The proposal

The two sat quietly on the sofa watching cartoons...

Five minutes passed.

Ten minutes passed.

Fifteen minutes have passed.

The animation on TV had already finished airing one episode, but Lu Yan beside him remained sitting there like a wooden stake, completely motionless.

Even the hand that usually loved to rub her thigh was now obediently placed on her knee!

Aemeath frowned almost imperceptibly, and her initial anticipation began to deflate like a punctured balloon.

What is A-Yan waiting for?

Could it be that the food I cooked today didn't suit his taste?

That's not right, he clearly drank the whole pot of chicken soup.

Is the atmosphere not right? But I've already lit scented candles, and the distance between us on the sofa is the perfect for being close together.

Or is it...?

An extremely terrifying thought suddenly sprang from the depths of Aemeath's mind.

Could it be... that I guessed wrong?!

Could it be that A-Yan went out in the 38-degree heat this afternoon to buy something other than a ring?

Why was he measuring my fingers?

Is it just that you like my hands?

No, no way...

Aemeath let out a desperate wail in her heart.

If that's really the case, then her behavior this afternoon—rolling around on the floor in excitement and even imagining a whole proposal scene—was utterly hopelessly stupid!

She even prepared such a huge table of food, and she even changed into A-Yan's favorite pink slip dress!

As her inner madness crumbled, the pink ahoge (antenna-like hair) on Aemeath's head, which had stood straight up like a radar antenna due to anticipation, began to droop little by little.

Finally, the single strand of hair completely lost its vitality and lay limply on the top of her head.

The pillow in her arms was crumpled and deformed, and her once bright eyes dimmed considerably, with a layer of tears welling up in them.

A-Yan, you big idiot! If it weren't for the ring today, I... I would never let him touch me again tonight!

Aemeath lowered her head slightly, looking at her slender, white left hand. Her ring finger was bare, with nothing on it.

Her nose inexplicably stung, and she couldn't help but grumble inwardly, "That big idiot A-Yan, if it wasn't about buying a ring, why did he have to use that kind of excuse and make people misunderstand... He made me happy for nothing."

Just as this tense atmosphere was about to completely turn the ambiguous atmosphere in the living room into an awkward situation.

Suddenly, almost simultaneously, they both realized they couldn't continue this stalemate.

If I don't speak up soon, tonight, which should be the most romantic night, will be completely ruined by this endless internal monologue.

Lu Yan took a deep breath and suddenly turned his head.

Aemeath seemed to have made up her mind, loosening the crumpled pillow and turning her face away.

As if they were telepathically connected, they turned to look at each other at the same time and spoke simultaneously.

"Aemeath."

"A-Yan."

The two voices rang out simultaneously in the quiet living room, then stopped abruptly at the same time.

After a brief moment of surprise, the two simply looked at each other in silence.

Looking at Aemeath's slightly watery golden eyes and the droopy, lifeless ahoge on her head, Lu Yan instantly understood what she was thinking.

When Aemeath saw the fine beads of sweat on Lu Yan's forehead and his slightly flushed cheeks from nervousness, she instantly realized—it wasn't that A-Yan hadn't bought it, it was that this idiot was nervous!

A warm current instantly dispelled all unease and anxiety.

The two looked at each other for a few seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing at the same time.

Aemeath smiled, her eyes crinkling. The grievances she had been holding in vanished the moment she saw Lu Yan's anxious face.

The single tuft of hair that had been drooping on her head suddenly stood up again, swaying merrily in the air with her laughter.

Lu Yan smiled, then shook his head helplessly.

He laughed at himself inwardly, thinking what a complete fool he was.

Sitting in front of him was the person he had sworn to cherish for all eternity, the girl who was willing to cross dimensions to find him and love him even if he had nothing.

In her presence, there is no need for perfection or elaborately crafted lines.

She would cherish anything he gave her, even the clumsiest promise.

All the rehearsals, all the lines, all the anxious speculations vanished in that one smile.

The laughter gradually subsided.

The awkward tension that had filled the living room was now completely replaced by a warm and affectionate atmosphere.

Without any hesitation, Lu Yan put away his smile, his expression becoming more solemn and dignified than ever before.

He slowly stood up from the sofa and, under Aemeath's happy gaze, took half a step back to the side.

Immediately afterwards, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the dark blue velvet box, which had already been warmed by his body heat.

He reached out his left hand and solemnly took Aemeath's empty left hand in his.

His fingertips gently caressed the back of her delicate hand, feeling her pulse pounding wildly with excitement.

Then, Lu Yan straightened his back, stepped back with his right leg, bent his knee, and knelt steadily on the carpet on one knee.

A soft "thump" sound, though not loud, deeply shocked Aemeath.

The pink ahoge that had been drooping on Aemeath's head suddenly stood up straight as if she had been electrocuted, trembling slightly in mid-air.

She covered her mouth tightly, afraid she would scream, but large tears, like pearls from a broken string, uncontrollably streamed from her eyes and slid down her cheeks.

She guessed right.

She didn't presume to be affectionate; she waited for the best man in the world A-Yan.

Lu Yan looked up, his eyes reflecting the pink-haired girl sitting on the sofa, trembling with excitement.

With a "click," the thumb of his right hand pried open the lid of the ring box.

At that moment, the warm orange light from the living room shone into the box.

The women's ring, crafted from platinum, reflects a restrained yet sacred radiance against a black velvet cushion.

The forget-me-not vines outlined in rose gold on the ring face seemed to possess a life of their own, shimmering subtly under the flow of Frequency that only the two of them could sense.

What surprised Aemeath even more was that she could clearly feel a faint yet incredibly familiar Frequency flowing through the ring.

That's Lu Yan's Frequency.

Tears streamed down Aemeath's face like a burst dam; she sobbed uncontrollably, yet smiled more brightly than ever before.

The hollowed-out heart on the inner wall, and the closely intertwined "Lu Yan & Aemeath," became the sole focus at this moment.

Lu Yan held her slender ring finger tightly, feeling the slight coolness and trembling from her fingertip.

Lu Yan looked into Aemeath's eyes, a gentle smile on his face. He didn't use any fancy words, but spoke slowly in the simplest tone:

"Aemeath... will you marry me?"

He tightened his grip on her hand slightly, his thumb gently gliding along the base of her ring finger, the spot he had measured countless times—a spot uniquely belonging to this ring.

Lu Yan's eyes were slightly red, but the smile on his face was gentle to the core.

He continued:

Will you become my wife?

Would you accept this love from me?