Bella stared at the hand held out in front of her.

The gesture was casual and almost effortless. Yet it revealed just how much the distance between them had narrowed over the past few days.

Was it really all right to take his hand?

Perhaps it was because of her conversation with Joshua, but she could not bring herself to step forward. From the moment she had boarded the boat, she had felt as though she was crossing a line that she had always sworn to protect.

Once it was crossed, there would be no turning back.

“What are you doing? Hurry and take it.”

Seeing her hesitate, Logan clenched his fists in frustration. Despite his urging, Bella did not move.

A thought suddenly occurred to her.

Should she tell him that she couldn’t go any further? Should she turn back now and make it clear that this was as far as it should go? She could leave it as nothing more than a pleasant memory of the festival and return to the hotel.

It was not too late.

If she made her decision now, she could act as though nothing had happened until the day she left the capital.

“Bella.”

However, she could not ignore the name he had given her.

All her resolve seemed foolish. Whenever she was in his presence, her heart weakened against her will.

After taking a quiet breath, she reached out and carefully took his hand. The warmth of his skin against her cold fingers made her even more anxious.

“Ah!”

As she tried to step onto the boat, her body rigid as a wooden puppet, the sole of her shoe slipped on the wet surface.

Her body lurched. For a moment, she lost her balance entirely.

Bella squeezed her eyes shut, certain that she was about to fall into the water. Instead, however, she was pulled forward by a firm force and found herself pressed against a solid chest. An arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her in safely.

“Getting scared already?”

He teased her for panicking too soon, mocking her tone. Yet the tension in his arm as he held her was unmistakable.

“Th-thank you.”

Flustered, Bella quickly took a step back, putting some distance between them. Logan watched her retreat, a faint, knowing smile curving his lips as he did so. Then he gently guided her to a dry place to sit.

Once everything was in place, the boat pushed off and began to glide slowly towards the center of the river.

Sitting at the bow, Bella looked over her shoulder at the shoreline and watched its lights gradually recede into the distance. The water parted against the hull with a crisp, cooling sound and the night air, rich with the scent of the river, brushed softly against her face.

As her hair fluttered in the breeze, the tangled thoughts crowding her mind seemed to loosen for a moment.

Bella quietly closed her eyes.

Since her conversation with Joshua, the weight on her heart felt, if only for a moment, a little lighter.

“Aren’t you cold?”

Logan, who had been inside the cabin, stepped out and approached Bella.

“Yes. It’s a little chilly, but I’m fine.”

Without saying a word, he took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Then, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, he sat down beside her.

They sat facing the same direction in silence.

The quiet stretched between them, but it was not awkward. It felt as though they had been sitting like this for years, sharing the same stillness.

“Do you know what the most famous part of the Founding Festival is?”

“No.”

Bella shook her head. The most famous? She replayed the day she had spent with Joshua, carefully recalling everything they had seen, but still could not guess the answer.

By then, the boat had reached the middle of the river and stopped gently.

As if offering a reply on Joshua’s behalf, the city’s lights began to extinguish one by one. The capital was gradually swallowed by darkness.

Then—

— a streak of fire ripped through the night sky.

A red explosion lit up the sky above them, scattering golden sparks that shimmered across the river’s surface.

This was the first firework, marking the start of the nation’s founding celebrations.

More flares followed, soaring upwards one after another. Each one blossomed brilliantly before breaking apart into radiant fragments that showered the darkness with light.

“…It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

Bella murmured softly and tilted her head back to gaze at the sky.

This was her first time seeing fireworks. They were far more magnificent and breathtaking than she had ever imagined.

Brilliant colors washed over her face one after another. Yet while the dazzling lights erupted overhead, Logan was not watching the sky.

He was watching Bella.

Each time bursts of light and shadow flickered across her red dress, her expression changed ever so slightly, showing wonder, anticipation, and even a hint of fear. Every emotion she felt was plainly visible on her face.

Bella was someone who always claimed to be fine and was quick to conceal her true feelings.

That was why this moment meant so much to him.

“Bella.”

Logan called her name softly.

“Your Grace.”

At the same time, her voice overlapped with his.

Their eyes met.

Logan waited quietly, as though urging her to speak first.

“There’s… something I want to ask.”

Bella hesitated before finally gathering the courage to continue. If not tonight, she felt she would never be able to ask—not until the day she left the capital.

“What am I to you?”

Even as she spoke, her heart was beating wildly. They seemed to drown out the sound of the fireworks exploding overhead. She pressed her lips together, trying to steady herself.

Asking this question was both a search for confirmation and a quiet act of resolve.

No matter what answer he gave, she knew she would never be able to go back to how things had been before tonight.

Logan did not respond at once.

He, too, appeared to need time to gather his thoughts on something he had long carried with him.

His gaze drifted to the night sky.

Another firework burst above the river, its light scattering across the darkness a heartbeat later.

He watched the brilliance flare and fade in an instant before finally opening his mouth to speak.

“At first, I thought you were someone who resembled her enough to mistake the two.”

His voice was calm.

“The woman I could never forget.”

Bella swallowed without realizing it, focusing on every word.

She had imagined this answer countless times. She had prepared herself for it.

But hearing it directly was different.

Her teeth pressed into her lower lip. It felt as though her chest had been scratched by something sharp.

“That’s why my eyes kept following you. I wanted to keep you close and confirm it for myself. That was the reason I first became interested in you.”

Logan turned to look at her.

Even in the darkness, his blue eyes were clear and steady as they held her within them.

“But after you left for Netherwell, you kept appearing in my thoughts at the most unexpected moments. The trivial conversations we shared. The books you liked. Even the way you always kept your bedroom in order.”

He did not hide anything as he continued.

“When I came to my senses, I realized that what I was looking for was not Isabella… but you. Bella.”

It was neither an excuse nor a dramatic confession.

It was simply the truth.

In crowded ballrooms filled with countless people, she was always the first person he looked for. If she wasn’t beside him, he would wonder what she was doing and if she was eating properly.

“I like you, Bella.”

Logan spoke plainly.

The moment she heard his words, Bella’s heart lurched violently.

She was overwhelmed with joy at the confirmation that she meant something special to him.

Yet fear quickly followed.

She had known for some time that his kindness towards her went beyond mere courtesy. Nevertheless, she had denied her own feelings.

No, she was not special. She must not expect too much.

She had repeated those words to herself again and again.

“It was painful.”

Bella said quietly, as though squeezing the words out of her chest.

“Knowing my place is different from yours… and still denying the way my heart kept wavering.”

Her voice trembled.

“I knew I shouldn’t harbor such improper feelings for a duke who is already engaged. But the longer I stayed by your side, the more the desire inside me grew beyond what I could bear.”

A duke and a maid.

Between them lay countless boundaries and countless watching eyes.

And he was already bound to a fiancée, a promise made long ago that still tied him to another future.

“That’s why I ran to Netherwell. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to control myself.”

Her voice shook more clearly now. The emotions she had forced down for so long were laid bare in it.

“But I can’t hide it anymore.”

From the moment she sensed his sincerity, she knew she could no longer hide her feelings.

Was it wrong to ignore reality, even just once, and allow herself to want what she wanted?

Even if their relationship didn’t last forever, could she not live as she wished, just once, without fearing what others thought?

Bella slowly met his gaze.

She thought that, if the time was right, she could tell him how she felt.

Even if he rejected her, she wanted him to know how she felt.

“I like you, Your Grace.”