The timing was just right. Dinner was ready as soon as they finished their bath.
Pristin, now dressed in a light chiffon gown, sat down for dinner with Jerald. Just as she had requested, an array of exquisite seafood dishes were laid out before her.
She hadn’t spent that much time in the bath, so it amazed her that so many dishes were ready so quickly. Silently impressed, she picked up her fork.
“How many chefs did you bring along for this?”
“Half of the palace’s cooks have been mobilized for this trip.”
“My goodness, isn’t that a bit much?”
“I can’t tolerate the idea of you ever going hungry, so it seemed necessary,”
Jerald said with a graceful smile, urging Pristin to eat.
“Go ahead, enjoy it. Everything’s made with the freshest ingredients.”
“It certainly looks delicious. You should eat plenty too, Your Majesty.”
“Shall we toast first?”
“Yes, let’s.”
With glasses of red wine raised to their faces, they prepared for a toast.
“What should our toast be to?”
“To our happy and healthy marriage?”
“Perfect.”
Jerald smiled, clearly pleased.
“To our happy and healthy marriage.”
“Cheers.”
After the toast was shared, Pristin smiled, savoring the sweet yet slightly bitter wine. This moment felt perfect—being with the person she loved, enjoying great food and fine wine. What more could she possibly want? She couldn’t have imagined anything better when Jerald spoke up again.
“How about a walk after dinner?”
“That sounds nice.”
She heard an answer in tune.
“And there’s something fun to do too.”
“Something fun?”
“Yes, you’ll enjoy it.”
“Enjoy it?”
Pristin asked in an interested voice,
“What could possibly amuse me at my age?”
“I’m sure you’ll find it entertaining,”
Jerald said with a rare confidence, piquing Pristin’s curiosity even more.
What could he have planned?
“Your Majesty, you really do love surprises,”
“Seeing you happy with them is the only joy I have in life.”
His words made her smile reflexively. If that was truly what brought him joy, then as his wife, she would gladly play along.
“Okay. I’m looking forward to it.”
She said sincerely, her heart already fluttering with excitement at what might be in store. What could he have planned to surprise and delight her this time?
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
After dinner, the two took a walk around the garden surrounding the villa as planned.
She was busy paying attention to the villa, so she thought she wouldn’t see much of the garden, but even the garden was perfect. It smelled like the roses she liked. Pristin said, making no secret of her pleasant expression,
“You are a great man, Your Majesty.”
“Why?”
“How did you come up with the idea of paying attention to the garden?”
“Because the garden is quite important to the event I’m about to organize.”
“And you’ve prepared it so well and in such a short time, even considering that?”
“I shouldn’t delay doing something to please you.”
“What a model answer.”
Pristin couldn’t hide her satisfaction, tightening her grip on Jerald’s arms. Jerald made an exclamation.
“We’re here.”
“Here?”
Pristin looked around with a puzzled expression. But nothing particularly changed. Pristin stared at Jerald, and Jerald smiled and said,
“I’ve got something hidden here.”
“When you say fun, you mean… like a treasure hunt?”
“Something like that.”
“Oh, my God.”
A treasure hunt at this age. For a moment, Pristin laughed in disbelief. But then she thought better of it. It sounded kind of… fun?
“I hope the treasure is something I want.”
“I put my whole heart into it.”
“But it’s so dark and big here.”
“Of course, there’s a clue.”
“I knew it, tell me about it.”
“The treasure is all under the tree.”
“Under a tree. Great.”
The range narrowed. Pristin shrugged as if it wasn’t hard, then pulled ahead of Jerald. This wasn’t so bad. She wondered what the hell he was hiding.
“Ah.”
Soon enough, Pristin had found a treasure, albeit a difficult one. It was very openly shouting ‘Look at me!’ Pristin asked, smiling softly.
“The treasure hunt is a little easy.”
“It’s not the process that matters, it’s the result.”
“Yeah, well, let’s see what the treasure is.”
It was a small box, and at first glance, it didn’t look like much.
But when they opened it, the story changed.
“…Jewelry.”
A real treasure for a treasure hunt. Inside was a red garnet.
Even for a person who didn’t know much about gems, it looked pretty valuable.
Pristin stared at the gem with a puzzled expression on her face.
“…Ah.”
There was more hidden. A small note peeped out its head.
‘Hello, Pristin.’
A cute greeting. Pristin looked at Jerald with a confused expression. Jerald said to Pristin with a strange expression on his face,
“There are still six more treasures left.”
“I see. You wrote me a letter.”
“As expected, you’re quick on the uptake.”
Jerald kissed Pristin on her forehead as a compliment. Pristin smiled and looked for other gifts under the tree.
Before long she discovered one more. This time it was a citrine. A beautiful, precious orange-colored gem.
And sure enough, a note peeked out.
‘Thank you for marrying me.’
Pristin smiled and looked at Jerald once more. He seemed to be controlling his emotions and had a barely visible smile.
Pristin responded honestly,
“Thank you for marrying me, too.”
“I want to say thank you more,”
Jerald replied, gazing at Pristin gently.
“You may live without me, but I can’t live without you.”
“You’re underestimating my love too much.”
Pristin shook her head and countered,
“I can’t even imagine a life without Your Majesty.”
With that said, it was time to find the third treasure. Pristin found the third treasure, again with difficulty. This time it was a pearl. A yellow pearl.
Suddenly, Pristin realized that he had a rainbow of gems, and he marveled. What a thoughtful gesture.
‘This moment, being married to you feels like a dream.’
It was true for her, too.
More specifically, the fact that she had married him, become his wife, bore his child, and was living this life with him filled her with awe.
‘I’ll be a really good husband in the future.’
The next treasure was a green peridot, a gemstone symbolizing “marital happiness.” Pristin hugged Jerald, who was approaching and whispered.
“I’ll try to be a really good wife in the future.”
“You already are, just by being you.”
“You should realize that the same is true for you.”
Pristin replied, leaving a tender kiss on his cheek before continuing her treasure hunt.
‘I’ll do my best for our happiness.’
A lovely confession with a blue aquamarine. Just looking at it made her heart flutter with warmth. How could such simple words carry so much sincerity and affection?
Pristin’s eyes glimmered as she smiled softly.
‘So let’s be happy together forever.’
Holding tightly to the navy sapphire, Pristin nibbled her lips.
Oh, no. She could feel the tears welling up. There wasn’t any sad reason to cry, nor was this some dramatic proposal, but still, the tears were threatening to spill, as if something was pushing them out. Sensing her emotional state, Jerald wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace.
In his arms, Pristin took a moment to collect herself before searching for the final treasure. When she found the small box containing a violet amethyst, she could no longer hold back. The tears finally poured out.
‘I love you.’
Could those simple and common words make someone cry like this?
‘I love you very, very much.’
Though he said he loved her very much, Pristin knew the truth—he loved her even more than that. And realizing this, something she had always known, moved her all over again, making her cry. Jerald looked very embarrassed, perhaps not expecting this reaction.
“Why are you crying, Pristin?”
“How could you prepare something like this… and expect me not to cry?”
At that moment, the only way she could express her overflowing emotions was through that tight embrace.
Jerald held her gently, patting her back tenderly.
“I love you.”
Of all things, that’s what he chose to say, which only made Pristin cry even harder. Through her tears, she managed to confess.
“I love you too, Your Majesty. So much… so, so much…
Finally, Pristin choked out her last words.
“I love you.”
That single, simple yet profound phrase seemed to perfectly describe their relationship at its core. As she laid her head against Jerald’s chest, slowly calming down, she lifted her tear-stained face. Jerald softly cupped her cheek, wiping away the traces of her tears, his smile both tender and beautiful.
“I love you.”
After exchanging those words once more, the two leaned in, their lips meeting in a gentle kiss. The passionate repetition of “I love you” felt like the most important thing in their lives, both now and forever.
As Pristin kissed Jerald with a smile on her lips, she thought to herself: We will always, now and forever, whisper nothing but love to each other, unwavering.
And so, their lives, too, would be filled with endless happiness, now and forever.
That marks the end of YHRYS, everyone! Thank you for coming along the ride with me. I hope you enjoyed it like I did with all the cliches and angsty moments.
