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The next day, Nyx and Celes confessed their love to their parents and asked for their permission and blessings. Maria and Nia, who were already in a relationship, giggled at the scene as if they had been expecting it for the last ten years.

Meanwhile, Lucifer remained completely silent as he watched Celes with sharp red eyes. Celes trembled under the immense pressure radiating from the Dragon King.

"Hahaha, well, finally, huh?" Maria laughed, patting Celes on the shoulder. "Well! I’m leaving my daughter with you, Celes. You have known her for so long. You were made for each other, right, Nia?"

"Of course! I am so happy you have finally confessed your love for each other!" Nia nodded. "One reason we never raised you to think of each other as step-siblings was because it would have been awkward when this happened..."

"Oh," Nyx realized why her mother had never told her to call Celes her "brother" or anything similar.

"I see..." Celes nodded. "I guess we never saw each other as siblings, just as really good friends... who fell in love. Hahaha."

Maria did not care either way. They were not blood-related, so only overly sensitive people would make a fuss over it.

However, there was still one person whose approval they had yet to receive.

"..."

Lucifer stood with his arms crossed, glaring menacingly at Celes while his red eyes glowed brighter than ever.

"Um, f-father-in-law?" Celes asked, forcing a nervous smile.

"Hey, Dad! Say something!" Nyx demanded angrily. "Grrrr! If you don’t accept Celes, I am going to fight you!"

"Hoh, looks like my little princess has grown reckless enough to challenge her old father to battle?" Lucifer replied with a smile.

"W-What?" Celes gasped as the two dragons roared at each other. Their powerful draconic auras surged and clashed wildly.

"Hmph." Lucifer closed his eyes for a moment, then looked at Celes once more while ignoring his daughter’s rebellious outburst. "Hey, come with me."

"Eh?" Celes was dragged out of the building before he could protest.

"W-What?! Dad! Don’t beat my future husband!" Nyx cried, worried that her unpredictable father would do something drastic now that Celes was an adult.

"Calm down, Nyx," Maria said, soothing her daughter. "You know how your father is. He is not going to fight Celes. They are just going to talk."

"Talk?" Nyx wondered. "Hmmm..."

Curious, Nyx, Maria, and Nia sneaked outside, hid behind a tree, and used Maria’s Void Aura to completely conceal their presence. They spied on the conversation between Lucifer and Celes.

There, Celes stood facing Lucifer, his brows furrowed. He was no longer a child. He was an adult now, and his power was the real deal, strong enough to earn even Lucifer’s recognition.

"Father-in-law, I’ve heard dragons like to settle things with a fight...! I won’t hold back against someone as strong as you, so if that is what you want...!" Celes declared, his aura surging. "I will fight for my love!"

"Hmm..." Lucifer looked down at him. "There is no need to fight."

"...?" Celes took a step back in surprise. "What? Really? Phew..." He sighed in relief.

"Celes, I brought you here because I wanted to speak to you man to man," Lucifer said.

"Gulp...!" Celes swallowed hard, feeling even more nervous. "Y-Yes?"

"I love my daughter," Lucifer said with a light smile. "Nyx is... my everything. Well, there is also that brat Thanatos. I love him a lot too. But Nyx was the last child I had with Crystal, and the last surviving child from my relationship with my previous wife. You know that, right?"

"Yes... Nyx told me she hatched from a fossilized egg or something..." Celes replied.

"It was part of her mother’s special magic. She encased her last egg in crystals, which helped Nyx survive by fossilizing her," Lucifer explained. "Afterward, we imbued our power and a piece of our souls into her, allowing her to finally hatch and effectively ’revive.’ Because of this, Nyx was born inheriting traits not just from me and Crystal, but from Maria as well. She became her daughter too when she was revived using Maria’s soul and mana."

"I see..." Celes smiled. "Nyx’s birth was truly a miracle...!"

"Haha, indeed," Lucifer laughed, sounding somewhat relieved. "Celes... You are a good man."

"...Huh?" Celes was taken aback as Lucifer released his jealousy and smiled warmly at him, patting his shoulder.

"I am grateful for everything you have done for us and for my daughter," Lucifer continued. "She loves you more than you can imagine, and... I cannot do anything about that, can I? Hah... However, I do not find you unworthy. If there is any man I would allow to be with my dear daughter, that man is you."

"F-Father-in-law...!" Celes felt deeply moved, tears about to fall.

"However... You have to promise me something," Lucifer said.

"...Yes?" Celes asked.

"Please protect her... no matter what, protect her, Celes," Lucifer said solemnly. "Protect her and any children you might have in the future. I want the best for my daughter. You must promise me that you will make her the happiest woman alive and protect her with your life."

"I... I swear upon my Spirit Soul and my Divinity," Celes nodded firmly. "That I will make Nyx the happiest woman alive, and I will protect her and any future children we have with all I have, with my soul, my divinity, everything."

"..."

Lucifer smiled and nodded.

Then, to Nyx’s even greater surprise, Lucifer pulled Celes into a hug and patted his back.

"A-Ah..."

Celes was shocked, completely stunned by this rare display of affection. Lucifer never showed such warmth to anyone except Nyx when she was very young and still clingy with her parents.

"Welcome to the family," Lucifer said, laughing heartily. "Well... you already were, but welcome to the dragon family, haha." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"...Thank you, father-in-law!" Celes cried, hugging Lucifer tightly while tears soaked his shoulders.

"Ugh, why are you crying?!" Lucifer began to regret his show of affection. "S-Stop it! Hey, you are getting my clothes all wet with your tears!"

"Uuuoogh...! Father! Thank you!" Celes sobbed. "I’ve always seen you as my father... the one I never had...!"

"...Damn it, he got all emotional now!" Lucifer clenched his teeth, already regretting his decision as he tried to push Celes away. But the young man would not budge. "Ugh! Since when did you become so damn physically strong?!"

Meanwhile, Nyx was crying after hearing her father’s words. She felt guilty for doubting him even for a moment and for challenging him to a duel when all he wanted was to ensure Celes would protect her.

"Daddyyyy!"

Nyx jumped down from the tree, nearly knocking Maria and Nia to the ground as she ran to her father and threw herself into his arms, tackling him to the floor.

"Aaagh! N-Nyx?! You were spying on us?! Hey! Why... Why are you crying?!"

"I’m sorry, Dad...! I love you!"

Nyx hugged her father tightly, kissing his face repeatedly while refusing to let go. Even Celes, who was in a similar emotional state, was surprised.

"W-Why are you two such crybabies..." Lucifer sighed, sitting down and hugging his daughter with a gentle smile. "You are adults now, so stop crying all the time and grow up a little. Hey! Ahh... this girl."

Lucifer sighed as he held his crying daughter, who kept apologizing for misjudging his intentions.

"I’m sorry... I thought you didn’t want me to get married," she sobbed.

"Well, if it had been any other rascal, I would not have allowed it," Lucifer said. "Celes, however, has earned my trust over the years..."

"I see, hahaha. That’s definitely what you would say, Dad!" Nyx giggled through her tears. "Then, Celes...!"

Nyx stood up with Celes, holding his hands with a bright, radiant smile.

"Let’s get married!"

"Yeah!"

A few days of preparations followed.

The wedding ceremony was held right away instead of waiting until after the great war that was approaching.

Maria preferred them to marry now rather than risk waiting for a future that might never come.

Of course, she did not say it that way.

Her daughter had suggested waiting until everything was over, but Maria insisted it would take too long. It was better to do it as quickly as possible.

She simply wanted to see her daughter happily married before heading into a battle that might cost her life.

After much discussion, they decided the wedding would take place in a special and unexpected location.

With shimmering golden sands and close to the sea, it was the place where Celes and his mother had originated from, the heart of their culture.

The Goldsand Confederation, Sapphire Temple.

This was where Nyx and Celes had first met and where their journey together had begun. It was a deeply nostalgic place for both.

Nyx had also considered the caves where she was born, but after realizing they were too small for a proper wedding and a little too dark for her taste, she agreed with Celes’ idea.

As someone who loved Nyx deeply, Celes had insisted the wedding should be wherever she wanted. It took her some time to convince him to hold it on the golden sands.

The Sapphire Temple City had changed since Nyx and her family first arrived, and the people there remained forever grateful for everything they had done.

Celes and Nia continued to visit their home from time to time, greeting their old neighbors and paying respects to the grave of Celes’ father.

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