and said:
“Grandfather. Should we move the ceremony to another spot?”
“Move it?”
Grandpa blinked in confusion, clearly having no idea what was going on—then turned to see the room slowly filling with kids.
In Central Plains weddings, it’s customary for guests to wait outside the bridal room, and come in one at a time to offer sweets and blessings.
But now that the kids had barged in, even the elders waiting outside had crowded around the door in shock.
“Why are all the kids in here?”
“Why are the spirit beasts indoors?”
Still smiling, Hwa-eun explained:
“Last night, Hyang asked me what a wedding was, so I told her it meant promising to live with So-ryong forever. I guess she brought the others along who felt the same.”
“Haha, is that so? That’s what all the fuss is about? Hahaha!”
“Well, the meaning is a bit different... but their hearts are so pure, I want to let them take part too. We’re going to live together forever anyway—me and So-ryong, and the kids too, right?”
“Wh-what!?”
I practically choked on air. Hwa-eun just smiled sweetly.
“I’m fine with it, So-ryong.”
No, I’m not fine with this at all!
“I mean, that’s not really the issue—uh, no, I mean...”
She cut me off and turned back to Grandpa.
“Since the room is a little cramped, what if we moved the wedding to the pavilion by the pond?”
“Haha, if that’s the reason, I understand. Just wait a bit—I’ll make it happen. It’s no trouble at all.”
Letting the kids attend the wedding ceremony triggered every internal alarm I had.
Because I had a pretty good guess what “attend” might mean.
Back in my past life, it wasn’t uncommon for people with kids to get married later, and they’d let their children or nieces and nephews stand in the ceremony with them.
They called them flower children.
But this wasn’t that.
This wasn’t the couple’s biological kids or little family members blessing them—it was like cramming a bunch of crows into a wedding of doves.
What if one of these creatures later said, “I was in that wedding too, I’m also his wife now”?
With their level of intelligence, it wasn’t out of the question.
This has to be stopped!
I was just about to protest when Hwa-eun said cheerfully:
“Just a moment! I mean, it’s okay to do it here, really...”
“No way. The kids are so sweet and precious. We have to include them! If they’re part of the wedding, it’ll be something we never forget.”
The adults around us were beaming now.
“So that’s why they came? Because they heard it was a promise to live together forever? How touching!”
“They’re practically no different from humans!”
“To think they’re swearing eternal loyalty in gratitude for being raised—that’s not just human-like, it’s even more heartfelt.”
“So then—”
“They're better than people.”
“Well, that’s certainly true.”
I was drenched in cold sweat, but Tang Hwa-eun and the adults only looked at the children with amused fondness.
Before long, the curtains inside the quarters were moved to the pavilion in the garden by the pond. The children, with Hwa-eun at the lead, all gathered and sat beside me.
Each had a red paper flower tied to their head or antennae — someone must have done it for them.
And just like that, the wedding proceeded.
—Thwack!
“Now, go and have lots of sons and daughters, and grow old together!”
As the ceremony resumed, red paper-wrapped candies and sweets rained mercilessly toward my face.
Next to me, Hwa-eun and the kids looked absolutely delighted.
“Thank you, Grandpa!”
—Ssssslurp!
—Kssh!
I, Fabre, had once dreamed of this kind of wedding.
A wedding surrounded by venomous creatures, receiving their congratulations.
But now that it was actually happening, it wasn’t as simply joyful as I imagined.
Something’s off. I don’t feel completely happy. Why?
And so, the wedding of a venomous creature maniac, a woman, and their venomous creatures proceeded in this strange celebration.
***
The wedding night arrived.
I had made thorough preparations for today.
Though some unplanned incidents had occurred last night and during the wedding, I couldn’t allow the wedding night to end in failure too.
First, I convinced the kids that, just for tonight, they had to sleep apart from their mom and dad.
“This time, we really need to make your little sibling, so don’t follow us, okay?”
—Ssslurp!? 『A sibling!?』
At Sister Seol’s persuasion, the kids nodded obediently.
Still uneasy, I deployed extra measures — Sister Seol, Unmirang, and even the Three Peaks of the Five Dragons were assigned to # Nоvеlight # guard them.
After the failure earlier in the day, I’d learned my lesson and added human personnel.
These brats had tricked us earlier by playing blindfolded hide-and-seek in the morning.
—Step. Step. Step.
“Phew.”
After washing off the sweat from earlier, I redressed in my wedding robes and arrived at the chamber.
A soft red glow leaked from the cracks in the door.
It was because the lanterns had been fitted with red covers, in celebration of the wedding.
That glow stirred up a peculiar feeling in me, and for the last time, I untied my waistband to check if Daeryong (Great Dragon) was properly in position.
I’d just checked during my bath, but who knows what might’ve changed since then?
After all, I’m a meticulous man.
Alright. Daeryong’s fired up tonight.
Daeryong, knowing this was the day he had to fulfill his duty, was positively brimming with motivation.
Clearing my throat, I called toward the inside.
“Ahem. Hwa-eun, I’m coming in.”
No answer came from within — only the muffled giggling of the maids.
“Hehe. The lady must be shy.”
“Have a wonderful night, Master So-ryong.”
The maids who teased that their lady was shy opened the door and quickly excused themselves. As I stepped inside, I saw Hwa-eun sitting on the bed, facing me.
She had put back on the bridal headpiece she had taken off earlier.
I walked slowly toward her and reached out my hand.
—Gulp.
A swallow of nervous tension passed my throat.
Then Hwa-eun’s voice came.
“So-ryong, do you understand what it means to remove this?”
The first word that popped into my head was unlocking, but I smiled and answered in a deeply serious tone.
“Hwa-eun, I’m not the kind of man who goes back on a decision once made.”
Once this was taken off, there would be no turning back.
I removed the bridal headpiece, revealing Hwa-eun’s face, flushed with a faint blush.
Lowering my head, I kissed her first.
No — it was mine to begin with, so maybe it’s better to say I was simply reclaiming what I had entrusted.
—Chuu.
Soft, moist lips intertwined.
While still kissing, I reached up to remove her phoenix crown and began to peel off the wedding robes.
The red fabric falling to her feet felt like scattered flower petals.
Just as I managed to get the outer layer off and placed my hand on the next, layered garment—
I realized that while I had barely removed her outer robe, my own upper garment had already been completely undone by Hwa-eun’s hands.
Her fingers were gliding across my chest and back.
Each touch rippled through me like waves.
When did she...?
She must be skilled at martial arts involving pressure points — that would explain her precision in undressing and the strange energy her touches stirred.
With every brush of Hwa-eun’s fingertips, Daeryong’s motivation surged anew.
Her touch was growing more sensual.
Then, suddenly — a sensation of being watched.
Something felt wrong. Still kissing Hwa-eun, I glanced around.
But I couldn’t pinpoint the source of the gaze.
What is this? It feels like someone’s watching... Could it be...?
Just in case, I pulled away from Hwa-eun and turned my head.
And there — at the bottom crack of the chamber door — a black antenna poked in.
My body jolted.
At the same time, Hwa-eun’s excited voice whispered in my ear.
“Haah... So-ryong... come on... So-ryong? Why did you stop...?”
I pointed with my finger.
“Over there...”
“Eek!”
Startled, Hwa-eun squealed and yanked the blanket up to cover herself.
I should have been the one covering up, though.
Hwa-eun glared at the crack in the door and shouted.
“Bini! Mommy told you not to come in here tonight!”
The owner of the black antenna — Bini.
Realizing she’d been caught, Bini’s apologetic voice piped up.
—Ssslrp... 『I-I was just curious how babies are made... I-I’m sorry.』
“O-oh... I see.”
Bini really was curious about everything.
We called someone over to escort her away, then started blocking the crack in the door and every visible opening with cloth.
You’d think we would’ve given up — but we didn’t.
We knew very well that if we missed tonight, we might not get another chance for a while.
No — maybe we just decided to believe we wouldn’t get another chance.
An unspoken understanding.
“So-ryong, did you check the ceiling?”
“Yes.”
“What about the window, Hwa-eun?”
“All covered.”
“Then...”
—Thud!
We sealed every window and crack and even drew the curtain around the bed before stepping inside.
As Hwa-eun drew the final veil closed, we lunged at each other like mad.
—Rip!
Our underclothes tore without mercy, and the flame of the lantern flared wildly.
It was the night when So-ryong became Daeryong.
