Gacha Harem System-Chapter 46: Eternally Yours

They worked through the display slowly, picking up rings and setting them back down.

The diamond-set ones were immediately dismissed, as they were way too visible.

While the way the gems caught the light was absolutely beautiful, the rings would simply be too obvious on their fingers wherever they go.

This was the kind of accessory for those who wanted people’s attention, and both of them couldn’t afford getting attention from the wrong kind of people. The thieves, of course.

These kinds of rings were for people who had both money and power, and most importantly, people knew there were dire consequences of stealing from them.

They moved on to the gold bands, which were better but still too visible for everyday wear on two people who spent most of their time in dungeons and hunting grounds.

They both reached for the silver rings at the same moment.

The rings were plain bands with a brushed finish. Basically nothing that caught the eye.

They were understated enough to wear without announcing themselves, and that meant being able to blend in when someone gave them a once over.

"These," Melody said.

"Agreed," Lukas said.

He turned to Mr. Shelby, who had been waiting at a respectful distance. "Can you engrave them?"

Melody glanced at him.

Shelby nodded. "Certainly. It’s delicate work, as maintaining the integrity of the spatial space while the surface is being worked requires some care. I’d charge an additional five hundred coins per ring."

"That’s fine," Lukas said.

Melody’s brow went up. He caught her expression and grinned, saying nothing.

"What are you putting on them?" she asked. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"It’s a surprise."

Shelby produced a small square of paper and a pen, setting them on the counter.

Lukas leaned over and wrote, folded the paper once, and handed it across.

The old man unfolded it, read it, and let out a quiet chuckle before moving to his workbench at the side of the room, the two rings in hand.

Melody turned to Lukas with her arms crossed. "Tell me."

"No."

"Lukas."

"You’ll see in a few minutes."

She held his gaze for a long moment, searching for a crack in his expression. She didn’t find one. She looked away with a quiet sound of mild frustration that did not entirely conceal her curiosity.

Several minutes passed as Shelby worked without rushing, his tools moving carefully over the inner surface of each band. When he straightened and turned back, he was still smiling.

He set both rings on the counter.

Lukas picked them up. Then he turned to Melody.

"We’ve been married since the day you came through that portal," he said. "But I never gave you a ring. That felt wrong to me."

Melody’s expression shifted, the folded arms dropping slightly.

He held the ring out towards her, the inner band visible to her.

She looked down at it. The engraving ran along the inside of the band in small, clean letters.

’Eternally Yours.’

She read it once. Then again, blinking at the sight.

"I made you a promise," Lukas said. "That you’d have a very hard time getting rid of me." He smiled. "Consider this the physical version of that promise."

Melody looked up at him. For a moment she didn’t say anything.

Then she held out her hand.

He slid the ring onto her finger. It adjusted immediately, the metal settling to a perfect fit. She looked at it on her hand, turning her wrist slightly in the light.

Then she stepped forward and kissed him.

It was not a brief kiss. It was the kind that made the room around them irrelevant, her hands coming up to his face, and his arms finding her waist.

Mr. Shelby cleared his throat.

They separated, both of them turning to find the old man regarding them with patient amusement from behind his counter.

Lukas recovered first. "Sorry."

"Not at all," Mr. Shelby said pleasantly. "Happens more than you’d think."

They paid for the rings and the engraving, said their goodbyes, and walked out into the street, Melody still turning the ring on her finger the whole way.

Lukas checked his money pouch, tallying what remained after the morning’s spending.

"We have around ten thousand coins left," he said.

Melody winced slightly. "We spent fast."

"We spent well," he corrected. "There’s a difference."

She considered that, then nodded. "Fair."

They made their way to a general goods store a few streets over, working through a short list.

They got themselves a small coal stove, compact enough to carry but functional for cooking on hunts.

Then they moved on to a pair of lighters, one for each of them, two pots of different sizes, a set of cooking utensils, a ladle, a knife, and a pair of tongs.

And of course, eating utensils for two.

At the last minute, he remembered to get them any available spices. There was no way he would be eating unspiced meat, even if they were stuck in a wilderness.

Lukas packed everything into his spatial ring as each item was purchased, watching the available space shrink with a smile on his face.

Now, they could enjoy a meal or two while hunting.

"How does it feel?" Melody asked, watching him.

"Like I should have gotten one of these weeks ago," he said.

She laughed. "I told you. Armor first, then ring. Perfect order."

He shook his head, smiling.

With the shopping done and their feet deserving of a rest, they stopped at a nearby restaurant for lunch, sliding into a corner table and picking up the menus.

The waiter arrived, a young man with a neat uniform and a small notepad. They gave their orders and handed back the menus, and he disappeared towards the kitchen.

Lukas looked around the restaurant while they waited. The decor was modest but warm, with wooden tables and lanterns hanging at even intervals.

"Are we going hunting this afternoon?" Melody asked.

Lukas thought about it, drumming his fingers lightly on the table. Then he shook his head. "As much as I’d like to, we need to replenish what we spent today first."

"You’re thinking about the [Medic]," she said.

"If we’d been short on coins that morning, you couldn’t have hired him." He met her eyes. "I don’t want us in that position again."

Melody nodded slowly. "Dungeons then."

"Dungeons," he confirmed. "I’ll solo a C-rank run. You find an A-rank crew, which shouldn’t take long. A-rank Awakeners without guilds are always looking for reliable swords."

"And we meet back here after?"

Lukas smiled. "We meet back home after."