He came back for her!

"It looks beautiful, isn't it?"

"Hmm...."

"..."

"Sigh, why are you staring at me like that?" Sandra asked, her voice laced with both annoyance and embarrassment as a faint blush coloured her cheeks. She glared at Aether, who, despite her protest, continued to stare at her as if she were some kind of divine being—an angel that had descended right before him.

After a long, passionate kiss... neither of them had taken another step forward.

Yep, though they both wanted it, they hadn't gone any further, and yet... it felt oddly more satisfying, more intimate, and even more romantic than if they had.

Aether never asked why she had cried like that... He wasn't the type to push when he knew silence was more valuable than words... He was no senseless fool.

She was an Empress... The mere fact that she had allowed herself to break down before him was already shocking—an unthinkable act that spoke volumes about the depth of her emotions.