How much time passed? Before the night got too deep, the king stepped back up to the platform. The speech to end the banquet was also short. The servants and chambermaids moved all the more busily, and the nobilities started to leave after thanking the king for his hospitality. The chaos of the banquet retreated calmly, like the dissipating of ripples.

The king whispered to the princess again.

“Ashite. Would you like to go back?”

The princess nodded. Now used to it, he held her hand. Yeref followed them.

When they left the banquet hall, the night air greeted them. They followed the garden path which was darkened by the night sky. The faint scent of flowers wafted past their cheeks. The two of them walked without speaking but the silence between them was not awkward.

Suddenly, a white-grey silhouette filled Yeref’s sight. It was the palace.

“Ashite.”

“Yes.”

The king suddenly stopped walking. The woman walking next to him turned around.

“Are you tired?”

Before she even had a chance to answer, the king leaned down and checked the woman’s expression. The princess smiled slightly.

“No. I am alright.”

“Then, would you like to go for a walk with me?”

They were deep into the night. His gentle voice was like the wind. As if drunk off of it, the woman nodded.

“Yes.”

She didn’t even ask for a reason. The king swept back her hair. Then he turned his gaze to a place behind her. Without a word, he tilted his head to the side.

“Ou Otoi Monvixo Le-Hoshuchoihre.”

They were now familiar words. Ashite turned around. There was nothing, as if it had always been that way.

Her purple hair flowed through his fingers like fine sand. Traces of its pink color stayed in his palm. The slowly blinking eyelids opened and revealed the golden eyes underneath them.

Lu Havre was staring serenely at her face and could easily tell what she was feeling. He wanted to immediately take her to his room this instant. But Lu Havre didn’t do that.

Instead, he wrapped his hands gently around hers. Ashite blinked her eyes rapidly. She trembled.

There was nothing she could do about the trembling. The warmth that was emanating from their touching hands was spreading to the rest of her body. The ends of her fingers were becoming sensitive. The night wind kept tickling her forehead. Her nose, cheeks, and neck were getting cold, but strangely the only sensation she could feel was warmth.

She walked alongside him, following his footsteps, but all her attention was focused on their touching hands. All the things around her seemed to be nothing but blurry shapes.

Is that why she kept feeling like this was all a dream?

All her senses seemed to be drowned in sleep but Ashite did not hate this feeling of floating. No, truthfully, she loved it. She loved it because of the one thing that was here with her.

Ashite lifted her head crookedly and looked over at the person next to her. The moonlight broke apart like powder and trickled down his hair, forehead, nose, and chin.

“Hmm?”

This voice again. The moonlight now looked electrifying. Suddenly, Ashite smiled widely. He was a curious being. All he did was glance at her for a second but he recognized it right away.

“No. It’s nothing.”

The delicate voice faded out. But Lu Havre heard her. He slightly nodded his head. The smile that rose to his face was hidden but Ashite recognized it.

The night was peaceful at the palace. Riding the gentle wind, the scent of colorful flowers wafted through the air. Thinking of the date, winter had already come but the flowers seemed to still think it was spring and looked as lively as ever. The flowers were not the only things blossoming fully. The floors were traced with the dark shadows of the night but the dancing lights floating atop them looked like a painting. On top of the black canvas were dots of yellow and white. The extravagantly decorated exterior was bathed in its firelight.

It was the first time that she had taken such a leisurely walk with anyone during such a late hour. It was the same for him, too. There was not a lot of back and forth happening, but the silence was comfortable like rest.

Both of them didn’t pay attention to the passing of time. They only realized that they were walking for a long time. Of course, neither felt that the walk was tiresome. Ashite was enjoying the dreamlike feeling. The hand held tightly in hers felt strong, warm, and soft. Her body and heart were both trembling a little and she liked the sensation. There was no way she didn’t like the electricity of it. And Lu Havre.

The wavering feelings were growing continuously at a surprising speed. With no end in sight, the roots grew out, the branches extended, and new leaves sprouted. To catch a little of the fully blooming flowers, she took in a deep breath of the cold air. After savoring it just a while longer, she exhaled.

The calm and warm peace. Her wavering and longing emotions. How long had they been walking inside her?

“Oh…”

Ashite exclaimed quietly. Under the extravagant lamp lights, she saw a temple. The first thing that caught her eye was the gold that popped through the darkness. She could only see the roof after leaning her head very far back. Long pillars which flowed down from the smooth rooftops to the bottom foundation were sculpted in detail.

Starting from the wide staircases to the entrance hall, there were several sculptures which lined across it, standing as if they were part of the building. Most of them were of dragons. They were white, yellow, red, and gold. Their extravagance was a sight to see. It was not the first time she had seen them, but they would have made anyone who saw them exclaim in awe.

Lu Havre laughed lightly at the truthful exclamation.

“Ashite. Will you wait here a moment?”

“Excuse me?”

“It will only be a moment.”

With that, he let go of her hand. She could sense every small movement of the slow separation of their hands. The lingering heat that it left felt surreal. Ashite blinked her eyes.

“Just a moment….”

In that instant, it was not the golden crown but the red eyes, the sharp nose, and the smooth chin that came into her view. Lu Havre kissed the top of Ashite’s forehead.

“…Hmm?”

“…Yes.”

It was like soothing a child. His lips touched the top of her forehead once more. As if becoming drunk off the slowly spreading warmth, Ashite blinked and nodded her head. Only then did Lu Havre start to walk again.

Ashite looked forlornly at the back of him. His footsteps were not heavy so the imprint they left was not deep. Instead, the red cloak floated behind him and left its mark. Ashite slowly blinked her eyes. Soon, the end of his cloak turned and he was gone.

Feeling drowsy, Ashite lightly yawned. She wiped away the slight wetness from her eyes with her fingers. Then she stared at the place where his cloak had disappeared. He was not a man to walk slowly but he had intentionally slowed his walk when he was walking beside her. Knowing that he was a person that showed such courtesy in the smallest of things, she knew she couldn’t just stand there waiting. There was definitely a reason for this sort of behavior.

But that didn’t mean that she was not curious. It was just that she felt so dazed that she couldn’t organize her thoughts well.

The light seemed to sparkle especially bright at that moment. The gold looked more extravagant. Standing still, Ashite seemed to be in a trance as she stared at the entrance door. The place closest to her had a statue. It was only a few steps away. To wake up her dazed mind, she slowly blinked twice.

Curiously, she was able to hear something very clearly. Footsteps. They were proper and steadfast. And now also very familiar. Ashite turned around.

The first thing to round the corner was shoes. Next were the neatly pressed pants, well-built upper body, and wide shoulders. Then there was a flower bouquet.

Ashite opened her eyes wide. Lu Havre was holding a flower bouquet. He seemed to absorb all the lights that were floating through the night. The man looked like he walked out of the moonlight. The moonlight broke apart and lit each and every flower blossom. His walk was neither slow nor fast. And now the man was standing in front of her.

For a moment, the world stopped. The faint sounds of critters, the gentle blowing of the wind, the glistening gold decorations — none of it was important. Every sense seemed to be coming awake but her surroundings faded. The only thing left in the world seemed to be her and that person.

Under the purple hair, she was able to clearly see the red eyes shining between the strands. He was very close. Lu Havre had on a slight smile. But to Ashite, it was not just a passing smile.

“My lovely Monte.”

It was not only the surrounding that was becoming blanketed by white. It felt like her head was drawing a blank as well. At that moment, Ashite thought up her next words with the little consciousness she had left. It was more exact to say that she drummed up a memory instinctively. Then, she was able to find an answer and at the same time, she repeated it out loud.

“We will forever remember this day—”

Forever, today. Her heart beat remarkably fast. Ashite lifted her hand and covered her trembling mouth like a reflex. The loud beating sound echoed in her ears.

“—and go forward into the promise of tomorrow.”

The gaze of his red eyes, his lovely lips, his voice, the flower bouquet, everything was knocking at Ashite’s heart. Its petals were falling fast within her. Her breathing became a bit short. Her legs trembled. They weren’t even touching hands, but heat was rising up within her from the ends of her feet.

“I promise it.”

His voice was like a soft feather landing on top of her head. Lu Havre tilted his head slightly and smiled. Ashite anticipated his next words.

“So, will you marry me?”

Will you marry me? Each word was filled with sincerity. His voice continuously repeated itself in her ear. Her eyes started watering. The moment she realized that, a tear fell down her cheek.

“My Monte.”

The clear drops plopped onto Ashite. Lu Havre took a step forward. He wiped away the tears falling onto her face with his fingers gently.

Ashite tried to calm her breathing. But her trembling did not cease easily. The scent from the flowers she was holding was arousing her senses. Mixed with the golden light of the moon, it was causing all her emotions to blossom.

These were the legendary words that Monvixo had said to his woman in history. He had read these words after he had managed to change his status and had taken Monterobis as his own. There was no way he would not know the meaning of these words.

But what was seen in books and what is experienced in reality were comparatively different. From the beginning, he had never expected that.

Ashite clumsily removed the hand from her lips. He stayed standing still. He did not rush her. But stayed quiet, smiling.

He was a person who warranted respect. Then and now, he had always been that kind of person. So Ashite replied in the way she had read about in her books. With a trembling breath, with all her heart, she confessed the feelings that had been bubbling inside of her.

“Of course. I, too, accept you. My Lovis.”

Lu Havre took a step closer.

As he did, he pulled out something from the middle of the flower bouquet. It was a gentle movement.

“Monte, your hand.”

It sounded like the chanting of a spell. <> Ashite raised up her hand as if in a trance. It was a small hand bathed in the light of the moon. Lu Havre gently grabbed that hand.

“Lu Havre…”

In a slightly tearing up voice, he smiled and placed the ring on her thin finger. Then, before she could even look down and examine the ring, he wiped away the tears across her red cheeks.

“Ashite. Thank you for accepting.”

<> But was a thank you enough for this situation? She needed to answer but she couldn’t speak. There were no words to describe her feelings. For some time, her heart had been beating wildly and her feelings were riding a wave up and down but how could the human language be so limited in its way to describe these feelings? She was afraid that if she was to pass this moment with a simple phrase, it would dissipate like a dream.

So instead of answering, Ashite placed her finger next to the ring. The dried flower petals crunched. Montena was a wild flower that was specially grown only in the palace. And so it had special characteristics. Even its dried flower petals retained their scent. Though muted by darkness, its colors still showed brightly.

Lu Havre looked at Ashite touching the ring for a moment then leaned down and met her eyes.

“Would you like to see it now?”

They were already doing it now. Ashite, with trembling hands, slowly peeled away the flower petals that were wrapped around the ring. Piles of petals filled her small hands. The ring that had looked white was now showing its true color.

The color of gold appeared. Atop the thin gold band sat a clear gem that reflected the light. She couldn’t even manage to gasp in exclamation. Small rubies surrounded the finely cut diamond at its center. Ashite took turns looking at the ring on her finger once, then up at Lu Havre. Her long lashes swept downwards then upwards again.

Lu Havre saw the tears welling up in those golden eyes of hers.

“Do you like it?”

“Oh… It is so beauti—. Oh…”

She couldn’t finish her sentence. When she closed her lips together, another tear fell from her eye. Lu Havre hugged her immediately. Ashite closed her eyes in an attempt to stop her crying. His strong embrace was warm. Ashite’s shoulders trembled slightly several times. Lu Havre brushed back her soft hair and patted her shoulders gently a few times.

Her trembling breath calmed down. It was due to the person who was holding her close right now. Ashite, feeling drawn to him, lifted her head. She could now say that she was alright.

But she saw a stain upon the neatly pressed shirt that didn’t belong there. Ashite reflexively placed her hand there. Before she could feel the slight wetness and warmth of the place where her hand landed, she said, “Oh, Lu Havre.”

Lu Havre immediately took a step back.

“I could―”

“Ashite. Are you alright?” he asked casually. Ashite blinked rapidly. The cloudy water no longer existed.

“…Yes.”

Lu Havre had on a smile that looked almost like a sigh. Then he handed her the bouquet.

He hadn’t said anything but Ashite received the bouquet from him. She embraced it. Still, her logic denied it. So, Ashite again drooped her head. The colors of the flowers filled her senses. Under the soft moonlight, the white flowers in its center glowed as the green buds popped out from place to place. Seductive red like rubies and yellows as sweet as honey filled the remaining spaces between.

Once Ashite breathed in the lively scent of flowers, she decided. Squeezing her hand full of petals, she would give him his present today. The excuses she had formed that her gift would look shabby in comparison to the other luxurious and shining gifts he received, or that she wouldn’t give it to him, or that she would give it to him tomorrow or the day after were all useless.

<>

She knew that there was no way she could ever repay him back for all he had done for her. But perhaps he would like it, even a little.

“Thank you.”

She held the voluptuous bouquet of light colored flowers in her embrace as her face blushed. He nodded at her. Then he stuck out his dark hand casually.

“I will carry the bouquet for a moment.”

She blinked slowly as if confused and so Lu Havre pointed to her hand.

“Since your hands are full.”

The dried flowers crunched in her hands. Lu Havre took the vast bouquet from her and held it in one of his large hands. Then he again put out his hand. This time, calmly and gently.

Ashite held tightly onto his hand without hesitating.

“Let’s go back.”

“Yes. Lu Havre.”