Sunshine blinked as she spotted Eclipse humming softly while walking through the castle corridors—an unusual lightness in her step. The Sovereign Shield quickened her pace to catch up, curiosity dancing in her golden flame eyes.
"Hey, you look happy," Sunshine nudged, a teasing grin forming. "Is it because of Mixarnt... or something else?" She asked,
Eclipse’s lips curled into a rare, genuine smile. "Both, actually. The engagement’s getting cancelled soon."
Sunshine nearly tripped over her own boots. "W-What?! How?!" She grabbed Eclipse’s arm, voice dropping to a frantic whisper. "Are you planning to fight your family?!"
A soft laugh escaped Eclipse as she shook her head. "No need. Back during the trials, when I slipped away from the throne room, I planned to watch the trial as Moonlight in the colosseum and Mixarnt saw me before the trial started. I... told him about the engagement—without revealing who I was, of course." Her fingers brushed against her mask briefly. "And he promised me then that he’d stop it. That he wouldn't let me leave his side." Eclipse said with a small blush.
Sunshine’s breath hitched. "His wish... That’s what he will ask the king!?"
Eclipse nodded, the tension in her shoulders easing. "No forced marriages. No political chains. His reward will ensure it."
For a heartbeat, Sunshine stood frozen—then her face split into the brightest grin of her life. "I—I need to tell Helia! And Mother!" She spun on her heel, already sprinting down the hall, her laughter echoing behind her.
"That reckless, wonderful idiot." Sunshine murmured with a warm smile.
Mixarnt had unknowingly mended a broken heart before it even shattered.
Arriving at her house, Sunshine didn’t bother with the door handle—she kicked it open with a clatter, her boots skidding across the polished marble floors of the Solaris mansion. Servants yelped and scattered as she barreled through the halls, her golden armor gleaming under the chandeliers.
"HELIA! MOTHER!" Her voice echoed through the grand corridors, bouncing off portraits of Solaris ancestors who had probably never sprinted through their own home like a wildfire.
She found them in the sunroom—Arabella calmly sipping tea while Helia listlessly traced the rim of her own untouched cup, her eyes distant. Both women jerked upright at Sunshine’s dramatic entrance.
"Soleil Solaris!" Arabella scolded, nearly dropping her porcelain. "What in the—"
"IT’S OVER!" Sunshine gasped, bracing her hands on her knees as she fought for breath. "The engagement—cancelled!"
Helia’s cup shattered on the floor.
Arabella was the first to recover. "Explain. Now."
Sunshine gulped air, grinning like a madwoman. "Mixarnt—that absolute lunatic—will use his trial reward. He will wish to the king to void any forced marriage between Eclipse and Prince Art!" She spun to Helia, whose face had gone pale. "He didn’t even know it was you two! He just did it because Eclipse—well, Moonlight—told him she was being forced into it!"
Helia’s hands flew to her mouth. A sound escaped her—half sob, half disbelieving laugh—as her knees gave out. She crumpled onto the settee, tears spilling freely now.
Arabella’s stern facade cracked. "…That boy," she murmured, shaking her head. "He’s either the naivest fool alive or the kingdom’s most unwitting schemer."
Sunshine bounced on her heels. "Art doesn’t know yet! You should see him, Helia—he’s been moping in the palace gardens every night like a tragic poet—"
"Soleil," Arabella warned, but Helia was already standing, wiping her cheeks with trembling fingers.
"I need to go. Now."
Arabella sighed—then smiled. "Take the carriage. And for stars’ sake, fix your hair first."
Sunshine cackled as Helia bolted upstairs, nearly tripping over her skirts in her haste.
The palace gardens were bathed in the soft glow of twilight, the air thick with the scent of moonflowers—their flowers, the ones Art and Helia had planted together years ago. The prince sat on their usual stone bench, his head bowed, turning a single silver locket over in his hands—a gift from Helia, one he hadn’t been able to wear since the engagement was announced.
Then—
"Art!"
His head snapped up.
Helia stood at the edge of the garden, her chest heaving, her Solaris-blue dress rumpled from running as soon as she got down from the carriage. For a heartbeat, they just stared at each other—then she was sprinting toward him.
Art barely had time to stand before she crashed into him, her arms wrapping around his neck so tightly he could barely breathe. He didn’t care. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling the familiar scent of peach.
"I’m sorry," he choked out, his voice raw. "I should have fought harder. I should have—"
Helia pulled back just enough to press her forehead to his. "It’s over," she whispered. "The engagement… it’s not happening."
Art froze. "What?"
A rustle of fabric made them turn. Sunshine and Eclipse stepped into the garden, the former grinning, the latter serene.
"Mixarnt happened," Sunshine announced, crossing her arms. "That idiot will use his trial wish to void any forced marriage between you and Eclipse."
Art’s breath left him in a rush. "He… will what?"
Eclipse nodded, her lunar eyes glinting with something almost like amusement. "He didn’t even know it was me. He just did it because… well, because that’s what he does."
Art stared at them, then down at Helia, her face alight with hope. Slowly, a disbelieving laugh bubbled up in his chest.
"I need to meet this boy properly."
Art’s mind raced back to the trial matches—to Mixarnt’s reckless grin, his unbreakable wooden sword, the way he fought Kalavan with Rosalind despite the odds.
"He’s the one who dueled Kalavan, isn’t he?" Art murmured, thumb brushing Helia’s cheekbone absently. "I watched that fight. He’s…"
"A disaster," Sunshine supplied cheerfully.
"Incredible," Art corrected, his voice warm.
Eclipse’s lips quirked. "Both can be true."
Helia squeezed Art’s hand. "We’ll thank him at the awarding ceremony. Properly."
Art nodded, his gaze drifting toward the sky, unbeknownst to the lovers, Mixarnt was currently sleeping soundly with a smile, dreaming of Moonlight pampering him.
