“Even though we got married, I never proposed to you as myself, as Luke. So I want to do at least that again.”

This was something Luke had been regretting all along. His wish to reveal himself and propose to her could now be fulfilled here.

“Yvonne. I will love you for life and make you happy. Will you love me like that?”

Until now, he hadn’t been certain who her love was directed toward. Now he wanted to see her love directed solely at him. His great possessiveness was activating.

“I already love you.”

Ah. It was so moving. Though he knew of her love, he wanted to hear those words directly as Luke.

“Yvonne.”

He gently kissed the back of her hand. Then he took something out of his pocket and held it out to her. Ah……

“Will you marry me?”

Tears began to well up in her eyes again. This was… a ring. A large sapphire surrounded by diamonds was shining brilliantly.

“This is a family heirloom of the Clift ducal family. It’s the ring that the heir gives to his bride when proposing. Will you accept it?”

Yvonne couldn’t speak and just nodded. She would have accepted his proposal without this. No one could match his delicacy and thoughtfulness in preparing such a ring.

Luke placed that splendid and elegant ring on her finger.

Ah. Now his wish was fulfilled.

He kissed her ringed hand once more. The sight was so reverent and solemn that it could only be seen in a cathedral.

“My wife. My love.”

That whisper made her heart tremble with happiness. She rushed to him and pressed her lips to his. She thought she would die wanting to kiss him.

Finally, the lips of the two who had endured such difficult and painful times met. Now their lips, joined with complete love for each other without anything hidden, burned passionately.

Yvonne……

Honey……

The voices calling each other from their hearts could be heard clearly. They could know exactly how much they loved each other.

Now only happiness would unfold on the path ahead of them. They would walk like this, as one body, holding hands tightly.

They were destined to be a couple from the beginning. Though they had walked a difficult path, they were destined to meet like this in the end. It was a fate determined from birth that no one could prevent.

They would cherish this love.

They would be happier.

Luke and Yvonne now began to possess each other without any obstacles.

The clouds cleared from the sky that had been dark. Then the stars that had been hidden by those clouds revealed themselves. Like embroidered jewels, countless stars emitted their light fully for the happiness of the two. That sparkle was so dazzling.

* * *

“Honey. There was a dandelion and my hair preserved between your books.”

In their dreamlike life that they had found again, Yvonne and Luke gradually regained stability. Perhaps because it was happiness they thought they had lost but found again, the two were even more devoted to each other.

While resting comfortably in the study, Yvonne, nestled in his arms, asked.

She seemed curious about that.

“That was when you were 18 years old.”

Luke answered with a smile.

It was when he visited the Count’s mansion to give advice to Count Heywood. While working in the study, he heard the sound of cheerful laughter from outside the window.

Glancing over, he saw the adorable 8-year-old Emil and Yvonne playing in the garden. Her dazzling blonde hair swayed like a dance behind her back. It was blinding. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Since the previous year, Yvonne had suddenly begun to exude a mature feeling. Before that, she had looked like a wildflower girl, but now she was gradually becoming a lady. Whenever he saw her, he had to be on edge lest someone notice his heart inexplicably starting to beat faster.

Today was a feast for his eyes. Because he could see her for a long time. During his last visit, unfortunately, she had been playing with Emil in the second-floor playroom, so he had to leave without seeing her.

He didn’t know exactly when Yvonne had entered his heart like this. “Seeped in” would be the right expression.

He used to smile contentedly as he watched her change from a cute child with jewel-like eyes into a pure girl, but before he knew it, she had dug deeper and deeper into his heart.

The night before he was scheduled to visit the Count’s mansion, he often couldn’t sleep well. Sometimes he would lie awake with excitement.

So a day like this, when he could see her for so long, was a lucky day that came only occasionally. Why did work end so quickly on days like this?

After greeting the Count, he left the study.

Would she still be in the garden? Could he see Yvonne once more before boarding the carriage? He was so absorbed in that thought that he didn’t notice someone running to the entrance.

Thud.

Reflexively, he firmly grabbed the arm of the person who had collided with him.

Ah……

It was Yvonne. My goodness.

His hand was firmly holding her arm. Suddenly, his hand cramped.

He had never been this close to her. Her face was right in front of him. He just stood there stupidly, unable to escape from her violet eyes that were shining more beautifully.

Had he been this infatuated with Yvonne? His throat was so tight that he couldn’t say a word and just stared blankly at her.

Something that had been precariously hanging on her head slowly fell to the floor.

“I’m… sorry, Sir Luke.”

Her voice brought him back to his senses.

“Are you… hurt anywhere?”

His first concern was whether her delicate body, which had collided with his rigid one, was injured somewhere.

“No. I’m fine. Then……”

She sent some kind of signal with her eyes. For a moment, he didn’t realize what it was.

Ah.

It was a gesture asking him to release her arm. He quickly let go of her arm and stepped back.

“I thought he was here……”

Muttering softly, Yvonne began to look around.

“Eve. I’m here.”

Emil’s voice was heard from outside. Yvonne ran out quickly, seeing Emil who started to run away with another cheerful laugh.

It was as if a spring breeze had passed by. Though she was no longer by his side, her warmth still remained close.

After standing blankly for a moment, Luke slowly moved his feet again. Then he stopped abruptly.

He found something at his feet. Ah. It was what had fallen from her head earlier.

Without hesitation, he bent down and picked it up.

It was a flower.

A dandelion.

This was the moment when this dandelion, which could be seen commonly anywhere, suddenly became the most precious flower.

He carefully put that flower in his coat pocket and returned to the Duke’s mansion. A smile remained on his lips. Today was truly a good day.

He went to the study, took out his favorite book, and neatly placed the dandelion flower between its pages. He was inexplicably happy. He could still feel her.

He lifted his hand that had held her arm and gently placed it on the shoulder that had collided with her. His heart began to beat rapidly as if he had returned to that moment. This feeling was so good. But…

As he was about to remove his hand from his shoulder, something caught his eye. It was a thin strand of hair. His hand, carefully picking it up, began to tremble again.

It was her dazzling golden hair. To receive not one but two gifts…

It must have gotten on his shoulder when she collided with him. It was a luckier day than he had thought.

He also neatly preserved that hair between the pages of the book. Along with the dandelion flower. He would look strange doing this. Who would know about this? It was his own happiness.

So every day, he would look at it and think of her. He missed her.

“That’s how it happened.”

After finishing his explanation, Yvonne’s expression became a mixture of emotion and poignancy.

“I had no idea. That you liked me since that time.”

Luke embraced and comforted her again. He didn’t want to go back to that time. Just thinking about it made his flesh tremble. After Yvonne got engaged, he almost broke down in front of that purple and golden flower field he discovered while traveling abroad in the Alpen Kingdom. She followed him wherever he went. It was miserable trying to hide his affection for his brother’s fiancée whom he couldn’t have.

“Now you know.”

Yvonne gently stroked his face.

“What matters to us is the future.”

Nodding, Yvonne softly closed her eyes. Entranced by her slightly trembling eyelashes, Luke was once again opening the gates of heaven.

Through their overlapping lips, infinite love for each other began to overflow.

Today too, the love between the two was heating up fiercely, showing no signs of cooling. The love between Yvonne and Luke was so beautiful that there couldn’t be a happier couple.

Unchangingly.

Consistently.

It would be beautiful forever.

The End.