The night Emily confesses to Cassius
In the sky above the town where the two of them are living, two figures are floating in the darkness. Below them are quiet rooftops, a few lamps still lit, and narrow streets that are gradually becoming empty.
One of the two is Celeste.
She stands silently in midair, wearing a long white dress that is simple yet elegant. Her platinum hair falls straight down her back, moving only slightly in the night wind. Her face is as cold as ever, her pale white eyes looking down at the town below.
The other is the figure of a woman made of particles of light, with a shape somewhat similar to Celeste's, but fuller and softer. Her aura is completely different from Celeste's, far more relaxed and lively.
She looks down below and lets out a light laugh.
"It looks like all the adjustments are fine"
Her finger lightly draws a circle in the air, as if checking something invisible.
"I still don't understand why you asked me to alter that thread"
She tilts her head and looks at Celeste.
"I mean, if you're the one asking, I don't mind"
"But if it were Cassius before, he probably wouldn't care about things like that red thread at all"
"He's always been the type to do whatever he likes"
Celeste does not reply immediately.
She continues looking down below, where the lights of the town stretch through the night.
After a while, she finally turns around. As she does, Celeste raises one hand, and the space in front of her instantly tears open into a deep red gate.
"I know"
Her voice is calm
"But it is necessary for my plan"
The other woman raises an eyebrow.
"Another plan?"
Celeste gives no further explanation. She steps toward the gate, then pauses for a moment.
"Thank you for this, Cupid"
After saying that, she steps into the spatial gate and disappears.
Only Cupid remains floating in the night sky.
She looks at the place where Celeste has just left, then exhales.
"Always acting so mysteriously"
Her body begins to dissolve into tiny particles of light.
"She really never changes"
Soon after, Cupid also fades away completely.
—
At the Prisce estate, the light in the marquis's bedroom is still on even though the night is already late. The room is spacious and quiet, luxurious but not showy, everything arranged neatly in a way that matches the personality of its owner. Leopold is sitting at the edge of the bed in proper nightwear, while beside him is Lady Genevieve with her golden hair falling softly over her shoulders.
Standing before them is Eliana.
She stands with a straight back in the middle of the room, both hands behind her, chin slightly raised, and an unusually serious expression on her face. Just from that posture alone, it is obvious she has not come here for an ordinary bedtime conversation.
Leopold speaks first.
"What do you mean when you say you want to be engaged to Cassius?"
Genevieve also looks at her daughter and asks next.
"That's right. Why bring this up so suddenly?"
Eliana does not back down at all. She replies immediately, clearly as if she has prepared this beforehand.
"I mean exactly what I said"
"I want it to happen as soon as possible"
Leopold rubs his forehead lightly.
"I know you like the boy"
"But isn't this too sudden?"
Hearing that, Eliana immediately shakes her head.
"It's a normal speed"
After saying that, her cheeks redden slightly. She touches both cheeks with her hands and turns around a little, as if embarrassed to say what comes next.
"Because there is already a red thread between me and him"
The room falls silent for a beat.
"Huh?"
"What?"
Both Leopold and Genevieve stare at her with obvious surprise.Leopold immediately sits up straight.
"What do you mean? The thread you're talking about, is it the thread of fate?"
"Why are you only mentioning this now?"
Eliana raises a hand to stop him.
"Slow down, Papa"
"I don't know why either, but it only suddenly appeared tonight" She shrugs casually.
"I just turned around a few times and suddenly it was there"
Leopold frowns.
"You say that as if it's perfectly normal"
"I think it is normal. Maybe the goddess forgot a few things" Eliana replies immediately "But how it appeared isn't important. What matters is that its appearance proves that Cassius and I are meant for each other."
After hearing that, Leopold turns to look at his wife beside him. Genevieve has already turned to look back at him. The two exchange a brief glance, while Eliana continues speaking as if she does not want to waste this moment.
"So me marrying him is only a matter of time"
"So right now, I think it's best if we get engaged as soon as possible"
She looks at her parents, her voice full of expectation.
"What do you think?"
Leopold turns back to look at his daughter and answers very directly.
"Okay, if that is what you want"
"I know you might not agree right away, but I thi-" Eliana is about to continue speaking, then suddenly freezes.
She stops mid-sentence, eyes wide.
"You agree?"
Genevieve lets out a soft laugh and speaks.
"I don't have any problem with this either"
"It's not like I have the right to decide your love life anyway"
"If you want to marry him, what can I do now? Forbid you? That wouldn't work"
Leopold nods as well.
"Yeah, I feel the same as your mother"
"The registration process will probably be rather complicated, but…"
Before he can finish, Eliana runs forward and throws herself into her father's arms.
"Thank you so much, Father"
Her face is clearly red as she buries her head against him, unable to hide her joy.
"I know my request is very sudden. I thought I would have to persuade both of you somehow"
"But I'm so happy that you agreed to let us"
After saying that, Eliana lets go of Leopold and turns to hug Genevieve. Lady Prisce opens her arms and hugs her daughter back, a gentle smile clear on her lips.
"Supporting you is the job of parents"
"This is only natural"
Eliana buries her face into her mother's shoulder, her voice still full of excitement.
Leopold watches the two of them for a moment before speaking again, this time returning to a more practical tone.
"But like I said earlier, this will take time. We'll need to prepare documents, and I'll also need to meet and speak with Cassius's guardian."
In truth, Eliana's request for engagement does not bother him at all. If anything, it makes him quite happy. He has already told his wife about Cassius's identity before, so both of them clearly understand who that boy is. He knows that Eliana having a good relationship with the heir of the Eclipse ducal family would be very good for her future.
What Leopold has worried about most until now is Eliana doing something to offend the Eclipse side because of her blunt personality. But after learning that a red thread exists between Eliana and Cassius, he feels far more at ease. To him, it means the two of them are certain to become each other's other half in the future.
If Eliana marries into the ducal family, her future will be far safer. Few people would dare touch a noble of such high status, not to mention that Cassius's mother is Celeste. That name alone is enough to stop many people from entertaining foolish thoughts.
Thinking of this, Leopold quietly begins calculating what must be done next.
He is certain that he will also need to send a letter to the duchess to ask for her opinion regarding this engagement.