It was a bombshell.
Cui Ciyou's mention of marriage sent shock waves through Roxy's heart-and even through Elinalise's as she watched from the sidelines.
Roxy froze completely.
In that instant, her mind went utterly blank.
She almost forgot where she was, forgot the blood and darkness around her, forgot her body's pain and exhaustion.
She simply stared at him, her beautiful blue eyes filled with disbelief.
Mar...riage?
That word felt so distant to her, so... far beyond anything she dared hope for.
"Wh...what nonsense are you talking about..."
Only after a long while did Roxy finally recover from the overwhelming shock.
This was different from those times several years ago.
At House Boreas, in Buena Village... this was different from all of them.
This time, Roxy had none of that determination to refuse.
There was only a trace of flustered shyness, almost dreamlike, that even she had not noticed.
She instinctively turned her head away, unable to keep looking into those deep black eyes that seemed capable of drawing in her very soul.
In an adorable, heavily nasal voice that sounded almost complaining, she murmured:
"Who... who proposes to a woman like this..."
There were no flowers, no romantic vows, and no crowd of witnesses.
Instead, they were deep inside this cold, damp Labyrinth, surrounded by the stench of blood and the remains of S-Rank monsters... what kind of proposal was this?
"I guess you're right..."
Watching Roxy's profile first flush with almost steaming embarrassment, then turn indignant as she complained, Cui Ciyou looked sheepish for once.
He instinctively scratched his head.
But after that brief embarrassment, his gaze grew utterly resolute again.
Cui Ciyou took a step forward, standing before her once more.
He put the question to her again, for the last time.
"Then, will you say yes?"