Carlton approached, noticing Ascan hastily leaving the lodging.

“Commander, where are you going?”

“I have something to take care of for a moment.”

Though there was currently a bounty on Ascan’s head, it was practically safe to say almost no one in the world could kill him. Carlton was one of those who knew this fact well.

Carlton wore a worried expression, yet he never stepped in front of Ascan to block his path.

“Just in case, please always be careful. If you need my help, just say the word.”

Ascan, who had been walking past Carlton, stopped as if caught off guard—the very moment Carlton uttered the word “help.”

Ascan turned his head and stared fixedly at Carlton before speaking.

“You gave me a book last time, didn’t you?”

“Oh, yes, I did.”

It was famously known that Ascan had no interest in women—so widely known that no one was unaware of it.

Precisely because of that, when he started radiating a pink romantic aura with Tanashia Brellof, the royal guards who wished to help him secretly prepared a book titled “Eleven Ways to Capture a Woman’s Heart,” and Carlton was the one who had delivered it on their behalf.

As if fate had perfectly arranged it, Ascan’s eyes lit up as he looked at Carlton.

“Then I might need some help after all.”

“Just tell me what you need, Commander.”

“Come to think of it, I’ve never directly confessed to Tanashia.”

“…What?”

Caught completely off guard by the unexpected topic, Carlton’s eyes wavered.

He had expected Ascan to be contemplating future moves or how to handle rumors. Instead, it was unexpectedly a love consultation regarding Tanashia.

Ascan continued speaking to the flustered Carlton.

“If I do it grandly, rumors about Tanashia and me will hold me back. But if I do it simply, it won’t feel satisfying. Any good ideas?”

“Well… this is tricky. How about doing it later? The timing isn’t quite right right now.”

“I dislike that. Once was enough for me to fail to properly define our relationship.”

Carlton, unaware of what had happened with Dekain, couldn’t fully understand—but he realized Ascan was far more serious than he’d expected.

Carlton pondered earnestly as if it were his own matter, then offered advice.

“I understand. In my opinion, no matter the method, the most important thing in a confession is conveying your sincere heart.”

“Sincere heart?”

Ascan seemed to be lost in thought after hearing Carlton’s answer. Then, turning to look at Carlton again, he asked in a low voice,

“For example?”

“Well… there’s the ordinary way of giving a ring…”

“Forget that. I’ve already given her jewels, and I can’t just find a ring worthy of Tanashia overnight.”

Carlton tilted his head, puzzled.

Famous jewelers were overflowing with rare rings. Most were simply too expensive to purchase.

Though Ascan had fled the Karlua Empire, as the former Royal Guard Commander, he certainly wasn’t lacking financially.

Carlton couldn’t fathom what kind of extraordinary ring Ascan was aiming for.

Ascan asked with a serious expression,

“Any other ideas?”

“Honestly, you two already understand each other’s hearts—do you really need to agonize this much…?”

Carlton didn’t finish his sentence, closing his mouth abruptly.

In that instant, Ascan had fixed him with a sharp, piercing gaze.

“There’s no such thing as ‘casual’ when it comes to matters involving Tanashia.”

Huh. Carlton instinctively held his breath and nodded. He realized intuitively that careless words might earn him a scolding.

Quickly racking his brain for every romantic tale he could recall, he opened his mouth again.

“Isn’t there something Lady Tanashia particularly likes? Frankly, you should know best what she wants and enjoys.”

“I do. But no matter what I give Tanashia, it never feels like enough.”

Hearing the depth of affection in his words, Carlton unconsciously frowned—but his lips curled upward despite himself.

‘Ugh, Commander, I didn’t know you were this cheesy.’

Ascan resumed walking after his brief pause. Unlike when speaking of Tanashia, his voice now carried its usual charisma.

“Let’s talk while we walk. I told Tanashia I’d be back soon, so I don’t have much time.”

“Yes, Commander.”

And so, Ascan and Carlton left the lodging together.

His lifelong dilemma had begun: how to confess to Tanashia.

Though left alone in the room, I had more to do than expected, and time flew by quickly.

How to deal with malicious rumors, how long to stay in Lazent Empire, how to safely cross into Arwen Empire—

Thinking about future plans, nothing seemed easy.

It was while I was lost in such thoughts and drafting plans that—

Creeeak—

The closed door opened, and finally, Ascan returned.

I immediately rose from my seat and hurried toward him, checking for any injuries as I asked,

“Where did you suddenly run off to?”

“Follow me, and you’ll see.”

“Huh?”

Ascan grabbed my hand firmly and led the way. Bewildered, I trailed behind him, my expression full of curiosity as I asked again,

“What is it? Where are we going?”

“It’s not far. We’ll arrive soon.”

Uncharacteristically, Ascan refused to reveal the destination and hurried along.

We weren’t heading outside the lodging. Instead, we climbed the stairs to the upper floor, heading toward the building’s rooftop.

‘What’s going on?’

Though I couldn’t understand, I obediently followed, remembering his earlier words: “Follow me, and you’ll see.”

The moment I followed Ascan and opened the iron door to the rooftop—

“Wow—.”

I couldn’t help but gasp aloud.

The scene unfolding before my eyes was astonishing.

Everywhere I looked was flowers. It felt as if every single flower in Lazent Empire had been gathered here—the entire space was bursting with vivid, colorful blooms.

“W, what is all this?”

“I thought you’d like it.”

“Did I ever say I liked flowers?”

“No. But I guessed when I saw you planting flowers in my desolate mansion. Also, a mercenary named Andro told me you liked flowers.”

“You two talked about that?”

I’d only met Andro after he’d become docile, so I had no idea what conversations he’d previously had with Ascan.

Ascan answered with a faint smile.

“I thought about it alone. I realized I don’t particularly like flowers. I suspect I only liked them because you did.”

Was that true?

Even I couldn’t say for sure. I didn’t claim to fully understand Ascan’s heart from ten years ago.

What amazed me most right now was that he’d prepared all these flowers—for me.

“But still… this many flowers…?”

“My feelings couldn’t possibly be expressed with just a few flowers. Even this feels far too little.”

I looked around again and marveled once more.

In the dark night, candles were placed between the flowers to ensure the space wasn’t gloomy. As I observed the neatly arranged candles, I realized they formed a heart shape when viewed from above.

This place was overwhelmingly romantic—enough to make my eyes widen in surprise.

“Oh, but today isn’t even my birthday…”

I was utterly bewildered by this sudden event.

Ascan gazed at me and smiled handsomely.

“That’s right. Today is just an ordinary day. I prepared this because I wanted to confess to you.”

“Confess?”

I nearly blurted out, “What confession? Between us?”

I knew perfectly well that Ascan liked me. I wasn’t so oblivious as to have missed it until now.

Moreover, I hadn’t hidden my own feelings and had openly expressed them to him.

So why confess now…?

Suddenly, Ascan cupped my cheek with his large hand. This brought our faces even closer than before.

My reflection shimmered in his deep, golden eyes.

“I like you. More than words can express—I deeply, truly like you.”

“I, I already know that without you saying it. I like you too.”

At my honest reply, Ascan blossomed right before my eyes like a flower.

Knowing he rarely smiled like this, my heart ached sweetly. This was a side of him shown only to me.

“As expected, hearing it directly feels even better.”

“Yeah.”

I couldn’t help but agree.

Ten years ago, Ascan risked his life for me. This time, he sacrificed much to rescue me from being forcibly married to Helsion.

I thought I already understood his heart without words—but hearing it so directly made me unexpectedly happy all over again.

With a face capable of enchanting anyone in the world, Ascan stared intently at me and said,

“Tanashia, be my lover.”

It was a completely unexpected statement.

Suddenly, the tension visible on his face seemed unbearably adorable.

Now I understood. When Dekain had earlier asked about our relationship and I hadn’t immediately answered, Ascan had taken it to heart.

I recalled his words from earlier, which I hadn’t fully understood at the time:

—I thought it was obvious, but now that I hear it… I suppose that’s possible.

Now I realized—he’d assumed we were obviously lovers, but looking back, he’d never actually said it aloud.

—That was my oversight.

Had he been blaming himself for not clearly stating it?

Whatever the reason, the Ascan standing before me now was so endearing I felt I might go crazy.

I stood on tiptoe and pulled Ascan’s taller shoulders into a tight embrace.

“My answer? Obviously yes.”

At first, Ascan stiffened—but then he hugged me back firmly.

At that very moment—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Perfectly timed, dazzling fireworks burst across the night sky.

Startled, I looked up at Ascan and asked,

“Did you prepare this too?”

“I’d love to make it even more spectacular, but please forgive the limitations given our current situation.”

I burst into laughter, utterly speechless.

This confession was already impressively unforgettable—how could anything possibly need forgiveness?

“What are you talking about? It was absolutely perfect. Just knowing you prepared all this for me makes me so happy.”

At my words, Ascan scrunched his brows as if he couldn’t stand it anymore, yet smiled.

“You’re happy? Then I’m even happier.”

Fireworks continued bursting endlessly, beautifully adorning the night sky. As if by silent agreement, Ascan and I both tilted our heads upward to watch.

Somehow, I remembered the first night I’d shown him the night sky, claiming I’d teach him something wonderful.

Though much time had passed since that day, the night sky remained as beautiful as ever.

“…It’s beautiful.”

Ten years ago, when he disappeared, I never imagined we’d be able to gaze at the night sky together again like this.

I felt profoundly grateful for this moment with him.

Then—

Plop. I felt a droplet land on my cheek and turned my head.

Unexpectedly, Ascan was crying. He looked surprised himself, as if caught off guard, yet the tears wouldn’t stop flowing.

“A, Ascan, are you crying?”

Startled by my question, Ascan wiped his tears with the back of his hand and replied,

“I know, right? Why am I suddenly like this?”

I quickly caught his hand as he frantically wiped away tears and gently wiped the remaining tears from his face.

Judging by his expression, even he seemed unsure why he was crying.

‘Could it be… even with his lost memories, the memory of watching the night sky with me still remains?’

It was just a guess. But to calm his confusion, I deliberately pretended nonchalance and teased him,

“What, is becoming lovers with me really that moving?”

Only then did Ascan let out a soft chuckle. But he didn’t deny it—he nodded.

“I suppose so. Maybe these are tears of joy.”

“A man shedding tears because he’s dating me? That’s refreshingly new.”

“‘New’ usually implies deviation from the norm—isn’t that a negative thing?”

“No. You’re just too adorable.”

I meant it. My heart fluttered uncontrollably whenever I looked at Ascan before me—I didn’t even realize how much my feelings for him had grown.

Ascan smiled happily, tear stains still on his face.

He was now lowering his height to accommodate me, who had just wiped his tears. Unable to hold back any longer, I pressed my lips gently against his damp eyes.

Surprised by the unexpected intimacy, Ascan stared at me with wide eyes.

I faintly tasted the saltiness of his tears on my lips—but even that felt sweet.

I grinned at Ascan.

“Don’t go anywhere anymore. Stay by my side.”

At my words, Ascan squeezed his eyes shut as if he truly couldn’t bear it anymore. Then, crushing me against him as if he’d never let go, he whispered in a choked voice,

“Who are you to say that?”

Nestled securely in Ascan’s strong embrace, I felt pure happiness.

I felt intoxicated by the fragrance of flowers surrounding us. From now on, no matter what flowers I saw, I knew I’d smile, remembering this moment.

Ascan held me tightly enough to steal my breath and whispered softly,

“Don’t worry. Even if I die, I’ll never let you go.”

Instead of words, I simply wrapped my arms around his waist.