"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!"

Albedo was currently taking her anger out on whatever furniture she happened to find in her room. Anger was too weak of a word, actually. What she felt now was a completely overpowering wrath. Hatred the sort of which she might've never felt before.

She had looked more into the marriage between her beloved and that disgusting lesser being, only to discover that he had been seducing her for about a year now, using frequent dates.

The idea that a creature so petty and filthy got to have dates with her love while she got nothing had caused her mind and heart to be fully consumed by burning rage.

If she could, she would inflict the worst suffering possible upon that thing.

But she couldn't.

As hard as she tried to find a way, she couldn't think of anything.

She could find no scheme or trick to get to her.

Hopefully she'll figure one out fast.

... ... ...

Neia was currently looking herself over in the mirror, surrounded by five maids doing the same.

"Come on! Are you sure it looks alright? It has to be perfect!"

"S-sorry, Your Holiness. We cannot find any more flaws..."

"Are you sure?"

She gave the maids more time, but they still found nothing.

"I-I believe everything looks fine..."

Neia sighed.

"I'm sorry for shouting, but this is my wedding to His Majesty! Everything has to be completely flawless!"

"Of course, Your Holiness!"

"... but if you really can't find anything… I guess that's enough of that, then... let's go."

...

Stepping outside the mansion, all of her paladins and servants except for the maids accompanying her were already gathered outside.

She felt their stares instantly. She couldn't really blame them, considering how immaculate the wedding dress was. Even compared to her other dresses gifted by him, this one stood out. She wasn't wearing her visor today, either.

Still, she didn't hesitate, stepping closer to her head butler.

"Bertrand, is everything ready?"

"I believe so."

They then both looked around, and saw that everyone indeed looked as good as they possibly could, all wearing clothing fit for nobility. She saw that some of them were a bit cold just like her, since it was indoor clothing, and it was still very cold outside.

She nodded to him.

"Thank you, Bertrand."

"No need, Your Maj- Your Holiness..."

She was too stressed out to notice his slip-up and what it implied about him, her mind still racing at the possibility that something was wrong with her attire.

...

After several agonising minutes of waiting, a portal had finally appeared. And through it stepped the man she loved, wearing a most beautiful white robe. In some of the human nations, there was a custom where the bride and the groom would not meet until the moment they would be proclaimed wife and husband, but due to each being familiar with different traditions, they decided to simply ignore much of what might be expected of them.

As everyone else saw him, they knelt.

"Darling!"

"Hello, Neia."

"Uhm, do I look alright?"

He chuckled warmly.

"You look better than alright."

She blushed.

"Th-thank you, darling!"

"Is everyone ready?"

"Yes!"

"Very well. Then let's go through, hm?"

She joined him by his side, and they stepped through the portal together.

After that, found herself in a large room with a high ceiling, which she did not recognize. The walls were made of carved light-brown wood, probably birch. There were white banners of the Sorcerer Kingdom and of Neia's own seal, as well as many other decorations which overall made the brightly lit place seem rather cutesy, such as flowers, cloth bows and other nice things. In the front of the room, there was also the altar, where their marriage would be finalised. On one of the sides, there was a large table with many chairs. Notably, at the head of the table there were two large chairs which nearly seemed like thrones, probably meant for her and Ainz.

Looking at the people, they were now gathered standing in front of the portal and kneeling.

She recognized many, but not all.

"Rise, everyone… Why don't you address the guests, Neia?"

"Ah, uhm... greetings, everyone! I'm happy to see you've come to witness the union between myself and His Majesty!"

In truth, she didn't really know what to say.

Still, the people started clapping for some reason. There was one who seemed to be clapping harder than everyone else, a blonde man dressed in a lot of gold.

Her beloved turned to her.

"Hm. There'll be some time for us both to simply talk to everyone. There's also many people who wish to present their wedding gifts to you."

At about the same time, her own people finished stepping through the portal, and so it was closed. Her darling left her side and the crowd had mostly dispersed, though a small line now formed in front of her.

At the front of this line was someone Neia was very happy to see.

"Shizu!"

"... Hugs."

The two friends indeed hugged.

"Ah, it's been weeks, hasn't it? I hope you've been well?"

"... Yes. But some people have been annoying with questions..."

"Questions? What do you mean?"

"... Nevermind. I'll go fetch my sister. She wants to meet you."

"Of course!"

As they parted, the next person from the line stepped up to speak to her.

It was that blonde man who clapped and smiled a bit too vigorously.

After stepping close enough, he knelt, and so did another blonde man who seemed to be with him, who was also holding something wrapped in a cloth.

"Greetings, Your Holiness! I am Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix, Emperor of Baharuth!"

"Ah, there's no need to bow, Your Majesty!"

He raised his head to look at her.

"How could I not bow to the wife of Ainz Ooal Gown! And please, there is no need to address me as 'Your Majesty'!"

"Uhm... erhm, please rise. Your really don't need to bow..."

"Of course!"

He got up, though his companion did not. This allowed Neia to see the sweat on his face.

"... And what may I call you, then?"

"Jircniv is fine."

"Uhm, isn't that a bit too personal? Though I suppose darling said you two were on friendly terms..."

The young Emperor seemed to wince when she said that last part, for some reason.

"... but will you call me Neia, then?"

"I could do no such thing!"

\\\

Jircniv had to try his best to keep his hands from shaking.

Her words seemed surprisingly friendly. He had somewhat expected her to be someone just as terrifying and twisted as her husband, but she didn't seem like that... at least at first. There was still one scary thing about her, and it was her glare. Even though her words were kind, she looked as if she was trying to kill him with her eyes.

It took his entire will to not break down right then and there.

Seriously, who the hell was she?! Not even Gown could instil this much fear by just looking at people!

"B-but perhaps I should present my gift already! Nimble!"

Nimble rose and took two steps before kneeling again and unwrapping the gift.

It was a bow which cost Jircniv a massive sum.

By the time he managed to find out Baraja was a proud archer, he barely had any time to actually find something for her. And when he managed to arrange a deal to buy a masterwork bow at the last moment, he found out it had an enchantment which dealt holy damage, and it was used by an adamantite-ranked adventurer to hunt undead in the past. He of course could not gift such a weapon to the wife of an undead king, so he had to find yet another weapon. In the end, he almost couldn't get one in time, which would have of course been a disaster.

"Ah, this looks..."

Her gaze was now fixed on the bow instead of him, which he felt eternally grateful for.

"So, this is for me?"

"Yes!"

She took it gently, looking genuinely quite interested, which gave Jircniv some hope and ever so faint relief.

She ran her finger along the string and then drew it slowly, only to undraw it again. Jircniv didn't really know much about bows, so he had no idea what she was doing, exactly.

When she was finished inspecting it, she looked back to him, which nearly made him flinch.

"What are its enchantments?"

"It is easier to draw than it should be given its power, it enhances its arrows with lightning, and it is extremely durable!"

"I see... thank you!"

As he watched her bow her head to him, he could feel his heart nearly stop.

"P-please don't b-bow to me, Your Holiness!"

What would her husband do if he saw a scene like this?!

"Ah, you should stop being so humble... Jircniv."

She then turned to Nimble.

"And may I know your name, mister…?"

"Nimble Arc Dale Anoch."

"Nice to meet you. I assume you are a most trusted servant?"

"Yes. I am one of the Four Imperial Knights."

"I see! It is an honour. Though I heard there were only two of you now... how unfortunate."

Jircniv felt a chill run down his spine. The way she said that seemed genuine, but surely she also knew why there were only two!

This woman... she was terrifying...

...

After Neia finished receiving the various gifts from all the people and giving them to her paladins for safekeeping, she went over to her best friend.

Next to her, she saw another world-class beauty, who stepped forward to greet her before she could do so herself.

"Greetings. I'm Yuri."

"Hello, I'm Neia Baraja. I've heard a lot about you from Shizu."

"Is that so? Was it at least flattering, hm?"

Neia chuckled at the little joke. She felt very relaxed around her already. She really did seem like an older, loving sibling, even to Neia.

"Very much so. I am glad to finally meet her big sister."

"And I am glad to meet her human friend. She has also told me many things about you."

\\\

Ainz stood a bit further away.

No one really wanted to talk to him, so he simply stood there, feeling out of place.

He'd thought about trailing Neia with [Perfect Unknowable] to maybe ensure everything was going well, but he didn't feel good about spying on her.

He didn't feel good about just standing around, either, but what else could he do?

Suddenly, he saw a woman approach him.

She had long black hair, and was one of Neia's people. Those mostly stared at him from a distance, like everyone else, but she apparently had something to say...

Though he did appreciate not having to stand around awkwardly anymore, he was also scared that whatever she was going to say was even worse.

As she got close, she bowed.

"Your Majesty."

"Oh? Raise your head. There is no need for such things right now."

She obeyed slowly.

"I profusely apologise if I have interrupted your thoughts, Your Majesty. I had simply noticed that you didn't seem to be particularly busy, and thought it would be an appropriate time to give my thanks."

"Don't worry, I really wasn't doing much at all. But what was this about a thanks?"

"I cannot speak on behalf of anyone else, but I feel that everyone in my own life has been truly blessed by everything you have done, including me of course. Without Your Majesty's kindness my country would have fallen, my friends would have been killed, and Her Holiness would have been doing gods know what instead of being happy like she is now, with you."

"... Oh? The way you spoke of Neia... what's your name?"

"M-my name?... I am Emma Valeria."

"Ah, you're one of Neia's friends. She spoke of you."

"Sh-she did? To Your Majesty?"

"Yes. I suppose I should be thanking you too, for being a good friend to her."

The woman in front of him blinked several times in quick succession, seemingly needing time to process his words.

"I- I th-thank you for your kind words! Truly, I am humbled, Your Majesty!"

Why did she turn into someone overly respectful just now? He didn't expect this kind of thing from Neia's friend…

...

After talking to Tuare for a brief moment again, Neia finally had the time to greet one more friend she was really happy to see again, as well as that friend's family.

But as she got closer, the three people bowed.

"Greetings, Your Holiness!"

"E-Enri?! What the hell, you don't need to bow to me!"

"A-are you sure, Your Holiness? How could we not bow to Lord Gown's wife?"

Neia sighed.

"Ugh... then as the wife of Ainz Ooal Gown, I command you all to raise your heads!"

Enri hesitated before stiffly doing as ordered, followed by her sister and her husband.

"And come on, 'Your Holiness'? Just call me Neia again..."

"A-are you sure, Your-"

"Yes, Enri!"

A strange silence then followed, so she broke it quickly.

"... So, how have you all been doing? Any progress on that healing potion, Nfirea?"

"Uhm, just a little! Still poisonous if you drink too much at once, which is sort of a really big problem..."

"And what about you, Nemu?"

"I want to be a priestess like you, Neia!"

"R-really? Is... is that so?"

"Yes! I want to tell everyone about how awesome Lord Gown is and how he helped us and I want to be really good at making speeches like you are!"

"I'll certainly keep an open door for you! If you ever do end up joining the church, make sure I know about it!"

Enri put a hand on her sister's shoulder.

"Your speeches seem to have really impressed her..."

"Exactly! You're so cool, Neia!"

She could only smile seeing the young girl's excitement.

Suddenly, the three of them seemed to tense up again.

"... Neia?"

She turned around, and smiled even harder.

"Ah, darling!"

"Is everything going alright here?"

"Yes! Did you know Nemu wants to be a priestess for the church?"

"Is that so, Nemu? I wish you well in that endeavour. I'm sure you'd do well, whatever career you choose."

The young girl blushed, making him chuckle a bit before continuing.

"Will you need more time? I thought the ceremony should start about now, and perhaps you could talk more later, when the cake is served?"

"T-the ceremony... y-yes, perhaps we sh-should start with that..."

Neia's heart started beating fast again.

...

She was brought into a side room, inside which there were many beautiful maids, as well as the massive wedding cake. From here, she would later walk through the crowd, towards her darling.

But after the door closed behind her, it wasn't long until the maids surrounded her.

"Ah, so that's her."

"That dress... whoever outfitted her did a good job with it."

"Look, it's Lord Ainz's new wife!"

She felt a bit overwhelmed, considering her already very emotional state.

Suddenly, she heard someone clap twice.

"Please, let's give her some space."

The maids obeyed the kind but stern voice of a mature man. She looked for its source, and found it instantly.

The man was exactly what she would imagine Sebas to be from Tuare's description.

He then seemed to be walking closer to her.

"Ah, are you Sir Tian?"

"I am. Pleasure to meet you. I was told Tuare and you spoke about me?"

"Yes, that's right. I am also glad to meet you."

"I am truly happy you were able to befriend her. She was absolutely overjoyed about it."

"So was I!"

He nodded.

"My apologies, but I must be going now. We may be able to talk again in just a moment, if you so wish."

...

It was time for Neia to walk out of the doors and take the final step.

She breathed in deeply one more time before nodding to the maids.

When the doors opened, she saw that everyone was looking at her.

It was a little scary, and so she focused her gaze on her beloved.

When she walked, she did so carefully, being really scared about making any mistakes now.

Taking a few more steps, she thought about the tradition where fathers walked with their daughters during this moment.

But her father was not here anymore.

He was not here to see the happiest moments of her life. And neither was her mother.

They couldn't be proud of her. They couldn't be happy for her. They were gone.

Fortunately, she was able to keep calm, and not let any tears escape her eyes.

And then, she made it all the way to her darling's side.

After that, they simply looked at each other for a few moments before he finally spoke in a loud voice.

"Neia Baraja. Do you wish to marry me, Ainz Ooal Gown? Do you promise to be my loyal and loving wife for all eternity?"

She breathed in, and...

"I do! Yes, I do!"

Her heart was now beating as fast as it possibly could.

"Very well. In that case, I, Ainz Ooal Gown, promise to be yours, as well. And with that, I declare us husband and wife!"

He then put his face closer. She practically jumped to hug and kiss him, while everyone clapped and cheered.

\\\

Though he was clapping along, Jircniv looked at the scene in front of him with horror.

They kissed like that...

And then, when she turned to the crowd, her eyes were full of tears…

Could it be?

Did he really just witness the true love of two utterly terrifying people?

There was something strangely... comforting about it. Or maybe it was relief?

After all, if the undead loved a human, maybe their species was guaranteed at least some safety…

But who knows how Baraja viewed her fellow humans at this point.

...

She was still crying with happiness when she sat down at the table, being served the wedding cake.

But she ought to stop now. It was probably enough crying for one day...

And so, she did her best to wipe her tears away and prevent them from flowing any more.

Her husband then started a cheer from her side.

"To us!"

The guests then drank their drink of choice. It was Nazarick food, so almost none of them had enough self-control to not instantly gulp it down in one go.

As the maids refilled everyone's glasses, some of the guests also started eating the cake, which she also assumed must have been delicious.

But despite her happiness, she couldn't really bring herself to eat right now.

'Mom... dad...'

She looked down at her wedding dress.

"... Neia?"

She was taken out of her thoughts by the soft, caring and quiet voice of her husband.

"Ah, sorry, darling! I was just... I... I miss them... my parents... I just wish they were here..."

He looked down, too.

"... I'm so sorry..."

There was a genuine, profound sadness in his voice.

"W-wait, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sour the mood!"

"... No, you have nothing to apologise for..."

\\\

Her apologising made it even worse.

And so, Ainz continued looking down.

He could not face her.

Not now.

Not after what he did.

He felt real, terrible guilt.

Guilt for what he did to her.

He then clenched his fists.

He would undo this mistake.

He would give Neia her parents back.