After two years, Ves finally mustered up the courage to propose to Gloriana.
A lot of Larkinsons thought it was too soon. Ves didn't think so, and neither did his girlfriend.
As far as Gloriana was concerned, she was already to tie the knot the day after she met him at Centerpoint! The moment she laid her sights on her was the moment that she was never going to let him go no matter what obstacles stood in her way. Even his prior affiliation with the Friday Coalition fell victim to her conviction.
Therefore, from her perspective, Ves was actually two years too late!
Ves was well aware of Gloriana's inclinations. It took two years for him to finally reconcile himself with spending the rest of his life with the woman who derailed his life but also became someone worthy of his trust.
Perhaps he should have waited more. Perhaps he should have spent an additional year to see whether Gloriana truly fit in his life
He didn't want to wait anymore.
For one, Ves felt he had truly gotten Gloriana's measure. He had thought deeply of their relationship and found that it was acceptable even if she was a Hexer who believed in hexism.
The trust they shared towards each other and the synergies they achieved in their work remained strong despite their occasional fights.
Their love exceeded the obstacles that could break apart their relationship. Once Ves made this realization, there was nothing holding him back from taking the next step.
Therefore, the only question that Ves had to struggle with was the timing of his marriage proposal.
Ves planned to leave the Komodo Star Sector within the year. So long as they left their home star system, everyone in the Larkinson Fleet would truly be making a break with all of their prior attachments to home.
While Ves couldn't care less about the people he planned to leave behind, Gloriana was different. She still held a lot of affection towards the Wodin Dynasty.
It was a must to hold their wedding in this star sector. He wanted to give Gloriana an opportunity to invite her relatives to attend the wedding.
She deserved at least this much! Gloriana would probably be sad if none of her relatives could make it to their wedding!
Gloriana probably understood that as well. She appreciated him even more.
She also appreciated the ring he made.
"What an amazing ring."
His girlfriend felt incredibly touched and she didn't comment on the tiny flaws of the engagement ring.
He had infused it with his entire love and devotion towards her. He meant every word he said when he presented the pretty ring during the celebration.
Though many people in the clan still harbored a lot of misgivings about Ves marrying a Hexer, most of them were confident they weren't about to start worshipping women.
Ves had already made clear that his clan would form its own sovereign identity! Neither the Bright Republic, the Hexadric Hegemony or any state would hold dominion over the Larkinsons. The clan had already grown strong to stand on its own in the galaxy!
When Gloriana joyfully slipped the ring onto her finger, Ves rose to his feet and held her waist.
"I love you, Ves."
"I love you too, Gloriana."
Under the cheers of every Larkinson, they kissed each other passionately!
It served as the perfect ending to the celebration.
After a very enthusiastic and energetic night, the couple woke up and calmly prepared for the day.
Happiness continued to bubble inside Gloriana as she continually admired the engagement ring that Ves had made for her. She also closed her eyes in order to feel the glow that Ves imparted to it. The spiritual foundation of the ring centered almost completely about his love towards her. He even experimented with his new ability to create spiritual constructs by accentuating the aspects about her that he liked the most!
"It's as if you are constantly by my side." She giggled. "I truly do love what you've made. As for this gem…"
"It's not what you think. Not exactly." He quickly replied.
Even so, Gloriana still appreciated it! There was just something about its luster that seemed alive. She could spend hours staring at her new ring!
While Ves was happy with his fiancé's reaction towards his handicraft, an even heavier weight pressed on his heart.
When it was time for them to hold their wedding, he needed to present even better rings.
He still carried the plain wedding bands gifted by his mother in one of his pockets. He had been trying to infuse them with his presence through constant proximity. All the while, he continued to puzzle over how he wanted to shape their final appearances.
If possible, he wanted to turn them into masterworks! That would be the ultimate gift to Gloriana and himself!
To any other mech designer, the difficulty of accomplishing this was immense. Even Ves did not have much hope because Lucky's gems only elevated the quality of mechs, not other objects.
Therefore, if Ves wanted to turn the wedding bands into masterworks, he needed to find a chance and employ unconventional methods to achieve this objective before the wedding ceremony!
Maybe he could fix something up during his expedition to the Nyxian Gap.
Task Force Predator was scheduled to depart at the end of the day. This gave Ves and Gloriana plenty of time together.
The rented base exhibited a huge amount of activity as mechs and supplies were being loaded onto ships that subsequently departed into orbit.
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