After Rover left, only Camellya and Cartethyia, whose head was still lowered, remained in the corridor.
Camellya looked at Cartethyia's clenched fists and the depressed aura permeating around her, completely putting away all her usual joking expressions.
Seeing that Cartethyia remained silent for a long time, Camellya didn't dwell on the past where the other girl had once "declared sovereignty" in front of her. Instead, she spoke in a rare, gentle tone that she seldom showed to anyone other than Rover: "Hey, little Carty..."
Cartethyia snapped back to reality. She looked up somewhat flustered, trying her best to force a smile. "I... I'm fine, Miss Camellya. Just... tonight, I'm just a little tired."
"Liar," Camellya exposed her directly, placing her hands on her hips. "Every single thought in your head is written all over your face! Is it because you saw the Shorekeeper and that guy... and you're feeling uncomfortable in your heart again?"
Cartethyia pursed her lips tightly, silently admitting it.
Lupa, Changli, Camellya, and that supreme Shorekeeper...
In front of the first one, she could still argue a few lines about "clearly being the one who came first." But when mountain after mountain blocked her path, it made her feel as insignificant as a speck of dust.
"Idiot!" Camellya suddenly raised her voice, but there was no blame in her tone. It was only an anxious frustration, wishing the girl would stand up for herself. "I've already told you! That guy's heart holds the entire world."
"He will absolutely never give up on anyone; his heart is big enough to fit everyone! But that doesn't mean he doesn't value you!"
She leaned close to Cartethyia, staring directly into her eyes. "Look at me. Have I gotten any official title or status? No! But I don't care at all. I am very happy right now! Because I know I have a place in his heart! That is enough!"
"But... I..." Cartethyia's voice choked with sobs. "I don't know how to..."
"Then go tell him!" Camellya was practically yelling now, the Floramancer showing a rare display of such fierce attitude. "Use your own method! Aren't you a wandering knight? Don't you knights just draw your swords and charge... ah, no, I mean directly declare your intentions? What kind of skill is it to hide here and feel sad by yourself?!"
Just then, a gentle and ethereal voice intervened in their conversation.
"What Camellya says, though harsh on the ears, holds truth."
It was the Shorekeeper.
Her silhouette had quietly appeared at the other end of the corridor at some unknown time, walking slowly toward them.
Her gaze landed peacefully on Cartethyia. That look seemed capable of seeing through everything, yet it carried not the slightest sense of oppression, only endless tolerance and understanding.
"Miss Shorekeeper!" Suddenly encountering the supreme master of the Black Shores, Cartethyia hastily performed a knight's salute. She felt even more embarrassed, feeling as though her terrible inner thoughts had been completely seen through.
The Shorekeeper raised her hand slightly, signaling her to dispense with the formalities. "Miss Cartethyia, your purity and resilience are like the irises growing in the flower beds—unique and precious." Her voice carried a power that could soothe the heart. "There is no need to compare your fragrance with others; your blooming has its own irreplaceable meaning."
She paused for a moment and continued, "If your feelings remain hidden deep within your heart, they are like an unsheathed sword—no one can know its sharpness, and it cannot protect what you desire. Sometimes, the most direct path is actually the shortcut to the answer."
"Right now is the darkest hour before dawn, and it will also be the prelude to the approaching light."
Even Miss Shorekeeper was saying this... Cartethyia was completely stunned. This whole situation... her biggest "rival" was actually encouraging her?
Camellya nodded vigorously beside her. "See? See? Even the Shorekeeper said so! Hurry up and go!"
The Shorekeeper's gaze became profound again. She seemed to sense something and said softly, "He is at that flower bed you are familiar with."
As her words fell, her silhouette seemed to merge into a data stream, transforming into fluttering butterflies and quietly disappearing.
This almost explicit guidance, combined with Camellya's expectant urging, finally ignited the last bit of courage in Cartethyia's heart.
In her icy blue eyes, the hesitation and insecurity rapidly faded like morning mist dispersed by sunlight, replaced by the resolute light of a knight from Rinascita who had finally made up her mind.
"I... I understand!" she said forcefully, to Camellya, and to herself. "Thank you, Miss Camellya! Thank you, Miss Shorekeeper!"
She turned around. No longer the lost and wandering girl from before, she marched with firm steps, running toward the direction of the flower bed.
Watching her retreating back, Camellya finally revealed a relieved smile. "That's more like it! You can do it, little Carty!"
Beside that familiar flower bed.
Rover was indeed here. He wasn't watering flowers or doing anything else; he was simply standing quietly, gazing at the distant horizon over the sea.
Camellya's hints, the Shorekeeper's words, and all of Cartethyia's abnormal behavior these past few days all pointed to one single answer.
So he came here to wait. To wait for an inevitable arrival.
The sound of footsteps echoed from behind, firm and clear.
Rover slowly turned around.
Cartethyia stood a few paces away from him, gripping her knight's sword. She wasn't here to duel him, but rather to conduct a solemn ceremony.
There was not a shred of hesitation or cowardice left on her face, only a completely solidified resolve and a fiery sincerity.
She took a deep breath, stepped forward, and firmly locked her icy blue eyes onto Rover's golden pupils.
"Righteous One!" Her voice was clear and bright, piercing through the sound of the ocean waves, carrying the solemnity of a knight's declaration.
Rover looked at her calmly, his eyes gentle, seemingly having anticipated this moment all along. "Cartethyia."
Cartethyia thrust her longsword into the ground, issuing a muffled thud.
She lifted her head slightly, using all the strength in her body and every ounce of her courage to clearly and flawlessly declare the words she had rehearsed in her mind countless times:
"I, Cartethyia, an ordinary knight of Rinascita, hereby swear upon my soul and my knight's honor!"
"With this body and this heart, I am willing to be the sharpest sword in your hand, cutting through all the thorns on the path ahead. I am willing to be the sturdiest shield before you, defending against all open attacks and hidden arrows!"
Her voice trembled slightly—not out of fear, but because she was overwhelmingly agitated.
"This loyalty and guardianship have long surpassed mere duty and gratitude! It originates from my uncontrollable stirrings, from... from regarding you as the only Righteous One I wish to devote everything to, and whom I yearn to follow for eternity!"
She took a few more steps forward, almost close enough to feel his breath.
She reached out both hands, trembling yet incomparably resolute, and grabbed one of the hands of the person before her, pressing it against her violently beating heart.
"This heart! For the rest of my life, it beats only for you! This soul! For the rest of my life, it burns only for you!"
She practically shouted it out, her eyes brimming with misty unshed tears, yet she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
"I know that Lupa, Counselor Changli, Miss Camellya, Miss Shorekeeper... they are all crucially important to you! I respect them! But even so—"
Her voice was decisive, filled with an unquestionable determination:
"I will absolutely never back down! I will absolutely never yield! I stand here, staking my life and honor, to demand a clear response from you! Please... please face my feelings head-on!"
Having finished her declaration, she looked as though she had exhausted all her strength, her chest heaving violently. But she continued to tightly grip his hand, pressing it against her heart. Those icy blue eyes stared at him without blinking, as if waiting for his final judgment.
Rover quietly listened to her every word, feeling the violent, scorching heartbeat transmitting clearly through his palm.
He didn't pull his hand away, nor did he show the slightest bit of surprise or difficulty.
His gaze was profound and gentle, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a very long time.
He flipped his hand over and gently grasped the cold, nervous fingers that she had pressed against the back of his hand.
"Cartethyia," his voice was deep and steady, carrying a reassuring power. "Your sword, your heartbeat, your soul... everything that is you, I have already received."
He applied a slight force, pulling her hand away from her chest, but he didn't let go. Instead, he held it and raised it between the two of them.
"You have never been anyone's shadow, nor do you need to compare yourself to anyone. You are Cartethyia, my indispensable knight, and my..." He paused, incredibly clear warmth and validation rippling in his golden eyes, "An incredibly important person who must be cherished."
"This heavy, precious vow... I, Rover, accept it with my true heart, and I solemnly respond to it... with my future."
"I was unable to participate in your past as the Holy Maiden of the Convent of the Hidden Sea, but I am willing to accompany you to the very end in your future as a knight."
He raised his other hand and gently brushed past the corner of her trembling eye, wiping away the cold teardrop that she finally couldn't hold back.
Then, he lowered his head and placed an incredibly cherished kiss—filled with validation and tender affection—onto her forehead.
It was not a kiss of lust, but a kiss of a vow.
It was the Righteous One's recognition of the knight, and his solemn acceptance of her heart.
The instant this kiss landed, all the tension and insecurity surrounding Cartethyia shattered and vanished, like ice and snow melting away.
An indescribable sense of relief and happiness swept through her entire body like a warm current, making her almost unable to stand.
Her tears flowed even fiercer, but they were no longer tears of grievance and anxiety; they were a torrent of liberation and joy.
Rover gently pulled her into his embrace, feeling her body finally relax.
He said in a low voice, "So, don't be insecure anymore, and don't compare yourself anymore. Your place is right here, and no one can replace you."
The moon hung high in the night sky, its soft, pure white light spilling over the flower bed, plating the embracing couple in a faint halo of light.
And amidst the bushes, an iris planted by Cartethyia's own hands swayed gently in the morning breeze, quietly blooming.
A few minutes later, in the shadows behind a building near the flower bed, Camellya stealthily poked her head out. Seeing the two tightly embracing, a huge smile appeared on her face as she secretly made a "mission accomplished" gesture behind her back.
The electronic eye of Ku Jiao Jiao, who had been silently observing from the edge of the flower bed all along, blinked and silently updated its observation log.
"Target Subject: Cartethyia. Description: Miss Cartethyia's emotional fluctuation index has returned to normal. Vital signs indicate a massive increase in joy and satisfaction. Judgment: Emotional link successfully established and strengthened. Record archived."
After logging the record, its mechanical arm raised a small watering can and precisely poured the appropriate amount of water onto that newly blooming iris.
(Volume 1: Jinzhou & Black Shores Daily Arc "The First Surge of the Tide" ends here. The next volume will be Phrolova's exclusive arc: "Catching Dreams in the Secret Garden")
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