(Sterling Estate Ruins, Rebuilt Glass Conservatory)
The night-draped conservatory shimmered under a blanket of starlight, its transparent dome making the Milky Way feel close enough to touch.
Alia stood barefoot on the warm stone tiles, her white dress swaying gently in the night breeze.
Carson waited beneath a newly planted royal poinciana tree, holding an aged wooden box in both hands.
"According to Sterling family tradition," he said, lifting the lid to reveal a ring set with a deep blue gemstone—its core flickering like fire—
"the heir must take their oath beneath the stars, pledging loyalty and life to the one who matters most."
Alia's gaze fixed on the ring—the legendary Cinderflame Sapphire, believed to have been forged from a fallen meteor.
She'd long thought it lost forever to Davis's plunder.
"When did you find it?" her voice trembled slightly.
Carson smiled. "Victor left me a clue before he died."
He knelt on one knee, gently taking her hand.
"Alia Sterling, will you let me be your knight?
Not just on the battlefield… but through every ordinary morning to come."
She didn't answer.
She kissed him.
Above them, starlight spilled over their clasped hands,
and the sapphire's inner flame burned brilliantly against the dark.