Honkai: Strijder
Chapter 421: No Battles Tonight
Siegfried's questioning marked an ending. It signified that Kiana's future and where she belonged had been completely settled—no one could voice objections anymore.
Sigurd felt that this relationship had, at last, become just a little more complete. The solemn weight in his heart eased somewhat. Holding Kiana's hand, he walked back slowly, recalling fragments of the past in silence. Though no words were spoken, Kiana felt a tacit understanding between them and a deep sense of reassurance.
"What kind of wedding style do you like?" Sigurd suddenly asked.
Kiana paused for a moment, then broke into an incomparably radiant smile.
"As long as the groom is Sig and the bride is me, anything is fine!"
"There won't be time to arrange it in the short term. Do you want a ring?"
"Yes! If it's from Sig, then I want it!"
Kiana squeezed Sigurd's hand and nodded vigorously.
As he walked, Sigurd raised his other hand. A strand of golden thread flowed and coiled in his palm, eventually weaving itself into a gleaming braided ring.
"Will you marry me?"
The ring floated above his hand as he stopped and turned to look at Kiana.
Though phrased as a question, his tone was certain—as if he already knew she would nod.
And indeed, with reddened eyes, Kiana nodded solemnly.
"Mm!"
The golden ring slipped onto her ring finger. Its bright sheen complemented her pale fingers perfectly. There was no gemstone, yet it looked harmonious and exquisitely beautiful.
"So… am I Sig's bride now?"
"Yes. We'll make up the wedding later. For now, you are my bride."
"Then the groom may kiss the bride."
"My pleasure."
In the empty corridor, Sigurd complied and leaned in.
The kiss was not intense. Sigurd moved slowly and gently, as if conducting a solemn and devout ceremony.
After the "ceremony," Kiana leaned weakly against him, her face flushed with a captivating blush.
"Sig, I feel light and floaty, like I'm dreaming. Could I really be dreaming? Or maybe I'm drunk or something?"
"You've mastered the Edge of Taixuan. Your cultivation in the spiritual domain is refined to perfection. Touch the ring, you'll know whether it's real."
Kiana obediently touched the ring. It felt solid and firm, its contours distinct. It even conducted Honkai energy smoothly—clearly made of a material that would remain intact even if she transformed into a Herrscher in battle.
"So… it's not a dream."
Caressing the ring, Kiana rested against Sigurd's chest and smiled foolishly.
"This is so nice~~"
She sighed, as if all the shadows of her past life had completely vanished. Or perhaps those former darknesses had merely been the materials that forged today's happiness—no longer capable of troubling her in the slightest.
"Stare—"
Just as Kiana was drifting in bliss, an intense gaze shot toward them from the darkness.
She blinked and, leaning against Sigurd's chest, turned her head a beat too slowly.
At the corner of the corridor, a small head with twin spiral curls peeked out halfway, staring at them with unmistakable resentment.
Sigurd lifted a hand and gently stroked Kiana's head, then addressed Bronya, who was openly spying on them.
"Come here."
Bronya stepped out expressionlessly and walked up to stand before Sigurd and Kiana, looking up at them.
Sigurd placed his hand on her head.
"Why did you try to stop Siegfried?"
"Bronya doesn't think he's a real problem. And Bronya has never seen him take care of this idiot. There was no need to let him spout nonsense. Most importantly, what comes next is very important. Bronya didn't want Sigurd's mood to be affected."
"Mm. That was thoughtful. Thank you."
"No need to thank me. But… logically speaking, Bronya should have been the first to receive a ring!"
Bronya crossed her arms, puffing out her cheeks to clearly express her jealousy.
With a flip of his hand, Sigurd repeated the same process. Brilliant golden threads wove themselves into a ring.
"Will you marry me?"
"Yes! Bronya's answer has never changed!"
"Then you are my bride as well."
"Then the bride may kiss the groom!"
After receiving the ring, Bronya didn't wait for Sigurd to take the initiative. She rose onto her tiptoes, pulled him down, and offered a sweet, soft kiss.
Sigurd's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Then he wrapped one arm around Kiana's waist and placed his other hand on Bronya's head, savoring the unique sweetness of the girl.
After quite a while, the two slowly parted.
Then Bronya and Kiana looked at each other.
Bronya's gaze was calm—even carrying a hint of pride.
Kiana puffed out her cheeks, then finally sighed in resignation. The smile in her eyes never faded—well, she had accepted this long ago. Once you got used to it, there really wasn't much to be upset about.
"Since the ceremony is done, then next—"
"—Stop! My back's been hurting lately. Tonight… tonight I just want to chat with Bronya. Yes, just chat!"
"Bronya… Bronya too! Sigurd, you rest by yourself. We're leaving first!"
Before Sigurd could finish speaking, Kiana and Bronya grabbed each other's hands and hurried off in a rush.
Sigurd: "???"
…
Bronya's room.
The two of them burst through the door hand in hand, fumbled to close it, locked it, then slumped down back-to-back against it, both letting out a long sigh of relief.
After a moment, Kiana bumped the back of her head against Bronya's and said irritably,
"Weren't you being all proactive? I already thought it through—if you said you didn't want to chat, I'd say I was going to talk to Seele and leave you the chance. So why did you run off with me?"
"Because… humans have limits."
"But Judgment-class Honkai beasts don't, right? Hmph! You used to brag so much, but lately you keep finding excuses to skip out, leaving me to handle everything alone… Ugh, my back's starting to hurt again."
"If Kiana is already like this, then if Bronya went alone, she would definitely miss the coronation ceremony afterward."
They turned to face each other, and from each other's expressions they saw both helplessness and lingering fear.
In the end, Kiana muttered, "Damn it! I actually started hoping that Sin Mal would grow up sooner!"
"Bronya admits that Sin Mal's physique is currently very strong, and her willpower and endurance are beyond doubt. But she may not be much stronger than you. From a generally rational standpoint, the situation would still be difficult."
Bronya spoke in a serious tone, her emotionless expression acting as the perfect mask to conceal her hidden agenda.
Kiana seriously considered Bronya's analysis, thinking from her own experience. After some rational reflection, she nodded thoughtfully.
"You have a point. We can't go together every day. There has to be some rotation for rest… Hmm, we'll figure it out slowly. Anyway, Sig's willpower is strong. It's fine if he just endures it."
"If Seele joins, it might ease things considerably."
"…So after all that, you're just trying to get me to give in?"
"But it is indeed a feasible solution."
"Rejected! It's already enough. There's no discussion. I don't want to talk about it anymore. I'm going to sleep—have a proper, peaceful sleep!"
Kiana stripped off her clothes and flopped onto the bed face-down, too lazy to argue further—just as she said, she truly lacked sleep and rest and couldn't miss this opportunity.
"Zzz~~"
And just like that, Kiana really fell asleep.
Bronya stood up by the bed, covering her face and shaking her head.
"It seems Kiana's attitude is still an issue. But there are always loopholes to exploit. Also, you're not even going to shower? Tch."
Bronya clicked her tongue expressionlessly.
A Herrscher's constitution was indeed different—Kiana didn't smell—but the lack of a shower still made Bronya feel psychologically uncomfortable.
After thinking for a moment—for her own mood, and more importantly to avoid being woken up in the middle of the night by Kiana's chokehold—Bronya tucked the blanket around Kiana, picked up her pillow, left the room, and went to sleep with Seele instead.
In any case, nothing happened tonight. It was especially peaceful.
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