Sebastian guided Scarlett toward the hospital garden, the two of them securing a seat against a quiet stone bench.

The night had already completely settled.

The moon remained obscured, locked behind dense, overlapping layers of storm clouds.

Yet the stars were exceptionally brilliant tonight, flashing across the pitch-black sky like a sprawling matrix of the city's finest diamonds.

Scarlett tracked the view, her mind automatically drifting back to the torrent night when she had rescued Sebastian, and how she could only execute her visits to his ward under the cover of darkness.

Back then, he had looked exactly like this—his eyes turned up to map the celestial sky.

At that stage of her existence, her analytical mind had failed to comprehend what scenic value the stars could possibly hold.

Scarlett’s thoughts dissolved back into that night, her memory retaining nothing but a pair of eyes that carried a revolving vortex of starlight.

The firm grip on her hand pulled away.

She dissolved out of her memories, turning her face to look at Sebastian: "What is it?"

He lowered his head, carefully cradling her palm between his hands as he whispered, "I am sorry."

Scarlett looked down, only to discern several faint bruises darkening her skin, likely inflicted by the terrifying ferocity of his grip moments ago.

"It's perfectly fine," she shook her head slowly, "it doesn't hurt."

Yet he stubbornly kept his head lowered, gently blowing across the bruised skin as he repeated, "I am sorry."

"Why on earth are you offering an apology?" she questioned, thoroughly puzzled.

Sebastian locked his eyes onto Scarlett, his gaze radiating an absolute, broken vulnerability: "I ought to have never utilized a deceptive manipulation to force you into a marriage contract."

So it was about this matter... She shook her head once more: "I don't hold any blame against your person."

Sebastian's eyes turned deep and dark, pinning her with an absolute seriousness as he asked, "If you still harbor a desire to execute a divorce..."

Scarlett cut him off smoothly: "I have no intention of doing so."

"...I will comply and release you from the—" He continued seamlessly along his own train of thought, his brain catching her statement a beat late as his eyes snapped up to lock onto her face in absolute disbelief:

"You refuse to dissolve the bond?"

Scarlett met his gaze, offering a firm nod of confirmation: "I have masterfully processed my own thoughts over these days. I will not execute a divorce."

"Why?" Sebastian asked, deep confusion written across his features.

A mere half-month had transpired; what catalyst had caused Scarlett to completely alter her trajectory?

She let out a quiet laugh. A moment ago she had been the one demanding answers, yet now the crossfire had reversed completely.

"Is maintaining our marriage truly an unfavorable outcome to your mind?" she asked, turning her eyes back to map the night sky.

The heavy wind smoothly brushed the cloud cover away, allowing the moon to expose its radiant form, automatically stealing the brilliance from the surrounding stars.

The cool moonlight poured down like water, and recalling the exact second Sebastian had表 his heart before his mother's resting place, her own heart suffered a sudden, gentle softening.

Sebastian tracked the moonlight illuminating Scarlett's profile, feeling his entire being completely filled by her presence; he desired to anchor her silhouette by his side forever, yet his own mind cast him into a state of absolute humility, leaving him entirely convinced he lacked the capacity to keep her.

He murmured under his breath, "If your choice stems entirely from a protective empathy for my sorrow, there is absolutely no necessity for it..."

"Grandfather’s mandate was entirely correct," Scarlett cut him off smoothly, "certain matters must be mastered with the heart."

"The reality is, I believe I lost my heart to your person a considerable time ago."

Hearing the syllable fade, Sebastian appeared entirely paralyzed, staring at her in an absolute, motionless stun.

Tracking his shocked expression, a faint amusement curled her lips.

The embers of hope glinted sharply within his eyes, an absolute fire ready to devour his entire being, merely requiring a single confirmation from her hand to consume the terrain.

"Love at first sight—it applied to your person, and it applied to mine as well."

Scarlett threw her arms around Sebastian's neck, whispering the truth directly against his ear.

Sebastian's heart finally settled back into an unshakeable certainty, and he回抱 her with an even more terrifying ferocity.

His low voice vibrated with an intense, raw emotion: "I love you."

…

One year later.

Bang!

A sprawling canopy of kaleidoscopic confetti exploded beneath the bright light, drifting and dancing across the air to carpet their path.

Scarlett and Sebastian came to a grinding halt before the altar, their features brilliant with an absolute joy, completely filled with happiness.

"Groom, do you solemnly swear to honor these vows, in sickness and in health, through triumph and through crisis, to love her and to respect her?"

"I do." The sunlight was magnificent, illuminating Sebastian's eyes until they glinted like brilliant stars.

The minister turned his face toward Scarlett, repeating the sacred cadence: "...Do you solemnly swear to love him, to comfort him, to respect him, and to protect him?"

"I do." She kept her eyes locked onto the man before her, her mind entirely engulfed in absolute bliss.

"Now," the minister declared smoothly, "the groom may seal the vows by kissing the bride."

"Whooooo!" Beatrice led the crowd in a thunderous cheer from the front row.

The ceremonial music surged into its ultimate crescendo.

The rhythmic hammering of her pulse was near-deafening.

They locked their eyes onto each other, their visual fields stripped of everything but the other's form.

Their lips met, and an absolute tremor ran straight through their souls.

"Congratulations on your marriage, bound together for eternity, until your hair turns as white as snow!"

—The End—