Chapter 21: The Truth is Revealed

A few hours after her return home, she sent messenger birds to Raine, Colette, Sheena, and Presea telling them to meet at her house for an emergency as early as tomorrow. About an hour afterwards, she received replies from each of them, wondering what's wrong and assuring her that they'll be there.

The following day, the four women arrived, almost, simultaneously. Once they all sat in the living room as Marta told them what she saw.

Colette looked shocked, "You don't really think he's cheating on you, do you?" She asked.

Raine brought her fingers to her chin, "It is a very presumptuous scenario..." She said.

Presea nodded, "True, however we shouldn't yet rule out the possibility that it's true." She added.

Sheena looked at Marta, "Come on! This is Emil we're talking about! He's been crazy about you since, literally, the second he met you. There's no way he's seeing this red head." She assured the strawberry blonde.

Marta's eyes narrowed in anger, "You didn't see the look on his face when she said something to him." She told them.

Raine leaned forward slightly, "What did she say?"

Marta shook her head slightly, "I couldn't hear it, but he got a big smile on his face, and said it was perfect." She said, spitting venom through the last word, "Plus she said that whatever she was gonna do for him would, 'knock him flat.' Whatever that means. And she said that all his problems will be solved!" She continued, her eyes beginning to tear up, "I j-just can't help thinking... what if his... problem... is m-m-me?" She asked before quietly sobbing into her hands as they covered her face.

Colette quickly went to comfort her friend. Pulling her into a friendly embrace, she spoke as softly as she could, "It's ok, Marta. I may not know Emil as well as you do, but I know him well enough to know that he would never do that to you."

Raine walked over and kneeled in front of her, looking the young girl in the eyes, "This is a difficult time for you, and while I support Colette's theory completely, you need to know that we're here for you, regardless of what happens."

Marta then felt two small arms wrap around from behind her as Presea hugged her loosely, "I'm not too good with this emotional stuff, but I'll do what I can to help as well."

Then, Sheena placed a hand on the young woman's shoulder and squeezed affectionately, "We know everything is gonna work out. Don't you worry about a thing." Marta could only nod, her tears still coming down at full force, with no sign of relenting.

An hour later, and Marta managed to stop the flow of tears, and everyone but Sheena had left. She grabbed something from her pocket before looking towards Marta, "This probably isn't the best time, but I brought that thing I told you about." She said (A/N: Refer to chapter 18) as she handed her a small, hand sized container of a type of lotion.

Sheena shrugged her shoulders, "Sorry it took so long. I hadn't used it in so long I had to dig up the instructions to make it. If applied daily, for seven days, you should start to notice a significant increase to your chest size. Just don't OD on that." She says before gesturing to herself, "That's how I got stuck with these. No one believes me when I tell them my boobs got this big by accident." She said with a light chuckle, hoping to cheer up Marta, even just a tad. When no physical response came, she cleared her throat, "That said, another thing to watch out for, is the possibility of hormonal imbalance. It'll make you a bit more, touchy for a while, but it goes away pretty quick. There's the potential that it could cause personality altercations, but it's really rare."

Marta finally gives a nod before letting out a sigh, "I'm sorry Sheena, I know I must be terrible company right now. I just can't stop thinking about what I saw yesterday." She said sadly.

Sheena smiled at her, "Don't worry. It'll all work out. I know it." She then stood up, "I gotta get going myself now. I hope you get to feeling better soon Marta." The ninja woman said before getting up and leaving the room.

The next day, it was late afternoon when Emil was using his Reiyard to tow the corpse of a large monster through the forest to the secret village for the Katz Guild. When he arrived, he saw the red head he had met at the Hot Springs dressed as a member of the Guild (A/N: That means the full body suit, not some perverted alteration of it.).

Emil smiled, "Hey, in full uniform this time, eh?"

The girl chuckled, "Yeah. I don't know how everyone else can handle the embarrassment." She said with a light chuckle, "But anyways, I see you bagged that monster. He won't be terrifying villages anytime soon." She then looked at him with mischief in her eyes, "So was I right? Did it knock you flat?" She asks jokingly.

Emil shook his head, "Oh yeah. Several times actually." He said as he rubbed a sore spot on his back he had earned from the fight, "I thought you were kidding when you said that!"

The red head chuckled, "Well at least I wasn't kidding about the pay." She said as she handed him three big bags of Gald, "Now you can finally put your real plan in motion, right?" She asked.

Emil nodded, "Thanks a lot. You've been a big help." He told her.

The girl waved it off, "Don't mention it." She replied. After releasing the tow line, Emil got back on his Reiyard and went towards his next destination.

A few short hours later, after sundown, Marta was tossing and turning in her bed. Sleep had decided to ignore her tonight. Groaning in defeat, she got up and out of bed, instinctually walking to her dresser, which had several photos of her and Emil that had been taken throughout their time together.

As she looked at these pictures, tears swelled in her eyes, "Why, Emil? Why are you doing this to me?" She whispers as she shuts her eyes tightly, falling to her knees, "What did I do? What caused you to betray me like this?" She continued to mumble these and other questions as her tears poured down her face.

Two more hours later, and it was just a little past midnight. Emil had landed his Reiyard with a person behind him, however, it was too dark to make out the man's features. Emil told him to wait outside until he called for him. The man nods as Emil walks towards the house.

Marta heard the sound of the backdoor opening, "Emil must be back." Her expression quickly transformed into one of anger, "It's about time you gave me some answers!" She said as she walked stealthily into the room, making sure Emil couldn't see her yet. Said man was trying to sneak quietly through the house. He figured Marta was asleep and didn't want to wake her.

On his way across the living room, he accidentally stubbed his toe on the leg of the coffee table. He hissed sharply at the pain, "Jeez! I wish I could turn the lights on to avoid that." He whispered.

He jumped when the lights in the room suddenly blinked on. His eyes turned to the light switch to reveal Marta, leaning against the wall, staring sternly at him. Emil let out a sigh of relief, "Jeez, Marta, you nearly gave me a heart attack." He said.

Marta's glare intensified, "I'll try harder this time." She said as she approached him. Emil stood up straight and prepared to hug her, only to be punched harshly across the face, sending him to the floor, "You've got a lot of explaining to do, Emil!" She said loudly.

Emil looked up at the woman in shock, "W-why are you so angry? I get that I left kinda abruptly, but that still doesn't explain why you hit me!" He said.

Marta gripped the collar of his shirt, pulled him to his feet and slammed him against the wall, "It might have something to do with the woman you're seeing behind my back!" She spat.

Emil's eyes were full of both fear and confusion, "What are you talking about?! You're not making any sense!" He replied nervously.

Marta pressed her grip harder against him, "Don't play dumb with me! I saw you with that red head! Just how long have you been seeing her?" She asked.

Emil suddenly stopped in his struggles against Marta as he processed what she had said before finally having everything click into place. Emil smiled gently at her and put his hands on her arms, "Marta," he began, his voice perfectly calm, "it's not what you think. Please just allow me to explain." Marta eyed him for a moment before releasing her grip on him.

Emil nodded his thanks before pulling out a business card that had a picture of the woman in question. "She works for the Katz Guild. She's been giving me jobs to do, similar to all the ones we did back during our journey. I've been trying to earn extra money for the past three months." He explained.

Marta's rage had disappeared, replaced by a feeling of shame. She looked down at her feet, "I'm so sorry Emil...I guess I still haven't quite gotten over my jealousy problem yet." She said, her eyes still avoiding his. She felt like she just couldn't look him in the eyes right now.

Emil smiled as he wrapped his arms around her and put her in a warm embrace. After a few moments, he felt her arms wrap around him, hugging him tightly as new tears poured from her eyes, except now they were tears of joy. "I was so worried, Emil." She said in between sobs, "I thought that... that I had done something to... to push you away."

Emil used one hand to cup her chin and lifted her head up to look him in the eyes. He smiled as he brushed the tears from her eyes and cheeks, "I'm sorry for making you worry. But just please know that I still love you. I always have, and I always will." Marta smiled brightly as he kissed all her troubles and sorrows away. Her arms went around his neck, hands resting behind his head, while his hugged her waist tightly, they both refused to let there be even a spec of space between them.

After a few minutes of kissing, a question popped into Marta's mind that made her break the kiss, "Wait a minute, why were you trying to make all that money?" She asked.

Emil smiled, "Because I wanted to give you a present, but couldn't afford it on my salary alone." He said as he went to the back door. He opened it up and gestured for the man to come inside. Marta was racking her brain. What kind of gift would cost three months of work to pay for? When Emil stepped to the side, Marta's eyes widened, her jaw dropped, and her breath hitched. There before her, stood, none other than, the former Commander Brute. He smiled at Marta, "Hello, my daughter." He said. Speechless, Marta runs up and hugs him, squeezing as tight as she can, while Brute rests his arms around the woman. After just a moment, Marta pulled back just enough to look up at her, "I-I don't understand." She said in disbelief, with everything that had been running through her head these last few days, her head is spinning in emotion.

Brute smiled warmly at her before turning his head towards Emil, "Your boyfriend was kind enough to pay my bail." He told her, "That's why he was taking all those quests. He needed their rewards to afford it. Otherwise I'd still be in that prison."

Unable to contain herself at the moment, Marta charged straight towards Emil and leapt into his arms strong enough to send them both to the floor, laughing as they hit the ground.

Marta sat herself up with a cheery smile, "As soon as you came through that door, Emil, I was worried that this would turn out to be the worst night of my life." She said as she stood up slowly, looking to her father for a moment before looking back to Emil, "But instead, you've made it the best night of my life. There's no way I could possibly be any happier!"

Brute and Emil shared knowing glances before the latter spoke up, "Care to bet on that?" He asks confidently.

Marta looks at him with a raised eyebrow, "What are you talking about?" She asked him.

Emil smiled, "I know you've had a lot to take in tonight, but I have one last thing to take care of." He said as he sat up and got on one knee.

Marta saw his position and her eyes widened slightly, "Wait a second... he's not gonna...!"

Her thoughts were cut off when Emil pulls out the diamond ring and looks her in the eyes, "Marta Lualdi, will you marry me?" He asks, his voice holding a hint of his, almost, trademark nervousness that she had come to adore.

Marta cupped her hands over her mouth as tears of joy streamed down her face, "Yes... Yes...Yes!... YES OF COURSE I WILL!" She says as she hugs him with cheerfulness like no other. After a brief moment, she and Emil returned to their feet and Emil slid the ring onto her finger as she tried desperately to contain her excitement.

After a few minutes of winding down, fatigue had reminded everyone that it was now 1 o'clock in the morning. Emil showed Brute to the guest bed, before joining Marta in their master bed. She looked at him with a wide grin and strong blush, "Goodnight my future husband." She said before nuzzling into his shoulder.

Emil smiled and put his arms around her upper back, "Goodnight, my future wife."

(A/N: That's it for this Chapter! Now it's time for some wedding planning! I want ideas from you guys. Locations, Maid of Honor, Best Man, the works. Any and all ideas are welcome! Write me a review or PM me with your ideas! R&R!)