Spoilers : The Abandonned Empress

Spoilers : Tia and Ruve being cute together #3

Then Tia goes to meet the knights who prepared a dinner in her honour. They ask if it's true that she's going to resign. Ruve crashes the party to annonce his marriage with Tia for New Year. He's just back from meeting with Keirean who agreed. Then he kisses Tia on the forehead and there are shouts of disbelief, cheers and sighs coming from everywhere. Some knights shouts "To Lady Monique, our goddess!"

Suddenly Ruve turns his head to glare at the knights.

"What? Goddess?"

Faced with Ruve's glowing blue eyes, the knights freeze. Ruve asks in a cold voice between his teeth "What is my prospective bride, my lords?" (omg XD)

They don't answer.

"Is it Lord Ryan? Answer me."

"La-lady Monique is our goddess... Oh, no, everyone's idol, I mean, the knight's mascot..."

"Ha."

Turning to Tia he says. "I knew you were very popular. But I didn't know you were so loved. I was worried you had a hard time living as a knight. I'm glad." (omg, this sounds so fake Ruve, even on paper )

"Your majesty"

"Let's go. I have a lot to do to get ready for the wedding."

Then Ruve sweeps Tia away, breaking a lot of hearts. ^^

In the next day, there is Jenna's execution. And Jieun is not there because she took the poison.

Then we get into the wedding preparation. And it's a hectic schedule for everyone, even Tia. Lina, Tia's maid, will become a royal maid and follow Tia to the palace. Tia burns her silver stationary (because she won't be using it once she's Ruve's wife) and she feels like her nightmares burn away too. A priest comes to give her the bride blessing, putting a crown of flowers on her head he recites ritual words. And this priest-healer tells her that she looks good, and confesses that his debt is somehow repaid to Jeremiah (this healer might be the one who helped when Tia and Ruve were poisoned, I'm not sure). He explains to Tia that when he was young a woman came to be healed but his superiors commanded him not to heal her if she couldn't make a donation. With a heavy heart he turned down the woman. Few days later, Jeremiah came to the temple to curse him because her mother had been turned down and died. The healer says that Jeremiah hated him, and that is why he discovered her poisoning too late. He was officially pardoned but he always felt guilty.

It's the night before the wedding. It snows and Tia cannot sleep. She goes to the window and opens it to play with the snow. Suddenly she hears a knock on the door and a maid comes in with a letter from Ruve saying :

Tonight, as the world is covered with snow, I miss you. Tia, can you come to the garden for a moment? I want to go see the flowers with you.

Tia smiles, puts on her coat and goes out. She walks in the snow and goes to the tree. The buds are half open.

"Tia"

Tia jumps and looks back at Ruve who is behind her and smiling at her.

"You surprised me your majesty"

"Why?"

"I couldn't hear you come."

"Oh... I walked on your footsteps so that's why it didn't make a sound."

"You stepped in my footsteps? Really?" (Yeah, really?! Ruve, are you for real?! You're too damn cute for your own good... )

Tia looks behind him and sees only one trail. She smiles shyly and Ruve gets closer and covers her shoulders.

"Were you not sleeping? I was hesitant to disturb your rest."

"No, I couldn't sleep."

"Really? I'm glad. For I have something to tell you."