💫

 

Reukis kept glancing to one side throughout the meal.

 

There, a cluster of gift boxes of various sizes sat piled up.

 

Merria stubbornly finished her dessert before declaring the meal over.

 

“Now, it’s time for the long-awaited gift presentation.”

 

Merria guided Reukis to sit beside the pile of gifts and pointed at them with both hands.

 

“Which one would you like to open first?”

 

“I’ll choose that one.”

 

Reukis picked the wooden box her fingertip was touching.

 

Merria handed him the gift and added, “That’s an excellent choice.”

 

She shrugged confidently, as if proud of her gift.

 

With an excited heart, Reukis untied the ribbon while Merria stood closely beside him.

 

Even though she had prepared the gift herself, the thrill of the unboxing moment was always delightful.

 

As he opened the sturdy wooden latch, the contents inside came into view.

 

“It’s a snow globe,” Merria said, resting a hand on his shoulder.

 

Reukis carefully lifted the snow globe with delicate hands.

 

Beneath the finely scattered glitter, two dolls sat side by side, holding hands—one with black hair, the other painted platinum.

 

“Can you tell who they are?” Merria asked, her voice laced with amusement.

Reukis gave a small nod and pointed at one of the dolls.

 

“Merria and…”

 

His fingertip slid smoothly to the side.

 

“Me.”

 

“Super cute, right?”

 

Merria chattered excitedly, explaining that she had designed it herself.

 

“If you wind it up, it plays music too.”

 

She reached over and turned the key, and a clear melody began to play.

 

It was the song from the day they had first danced together. Reukis cradled the snow globe in both hands and smiled softly.

 

“What’s next?”

 

Merria, who had already wandered back to the gifts, tilted her head and asked.

 

He picked another box.

 

Merria continued explaining each new gift one by one.

Against the backdrop of music box melodies, the long and elaborate gift-giving ceremony continued.

“Now, only two remain.”

 

At Merria’s words, Reukis glanced around his surroundings.

A coat, a brooch, cufflinks, gloves, a tie pin, shoes made of soft calfskin, a sword ornament, exotic spices, vintage wine, chocolates, and even a snow globe—

All sorts of items, varying in type and size, stood lined up in a row.

It was astonishing that there were still gifts left to be unveiled.

 

“These two are a set.”

“A set?”

“Actually, this one should have been given yesterday.”

 

Merria’s voice softened slightly as she handed over a small box.

Reukis looked back and forth between her and the gift with puzzled eyes.

Without a word, Merria placed the box securely in his hands.

 

He immediately untied the ribbon and lifted the lid.

“A… rose?”

 

Inside the small box lay a single, lush red rose in full bloom.

Reukis gently stroked the petals before noticing a ribbon tied to the stem.

The glossy silk ribbon shimmered in a vivid gold, much like the hue of his own eyes.

And in that moment, he instantly understood the meaning behind this gift.

 

Slowly lifting his gaze, Reukis met Merria’s crimson eyes.

“Though you stole the opportunity and made me the latecomer—”

 

Merria grinned, picking up the rose.

“Your Grace, Reukis Frederick. Will you be my partner for life?”

 

As Merria extended the rose with both hands, Reukis’ lips parted in surprise.

The corners of his flushed eyes twitched faintly.

“Of course.”

 

Reukis smiled warmly and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“I would gladly do the same in the next life as well.”

 

Wrapped in her warmth, the tension in Reukis’ expression melted away. He settled Merria onto his lap and pressed a series of light kisses upon her.

 

Merria, who had burst into giggles from the tickling, ended up hiding completely in his embrace.

As Merria squirmed, Reukis smiled faintly and gently stroked her hair.

“Give me the ribbon.”

Still hiding her face, she stretched out her hand and waved it around playfully.

With practiced ease, Reukis untied the ribbon fastened around the rose.

Only after placing the ribbon in Merria’s hand did she finally lift her head.

“Ta-da!”

She quickly tied the ribbon around Reukis’ wrist.

“Can I open that one too?”

Reukis pointed to a slightly messily wrapped package, different from the other gifts, and asked.

“Of course.”

Merria nodded readily.

The ribbon came loose with just a touch, and as the wrapping paper fell away, it revealed a Blue Roan frame she had bought herself earlier that day.

“I couldn’t find a real Blue Roan, but this is the next best thing, I suppose.”

Reukis blinked rapidly.

“I thought this would be the perfect place to display our marriage vows,” Merria murmured, running her fingers over the Blue Roan decoration.

‘I had no idea he’d beat me to the proposal.’

But in the end, wasn’t it the fact that they both felt the same that truly mattered?

The marriage vow certificate, obtained with Themis’ permission, already bore Merria’s name and the Rackester family seal.

An incomplete vow certificate, with the groom’s name left blank, was the final gift she had prepared.

 

💫

 

Surprisingly, the reason Merria decided to marry him was rather simple.

It happened around the time winter was approaching.

After spending sweet moments in Ariene, they were walking along their usual lakeside path when, suddenly, their eyes met as she turned her head.

On any other day, she might have admired Reukis’ beauty or simply averted her gaze.

But that day, she found herself captivated by her own reflection in his eyes.

The image of herself smiling so happily—so unlike how she usually saw herself—was seared into her mind.

That was all it took.

 

But she felt an equally strong conviction.

A person who made her happy just by being together.

To her, Reukis was that kind of person.

Merria simply didn’t want to let go of someone she might only meet once in her lifetime.

That’s why she didn’t hesitate to act. It was also the reason she went to Themis’ office after dinner with her family.

After all, there was someone she needed to tell about this decision first.

 

Though marriages opposed by the family head weren’t unheard of, a marriage certificate without the head’s seal was considered half-hearted—almost like an unspoken declaration of turning one’s back on their own family.

She didn’t want a half-hearted marriage, either.

But more importantly, Merria deeply loved her family. If she was going to promise her life to Reukis, she wanted it to be with the blessings of her parents and Serinia.

 

“Father, I…”

“Did you break up, or is it the opposite?”

Themis, sitting on the sofa and idly shuffling through documents, murmured quietly.

Merria looked at him in surprise.

 

Noticing her wide-eyed expression, Themis gave a small smirk.

“You still don’t seem interested in competing with Serinia, and though you occasionally cause trouble, you’ve never gotten into serious trouble—so it’s not gambling or drugs. You’ve never begged for more allowance either, so it can’t be that…”

“…?”

“What other reason would a grown daughter have to visit her father at this hour?”

At Themis’ teasing, Merria relaxed her stiff shoulders and nodded.

“You guessed it exactly.”

“Judging by your expression, it’s the latter.”

Themis quietly set down the stack of papers in his hand.

Then, he looked straight into Merria’s eyes.

“I want to marry him.”

“…”

“I know what you’re worried about. But—”

“Go ahead.”

 

Merria, who had been about to add a lengthy explanation, closed her mouth. She blinked rapidly and stared at Themis.

It felt like something he would never say had just come out of his mouth.

 

“Huh?”

“I said I’d be fine with getting married.”

“Really?”

 

Merria clasped her hands together and smiled brightly.

Then, she quickly pulled out a document envelope she had hidden behind her back.

“I’m so happy. Honestly, I was really worried about this. Whew…”

 

Merria let out a deep breath as she smoothed her chest.

Themis, who had been silently staring at the marriage contract she had prepared, stood up and walked over to the desk.

 

Thud—

 

Without hesitation, he stamped the Rackester family seal and swiftly signed his name with a flourish of his fountain pen.

 

💫

 

Two weeks flew by in an instant.

 

After enjoying a delightful vacation with Merria, Reukis returned to the capital. Before he could even savor the lingering joy, he had to report back to the imperial palace.

 

In front of the Rackester mansion, where she had come to see him off, Reukis lingered for a long time, hesitating to leave.

Only after Merria closed the carriage door herself was he finally able to depart.

 

Alone now, Reukis spent the entire journey to the palace replaying the still-vivid memories in his mind.

Every single day she had gifted him truly felt like a dream.

If it really were a dream, he wouldn’t have minded never waking up—it had been that blissful.

 

‘I might have even prayed for it to become reality.’

 

Merria seemed to think he was against making wishes, but that wasn’t the case.

It was simply because, with her by his side, he had nothing left to wish for.

Had Merria left, he would have been prepared to kneel before every god in this world and beg. But now, even such imaginings were pointless.

Merria had declared with her own lips that she would stay by his side for the rest of their lives.

 

Finally, the carriage came to a stop.

 

After first reporting his return to the Emperor, he immediately turned his steps elsewhere.

Soon, he arrived before a large door.

 

Reukis raised his hand and knocked twice on the door.

“Who is it?”

At the question demanding his identity, Reukis answered simply.

“It’s Frederick.”

 

The faint noises from inside came to an abrupt halt.

Reukis waited silently until the occupant granted him permission to enter.

“Come in.”

Themis’s aide opened the door and spoke.

 

In the meantime, as if having received instructions, the others who had been working in the office began to make their way out.

Reukis took a small breath in the now-empty office. His grip tightened slightly on the blue-roen framed picture he was holding.

 

“You’ve arrived.”

Themis rose from his seat and greeted him.

His demeanor was relaxed, as if he had known Reukis would come.

When Themis gestured for him to take a seat, Reukis gave a short nod.

 

A heavy silence settled between the two as they sat facing each other on the couches in the center of the office.

“Merria gave this to me.”

“…”

Reukis held out the blue-roen frame he had carefully brought with him.

Themis only took a sip of his now-cold black tea in response.

 

“So, you’ve given your permission for the marriage?”

Finally, Reukis cut straight to the point.