The violet eyes folded gently, sparkling with innocence.

In his consciousness, Victor wrinkled his nose bridge.

‘That child was Eve?’

This was before he had met Princess Melissa.

A time when he didn’t even know of Melissa Gion’s existence.

‘Even so, how could I not have remembered until now?’

While Victor was blaming himself, the scene changed from young Eve receiving the cucumber sandwich to evening.

The nobles began taking down the tents and leaving, and little Victor was about to do the same.

At that moment, little Eve appeared in the village square, which most nobles had already left.

The child’s face was swollen, and she looked like she might collapse at any moment.

“Help… me. Can’t… breathe.”

Though her face was swollen, she was recognizable by her hair color and clothes.

‘That child is Eve, it’s Eve!’

Victor suddenly remembered what Eve had said during his meeting with Former Queen Isabella, that she had nearly died after eating cucumber sandwiches made by a chef when she was a child.

His heart aching, Victor unconsciously bit his lip.

In the memory, Eve collapsed in front of the nobles while asking for help.

“Get away! How filthy!”

But the nobles callously avoided her and got into their carriages.

In the end, no one helped Eve.

Little Victor, who had been watching the entire scene from the carriage, quietly called for Edmond.

Edmond was looking at the child with sympathetic eyes.

“Edmond, your palm.”

“…Yes? Yes.”

Victor tore three gold buttons from his collar with his small hand and placed them in Edmond’s hand.

“This is your overtime pay. Go make a house call.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Give one to that girl, and keep two for yourself. And I don’t know anything about this.”

“Let’s go together.”

“Why bother? It’s troublesome.”

Edmond said with emotion:

“As expected, Your Grace has a warm heart.”

“Is that praise or an insult? Go quickly. It’s disgusting.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

As he was self-deprecating for not recognizing Eve and watching the receding figure of young Eve, the memory ended.

Gradually, everything around him began to be painted black.

As the memory faded white and disappeared into darkness, Victor was left alone in a black space.

His consciousness was trying to sink to the bottom.

‘Will Eve be there when I open my eyes? No, I can go see Eve. But why are my eyelids so heavy?’

Even though she must hate and dislike him, Eve had called out to him until the end.

And she had smiled for him.

In his fading consciousness, the most beautiful and heart-stirring smile in this universe flickered.

‘I miss you, Eve.’

‘I need to open my eyes quickly, d*mn it. Did I rely too much on my physical strength? Foolishly, I wasn’t careful enough with my body.’

‘Am I dying?’

Perhaps when one is about to die, the brain retrieves the last forgotten memory.

‘No. I have to stay by Eve’s side. Only then can I love her. I want to erase the wounds I gave her.’

“Victor!”

It was then.

A clear voice echoed through the black space.

“Victor, wake up.”

‘Eve?’

“Thank you for saving me.”

Eve’s longed-for voice reached him faintly.

‘Where are you?’

“So don’t die. You have to be by my side!”

‘It is Eve. Her voice is knocking on my consciousness, but it’s so difficult to open my eyes.’

“We have to raise our Monette together. You said you love me, didn’t you?”

‘At least Eve is worried about me.’

‘I love you.’

‘But I can’t get out.’

‘I’m trapped under heavy consciousness.’

“I’ll forgive you.”

‘What?’

The sinking consciousness raised its head.

Light rays like heat haze began to pour into the consciousness that had been devoid of light.

“I love you.”

And the surroundings that had been devoured by darkness began to be dyed with light.

“I love you, Victor.”

Victor opened his eyes.

Before his eyes was Eve, pale with a red nose and tear-stained face.

“Victor!”

Eve called his name desperately with a sob and embraced the neck of the man lying down.

Victor barely moved his lips to call her.

“E… ve.”

Victor exhaled, feeling her warm presence.

‘I’m alive.’

“Your Highness.”

Edmond was also in front of the bed.

Monica Olivier was with him.

The two nodded at Victor, who was looking up at them, and left the room.

Victor, watching Edmond and Monica close the door and leave, turned his head to meet the eyes of the woman he had missed.

Looking at the woman’s face with a red nose from crying so much, Victor felt relieved.

To see her again, how grateful and joyful it was.

His heart swelling, Victor barely held back the tightness in his nose.

He wanted to confess.

It didn’t matter whether her confession, which he had heard beyond consciousness, was real or not.

“Eve…”

“Let me go first.”

Eve, who had been embracing his neck, pulled away.

Eve smiled and clearly confessed:

“I love you, Victor.”

“…!”

His golden eyes widened in surprise.

Stuttering, Victor asked:

“The voice I heard in my consciousness… was it really Your Highness?”

“…Yes. I love you sincerely.”

The brightest and most beautiful smile in the world pierced deep into Victor’s heart.

“I heard from Edmond. About New Hampshire-“

“I know.”

“You remember?”

“Yes, Your Highness. I’m sorry for recognizing you so late.”

“No. It’s not like that.”

Eve grabbed his hand and shook her head vigorously.

She was so grateful to this person who had saved her and saved her mother.

“And I’m sorry for not realizing earlier and for hurting you.”

“Victor, I forgive you. No, let’s start over from the beginning. I don’t like tragedy. Let’s end with a happy ending.”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

The soft gaze burns brightly like the sun.

Victor’s gaze became intimate.

“Will you kiss me?”

Eve nodded slightly and slowly placed her lips on Victor’s.

Hot breaths sweetly warmed each other, and large fingers and slender fingers intertwined tightly. Like someone who had been thirsty for days, the red thing that embraced each other to the deepest roots, the lips, separated.

Haa. Victor’s low flowing voice wrapped around Eve’s ear.

Looking at her reddening face, he said:

“I love you, Eve.”

It was a very quiet voice.

Announcing the end of the final act and the beginning of a new one.

* * *

One year later.

Eve, dressed in a splendid floral summer dress resembling the emerald sea, sat on a beach mat with her bare feet stretched out.

The refreshing sound of waves was pleasant to hear. Hessen’s sea breeze, full of freshness and saltiness, caressed her platinum blonde hair.

Eve smiled brightly as she tucked her ticklish hair behind her ear.

“Eve!”

“Mama!”

Victor and Monette, both with pairs of golden eyes, waved from the beach.

The father and daughter were sitting on the sand, building a sand castle.

Eve’s lips naturally curved into a smile as she sat on the beach mat, watching her husband and child.

The father and daughter who looked exactly alike appeared like friends.

The little lady in a red checkered dress bustled around the sand castle with a blue toy bucket. Her tiny hands were busy collecting shells and putting them in the blue bucket.

“Papa. This.”

Monette poured out the bucket filled with colorful shells onto the ground and squatted in front of her father, who was building a three-story sand castle.

“Our princess. You found so many.”

“Yes. This. Decorate.”

“Alright. Let me show off my skills.”

Victor selected shells and decorated the sand castle.

But Monette frowned her eyes, which were the same color as Victor’s.

“No.”

Victor’s eyes also narrowed like Monette’s.

“Hmm?”

Victor asked. Monette picked up a red shell and placed it on her father’s black hair.

“Pretty.”

“Is this for me to wear?”

“Yes, yes.”

Monette vigorously nodded her small head up and down.

“Hahaha!”

Eve, watching from a distance, placed her hands on her stomach and laughed.

She laughed so hard that her uvula showed, and even shed a few tears.

Hearing the laughter, Victor and Monette simultaneously looked toward Eve.

The father and daughter, meeting her eyes, stopped what they were doing and ran to the mat.

Eve was happy watching the large man carrying the small child and running toward her.

‘They’re so lovable.’

She never thought she would be able to laugh so honestly.

Due to her tumultuous life, Eve had always lived by acting.

On stage, she could create emotions of sadness, despair, joy, and happiness within herself.

Because on stage, there were lovers, good fathers, and good friends.

That’s why she could forget the gutter of reality.

But life off the stage was always hell.

Now, however, Eve’s life was filled with genuine happiness and joy.

She had people she loved by her side.

Before she knew it, Victor, holding Monette in his arms, sat beside her with curious, sparkling eyes.

“What’s so amusing?”

“Amusing?”

Monette, still clumsy with words, awkwardly mimicked the end of Victor’s sentence.

While combing Monette’s small platinum blonde hair with her fingers, Eve said:

“Because I’m happy.”

“Happy?”

This time, Monette repeated her mother’s words exactly.

“Yes, because Daddy and our princess are by my side, I’m happy.”

Victor gently folded his eyes and placed his arm on her white shoulder.

Looking into his eyes, Eve asked:

“Will you be alright? You could go back to being Mikhail.”

“Why would I do that?”

Without a second of hesitation, Victor shook his head and said:

“We have Kay, Your Highness.”

After Victor came out of the operating room, Former Queen Isabella, who had returned to Aria, expressed through King Herod her intention to restore Victor’s ducal status, which had been revoked due to identity forgery.

Since Eve Saint’s identity was originally that of Hessen’s legitimate Princess, it had become ambiguous to charge him with identity forgery in practical terms.

However, since Victor had indeed illegally forged documents, she offered to restore his ducal status rather than his royal status.

But Victor rejected the royal offer and did not return to Aria.

He said he would pay for his crimes in his generation.

“Victor.”

Eve met the eyes of the man looking at her.

In his golden eyes, there was not a trace of regret or resentment.

Only a loving gaze filled with certainty.

“With Kay’s help, our Monette, as the only bloodline, will inherit the name of Mikhail.”

“You really need to be good to Duke Kay.”

“I know, Your Highness. Since he’s been registered in the Mikhail family, I’ll give him a large estate.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s necessary. It makes me feel less guilty toward Kay. Like a father, I must pay for my crimes.”

“Tell me. Isn’t it because you want to be by my side?”

When Eve asked playfully, Victor looked straight at her and said:

“That’s right.”

Monette slipped out of his arms and ran off somewhere.

At the edge of the beach, King Peter and Queen Clara spotted Monette and opened their arms.

The two people’s gazes, watching their daughter being embraced by them, returned to each other.

“Oh my.” Eve suddenly slumped her shoulders.

“What’s wrong, Your Highness?”

“Don’t call me ‘Your Highness’ when we’re alone.”

Victor’s eyes looking at Eve deepened.

“Shall I?”

Suddenly, he lifted Eve, who was sitting, into his arms and stood up.

“Eek!”

He held Eve, who was screaming and stamping her feet, even closer.

Victor smiled sweetly and said:

“Being the royal consort is enough for me. Because you are my eternal queen.”

“Victor.”

Eve’s heart fluttered, and her face turned pink.

Victor, with a flushed face, asked her:

“How do you feel about experiencing the new act of life?”

“Excellent reviews.”

“Fortunately, you’re very satisfied.”

The gazes of the two intertwined deeply.

“Then, my future Queen, shall we go meet the waves?”

“Yes!”

Victor changed his posture and held her properly.

With her long, white legs wrapped around his firm waist, Eve clung to him.

Soon, the man’s sweet and intense kisses poured onto Eve’s lips.

The deep kisses continued until the sound of waves became distant, and the King and Queen, who had been running toward the two with Monette, turned around and began heading back toward the castle.

“Here we go.”

“Ahhh!”

Victor ran as if flying toward the emerald sea. The sound of Eve’s joyful screams in his arms was washed away by the beach waves.

The story that will unfold before these two people’s lives will never be sad or painful.

Because it will be a stage of love embroidered with truth and sincerity, not lies and acting.

Eve’s life with Victor from now on will be remembered as a brilliant and joyful work.

For no one else but themselves.

~~End of the Main Story~~