Chapter 17 The Maidens of June Bride Part 3
“A Marriage Proposal”
My mind reeled as I tried to process what I had agreed to. A proposal? What was going on? I could understand their desire, but why now? Didn’t they think it was too soon?
“Sisters, he agreed,” Jiuyuan announced. I had uttered that sentence without thinking. It was unnecessary.
Regardless of my thoughts, the moment I agreed, and with Jiuyuan’s declaration, the others’ faces lit up. Their plan had succeeded.
“Were you all here from the beginning?” I grumbled. They had emerged from drawers beneath the closets, from the ceiling, from the television… they had been spectating the entire time. This was more perverse than peeking into a women’s bath or restroom.
Their faces were flushed with an unnatural redness. Looking at the large, unnaturally wet patch on my skirt, I knew they had done something terrible while watching. I originally thought only some people could get excited by watching others, but I hadn’t expected your depravity to be so severe.
Suddenly, I didn’t know what to say.
Keling produced a voice recorder and said with a mischievous smile, “I have no intention of denying it. It’s too late to deny it now.”
I sat up and scratched my head. “You don’t have to do this, do you?”
The first order of business was the all-maid outfits, which left me utterly bewildered. They had truly caught me off guard, leaving me with no chance to retaliate. Lou Yi had even used her ultimate move, finally leading to Jiuyuan’s declaration. This barrage of attacks… It was probably Lan Ai’s idea, based on what Xiao An and Lily had said earlier. They had really put in the effort. A dream harem scenario – any man would want this.
No matter how I thought about it, a proposal should come from the man.
“We want Juncheng to propose to us,” Jiuyuan said directly. “Wouldn’t it be best to maintain our current daily life? Even if decades pass, you’re content with the status quo, aren’t you?”
“Mmm, you’re absolutely right,” I admitted. I truly felt happy just continuing this life. If no one had brought it up, I might have let it slide. I wasn’t good at expressing my feelings. It had taken me this long to realize things on my own. However, since I had said yes, there was no longer any reason to hesitate. I would take responsibility for my actions.
“Now, let’s have the wedding. Who goes first? You should have already decided this,” I said. The girls exchanged glances and remained silent. Jiuyuan, being the leader, stepped forward. “I suppose I’ll go first. I can’t possibly handle this alone.”
“Why not?” Lan Ai murmured, a sly smile playing on her lips. “Isn’t it better to have individual ceremonies? Using human societal norms as an excuse is fine, but won’t you feel regret if you don’t have your own wedding? It’s better to do it one by one.”
“But…” I started, but Jiuyuan interrupted. “This is a very important ceremony. Surely, everyone wants to leave their own unique memories, right? That memory.”
Lianbing sat on the bed and tapped my forehead. “Heh heh, I didn’t expect you to remember. I’m so happy.”
“Of course, I remember,” I replied, rubbing my forehead. After being kissed once, I opened my eyes again. “I suppose it’s fine if you all marry me together. The ingredients for the cake and dinner were prepared yesterday.”
“Oh, but we didn’t expect…”
“It’s okay. It’s not like this is bad or anything.”
“Is this really okay?”
“You’ve been reborn, you know.”
“Mmm, even if you say that…”
Lan Ai had previously spoken about wanting to spend time with me. I felt terribly sorry for you, for all of you. I wanted to give you more individual time.
“Every girl’s birthday, every festival, I want to leave behind precious, unforgettable, deeply impressive memories.”
“Actually, we can do both. SF Light Novel.”
The other girls exchanged glances, looking bewildered.
Jiuyuan said to me with a wry smile, “What you just said would be more fitting for yourself, Juncheng.”
“I have already obtained everything. My once-empty hands are now filled with everything I could ever want. Though it may slip through my fingers, having you all… These are undoubtedly my most unforgettable days.”
Lou Yi, standing by the door, hugged her arms. “Don’t make the same mistake again. Don’t use your own good intentions to deceive others. You don’t need to feel like you owe anyone anything. Just accept it. It was our decision, not yours.”
Her words moved me deeply. “It was us, not you,” Yi said, adding, “You’re a part of it too!”
Jiuyuan fiddled with her hair. “That’s right. It was our collective decision. No one objected. We accepted it calmly, without denial or scoffing.”
Lianbing stroked my cheek. “That’s right, Juncheng. It was all decided.”
“Today will be the most unforgettable day of everyone’s lives. We will use Li Nai’s ability for the vow. This contract isn’t just a mere formality of marriage… We will be together forever.”
“What about the penalty for breaking the vow?” Lan Ai cried out, covering her chest. “What if my chest shrinks again?”
Keling and Xinran said in unison, “Brother, we will never break our vow!”
“That’s right! We will always be by your side, Brother!”
I just managed a bitter smile. There was no such thing as ‘forever.’ Even Ling left me… Permanence was relative. That was Ling’s eternal curse left for me, a curse I could never forget, forever… She embraced me gently. The girls gathered around me.
SF Light Novel
The contract emitted a pure white light, forming a paper.
Keling: “Apart from you, I will never touch another man.”
Jiuyuan: “I will never speak to another man, nor have any physical or spiritual contact.”
Xuan’er: “I love you and am loyal to you. Everything belongs to you.”
Lily: “If love… is defined as…”
Xue: “We pledge our love until death do us part.”
Lily: “Whether in poverty or wealth, sickness or health, our love is eternal.”
“This is meant to bind our relationship,” Hua Jian said.
“It feels like it’s gotten longer, but hearing what Qing said, this must be the modified marriage vow.”
“One sentence is missing: ‘Until death do us part.'”
Lianbing shook her head and continued.
Lianbing: “If I leave you prematurely due to death or any other reason, my soul will reincarnate and return to you, no matter how many times.”
Lan Ai: “Even if I forget your appearance, body, or even your soul, it doesn’t matter.”
“This is the binding oath!”
“The rest will be completed by you,” Jiu Yuan said to me.
Wait, no! Lan Ai covered my mouth. “Unfortunately, Ling and Zi’ai are…”
Lian Bing spoke on behalf of Ruansui, and I would speak for myself. “These two sentences would have been spoken by them. Little Bingbing and I will stand in for them. Ah, Little Bing…”
Lily: “The number of reincarnations is infinite.”
Lian Bing: “We will never be freed.”
Lou Yi: “I swear by my soul!”
The Maidens: “We swear by our souls! Our eternal bond will last forever!”
The contract, which had originally emitted pure white light, turned black as ink. The contract was complete.
SF Light Novel
This contract was essentially a curse on the soul. Even in death, we would reincarnate and return to each other, our fates intertwined.
Jiuyuan released my mouth and looked at me with complex eyes. “The punishment in this contract is to achieve eternity through infinite reincarnation.”
Lian Bing cupped my cheeks and said, “We will share your eternal curse with you.”
“You will regret this.”
“No, we won’t,” they said happily.
“We will find what you have lost! We will bring them back into this contract!”
This was no longer touching. I only felt grief. Why did they have to go this far? Perhaps even Ling hadn’t expected this.
“Heh heh, Juncheng, Master,” they kissed my right cheek. “This way, we can finally be together forever, and no one will ever separate us again.”
Their smiles were both adorable and heartbreaking. “Forever, forever, forever, forever, forever together!”
The girls around me gazed at me with love. Their wide eyes and pupils were tinged with tears, forming patterns within the deep blackness.
I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t. Jiuyuan, who was sitting on me, leaned close. The distance between our cheeks was less than a centimeter.
“What’s wrong, Juncheng? Aren’t you happy?”
I was calm. I returned her smile. “I… I truly love these girls.”
Juncheng An never…
