Then Tia goes to meet the knights who prepared a dinner in her honour. They ask if it's true that she's going to resign. Ruve crashes the party to annonce his marriage with Tia for New Year. He's just back from meeting with Keirean who agreed. Then he kisses Tia on the forehead and there are shouts of disbelief, cheers and sighs coming from everywhere. Some knights shouts "To Lady Monique, our goddess!"

Suddenly Ruve turns his head to glare at the knights.

"What? Goddess?"

Faced with Ruve's glowing blue eyes, the knights freeze. Ruve asks in a cold voice between his teeth "What is my prospective bride, my lords?" (omg XD)

They don't answer.

"Is it Lord Ryan? Answer me."

"La-lady Monique is our goddess... Oh, no, everyone's idol, I mean, the knight's mascot..."

"Ha."

Turning to Tia he says. "I knew you were very popular. But I didn't know you were so loved. I was worried you had a hard time living as a knight. I'm glad." (omg, this sounds so fake Ruve, even on paper )

"Your majesty"

"Let's go. I have a lot to do to get ready for the wedding."

Then Ruve sweeps Tia away, breaking a lot of hearts. ^^

In the next day, there is Jenna's execution. And Jieun is not there because she took the poison.

Then we get into the wedding preparation. And it's a hectic schedule for everyone, even Tia. Lina, Tia's maid, will become a royal maid and follow Tia to the palace. Tia burns her silver stationary (because she won't be using it once she's Ruve's wife) and she feels like her nightmares burn away too. A priest comes to give her the bride blessing, putting a crown of flowers on her head he recites ritual words. And this priest-healer tells her that she looks good, and confesses that his debt is somehow repaid to Jeremiah (this healer might be the one who helped when Tia and Ruve were poisoned, I'm not sure). He explains to Tia that when he was young a woman came to be healed but his superiors commanded him not to heal her if she couldn't make a donation. With a heavy heart he turned down the woman. Few days later, Jeremiah came to the temple to curse him because her mother had been turned down and died. The healer says that Jeremiah hated him, and that is why he discovered her poisoning too late. He was officially pardoned but he always felt guilty.

It's the night before the wedding. It snows and Tia cannot sleep. She goes to the window and opens it to play with the snow. Suddenly she hears a knock on the door and a maid comes in with a letter from Ruve saying :

Tonight, as the world is covered with snow, I miss you. Tia, can you come to the garden for a moment? I want to go see the flowers with you.

Tia smiles, puts on her coat and goes out. She walks in the snow and goes to the tree. The buds are half open.

"Tia"

Tia jumps and looks back at Ruve who is behind her and smiling at her.

"You surprised me your majesty"

"Why?"

"I couldn't hear you come."

"Oh... I walked on your footsteps so that's why it didn't make a sound."

"You stepped in my footsteps? Really?" (Yeah, really?! Ruve, are you for real?! You're too damn cute for your own good... )

Tia looks behind him and sees only one trail. She smiles shyly and Ruve gets closer and covers her shoulders.

"Were you not sleeping? I was hesitant to disturb your rest."

"No, I couldn't sleep."

"Really? I'm glad. For I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

Ruve doesn't answer and touches Tia's long hair. Then after a long silence he says : "Tomorrow is our wedding day at last."

"Three months went so fast"

"I've waited every day for tomorrow to come. You however didn't seem to."

"I didn't mean it that way. You know it."

Ruve smiles mischievously and says "I'm kidding. (Ruve you teaaaaase!) Actually I was feeling strange because the wedding is tomorrow. It reminded me of my father and your mother. And I couldn't sleep. I thought I'd have a walk, but the moonlit snowflakes were as sweet and shining as your hair. And I remembered the flowers. And what I hadn't told you yet. So I sent you that note."

Ruve takes a deep breath.

What is it that you haven't told me? thinks Tia.

The wind suddenly blows gently and moves the branches. The snowflakes fall off the tree and they can see the flower buds are now open.

"...It's so beautiful" says Ruve.

"Yes..."

"I told you before, but those flowers really look like you. Despite all the hardships, they didn't give up and resisted."

Tia --> My heart overflowed. In the past, when I saw the tree that was falling apart without being able to blossom, I remember how it looked similar to me. If I were really like that flower, would the day come where I would really be happy with him like those flowers who were blossoming?

Tia blinks her eyes, and when she looks back, an incredible scene is unfolding in front of her. Her eyes widens and her body freezes on the spot.

"Your majesty..."

Ruve, a knee on the ground, smiles gently as he looks up at Tia. Like in the old fairytale of the Lady and her Knight, Ruve humbly raises Tia's hand to his lips and kisses it gently.

Tia--> What are you doing?!

"Your... your majesty..."

"Tia, there is something I want to tell you."

"Get up please! How can the ruler of the empire be seen on his knees! Please get up, please?"

But Ruve doesn't move, and even stops Tia from kneeling down.

Tia --> Why are you doing this? If anyone sees this... I looked at the entrance of the garden. When I saw the knights looking at us with astonishment, I was heartbroken. What should I do?

"With the blood that flows in my veins." Ruve says in a low voice.

--> What did he say?

"With the heart that beats in my chest."

--> I opened my eyes wide. Did I hear him wrong? Is he really pledging it to me? The ancient blood oath between the imperial heir and the Monique family?

"With my life and my soul..."

Tia puts her hand on her heart that's ready to burst out of her chest. She can see Ruve's blue eyes glittering with determination in the night.

"I give you a lifetime of loyalty."

"... Your majesty."

"Please, grant my wish. My... true love."

-->My eyes get blurry. I squeezed my throat and asked in a trembling voice.

"Your wish... what is it?"

"My wish is to be with you until the day I die. Sleeping together, waking up together, working together and taking care of the empire together, sharing joy and sorrow, looking at each other. So... living with you. That is my wish."

--> I believed that his heart wouldn't change easily, but I was still anxious. Even though he had changed, I told myself reassuringly that I was so loved that it would be enough. Yet there was a fear that could not be swept away - fear that another woman would one day take him away from me. A tear fell from my clouded eyes. I had been unable to erase my memorie, the last pieces of my wounds that I thought I would be forced to carry until I died. Joy and relief overwhelmed me, as well as my love for him. I opened my trembling lips and looked into his deep blue eyes.

"Since the founding of the empire, no one in the royal family has ever been subjected to an oath."

"Then I shall be the first."

"Even if the price is your life?"

"If you grant my wish, I will get your life in exchange. I think it's a fair deal."

"If you break your oath, you will lose your life."

"I don't care. My heart will never change until I die, I will love only you. So Tia, my true love. Please answer me now. Will you grant my wish?"

Tia is crying, and her throat is sore.

"I do grant your wish... Your blood and heart are mine."

As Tia's trembling voice says the ritual words, Ruve smiles. Tia gently puts her hand on his chest. She feels his quick heartbeat, matching her own. As if Ruve's heart was hers from the start.

"Whoever breaks the oath shall be cursed by blood. It is inscribed in the sacred law, the lion and the spear." says Tia, ending the sacred oath.

The moment Tia finishes the promise, Ruve gets up and hugs her, whispering "I love you, Tia."

"I love you, Ruve."

With a bright smile, he slowly kisses her on the top of her head, on her forehead, on the eyelids and finally on the lips. Tia tastes her tears of happiness in his sweet kiss. An enchanting fragrance suddenly appears in the air. Tia breaks the kiss, and she melts into Ruve's deep-sea gaze.

"Tia?"

"What is this scent? It's my first time smelling something this heavenly... It seems like a flower scent..."

Suddenly they look at the silver flowers, and they have fully bloomed under the moonlight. The petals are shining.

"It's beautiful" says Ruve, "Like you."

They look at the flowers in silence until Tia shivers. Ruve then hurriedly realeases her.

"Tighten your coat. It's cold, let's go in."

"But..."

"If you catch a cold, you'll be in trouble. Let's go home for now. We can come back tomorrow. Right, Tia?"

Tia laughs at his anxious tone. She nods and Ruve sighs in relief and reaches out to her, grabbing her hand.

--> I no longer knew of what my future with him held. But I believed he would be by my side, and I by his. That we would always be together. Finally looking back at our track in the snow, I smiled as I saw are two footprints side by side. Like our future : walking together, side by side.