“The gold is actually... something I took with me, when I left the Empire,” he confessed. “It bothered me for a while. It was a simple gold bracelet your mother had given me. I think back then, she already knew it was worth a lot for an orphan of the Eastern Kingdom. I took it, but I could never sell it. A part of me felt like I didn’t deserve to use it. At the same time, I kept it as a memento, and just in case I would need it someday. When it became clear that you’d stay, I figured it would be a good way to give it back. So, when I heard your friend mention you loved nacre from the Cerulean Suite, I secretly asked the daughter of the Sehsan Tribe to help me with it.”

“Lady Bastat?”

He nodded.

“I asked her when we were busy with the flood, not knowing how long it would take, but to my surprise, it was finished quickly last night... I went to get it this morning, right before I joined you and Lady Kareen.”

Cessilia could barely believe her own ears. This had been in the making for so long already? She glanced at the piece of jewelry again, trying to repress her urge to cry. She absolutely loved it. It was unique, and looked both beautiful and strong, like her.

“Get up,” she muttered.

He obeyed, a bit surprised, and Cessilia immediately jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly. Ashen chuckled, and hugged her back.

“I’m happy you like it.”

“Of course I like it... You had it made just for me. Thank you...”

She raised her head to kiss him, and they exchanged a long, deep kiss. Cessilia felt the salty taste of her tears in their kiss, once she couldn’t hold them back anymore. She had never realized it was possible to cry this much out of happiness. She felt like her emotions were physically overflowing, pouring everything into that kiss with Ashen. She had never felt so complete, so confident and happy. Whatever came their way, she knew she’d be able to face it with Ashen by her side. It didn’t matter how many injuries and scars the two of them carried, as long as they’d stick together. That was all she really needed.

After a little while, their lips parted, leaving Cessilia almost dizzy, her cheeks red and hot.

“So... that’s why you brought me here?” she asked, trying a bit shyly to change the topic.

“Not exactly.”

She frowned at his answer. Then, to her surprise, Ashen gently pulled her toward the calm waves. Cessilia followed his lead, until they were both in the water up to their knees.

“What are we doing?” she chuckled.

“Don’t you love swimming the most?” He smiled. “I thought you’d like it here...”

“But the water’s cold.”

“Not for you.”

To her surprise, he suddenly took off his cloak, tossing it onto the beach, and walked deeper into the water. Perhaps because it was a bit cold, his abs seemed tighter than usual, and more than satisfying to the eye. Soon enough, he turned around, water up to his bare waist, and gave her a devilish smile, running his hand through his now short white hair. The sight of the seawater running down his body, the sun behind him, was one vision Cessilia never, ever wanted to forget.

Cessilia stepped further into the water, a smile on her lips, dying to join him. The waves gently grazed her thighs, and higher up her legs as she slowly walked up to her man. Ashen was standing there, handsome as ever and calmly waiting for her. In fact, he seemed more serene and handsome as always, his dark eyes riveted on her with a faint smile on his lips. He was stunning with the sunlight coming from behind him, sending gorgeous shimmers throughout his shiny white hair. Cessilia was happy to join him in this peaceful setting. The water reached up to her waist when she finally took his hand. He pulled her against him, with a playful expression, his naked, wet torso against her. Cessilia smiled, putting a hand around his nape. He was even more handsome up close... Without the two of them exchanging a word, she slowly brought her fingers, a bit of seawater dripping from them, to caress the lines of his torso. His skin and muscles reacted to her cool touch, but he didn’t try to move away from it. Cessilia smiled. That skin was marbled with countless scars, but there was a complex beauty in those imperfections. She loved the touch of the irregular skin under her fingers... She was almost sure that even blind, she would have recognized that pattern by heart.

Ashen gently grabbed her hand, pulling her fingers away from his skin. Cessilia chuckled. Was he getting a bit ticklish? His ears were slightly red...

“This reminds me of when we were younger,” he whispered. “We would always sneak out, away from your siblings and parents, to just be the two of us.”

“It was hard to be alone,” she nodded. “...We barely ever got any time to ourselves during the day.”

“But when night fell...”

He stepped even closer, bringing Cessilia’s eyes up to his face, where a nostalgic smile appeared.

“It was easier to spend time together.”

“Under the moonlight,” she whispered. “We’d sneak out to the roof and watch the stars. Or to the forest, and listen to the noises the animals made in the evening...”

Ashen nodded slowly.

“...It still feels almost unreal to be out in the daylight with you like this.”

He gently brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it, closing his eyes as if enjoying this given grace deeply. Cessilia blushed, feeling his lips pressed against her skin, his large hands gently holding hers. Ashen had always treated her so gently, carefully, as if she was the most precious and fragile thing in the world, despite knowing all too well she was much stronger than he was. It was his way of truly showing his affection for her.

Cessilia smiled as he raised her hand, making the jewelry shine when the sunlight hit it.

“...I really love it,” she whispered.

“I’m glad. I can’t promise I’ll give you presents often, but I will do what I can so you don’t miss out on anything.”

“Of course,” she chuckled.

In truth, there was nothing much that Cessilia was wanting more than this. She loved the spontaneity of this gift, she didn’t want Ashen to feel pressure to constantly give her more. She got on her toes and kissed his lips quickly.

“We have a castle to rebuild first,” she said, “and a Kingdom to get back in working order. A bridge to rebuild, and... a new city to plan too.”

He sighed.

“Sounds like we won’t have much time for our escapades.”

“We can always make time,” she chuckled. “We have Cece, and no matter how busy the day will be, the moonlight will still come, every night, to pull the lovers back together...”

“I’d sure love that.”

Ashen pulled her in to kiss again. Their kiss tasted like morning sunshine, seawater, and dried fruits. She caressed his nape and the bushy tip of his hair, unable to get enough of his new haircut. It was so satisfyingly short under her fingers, she couldn’t stop brushing her fingertips against it. While she had her arms around Ashen’s nape, he suddenly put his arms under her butt and lifted her up, carrying Cessilia effortlessly. She wrapped her legs around his torso.

“How am I supposed to swim like this?” she laughed.

“I’ll do the swimming.”

He lowered his body into the water, and gently carried her around. Although she had always loved diving and swimming, Cessilia was quite enjoying this too. It was as if they were floating and hugging, their bodies carried by the sea and rocked by its waves. It was so incredibly calm around them... They could only hear the birds, the sounds of nature, and sometimes, the growls of an excited dragon playing nearby. Cessilia was feeling quite excited too. The more time she and Ashen spent in the water, the more she wanted to tease him, and not just be carried away. She began to pour some water down his neck, making him grimace a bit, and soaked more of his hair as he kept swimming, unwilling to let go of her.

“Are you trying to give me an extra shower?” he sighed.

“You promised me swimming!”

“Here we go then.”

Without warning, he suddenly dropped her. Cessilia let out a faint scream, but easily found her way back to the surface. She realized they were in deeper water than just before, and had been surprised to find nothing under her feet when she expected to touch the bottom. Looking around for Ashen, she heard his laughter, loud and without restraint. Cessilia bit her lip, and splashed some water his way as retribution.

“Are you mad, my Queen?” he laughed, wiping the seawater off his face.

“You’re so childish at times!” she exclaimed. “You should be worried I could drown you back!”