"Let's watch this."

Our hands were clasped together tightly.

At that moment, the fireworks burst with a loud crackle outside the attic's window before quickly fading away.

"Beautiful."

"Yes, it's very beautiful."

I nodded, watching the fireworks, when suddenly, I felt Blake's soft lips on my cheeks.

Blake quickly turned away but I saw his face and ears burning red.

It took me a moment to realize what just happened.

"...kiss."

Blake had kissed me just now.

He whispered, "Ancia, I love you."

His voice was muffled by the fireworks, but I still heard him.

"What?"

I pretended to not have heard him.

I wanted to tease him a little bit.

"...I love you."

"I can't hear you."

"I love you..."

"Speak a little louder."

His face gradually turned even redder.

I should probably stop teasing him now.

"I love you, Ancia."

Blake was shy, but he spoke sincerely.

I couldn't make fun of him anymore when I met his gaze.

"Me too. I'm happy I meet you, Blake."

I'm glad I came to this world because I was able to meet him. That was enough for me.

We spent a long time watching the fireworks and fell asleep with our hands intertwined.

***

I had a dream. Blake and I were walking together in a forest. Blake's hair was sparkling and his sharp nose and jawline were outlined by the moonlight. His skin was flawless with no signs of the curse. He had grown up to become a wonderful man.

I wanted to look at his face more closely, but for some reason, I felt embarrassed.

"...look at me."

"..."

"Come on."

He turned my head towards him.

***

When I woke up, my eyes were moist. In my dream, Blake had become a wonderful young man and no longer had the curse. The Blake in my dream had black hair, but his face was still the same face.

The cursed inscriptions that covered his face had disappeared.

"Blake..."

"Huh?"

"Blake the cursed inscriptions are gone."

"What?"

Then, Blake checked his hands. He touched his face too.

"It's gone..."

"Yes, it's gone. There's no curse on you anymore!"

He glanced at the window and confirmed that the inscriptions had really disappeared.

"There really isn't. Did I see it wrong?"

"Wait! I'll get the mirror."

As soon as I got up, Blake hugged me.

"Blake..."

"Ancia, I...I... the curse...ah! The curse has been lifted."

He burst into tears.

Blake cried a lot. I'd never seen him cry so much before. But they were all tears of joy.

I hugged Blake in response.

"That's right. It's finally been lifted."

"Ahh! A-ancia...I...I will live..."

I thought I knew Blake's thoughts better than anyone. How hard had it been for him? I burst into tears because I felt so sorry for him.

"I...can s-stay with Ancia...I'll stay with you for a long time...forever!"

He rejoiced that he could be with me because he had been cured.

I was quite selfish. I didn't want to leave Blake behind.

"That's right, we'll be together forever. We'll never be apart."

We hugged each other and cried for a long time.

***

Startled by the cries from the attic, Melissa opened the door.

Ancia and Blake were hugging each other while crying.

What happened?

Melissa's heart sank. Last night, she went to see the Festival of Light with Hans thanks to Ancia.

It had been a year since they started dating, but it was their first time going out together outside the palace.

"Hans, wait a minute. Listen to that song."

"It's a song about His Highness the Crown Prince. The lyrics are about a girl sent by the Goddess to lift the prince's curse."

It wasn't just that.

The newspapers were also filled with the same story.

"I hope the curse really does get lifted."

"It will. Her Highness is the Heir of Light. Only good things will happen since she's around."

The fireworks lit up the night sky as the two of them prayed that Blake's curse would be lifted soon.

Even though they were outside the palace, they were still concerned about the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

Melissa and Hans only learned about Frank's incident when they returned to the palace.

They regretted going out, but Melissa was relieved to see the two of them sleeping next to each other peacefully when she came back.

But then, she suddenly heard a loud cry come from the room.

Melissa went to see what was going on, but when she saw Blake's face, she couldn't find any words to speak.

Blake's face was spotless. The sentences of the curse were gone.

The curse had been lifted.

"Oh my goodness!"

"Hans!"

Melissa called out to Hans and he ran over immediately in alarm.

Soon, Hans' eyes also widened at the sight.

"Your Highness, the curse..."

"That's right. It's been lifted."

Melissa smiled and tugged Hans' hands.

"Let's get out of here. We should give them some space."

***

Tenstheon came running to the palace at once after he heard that Blake's curse had been lifted.

"Blake!"

Tenstheon grabbed Blake's face.

"Ah!"

Blake's cheeks were smooshed as Tenstheon inspected his face carefully.

"It...really worked."

"The curse has been lifted."

"Yes, it was reweased, so your mwajesty, this is a lwittle-"

Blake's face was pressed on both sides, so he spoke with a sloppy pronunciation.

He tried to get out of his father's hold but Tenstheon grabbed on even more strongly.

"Does it hurt? Are you alright?"

"It's alright.. Your Majesty, I'm out of breath."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Ancia, you released Blake's curse. Thank you very much."

Tenstheon clasped my hand and thanked me.

"Your Majesty is right! Ancia lifted the curse!"

Blake held my other hand.

The curse of the Goddess had been lifted.

Was this real? It was not a dream.

The warmth in my hands was proof that this was not a dream.

"Thanks, Ancia."

Tenstheon and Blake kept thanking me.

I was also very grateful that the curse had been lifted.

***

Richard bribed a guard and managed to get into the prison.

"It's all because of you! You should've stopped him when you saw him drinking!"

The Duke of Cassil shouted as soon as he saw Richard.

If there was anything lying around, he would definitely throw it at Richard.

Frank was the one who caused the incident during the ball, but Arnold Cassil still blamed Richard for it.

Richard did not make any excuses and quietly stood with his head bowed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect that to happen."

The situation had turned out completely according to his plans, so he didn't find it as unfair.

Despite the protests, the Emperor still visited the Crown Prince's palace. Rumours of the curse being lifted spread rapidly and Arnold Cassil became anxious.

But Frank's thoughts were different.

"Why would you worry about that dying kid? In the end, Bellacian's eldest daughter will be mine."