Chapter 30
If she could only resolve that one issue, she wanted to propose to him.
Khalid, who had no way of knowing why she was asking such a thing, hesitated slightly before answering.
“For now, I’m using the royal surname of Estair temporarily, but… it’s not that important.”
“Really? Then would you be able to give it up entirely—for me?”
It was, perhaps, an unreasonable request.
Had he been an ordinary nobleman, he might have thought she’d lost her mind. While it was legally possible for a man to take a woman’s surname, such a thing was almost unheard of.
Yet, for some reason, Dalia had the feeling that he might agree.
But there was one thing she didn’t know—Khalid’s true name was one of the few remaining ties connecting him to his kin who had crossed into another dimension long ago.
“So… you mean I’d have to change even my original surname?”
“Yes.”
“……”
Just then, the pocket watch she kept close to her chest quivered faintly. It was the one she had received from the god after her regression—a keepsake she always carried with her.
But Dalia, filled with a mix of hope and tension, didn’t notice the trembling.
When she looked at him again, Khalid, who had fallen silent for a moment, slowly nodded.
“Alright.”
“Wait—really?”
“Yes.”
Only after asking again did she finally relax and smile, her lips trembling with nerves.
“Good… It’s a bit sudden, but… are you free tomorrow?”
“Yeah.”
Without even asking what for or when, he answered right away. Dalia playfully nudged him.
“This time, no Aaron or Roy. There’s something important I want to talk about.”
“Alright.”
He answered without hesitation. In the end, they promised to have dinner together—just the two of them. When Dalia returned to her room and tried to read the book she’d left on the terrace, not a single word would sink in.
Maybe Khalid feels the same way I do. I hope he does. Even that book Roy said he always rereads—it ends with a lonely man finally finding a warm family, doesn’t it?
He probably guessed her intentions when she asked about the surname, but since he wasn’t human, he sometimes acted as though he was missing a screw or two.
Still, even if he didn’t expect a proposal, that didn’t matter much.
“If he rejects me, well… I’ll move on and head to the capital. I can’t force my feelings on him.”
Even as she whispered that to calm herself, her heart refused to settle down. Whatever happened, tomorrow was going to be an unforgettable day.
She tossed and turned for a long time before finally falling asleep.
The next day, Dalia stepped out of the dressing room wearing a completed blue gown, finished off with matching silk gloves.
“How do I look?”
“……”
“Mielle?”
No answer. When Dalia turned from the mirror to look at her, Mielle was staring in speechless awe before finally managing to whisper,
“It’s exactly as I imagined.”
Her voice was raspy, as though she had been holding her breath in nervous anticipation outside the door.
“Good. I think it’s beautiful too.”
It wasn’t flattery—the finished dress was breathtakingly beautiful.
Once Mielle came to her senses, she began circling Dalia like an excited artisan admiring her masterpiece, asking her to turn, sit, pose this way and that.
“I’ll tell you a secret, Mielle. I’m going to propose in this dress today.”
“No man alive could possibly refuse.”
Mielle said it with firm conviction. It was the kind of dress a future trendsetter could be proud of.
Normally, clothes that ornate would outshine the wearer, but this one flowed along Dalia’s figure as though it had been born with her.
“If anything feels uncomfortable, please tell me,” Mielle said, her voice glowing with pride.
“It’s amazing. Even with all these embellishments, it’s so comfortable. Thank you.”
Mielle nodded again and again, her face bright with satisfaction, before she began packing up her things.
“Then, I’ll take my leave now.”
“Already?”
“I have to start on the next pieces. Time is short.”
“It’s not that urgent… At least stay for some tea.”
“No, thank you. I want to get started right away. Please look forward to the next dresses.”
Seeing her insist on leaving almost immediately, Dalia frowned with concern, but Mielle’s tone was firm, and she relented.
“Alright. But don’t start working the moment you get there—rest a little, okay?”
“Yes.”
Her reply was hollow; her body was already itching to leave. Dalia laughed helplessly.
“I had a carriage prepared for you. Take it.”
In the future Dalia had seen, Mielle—despite later becoming the prince’s exclusive designer—had remained practically a commoner for years, pouring every coin she earned into materials.
But Dalia wanted to treat her like the true artist she was.
“A carriage? That’s too much. I don’t have anything heavy to carry. It’s just a short walk.”
“Take it,” Dalia insisted. “An artist’s stamina is precious.”
Mielle froze, clearly touched. It seemed to be the first time anyone had treated her with such thoughtfulness.
“Thank you. Then… I’ll accept.”
After she left, beaming with pride, Dalia turned to the next task.
“Aaron, you said you’d help me, right?”
When she found him, Aaron looked at her as though she’d said something absurd.
“What are you talking about?”
“My proposal.”
When Dalia had first asked him to help with her plan to propose to Khalid, he’d laughed out loud—a rare reaction for him—and readily agreed.
“…You were serious about that? I thought it was a joke.”
“Of course I was serious. Now help me arrange these candle holders and light the candles.”
“……”
“Don’t want to?”
“…Hand them here.”
Though his expression was complicated, he obediently got to work.
“All done? Then carry these next.”
“Yes. But, Lady Dalia—”
“What?”
“Wouldn’t it be more efficient to make Roy do all this heavy lifting instead of me?”
At that, Dalia shook her head firmly.
“Not Roy.”
“Why not?”
“He can’t keep a secret. He’d tell everyone within an hour.”
“Ah. True enough.”
Aaron accepted that quickly and got back to work. Watching him quietly as he carried a pile of decorations, Dalia murmured,
“…Aaron.”
“Yes? Should I move the chairs to face the other way?”
“No, they’re fine there.”
“Then maybe the tablecloth?”
He tilted his head, scrutinizing the scene like a perfectionist. Dalia smiled at his serious attitude.
“I’ll definitely repay you for this favor someday.”
“Hmph. Just tell our master how helpful I was, that’ll be enough.”
“Of course.”
“Then we’re good.”
By the time dusk settled, Dalia was waiting when Khalid opened the door and stepped inside.
She had decorated the hall so that it looked most beautiful at the moment he entered.
When his eyes swept over the flowers and candles, and finally landed on her sitting alone at the single table, his expression of astonishment made Dalia’s heart swell with pride.
He hasn’t reacted to anything lately—just drifting around like his mind’s somewhere else. But now he’s actually surprised.
Feeling pleased, Dalia gestured to the empty seat before her.
“Come here.”
“All of this…”
Bathed in soft light, Dalia seemed to glow on her own.
“How is it? I wanted to try my hand at decorating again.”
Khalid could only stare at her in silence, spellbound. She flushed slightly.
“Why are you standing there? Sit down already.”
“I just… wanted to see you more closely.”
He let her push him back lightly, only to step forward again, kneel on one knee, and look up at her.
Her beauty—something he had always thought of as striking—seemed almost unreal tonight.
“Truly…”
As he reached toward her face but stopped just short, Dalia took his hand in midair and held it. He instinctively intertwined his fingers with hers, refusing to let go.
“I was going to wait until dinner to talk, but since you’re the one kneeling now, I’ll just say it. Otherwise, I might be too nervous to eat.”
“Alright.”
“Khalid.”
“Yes.”
“Marry me.”
“……”
Khalid, who had been ready to listen to anything she said, suddenly froze, confusion flooding his eyes.
“Huh?”
“You heard me.”
“……”
“This is my third wish. Please become my family.”
“Ah…”
He looked as if something inside him had short-circuited.
“What’s wrong? Are you that surprised?”
“Yeah. I mean—yes. I am.”
“Why? You said you’d grant me three wishes.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“And you said the idea of me leaving was unbearable.”
“Yes.”
Seeing him nod with a complicated expression, Dalia felt a pang of uncertainty.
“The truth is, if I marry, I need a husband who can give up his surname for me. But that’s not me using you—I really do love you. I just thought… maybe you felt the same. Was I wrong?”
“You think you know my feelings?”
“That’s why you sent Roy away before, isn’t it? Because of me?”
“How did you…”
“I didn’t realize it at first—but the way you acted the next day made it obvious.”
