Free Web NovelChapter 374: The Union Of Centuries
[Music recommendation: Ardie Son - Hidden]
.
The begging tone struck a chord in Eve’s heart, but she could not bring herself to respond to the man in front of her. A warm arm wrapped around her shoulder, and she turned to meet Ivan’s calm, warm gaze, which thawed her frozen heart.
Drawing strength from him, she took a quiet breath and lifted her hand to wipe the tears from her face before looking back into Solan’s eyes.
"There is too much history between us... too much pain and suffering to be mended with a simple apology or a single act of redemption. You don’t... you don’t know what I have been through at the hands of-"
Her lips trembled, the words refusing to come out as the weight of it all choked her.
Ivan reached out and clasped her hand, understanding how much she had kept buried within herself, never having had the chance to speak of it to the very person responsible for her suffering.
She squeezed his hand in return and continued, her voice more controlled now.
"But I am my mother’s child. She would want to see me happy... to see me do the right thing. So I ask you, King Solan, how far are you willing to go to earn my forgiveness?"
Solan’s eyes lit up with hope at her words, and he answered without hesitation.
"As far as it takes. Anything... just ask."
Eve looked at Ivan once again and saw the anxiety in his eyes, something he could not quite hide, no matter how hard he tried, knowing that whatever she said next would affect them both.
Her expression softened at the thought.
She then turned her gaze towards the others in the room, noticing how they had all visibly stiffened, before finally looking back at Solan.
"I will accept being your successor."
The moment the words left her lips, it felt as though the air had been sucked out of the room.
Ivan’s grip around her shoulder and hand tightened ever so slightly, but she continued, "...but on one condition."
Solan’s eyes widened in surprise. "What condition?"
"My condition is that I will rule the kingdom only if I am allowed to do so while I remain in Versailles."
Shock spread across every face in the room.
Solan faltered, clearly taken aback. "Evelyn... how would that even be possible?" freewebnoveℓ.com
"Hear me out. I will accept the crown and watch over everything happening in the kingdom by appointing trusted allies to manage affairs in my absence. They will serve as a specialised council that answers directly to me. I will do everything in my power to protect my people, but if I am to do this, I can only do it this way."
She paused and looked at Ivan. "Because I cannot bear the idea of being separated from you again. Or would... would you be okay with that?"
Ivan felt something within him finally settle, the anxiety that had gripped his heart easing at her words. Without hesitation, he replied, "Never... but I do not want you to sacrifice anything for me."
"My home is where you are, Ivan... so this is me choosing my home," she said gently, earning a faint yet deeply meaningful smile from him.
"And my home is where you are... Eve," Ivan replied, drawing a soft smile from her in return.
She turned back to Solan and continued, her voice steady yet filled with quiet conviction.
"Ivan and I have given our all to protect this world. During this battle, I once more sacrificed my life. But there is more to us than the responsibilities the world has thrust upon us."
Her voice was soft but filled with emotions that they could all feel, "We vowed to be with each other; we chose to live our lives together. That was something robbed from us in our previous lives, leaving us to wander in the void as punishment for defying the gods. freёwebnovel.com
But now those same gods have blessed us, and there is no way I will let this world take that bliss away from me ever again."
Solan looked at Eve in silence for a long moment before his gaze shifted towards Ivan, who was looking at her with such unmistakable love that it stirred something deep within him. It reminded Solan of himself, of a time when he had loved just as deeply.
Though what he had shared with the woman he loved had been nothing more than a façade on her part, for him, it had been entirely real, and his eyes softened as he looked at the two of them.
After a pause, Solan glanced at Septimus, who gave him a small, encouraging nod.
Turning back to the couple, he called, "Prince Ivan."
The softness in his tone, something he had never used before, made Ivan meet his gaze.
Solan drew a breath before speaking.
"Even if I have no right to do this... I see where my daugh- Evelyn’s heart lies. So, as her father, and as the King of the kingdom she hails from... would you accept her hand in marriage?"
Eve and Ivan’s eyes widened in surprise at hearing those words from Solan.
They were positively speechless for several seconds before Ivan finally replied. "Yes, I will. In every life, I will always be hers, and she mine."
His answer made Eve’s heart somersault with delight and inexplicable happiness. Before she could even begin to respond, Solan spoke again, this time with a warm smile. "Then I accept this. I vow to you, Evelyn, that this is exactly what will happen, just as you wish."
"Your union with Prince Ivan would form the most powerful alliance between our two kingdoms, uniting us as one. That way, you can continue to rule as you wish," Solan stated before turning his attention to Iskara, who already wore a wide, approving smile.
"I hope you are in agreement with this as well, King Iskara?" Solan asked, even though the answer was evident.
Iskara chuckled softly and nodded. "My children’s happiness is all I have ever wanted. You need not ask, King Solan, when my son has already agreed."
A bright smile spread across every face in the room.
And just like that, history was written once more, marking the promise of a union between not only the two most powerful kingdoms but two most powerful beings in existence.
...
Months turned into years, and seasons passed swiftly, yet the excitement surrounding the grand announcement between the two most powerful kingdoms did not fade in the slightest.
A marriage alliance between the Kingdom of Versailles and the Kingdom of Luminear had become the affair of the century, something everyone eagerly looked forward to, especially after witnessing the two lovers radiate their affection so openly throughout their academic years.
This time, there was not a single person left who opposed the union, particularly among those who had lived through the second great war that had taken place three years earlier.
Much had changed since then, and with the day of their graduation approaching, a new Chapter awaited each of them, as they prepared to return to the real world and to their respective kingdoms.
